And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews on list of Australians banned from Russia
Westfield Bondi Junction to reopen for community reflection day
Extra police and security around Bondi Junction and NSW ‘for as long as necessary’: Minns
Anthony Albanese confirms residency for ‘bollard man’ and extension of offer to Pakistani security guard
Student Hecs/Help debt to rise by $12bn unless government scraps indexation in upcoming budget, data shows
Sydney Bishop forgives his alleged attacker and calls for peace
Police charge first person as part of investigation into Wakeley riot
Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 3.8% in March
Victorian premier flags plan to combat family violence
‘Absolute right decision was made’: Minns backs labelling of Wakeley stabbing as terrorist act
Inquiry has ‘significant concerns’ about use of police watch houses in Queensland
Queensland emissions reduction targets ‘watershed moment’ for bipartisanship on climate change says WFF-Australia
Man charged over alleged drug scheme that allegedly caused cocaine bricks to wash ashore
Developer walks away from Toondah Harbour plan
Thank you for spending part of your day with us - we will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Until then - Cait
Updated
Senate inquiry recommends more action against invasive fire ants
Australia must consider more funding for the eradication of fire ants and boost efforts into research on how to exterminate the pests, a Senate inquiry has recommended.
There should be more effort in communication and awareness programs in problem hotspots, as well as a national awareness campaign, states the report from the Senate’s rural and regional affairs committee.
In its report out this afternoon, the committee – chaired by Nationals senator Matt Canavan – calls on the government to “establish and fund a Cooperative Research Centre encompassing independent researchers and academics, private business, industry representatives and governments to bring together the necessary diverse expertise for understanding red imported fire ants in Australia.”
Imported red fire ants are a major problem in parts of Queensland, with concerns the pests could spread more widely into other parts of the country.
The committee urged the federal government and all states and territories to “commit to further investment in research, development, and innovation to improve understanding of red imported fire ants in the Australian context and improve efficiencies through implementation of new technologies and techniques”.
Updated
