The latest national news update from the National Indigenous Radio Service.
Labor pledges $8.1 billion budget plan
Labor has put forward an alternative package of budget savings, as the government seeks support for a $6.5 billion plan.
Bill Shorten will use a speech to the National Press Club today to outline his plan, which would save $8.1 billion over four years and $80.5 billion over the decade.
While there is some overlap with the government’s proposal – which will be put to parliament next week – the Labor plan also includes $37.3 billion in savings over 10 years from overhauling negative gearing and capital gains tax.
NSW greyhound bill passes parliament
The controversial bill to ban greyhound racing in NSW has been passed in the state parliament in the early hours of this morning, by 49 votes to 30.
Debate continued overnight as Labor MPs voiced their opposition to the government’s plan to shut down the industry by next July.
The Greyhound Racing Prohibition bill, which includes a one-year jail sentence and maximum $11,000 fine for anyone caught organising a race after the ban, was fast-tracked through parliament’s upper house last week.
The proposed laws will also forbid people to export greyhounds to other states without the written consent of Greyhound Racing NSW before the ban takes effect.
Sara Connor’s ex-husband to face media
The ex-husband of Sara Connor, the Australian mother accused of participating in the murder of a Bali policeman, will front the media today, while she awaits her fate in Indonesia.
Ms Connor and her British boyfriend David Taylor have faced days of interrogation after they were arrested over the death of a Bali policeman, whose bloodied body was found on Kuta Beach in the early hours of Wednesday last week.
Her ex-husband Anthony Connor, who is the father of her two sons, aged nine and 11, will make a statement on behalf of the family in Sydney today.
Ms Connor is expected to face a charge of participating in a murder after Mr Taylor allegedly admitted to hitting Mr Sudarsa with a handphone, binoculars and a beer bottle.
Heat, less water at 1.5C warming: report
Heatwaves for one month each year and 10 per cent less water Australia-wide are just some impacts predicted even if the globe meets the most optimistic goal of an international climate agreement.
New research, commissioned by the Climate Institute, found Australia would be significantly impacted if the globe warms by 1.5 degrees – the target at last year’s United Nations climate change conference.
At that temperature the north of the country would experience heatwaves for one month each year, while the south would be hit for about two weeks. Coral reefs would be severely impacted and there would be 10 per cent less water nationwide, and up to 30 per cent less in some regions, the institute report warns.
Ashley Madison told to delete accounts
The company that owns the affair dating website Ashley Madison, which was behind a mass privacy breach last year, has agreed to court-enforceable improvements in handling personal information.
A joint Australian and Canadian privacy commissioner investigation into how the details of millions of users were published online by hackers has released a report highly critical of the website’s privacy.
Among the users were hundreds of Australian government employees and thousands of citizens, including some who had paid Ashley Madison to delete their accounts.
The hacked data, released on the dark web last year, included credit card details, email accounts and home addresses.
Woman dead after north Qld knife attack
A woman is dead and a man is in a critical condition in hospital following an attack in the north Queensland town of Home Hill.
Police were called to an accommodation building at around 11.15pm last night on reports of a knife attack and found a woman dead at the scene.
A man is now in police custody, while the wounded man has been taken to Townsville Base Hospital.
Investigators believe no other people were involved in the incident.
