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This afternoon’s headlines.
By Jewel Topsfield
Thank you for following our live coverage today. We will be back at 7am tomorrow.
To recap, the main headlines today were:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $925 million will be allocated from the budget to support women to leave violence.The government will ban deepfake pornography as part of a suite of online measures to help combat toxic male extremist views about women.Bruce Lehrmann is considering an appeal against a landmark decision dismissing his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson.Treasurer Jim Chalmers says India is a good friend of Australia despite the 2020 expulsion of two of their intelligence operatives for being members of an elaborate “nest of spies”.Donald Trump has been fined $US9000 ($13,900) for repeatedly attacking witnesses in his hush money trialAustralia and South Korea have agreed to collaborate in blocking North Korea’s access to funding for its illicit nuclear and missile development.
Victorian premier calls for states to better share information on family violence offenders
By Wendy Tuohy
Premier Jacinta Allan has called for better information sharing between the states to create a national response to violence against women, which has allegedly claimed the lives of 28 women in 2024.
Allan told a family violence forum held live by ABC radio in Melbourne that she had met senior police who had expressed support for creating a register of family violence offenders.
Premier Jacinta Allan spoke at a forum on domestic violence.Credit: Justin McManus
She said, however, that introducing measures such as closer monitoring of family violence offenders and offender registers was complex because they required interstate co-operation.
The chief justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court, Will Alstergren, has called for a national database of orders in place relating to family violence.
Meanwhile, Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said changes to bail laws had not reduced police powers to arrest people who broke bail conditions.
Patton said last year there were 54,000 breaches of intervention orders.
But he said police cannot dictate how men related to family safety notices or intervention notices and that there was a need to get behavioral change for men to stop “thugs” disrespecting safety notices.
Independent MP Zoe Daniel told the forum the federal government’s responses to violence against women on Wednesday had not been enough, and that there was no extra funding for housing or front-line services meant there was little help beyond crisis support.
NSW Premier Chris Minns’ father dies after heart attack
By Alexandra Smith
NSW Premier Chris Minns’ father, John, has died in hospital after suffering a massive heart attack.
In a statement, the premier said: “To the end, he was surrounded by love and family with his wife and children by his side. We thank the NSW paramedics and all the nurses and doctors at St George Hospital, who gave our dad great care this week.”
The statement said the Minns family had been “very moved by all the messages of support over the last few days”.
NSW Premier Chris Minns, and an undated photo of his late father John. Credit: Sydney Morning Herald; Supplied
Airservices boss resigns after eight years
By Amelia McGuire
Transport Minister Catherine King has revealed the head of the country’s air navigation body has resigned after eight years at the helm.
Jason Harfield will leave Airservices Australia in June.
Jason Harfield has resigned as CEO of Airservices Australia.Credit: Joe Armao
The government-owned body employs the country’s air traffic controllers and has been grappling with insufficient staffing levels since flying resumed after COVID-19, which has resulted in an increase in delays and cancellations attributable to air traffic control.
Airservices is also responsible for the country’s aviation firefighters, which recently ended a bitter enterprise agreement negotiation for better pay and conditions.
“In his time as CEO, Jason has supported the continued high standard of safe, efficient and effective delivery of air traffic and aviation rescue firefighting services in Australia,” King said.
“He oversaw Airservices’ operations throughout the pandemic, and has been actively involved in the OneSKY program which will ensure the future civil and military air traffic management needs are met.
A global search will commence for his replacement.
Greens senator says leaving violence program fails frontline workers
By Olivia Ireland
Greens senator Larissa Waters has slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s response to domestic violence, saying it adds insult to injury.
In a statement, Waters said the $925.2 million over five years investment to permanently establish the leaving violence program failed to support frontline workers.
“The calls by tens of thousands rallying over the weekend, and from frontline support services for many years asking for adequate funding to meet demand, were ignored,” she said.
“The government announced $925 million over five years – but it’s not for frontline services. It’s to help women reach out to support services, but with those services already drastically underfunded, this announcement will simply increase demand on an already stretched sector.
“Where is the funding for those frontline support services to meet demand? The sector has called for $1 billion per year to be able to help everyone who seeks it, and the federal government is providing just under half that.
“To add insult to injury, the funding for leaving violence announced today won’t even flow until July 1, 2025.”
Bruce Lehrmann considers defamation appeal amid fight over costs
By Michaela Whitbourn
Bruce Lehrmann is considering an appeal against a landmark decision dismissing his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, after a judge found on the balance of probabilities that the former federal Liberal staffer raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House.
