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Territory rights bill to attempt to overturn Andrews bill and allow ACT, NT to debate voluntary assisted dying

Territory rights bill to attempt to overturn Andrews bill and allow ACT, NT to debate voluntary assisted dying

In recent years, the federal ban has seen the ACT and NT become outliers as states legalized voluntary assisted dying, with NSW the last to do so in May this year. The most recent vote to overturn the ban, in 2018, was narrowly defeated 36 votes to 34. But the composition of the parliament has significantly changed since then.

Payne said she was “optimistic” the different dynamics of the Senate meant it would pass this time.

Coalition NT Senator Jacinta Price is the only federal representative from either territory to indicate she might not support the bill, saying she did not trust the NT Labor government to consult with Indigenous communities when it came to legislating voluntary assisted dying laws.

“I haven’t fully formed my decision,” Price said. “My concern around assisted dying, which would be a decision for the Territory to make obviously, is the way the current [NT] Labor government have conducted themselves. I see them continuing to fail in terms of trying to support the lives of vulnerable Indigenous Australians.”

In Labor’s ranks, opposition is most likely to come from members aligned to the conservative Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association.

Leader of the “shoppies” grouping, Trade Minister Don Farrell and his allies Deborah O’Neill and Helen Polley voted against the repeal attempt in 2018, as did Senator Pat Dodson.

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Farrell declined to comment. O’Neill said she would consider the legislation “on its merits” but she stood by her position articulated in the 2018 debate that “assisted suicide cannot … be safely legislated”. Polley and Dodson could not be reached for comment.

The recent federal election has seen the Senate become more progressive.

The Greens’ ranks have swelled to 12 members, from nine, all of whom are expected to back the bill. It will also have the support of independent ACT senator David Pocock – who campaigned on territory rights and defeated Liberal Zed Seselja, a staunch opponent of voluntary euthanasia. On the Coalition side, senior Liberals Simon Birmingham and Marise Payne backed the challenge of the bill in 2018, and are expected to be joined by colleague Andrew Bragg if they adopt the same position this time.

Independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, who was not in the Senate for the 2018 vote, has signaled she will back the bill, as has her newly elected colleague Tammy Tyrrell.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

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Paramedics and police attacked on Gold Coast in broad daylight

Video footage has captured the moment police and paramedics found themselves under attack in the middle of the day in queensland.
Bodycam footage shows the officers on the Gold Coast outnumbered and under attack by a group of men in the middle of a Gold Coast highway.

Two of the men took off, but one had another crack at a senior constable, who was responding to reports of a public nuisance.

Bodycam footage shows the officers on the Gold Coast outnumbered and under attack by a group of men in the middle of a Gold Coast highway.
Bodycam footage shows the officers on the Gold Coast outnumbered and under attack by a group of men in the middle of a Gold Coast highway. (Nine)

One of the men charged over the incident was 34-year-old Levi Hilton.

The court heard Hilton became violent when he saw his younger brother being arrested, and was upset that police were restraining him by the neck.

“He’s very happy to have this behind him, obviously he’s extremely remorseful,” his lawyer said.

Bodycam footage shows the officers on the Gold Coast outnumbered and under attack by a group of men in the middle of a Gold Coast highway.
Two of the men took off, but one had another crack at a senior constable, who was responding to reports of a public nuisance. (Nine)

He pleaded guilty to three counts of assault, one against Paramedic Adam Flory.

“We’re here to help you. We’re not here to harm you, but we don’t want to be harmed while doing our job as well,” Flory said.

Hilton was sentenced to nine months’ jail but immediately released on parole.

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Australia

New Zealand borders fully reopened as last Covid restrictions lifted | new zealand

New Zealand’s borders are fully open for the first time since they abruptly snapped shut to keep Covid-19 out in March 2020.

The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said the nation was “open for business” after the final stage of the phased reopening, which began in April, was completed on Sunday night.

Visitors from all over the world will once again be allowed into New Zealand, including maritime arrivals, those on student visas and those from non-visa waiver countries, such as China and India.

