Source : the age
Two more Aussies who had been unaccounted for in Nepal have made contact, the government confirmed this morning, bringing the total number of Australians missing in the flood-hit region down to 36.
The two citizens, who were previously uncontactable, confirmed they were safe. They do not require consular assistance.
Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek says the nation needs “to do something different” to combat soaring rates of sexual assault. She was speaking ahead of a roundtable convened in Sydney’s CBD to consider gendered violence.
The Minns government convened the roundtable today – bringing together dozens of experts for a three-hour meeting – to address the spread of sexual violence and misogyny among young people.
Plibersek alluded to the shocking allegations of sexual violence, including cases involving members of the Sydney Swans, Scots College, and the death of a teenage girl suspected to be caused by sexual choking, saying the state had endured a disturbing few weeks.
“Growing rates of sexual violence, where both the perpetrator and the victim are under the age of 18 – we need to do something different,” she said.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek spoke this last hour in Sydney, where she is attending a roundtable with her state counterparts on combating gender-based violence.
Here’s what she told reporters:
“The scripts young people are learning from online pornography, treating women roughly, demeaning them, hurting them, strangling them, those things are becoming normalised in a way that is profoundly harmful to young people.
“We have to change that. As a Commonwealth government, we are prepared to act.”
Last week, Plibersek said the federal government was considering a ban on pornography depicting sexual choking, after the death of a 16-year-old girl on Sydney’s northern beaches which police suspect involved choking during sex.
A joint appeal by leading humanitarian organisations to assist communities affected by the Nepal flood disaster has raised nearly $10 million.
The Emergency Action Alliance, made up of 15 Australian charities that specialise in humanitarian assistance and disaster response, launched its Nepal appeal last Friday.
In a week, it has raised $9.5 million (as of yesterday), including a government donation of $5 million. It is expected to pass the $10 million mark over the weekend.
The joint appeal mechanism aims to streamline the way for the Australian public to donate to a humanitarian crisis. The best capacities of each agency can subsequently be deployed to assist those affected by the disaster.
Disgraced British actor Chris Langham has died of pancreatic cancer aged 77, The Times newspaper reported overnight.
The outlet said he had died on June 24.
Langham was best known for his role as Roy Mallard, the narrator of the mockumentary series People Like Us from 1999-2001 and playing beleaguered cabinet minister Hugh Abbot in the first two seasons of BBC sitcom The Thick Of It from 2005-2006.
The London Telegraph reports that in May 2006, after winning two Baftas – one for best comedy performance for The Thick of It and another for his show Help – Langham was charged with 15 counts of making indecent images of children. In September that year he was charged with several counts of indecent assault and one other sexual offence against a 14-year-old girl.
Chris Bowen has downplayed the implications of Nauru holding out signing the Pacific Island leader’s statement demanding more transparency from China after its missile test in July.
“Unanimity is not necessary to express very strong views on behalf of the vast majority of the Pacific Island states, which was very clear,” the energy minister told Radio National this morning.
“It’s perfectly reasonable for the vast majority of Pacific countries to express a view, and for one or two to say that they have a different view. I think the view of the overwhelming Pacific was made crystal clear.”
Bowen said the statement was about both the Pacific leaders caught off guard by the test, but the test itself.
Vice President JD Vance claims the fighting between the United States and Iran is not a war and has declined comment on when the conflict would end as hostilities enter their seventh month and the US midterm elections loom.
“I wouldn’t call it a war,” Vance said at a White House briefing. “Right now, there’s no active shooting. I recognise there’s been places where this has flared up.”
Asked repeatedly about how the conflict could end, Vance said a conclusion would require Iran to stop targeting commercial shipping.
“When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is I don’t know the answer to that question,” Vance said. He also ruled out any fresh negotiations as long as attacks on shipping continued.
A case of H5 bird flu has been detected in a bird found at Warriewood on the northern beaches last week, marking the first detection of the deadly strain in Sydney.
The greater crested tern was found on Friday, August 28. Testing confirmed it was carrying bird flu.
Mayor of the Northern Beaches Sue Heins said:
“I suspect this will be the first of many as we brace ourselves for its potentially devastating impacts.”
The Department of Agriculture confirmed the case, and said there was a total of 468 detections of bird flu in Australian wildlife.
If you find sick or dead birds or wildlife, including marine species, you should avoid contact, record what you see and where it occurred, and report it immediately via the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888, or through the online reporting form.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has welcomed the “wonderful” news of two missing Australians being found in Nepal.
“Every person who’s been rescued or found is a relief to their family and to the broader Australian community,” Bowen told Radio National.
“But of course, we still have 36 Australians who are missing and unaccounted for, which is just gut-wrenching for all Australians and for the Nepalese-Australian community in particular, whom I’m spending time with later today.”
He said Australia would continue to send any support the Nepalese government requested.
Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson has responded to criticism of the Coalition’s proposal to substantially cut the tobacco excise after Labor MPs slammed the idea and said it would fail to stamp out organised crime.
“Well, cigarettes are already affordable under the plan. They’re just being sold by illegal crime gangs. This is a problem,” Wilson told the Today show.
“In Melbourne, you can go just about every strip shopping centre … and you’ll find firebombed shops where illegal tobacco arsonists have been attacking small businesses. The problem we’ve got is the government’s handed over the trade to organised crime gangs.”
The Coalition is promising to slash the tobacco tax by 80 per cent, just weeks after One Nation pledged to cut the tax by 75 per cent.
Health Minister Mark Butler said he and his state counterparts would discuss how to alleviate pressure on the aged care system today, as The Australian reports the number of people waiting in hospital for a place in aged care has grown to almost 4000 people.
“With the ageing of the baby boomers, there are more older Australians… in aged care. There are more waiting for aged care, and it stands to reason there unfortunately are more in our hospital system as well,” Butler told Sunrise.
He said the government was ploughing money into supporting older Australians to live at home for longer and building new facilities, but demand for services was unprecedented.
“I get the issue. It’s a very serious issue in our hospital system, as it is in our broader aged care system. And I’m looking forward to the next several hours working with my health ministry colleagues on things we can do to alleviate that pressure.”
