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| Australia news live: Morrison says he will welcome back Christian Porter and 'rule of law' must prevail | Australia news live: Morrison says he will welcome back Christian Porter and 'rule of law' must prevail |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Pressure mounts for inquiry into historical rape allegation made against attorney general as PM says there’s ‘no suggestion’ Porter will step down. Follow latest updates | Pressure mounts for inquiry into historical rape allegation made against attorney general as PM says there’s ‘no suggestion’ Porter will step down. Follow latest updates |
| The Northern Territory and ACT are again calling on the federal government to restore their right to make voluntary euthanasia laws, AAP reports. | |
| NT attorney-general Selena Uibo and the ACT’s human rights minister Tara Cheyne jointly wrote to the federal attorney-general Christian Porter, deputy prime minister Michael McCormack and assistant regional development and territories minister Nola Marino. | |
| They want Liberal MP Kevin Andrews’ 1996 bill banning both territories from passing legislation on voluntary euthanasia to be overturned, saying it conflicts with Australia’s human rights obligations. | |
| Cheyne said: | |
| All the states have either passed legislation relating to voluntary assisted dying or have a bill before their parliament but the territories are unable to consider such legislation. | |
| NT chief minister Michael Gunner said repealing the federal law and restoring the territories’ ability to make their own decisions about important issues needn’t be controversial. | |
| Andrews recently lost Liberal party preselection to stand again for his Victorian seat of Menzies at the next federal election. | |
| Gunner said NT and ACT residents were being treated like second-class citizens. | |
| Cheyne said the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guaranteed Australian citizens the right to take part in public affairs directly or through freely chosen representatives. | |
| But people in the ACT and NT are being denied their right to participate because they’re residents of a territory. | |
| The NT in 1995 was the first jurisdiction in the world to pass laws allowing a doctor to end the life of a terminally ill patient at the patient’s request. | |
| The legislation permitted both physician-assisted suicide and active voluntary euthanasia in some circumstances with strict conditions. | |
| This caused a furore nationally and internationally, generating extensive criticism and extensive support from politicians, health care professionals, religious groups, ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice’ pressure groups, academics, the media and members of the general public. | |
| Andrews’ Private Member’s Bill effectively quashed the NT law, which the Commonwealth has the power to do under the constitution. | |
| With that, I might leave you in the capable hands of Michael McGowan (not the premier) to take you through the rest of the day’s news. | |
| A light plane has crashed near the popular tourist town of Exmouth in Western Australia’s north-west, killing two people on board, reports AAP. | |
| WA police say the microlight aircraft was reported overdue from an aerodrome in Exmouth at about 4.30pm local time on Wednesday. | |
| Hours later, it was found south of Exmouth. | |
| A recovery operation was set to commence at first light on Thursday. | |
| Victoria will establish a $6m mental health centre for emergency service workers, premier Daniel Andrews announced today. | |
| The centre would be delivered by Phoenix Australia, which conducts research into and advises on policy around post-traumatic stress, and will be available to emergency service personnel such as paramedics, police, with a GP referral. | The centre would be delivered by Phoenix Australia, which conducts research into and advises on policy around post-traumatic stress, and will be available to emergency service personnel such as paramedics, police, with a GP referral. |
| I mentioned earlier today the Victorian government is working to completely rebuild the state’s mental health care system after a royal commission report found it had catastrophically failed, was inadequate for current pressures let alone future demands. | I mentioned earlier today the Victorian government is working to completely rebuild the state’s mental health care system after a royal commission report found it had catastrophically failed, was inadequate for current pressures let alone future demands. |
| Andrews also said they would work towards paramedics taking the lead in responding to mental health incidents as opposed to relying on police; one of the royal commission’s more than 65 recommendations. | |
| A teenage boy has died a week after being stung by a box jellyfish in far-north Queensland. | |
| The 17-year-old died in Townsville hospital on Wednesday after being stung by the jellyfish while swimming off the tip of the Cape York Peninsula on 22 February. | |
| He had been swimming at Patterson Point, near the village of Bamaga, when he was strung by the Chironex fleckeri jellyfish, the world’s most venomous animal. | |
| The boy was then airlifted by the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service to Townsville hospital’s intensive care unit. | |
| The teen died on Wednesday and police are preparing a report for the coroner. | |
| The boy’s death is the first reported Chironex fleckeri fatality in 14 years. | |
| We will bring you updates as soon as we can. | We will bring you updates as soon as we can. |
| The NSW health minister has given an update on the male baboon that spectacularly escaped into a Sydney hospital carpark around this time last year. (I refer to the baboon era of Australia news as the “before times”.) | The NSW health minister has given an update on the male baboon that spectacularly escaped into a Sydney hospital carpark around this time last year. (I refer to the baboon era of Australia news as the “before times”.) |
| Hazzard says he “is very happy and he is doing well”. | Hazzard says he “is very happy and he is doing well”. |
| But it’s worth remembering that the 16-year-old is a scientific testing baboon, so personally, I still have some questions about just how happy he truly is. | But it’s worth remembering that the 16-year-old is a scientific testing baboon, so personally, I still have some questions about just how happy he truly is. |
| Here is Calla Wahlquist’s coverage from last year: | Here is Calla Wahlquist’s coverage from last year: |
| At the very start of the day, I mentioned yesterday news about chief of defence Angus Campbell coming under fire for telling first-year cadets to reduce their risk of being sexually assaulted by avoiding the “four As” – alcohol, out after midnight, alone and attractive. | At the very start of the day, I mentioned yesterday news about chief of defence Angus Campbell coming under fire for telling first-year cadets to reduce their risk of being sexually assaulted by avoiding the “four As” – alcohol, out after midnight, alone and attractive. |
| He has now made a statement to AAP saying that sexual assault perpetrators are always to blame. | He has now made a statement to AAP saying that sexual assault perpetrators are always to blame. |
| Look who else is a fan of Graham Readfearn’s zebrafish story! | Look who else is a fan of Graham Readfearn’s zebrafish story! |
| Premier Daniel Andrews won’t say when international flights will be allowed to resume in Victoria, suggesting more research is needed. | Premier Daniel Andrews won’t say when international flights will be allowed to resume in Victoria, suggesting more research is needed. |
| He was asked about this at today’s press conference: | He was asked about this at today’s press conference: |
| But Andrews confirmed the hotel quarantine workforce would be retained as it would cost more to “start from scratch”. | But Andrews confirmed the hotel quarantine workforce would be retained as it would cost more to “start from scratch”. |
| Also, this nearly got missed in that press conference but it looks like the first doses of AstraZeneca will be administered in South Australia tomorrow. | Also, this nearly got missed in that press conference but it looks like the first doses of AstraZeneca will be administered in South Australia tomorrow. |
| These will consist of some of the 300,000 vaccine doses imported from overseas as the TGA is still working through the approval process for domestically manufactured AZ doses. | These will consist of some of the 300,000 vaccine doses imported from overseas as the TGA is still working through the approval process for domestically manufactured AZ doses. |
| The ABC is reporting these first doses will be delivered to frontline health workers in the regional town of Murray Bridge, east of Adelaide. | The ABC is reporting these first doses will be delivered to frontline health workers in the regional town of Murray Bridge, east of Adelaide. |