Ardern said the reopening was “an enormous moment” in a speech to the China Business Summit on Monday morning.

“It’s been a staged and cautious process on our part since February, as we, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe,” she said.

“New Zealanders are hosts. Manaakitanga [hospitality] streams through our veins and we open our arms to tourists and students, including from China, which prior to 2020 was New Zealand’s largest source of international students, and second-largest source of tourists.

“For those looking to make their journey here, haere mai, we welcome you.”

Cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts will also be allowed to dock at the country’s ports. The tourism minister, Stuart Nash, said the return of cruise ships – whose guests spent NZ$365m onshore a year prior to the pandemic – would be a big boost for local economies.

“Most cruise visits are during the warmer months from October to April … It will be full steam ahead for the industry, who can plan with certainty for the rest of the year and beyond,” Nash said in a statement.

Tourism operators, businesses and educational providers have welcomed the news, despite predictions from Immigration New Zealand that visitors are more likely to trickle – than flood – in over the next few months.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re not expecting the same level of demand we saw pre-Covid. That’s probably for a number of reasons,” Immigration New Zealand’s Simon Sanders told national broadcaster RNZ.

“We know that China, who’s a larger visitor visa-required country, is still subject to a range of travel restrictions so we’re not expecting large demand from there, at least initially.”

He encouraged students who have offers of study to apply immediately for their visas, and urged those looking to study in 2023 to hold off for a couple of months “so we can assure that those that need to arrive this year will be able to do so.” ”.

The full reopening comes at the same time New Zealand is sitting within the top seven countries in the world for average daily confirmed Covid cases per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

A University of Auckland study released last week warned that the border reopening could see foreign-seeded Covid-19 cases jump four-fold – and that could put further strain on the already creaking health system.

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Australia

New Zealand’s borders fully open after long pandemic closure

Passengers board an Air New Zealand flight at Christchurch Airport

New Zealand’s borders fully reopened to visitors from around the world on Monday, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic closed them in March 2020.

The country started reopening in February, first for New Zealanders returning home, and restrictions have progressively eased.

The process of reopening the borders ended last night with visitors who need visas and those on student visas now also allowed to return.

New Zealand is now also letting cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts dock at its ports.

International students were a significant contributor to New Zealand’s economy and educational providers are hoping the reopening of the borders will again provide a boost to schools and universities around the country.

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New Zealand’s border opening plan revealed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday during a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland that the final staged opening of the borders had been an enormous moment.

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Australia

Cattle arrive for the Ekka as organizers ramp up biosecurity measures against foot-and-mouth disease

A boy wearing a cowboy hat stands next to a cow

While fears of foot-and-mouth disease loom over the Ekka, organizers and breeders say “very comprehensive” plans are in place to limit risk.

Cattle began arriving yesterday for the stud beef competition, the largest annual showing of stud beef in the southern hemisphere.

Around 1,300 head of cattle are expected to attend the show, which runs from August 6 to 14.

Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) chief executive Brendan Christou said organizers were working closely with authorities.

A man holding the reins of a cow at the Ekka
The threat of FMD has not stopped many from bringing cattle to the show.(ABC News: Elizabeth Cramsie )

“Biosecurity Queensland will be here, onsite, throughout the show and we have our own vet committee that looks at all of those things as well,” he said.

Mr Christou said there were a range of measures being taken, including ensuring animals were healthy before their arrival, separation of breeds and use of foot baths.

“It is very comprehensive,” he said.

‘Very minimal risk’

However, for all the precautions, some breeders are still unwilling to take the risk.

Breeder Bronwyn Betts will be missing her first Ekka in more than a decade

“We were just concerned about the risk of foot-and-mouth disease, notwithstanding that that risk is low. The potential consequences can be quite dire,” she said.

Bronwyn Betts patting a cow.
Bronwyn Betts is sitting out the Ekka this year.(ABC news: Elizabeth Pickering)

Ms Betts said the Ekka and shows like it brought greater risk than other sales meet-ups because of the large presence of the public.

“Just in terms of the demographics of people [who] are there. At a sale, you’re largely going to get cattle people that are going to be coming in from cattle properties. They’ll be cognisant of foot-and-mouth [risk] and they will have taken measures,” she said.