Lawyers for Lehrmann, Ten and Wilkinson will return to court this afternoon for submissions on legal costs. The combined costs of the trial are estimated at $10 million.
Bruce Lehrmann leaving the Federal Court in Sydney on April 15.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Ten has argued Lehrmann should be ordered to pay all of its costs on an indemnity basis, which covers a higher proportion of a costs bill than the standard order, on the basis he brought the case “on a deliberately wicked and calculated basis”.
“It follows from the findings made in the trial judgment that, at the time of commencing the proceeding, Mr Lehrmann knew that he had raped Ms Higgins,” Ten’s barristers said in written submissions released last week.
Ten’s legal team said Lehrmann had forced the network to defend “a baseless proceeding”.
It is unlikely Lehrmann has the financial means to meet any costs order, meaning that in practical terms Ten will be left to cover its own costs and part of Wilkinson’s bill for a separate legal team. The court heard he has not been employed since June 2021 and is a law student.
Read more here:
Wong refuses to comment on Australia’s relationship with India after spy revelation
By Olivia Ireland
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong refused to say if she is concerned about Australia’s relationship with India after two of their intelligence operatives were booted out of Australia for being members of a “nest of spies” that attempted to steal sensitive information.
The revelation about the previously secret operations of India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, raises uncomfortable questions about Australia’s deepening ties with India, including through the high-profile Quad security grouping.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.Credit: Getty Images
However, Wong would not comment on whether she is concerned about Australia’s relationship with India.
“You will be unsurprised to hear that we don’t comment on intelligence matters. But at the level of principle about the democracy, I think you would’ve heard me and other ministers on many occasions assert the importance of our democratic principles,” she said.
“[We are] asserting the importance of ensuring that we maintain the resilience of our democracy, including in the face of any suggestion of foreign interference and we have laws to deal with that.”
This morning’s top stories
By Josefine Ganko
Thanks so much for reading the live blog today. I’m now handing over to my colleague Jewel Topsfield.
Here’s a look back at what we’ve covered so far today:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a number of measures to combat violence against women following a meeting of the national cabinet. They include financial measures for people escaping violence, and bans on doxxing and deepfake pornography.Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are hosting their South Korean counterparts for a meeting, where they agreed to collaborate to block North Korea’s access to funding for its illicit nuclear and missile development.Qantas investigated an issue with its app which caused the names and flight details of some customers to appear on the accounts of others. The issue has since been resolved.Former Binance chief executive Changpeng Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison for allowing rampant money laundering on the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.Treasurer Jim Chalmers says India is a good friend of Australia despite the 2020 expulsion of two of their intelligence operatives for being members of an elaborate “nest of spies”.Donald Trump has been fined $US9000 for repeatedly attacking witnesses in his hush money trial.
Australia and South Korea to collaborate to block arms funding to North Korea
By Olivia Ireland
Australia and South Korea have agreed to collaborate in blocking North Korea’s access to funding for its illicit nuclear and missile development.
South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said it was an agreed collaboration in the realms of cyber and maritime security.
This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says is a test of surface-to-sea missiles.Credit: KCNA
“We agreed to collaborate in blocking North Korea’s access to funding for its illicit nuclear and missile development and to thwart illegal activities such as arms trading between Russia and North Korea,” he said.
“Our Australian counterparts have expressed their steadfast support for enhancing the human rights of North Koreans and through our policies aimed at reunification.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s speech followed Shin’s, where she made it clear that Australia continues to condemn North Korea’s actions.
“We’ll continue to work together to ensure that this risk and threat to our collective security continues to be met in solidarity,” she said.
Korea-Australia defence relationship is ‘blossoming’: Marles
By Olivia Ireland
Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong are speaking in Melbourne this afternoon as they are hosting counterparts from the Republic of Korea for the Australia-ROK 2+2 foreign and defence ministers meeting.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik (left) and Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tae-yul (right).Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Marles said it was a pleasure to welcome South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik and Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tae-yul, as Australia and South Korea have an incredibly close relationship.
“We are seeing increased engagement between our two countries across the world. We are certainly seeing that in our role of defence,” Marles said.
“Korea and Australia are working together to uphold the rules-based order within our region and in fact, within both countries, as we’ve discussed tonight, are playing our part in supporting Ukraine in its resistance of the appalling aggression that has been forced upon it by Russia.
“In respect of defence industry, we are seeing a blossoming of the relationship between our two countries.”
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