What we learned today, Saturday 5 August
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – thanks so much for joining us. Here is a wrap of the day’s biggest stories:
Anthony Albanese gave his strongest pitch yet for Australians to vote yes in the upcoming referendum during his speech at the Garma festival in Arnhem Land, saying “there is nothing to fear and everything to gain” from an Indigenous voice to parliament.
Noel Pearson, a Cape York leader, leading yes campaigner and Guugu-Yimithirr lawyer, said in a speech at the Garma festival the referendum question was now in the hands of the Australian people and should be beyond retail politics.
The Garma festival in remote north-east Arnhem Land has inspired an alliance of land councils to form as a united voice on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in northern Australia.
The Western Australian government will reportedly scrap its controversial new Aboriginal cultural heritage laws early next week.
A man who police say had organised crime associations was fatally shot on Friday night in what appears to be a targeted attack near a nightlife hotspot in Melbourne’s south.
Labor is facing growing opposition from conservative and Christian groups against a plan to toughen social media self-regulation of misinformation, including fresh claims from the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) that the proposal will “cancel Christian posts online”.
Truck drivers have taken to the streets across the country to call on the federal parliament to urgently pass laws that deliver better standards for transport workers.
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WA Labor ‘still considering’ Aboriginal cultural heritage laws
The Western Australian government says it is still trying to find a way forward on its controversial cultural heritage laws, amid reports it plans to dump the month-old changes, AAP reports.
The senior Labor frontbencher Stephen Dawson would not confirm reports first cited in the West Australian that the laws would be scrapped in a “matter of days”.
The emergency services minister told reporters in Perth on Saturday no decision had been made by the government at this stage:
I’m not denying anything, what I am saying is the conversations continue between the state government and the various stakeholders about the legislation and the way forward.
The minister would not be drawn on a timeline, saying only that the government would decide “in the future”.
According to the West Australian, the Labor government foreshadowed an about-face at a briefing with big resources companies and Indigenous groups on Friday.
More on this story here:
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