“But that’s different from a show where there’s larger numbers of [the] public [who] are entering into an area, and they may well include some people [who] have recently returned from the popular holiday destination of Bali.

“I think there needs to be a lot more public education about what foot-and-mouth disease is, how it enters our country but, also, once it does, how it moves around, because the reality is that people play a big role in that.”

At the Ekka, cattle breeder Jason Childs said he felt enough precautions were being taken.

“Foot and mouth has been around the world for a long time and it hasn’t managed to get into Australia yet and it’s not in Australia yet,” he said.

“I think the risk here is very, very minimal.”

What is foot-and-mouth disease?

Foot and mouth (FMD) affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, goats and deer.

It causes fever and painful blisters on the animals’ tongues and hooves, which can make animals lick.

While Australia has been FMD-free for more than 100 years, the disease was detected in Indonesia in May and, by July, it had spread to Bali, sparking concerns it could be brought back by tourists.

It is not dangerous to humans, but people can facilitate the spread through products containing fragments of the disease or through dirty clothes and footwear.

A foot and mouth disease blister on the tongue of an animal with FMD.
FMD causes blisters on the tongues of infected animals.(Supplied: Agriculture Victoria)

FMD also spreads through close contact between animals and can be carried short distances by wind.

An outbreak in Australia would likely lead to mass culls of infected animals. It would also rob the country of its status as being free of FMD, causing major disruption to the meat and livestock trade.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) estimates an outbreak could cost the country $80 billion over 10 years.

A person in black leather shoes walks over a wet black mat.
People arriving on flights from Indonesia are asked to walk on citric acid mats to kill the FMD virus.(Supplied: Perth Airport)

After Indonesia’s outbreak spread to Bali, the federal government introduced extra measures at airports to stop it spreading to Australia.

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Australia

Calls to change Transport Accident Commission laws to back trucks over pedestrian tragedies

A large white truck on a road.

Victoria’s transport industry advocacy body is supporting two former truck drivers in their fight to close a loophole in pedestrian road tragedy compensation.

Portland man Ian Medley and Geelong man Kevin Reggardo were both driving for work when pedestrians were hit through no fault of the driver.

Both men said they were traumatized after witnessing the tragic deaths. They have been unable to return to work and regular life activities no longer brought them joy.

Mr Medley and Mr Reggardo have accessed limited compensation under the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) no-fault scheme, but were unable to seek damages for the pain and suffering they have experienced.

This is due to a loophole that left no insurer to claim against on behalf of the pedestrian.

The men’s lawyer, Tom Burgoyne, principal at Fortitude Legal, said the legislation could be changed to allow TAC to act as the nominal defendant for damage and pay the claim.

This is currently the case when an unregistered motorist with no insurer to claim against deliberately drives into a truck.

Left with long-lasting trauma

Kevin Reggardo’s wife of 35 years, Sue Bickerton, said she had to come out of retirement to work three jobs in aged care and hospitality to make up for the family’s financial loss since the 2018 incident.

A woman and man with angry facial expressions in their kitchen.
Sue Bickerton and Kevin Reggardo want access to pain and injury compensation.(Supplied: Sue Bickerton)

She is urging the Victorian government to change the law to enable truck drivers who experience tragedy, like her husband, access to compensation for their pain and suffering.

“Kevin left for work that morning and that Kevin will never come home again,” Ms Bickerton said.

“He got up for work, loved his job, off he went, ‘See you later, love’.

“From that day on, I have had to learn to live with another person in a totally different relationship.”

Ms Bickerton said the tragic incident during a regular day at work up-ended their lives.

“I have had to be the support person, the counselor, the one that sits up with him at night-time while he goes through the incident again and again,” she said.

“I am the one getting him to get some confidence to hop in the car again, to deal with anxiety when he sees people on the side of the road.”

A ‘time of need’

Victorian Transport Association chief executive Peter Anderson said it was sad “the system” had let truck drivers down in their “time of need”, and backed calls for change.

