What we learned today, Friday 11 March
That’s where we’ll leave you on this Friday evening. It’s been a big week. Here’s what we learned today:
- The Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe has been found not guilty of murder in relation to the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker. The trial heard Rolfe shot Walker, a 19-year-old Warlpiri man, while trying to arrest him in the remote community of Yuendumu, about 300km from Alice Springs, on 9 November 2019. Walker’s families have spoken of their grief, and called for “no more guns in remote communities” in the wake of the trial.
- Australia has banned imports of Russian oil, gas, petroleum products and coal, following similar sanctions from the US and the UK, as Russia continues waging war in Ukraine.
- Five people were injured, one critically, when a helicopter crashed into the Snowy River near Guthega power station in Kosciuszko national park in NSW during a routine aerial survey. Two passengers and the pilot have been flown to Canberra hospital, the latter with serious injuries but in a stable condition.
- The Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, has revealed he was the victim of sexual assault as a teenager.
- Tributes have rolled in for Labor senator Kimberley Kitching who died suddenly yesterday of a suspected heart attack. Bill Shorten, speaking live on radio earlier today, said he had “no doubt that the stress of politics in the machinations in the back rooms had its toll” on the politician.
- The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, announced an extension of the rapid antigen test program for concession card holders.
- The Australian government has said it will buy 130,000 doses of a vaccine to protect against Japanese encephalitis as the outbreak spreads across four states.
- And there were at least 30 Covid deaths in the last 24 hours around the country as Western Australia recorded more than 5,000 cases in a day for the first time.
That’s all from me this week, thanks for your company. Join my lovely colleagues for all the day’s news tomorrow, and have a good weekend.
Updated
The federal government is under increasing pressure to expand its reinsurance pool for cyclone damage to include flooding, with calls for the Coalition to pass the legislation in the final days of parliament before the looming election.
Politicians across the political divide, at state and federal level, have backed calls to expand the $10bn Northern Australia reinsurance pool for cyclone damage to cover more natural disasters, across the country. Several Coalition members – including Warren Entsch, one of the scheme’s principal advocates, and Kevin Hogan, representing the Lismore-based electorate of Page – have thrown their weight behind the changes, as well as north coast MPs Janelle Saffin and Tamara Smith.
Scott Morrison’s government continues to come under pressure over its response to the flooding crisis along Australia’s east coast, with the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, urging the commonwealth to extend more disaster payments to victims in her state too.
The reinsurance scheme is meant to bring down the cost of insurance and further incentivise providers to offer cover in areas they may not currently, due to the high risk of natural disaster.
Politicians representing flood-devastated areas in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales say many people in their communities simply cannot afford, or cannot access, insurance.
Read the full report:
