What we learned today, Tuesday 11 July
Thanks for following along on the liveblog. With that, we’ll wrap up our live coverage for the day.
Here’s a summary of today’s main developments:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, landed in Lithuania tonight, where he will soon attend the Nato summit. High on the agenda is finalising the free trade agreement between Australia and the EU, with the final sticking points largely around agriculture.
Ben Roberts-Smith has launched an appeal after he lost his war crimes defamation trial in the federal court.
Australian democracy advocate Chau Van Kham was released from jail in Vietnam and returned home to Sydney after more than four years behind bars.
The family of 95-year-old Clare Nowland, who died in May after being allegedly Tasered by police in an aged care home, is suing the New South Wales government.
Senior staff from Meta, TikTok, Google and Twitter appeared before the Senate committee on foreign interference through social media, and were questioned on what steps they’re taking to prevent other countries from meddling in government matters.
The shadow home affairs and cybersecurity minister, James Paterson, said “confronting this problem is no easy task”, and accused Chinese app WeChat of showing “contempt” for the Australian parliament by refusing to attend. The company says this is due to having no local representatives.
The law firm behind the $1.8bn robodebt class action says it’s prepared to launch a fresh civil case alleging misfeasance in public office unless a settlement for further compensation is reached.
The deputy PM, Richard Marles, today labelled the scheme “one of the most gross acts of maladministration that we’ve seen from a government”.
Medical abortions will become easier to access under new rules allowing doctors and pharmacists without specialist certification to prescribe the termination pills MS-2 Step mifepristone.
Have a lovely evening, and we’ll see you back here on the liveblog bright and early tomorrow morning.
Updated
Crocodile who attacked man at popular NT swimming spot euthanised
Northern Territory rangers have euthanised the crocodile that bit a man at Wangi Falls yesterday.
The NT department of environment, parks and water security confirmed in a statement that the 2.4m saltwater crocodile was euthanised overnight.
Access to the popular swimming spot in the Litchfield national park remains closed, and crocodile surveys will be undertaken prior to reopening.
Yesterday, a 67-year-old man was swimming at Wangi Falls about 11.30am when he was struck by the reptile, sustaining non-life threatening injuries to his arm and back.
The department’s director for northern Australian parks, Dean McAdam, said:
Public safety is our key priority, so please obey all closures and do not enter the water while we are completing the crocodile surveys.
We work hard to reduce the risk of crocodiles in the management zones, however there is always the chance they can move into an area undetected.
Read more from yesterday:
Updated