He said it had ripple effects throughout an industry that was experiencing severe staff shortages.

“Incidents like these don’t enhance the image of our industry,” Mr Anderson said.

“When people say they don’t want to come back, it puts other people off as well because they don’t want to go through these experiences either.

“How we make sure this never happens again is difficult, but we should have a greater level of support and understanding for those who have gone through it.”

A proposal for change

A Victorian government spokesperson said it would consider ways to further support victims of road trauma and workplace incidents.

“This is a complex area of ​​law that crosses over into several areas of government,” the spokesperson said.

A portrait photo of Tom Burgoyne who is the principal lawyer and director at Fortitude Legal.
Tom Burgoyne wants the Victorian government to consider his changes.(Supplied: Tom Burgoyne)

Mr Burgoyne’s proposal to the Victorian government is for TAC to step in as the nominal defendant for pedestrians in “strict scenarios”, but not to provide comprehensive coverage for pedestrians.

He said the “strict scenario” would include when the heavy vehicle driver was found blameless, and it had been established that the pedestrian moved into the path of the vehicle.

“This is unfortunately an occupational hazard, and a legal and insurance abyss for damages,” Mr Burgoyne said.

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Australia

Space junk from Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew-1 craft slams onto NSW farmer Mick Miners’ property

Space junk from Elon Musk's SpaceX Crew-1 craft slams onto NSW farmer Mick Miners' property

A 3m piece of space junk from Elon Musk’s spacecraft has crashed into a farmer’s property in NSW at around 25,000km/h.

The object – which was part of the SpaceX Crew-1 craft – was found in a sheep paddock by a farmer living on a large property in the Snowy Mountains.

Farmer Mick Miners said he discovered the space junk, which resembled a tree from a distance, after his family heard a loud bang.

The bang was also reportedly heard by residents living in southern NSW, with some alleging they saw an explosion.

Elon Musk spaceX. Picture: Supplied.
Camera IconSpaceX has been in space for almost two years. Supplied Credit: NCA NewsWire

Neighboring farmer Jock Wallace also reported a similar foreign object that had been torpedoed into his land.

Luckily for both farmers, the space waste – which came from one of the craft’s fins – was located a fair way from their homes.

Upon investigation, Australian National University space expert Brad Tucker was called by authorities to inspect the object.

“This is most definitely space junk which was part of the SpaceX Crew-1 trunk,” he told Ben Fordham on radio on Monday.

“SpaceX has this capsule that takes humans into space, but there is a bottom part … so when the astronauts come back, they leave the bottom part in space before the capsule lands.”

Musk determined to be on Mars in five years.

Musk determined to be on Mars in five years.

The spacecraft, which costs $62m per launch, has started to deorbit after almost two years in space.

Mr Tucker said the craft was originally planned to break apart and land in the ocean.

“We saw most pieces land in the ocean, but clearly some hadn’t because this 3m piece was speared into the ground from space,” Mr Tucker said.

“In photographs of the debris, you can clearly see charring, which you would expect from re-entry (into the atmosphere). It is very rare to see because they don’t usually land on land but in the ocean. People often think they find small pieces of space junk, but they would burn up on re-entry, so it’s more likely to be large pieces like this.”

The spacecraft, which is a stainless steel rocket, was more than 50m tall.

SpaceX is an American aerospace company founded in 2002 by Mr Musk that helped usher in the era of commercial spaceflight.

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Australia

Court documents allege disturbing details after mother charged with eight-year-old son’s murder in Rockhampton

Police at the scene of alleged murder in Rockhampton

A central Queensland mother has been remanded in custody after being charged with murder over the death of her eight-year-old son.

WARNING: This story contains graphic content that may disturb some readers, and references to an Aboriginal person who has died.

Police were called to a welfare check at a Berserker home during the early hours of Saturday morning where they found the body of Zion Ziggy Sean Goltz.

On Saturday afternoon his mother Louwanna Thyra Goltz, 36, was charged with one count of murder.

Her case was mentioned in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court this morning, but she did not appear in person.

