Welcome, readers, to the Afternoon Update. The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has become the first Australian state leader to provide evidence at a formal truth-telling inquiry, delivering her opening comments for the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
Allan on Monday acknowledged that government policies have contributed to the disparity that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Victorians, saying she is prepared to apologise on behalf of the state after the inquiry concludes in 2025.
The state’s chief police commissioner, Shane Patton, has already used Yoorrook as an opportunity to apologise to First Nations Victorians.
Top news
PM brushes off accusation about rally speaking arrangements | Anthony Albanese told Channel Nine’s Today Program that he “was happy not to speak” or “was happy to speak” at the rally but insisted the focus must remain on combatting violence. “It’s not enough to just have empathy,” he said. “The fact that … a woman dies every four days on average at the hand of a partner is just a national crisis.”
Children allegedly paid to set shop alight in Victoria’s tobacco wars | In a parliamentary inquiry into the state’s tobacco and vape controls, assistant commissioner Martin O’Brien said gangs have stepped in as the cost of legal tobacco products has increased.
Measures to control starfish on Great Barrier Reef successful | In some positive Great Barrier Reef news, years of work to control crown-of-thorns starfish on the reef has led to an increase in coral cover, according to new research, which found a six-fold reduction in starfish numbers and a 44% increase in coral cover across regions that received timely and sufficient control efforts.
Large parts of Torres Strait Islands could be uninhabitable by 2050 | Torres Strait Islanders could be forced to leave their homes within the next 30 years if urgent action is not taken on climate change, the federal court has been told. This week marks the final hearings in a landmark climate class action brought by Australia’s First Nations people.
Rugby league kick-off rules could be changed to reduce collisions | A staple of rugby league is under threat as calls mount to address the high velocity collisions in traditional kick-offs. The NRL says it cannot rule out change despite their cherished place in the game.
The fight to save Adelaide’s beloved ‘Cranker’ pub | Thousands of music fans hit the streets to protest a proposal to turn the 171-year-old Crown and Anchor into 19 storeys of student accommodation.
Extreme weather in Guangzhou kills five | China’s official Xinhua news agency said a tornado hit the Guangdong province capital in the country’s south on Saturday. At least five people were killed and 33 were injured in the city, which is home to 127 million people.
Three women diagnosed with HIV after getting ‘vampire facials’ | The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an investigation into a New Mexico clinic showed it apparently reused disposable equipment intended for one-time use. It’s believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting HIV through a cosmetic procedure using needles.
South Dakota governor Kristi Noem defends killing dog | The Republican vice-presidential hopeful has defended killing a family dog and goat on her farm, two days after the Guardian revealed how she describes those actions in a forthcoming book.
In pictures
From Crater Crescent to Canberra: Mr Squiggle gets a new home at the National Museum of Australia
Generations of Australians have known Mr Squiggle, a puppet with a pencil for a nose, lived at 93 Crater Crescent on the moon. But as of Monday, Squiggle – who landed on the set of his children’s television show in a rocket at the start of each episode – will have a new home at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
What they said …
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“Legislative changes, without making any structural or cultural change, will always leave women unsafe” – Lydia Shelly, the president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.
Shelly said a royal commission into family violence was “violently overdue” and that the council has written to the New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley, “with respect to the structural and cultural changes that need to be made as a matter of urgency”.
In numbers
The annual Targeting Scams report is out today, showing the type of crimes Australians are getting sucked into. The total money reported lost to scams in 2023 was 13% down from 2022, when the figure was $3.15bn.
The federal government says its National Anti-Scam Centre is helping to raise awareness about frauds the public should be aware of, but says it has more work to do in order to stop investment, romance and phishing scams.
Before bed read
Junior doctors work themselves to exhaustion in unpaid overtime. It is demoralising – so I took a stand
The fatigue and workload affects the wellbeing of junior doctors and their ability to care for patients, writes Amireh Fakhouri. “Our hospitals are only as good as the doctors, nurses, and staff who work in them. We must look after them..”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: CUTE . You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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