Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
What we learned, Friday 19 April
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap some of the big headlines.
Bondi Junction Westfield will reopen for trade after last weekend’s stabbings
The first Australian navy officers have been assigned to US Virginia class submarines
Violence against women is a ‘scourge’ that is ‘perpetrated by men’, the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said
The alleged offender in the Wakeley church stabbing faced a bedside court hearing
Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders released a joint statement following recent tensions and violence
Planned surgery wait times in public hospitals are now the longest on record, according to new data from the Australian Medical Association
Bill Shorten suggested ‘more soldiers and police officers’ should be patrolling shopping centres
The AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, outlined the facts of the Wakeley stabbing case and called for unity
The civil liberties council is ‘concerned’ by a push for tougher penalties on parents whose children are found with knives
Nationals senator Matt Canavan declared ‘king coal’s reign continues’ as the climate crisis continues to worsen
A think tank says young are people concerned government isn’t planning for the long term
Teenagers who rely on welfare to pay rent are being pushed towards homelessness, a new report shows
Peter Dutton has given a speech saying the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel “isn’t even conceivable” until after Hamas is defeated
The 16-year-old alleged Wakeley terrorist has shown behaviour consistent with mental illness or intellectual disability, his lawyer told a court today
Samantha Ratnam will step down as the leader of the Victorian Greens to run for the federal seat of Wills
The Greens say they are yet to take position on a bill banning non-prescription vapes
A boy, aged 9, was among four killed in a car crash in the WA Wheatbelt
The commonwealth ombudsman has warned non-citizens may prefer prison to immigration detention
The Greens say Israeli missiles launched at Iran ‘must not become our next war beside the US’
Stocks and the Aussie dollar sank after reports of explosions in Iran
Fire ants were spotted near the tip of the Murray Darling Basin
Dfat issues travel advice amid reports of explosions across the Middle East
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again!
Updated
Traditional owners welcome plan to stop visitors walking on Kathi Thanda-Lake Eyre without permission
Visitors will no longer be able to set foot on one of Australia’s premier tourist destinations under a proposed plan to protect its cultural significance for traditional owners, AAP has reported.
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is the continent’s largest lake. Swimming, driving, boating and landing aircraft on the lake are already banned, but the new plan would prevent visitors from setting foot on its bed without permission.
It is a sacred site for the Arabana people, who have lived in the region for millennia and are the lake’s native title holders.
The Arabana Aboriginal Corporation chairwoman, Bronwyn Dodd, said her people were proud to share Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre but urged visitors to respect their Ularaka (stories), lore and culture:
We have a responsibility to look after the lake and in turn, it looks after us.
Preservation of this lake is also the preservation of our culture.
Updated