In an objection to bail affidavit filed by police and obtained by the ABC, police will allege the boy died by strangulation, although prosecutors are awaiting an autopsy to confirm his cause of death.

The affidavit claims Zion was not in Ms Goltz’s care for the first seven years of his life and had only been returned to her care in the past 12 months.

The court documents allege Ms Goltz’s mental health declined in the past months, and “alarmingly” quickly in the past week.

The affidavit also states Ms Goltz was detained for a mental health assessment on Saturday where she was diagnosed with suicidal ideation, with police arresting her for her own welfare.

The mother and son lived at a Berserker address managed by the Department of Housing.

According to the court documents a witness told police Ms Goltz was “rambling incoherently” and spoke about an artist’s canvas in the early hours of the morning of Zion’s death.

Police have seized the canvas, which allegedly displays words with Christian themes relating to Satan and Jesus Christ.

Police allegedly observed her speak and apologize to voices for disrespecting them.

Ms Goltz’s case was attached to October 26.

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South Korean parents and teachers protest against plan to lower school age

Students wearing face masks as a precaution against the new coronavirus walk to their classrooms in Seoul.

Teachers and parents in South Korea are pushing back against plans to lower the age children start school to five years old.

The education ministry announced last week it would lower the age in stages from 2025, if the move was supported by the public.

A coalition of 36 teacher and parent groups staged a rally in front of the presidential office on Monday, calling for the plan to be dropped.

The education ministry said the plan would help address the shrinking labor force as students would complete their education earlier.

Teachers hold concerns the change would result in more private tutoring for students as parents competed to get their children ahead.

“Considering cognitive and emotional development, early entry to school is inappropriate,” the coalition said in a statement.

“It is likely to cause side effects, such as intensifying private education and competition for college entrance exams.”

“It would only increase the burden on parents at a time when many are giving up their jobs to support their children as they enter elementary school.”

Parents are also opposing the plan due to the struggle to find child care in the early afternoon.

Parents already face the problem, but not until children go to school at age six.

A mother of two who did not wish to be named said the government should help schools secure more teachers to take better care of children.

“This means schools would play a dual role of education and child care,” she said.

The education ministry said it expected to have enough public feedback on its plan by the end of the year.

It said measures would be designed to expand child care and other support before launching a pilot program.

Reuters

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Australia

Union head demands default membership for skilled migrants

Union head demands default membership for skilled migrants

“Migration must not be used as a union membership drive,” Willox said.

Abul Rizvi, who was deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration between 2005 and 2007, said people would “fall off their chairs” when they heard the proposal, saying he feared it would be viewed entirely through political eyes rather than in terms of policy.

Rizvi said Australia needed to take strong action to avoid falling into levels of exploitation seen in parts of Europe, the US, and the Gulf states, adding no one had tried what was being proposed by the AWU and he believed it would work.

“Unions are not part of the government, and, as a result people aren’t as fearful they will get deported if they complain. Secondly, we know the Fair Work Ombudsman is completely overwhelmed with the complaints they are getting,” Rizvi said.

Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said the summit would be an important forum to scrutinize a number of ideas and “agree upon the steps required to ensure our [vocational education and training] sector delivers the skills Australian workers and businesses need”.

“Our goal is building a bigger, better-trained and more productive workforce; boosting incomes and living standards; and creating more opportunities for more Australians to get ahead and to realize their aspirations,” O’Connor said.

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Health and aged care have become priority areas in filling the national shortage, with employers calling on the government to temporarily ditch the requirement to advertise locally before recruiting from overseas, but Walton said this must stay.

“It’s in the national interest for Australians to fill Australian jobs,” he said. “If hiring an Australian isn’t possible today, employers should have to make sure it’s possible tomorrow.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently backed a suggestion for the Pacific Australia Labor Mobility Scheme, which places Pacific Islander workers on Australian farms mostly, to be expanded to fill vacancies in aged care homes across the country.

A Labor-led parliamentary inquiry heard of multiple reports of exploitation of migrant workers on Australian farms, and Rizvi said Pacific workers who came to Australia under an expanded scheme risked being exposed to similar vulnerabilities.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.