Thank you and goodnight
And with that we are going to put the blog to bed – thank you for spending the day with us.
Before we go, let’s go through the big headlines:
Nurses and midwives across NSW walked off the job for 24 hours today, while maintaining life-preserving care. The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is calling for staffing guarantees, with one nurse for every four patients, to ensure the system is not overstretched and patients receive the best care.
Chris Dawson has been threatened in prison and is seeking special protection after being found guilty of his wife Lynette’s murder 40 years ago, his lawyer says.
The Albanese government announced 180,000 more fee-free Tafe positions and a suite of “immediate” reforms to improve bargaining for workplace pay deals on the first day of the jobs summit.
Cosmetic surgery practitioners will be policed by a dedicated enforcement unit for the first time in Australia as part of an industry-wide crackdown by the national regulator.
The Australian Medical Association demanded the release of health advice on reducing Covid isolation times to five days, saying the public should see the expert guidance on the change. The Victorian government vowed to maintain its public transport mask mandate, despite the requirement due to be dropped on domestic flights from next week. Meanwhile, a study found nearly 2,000 Australian children have lost a parent to Covid-19 during the pandemic.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull compared student demonstrators to “fascist bullies” after a Sydney University speaking event was effectively shut down amid jeers and protests over the policies of the former Coalition government.
The NSW government will seek to terminate the enterprise agreement of thousands of rail workers and scrap a deal to modify a multi-billion dollar fleet of trains unless the union agrees to end all industrial action by 5pm Friday.
We will see you again tomorrow. Until then, stay safe!
Updated
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has released a statement in regards to human rights concerns in Xinjiang:
The Australian Government is deeply concerned about the findings of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report on Xinjiang.
The report is informed by extensive research, including the first-hand testimonies of Uyghur and other minority peoples in Xinjiang.
It concludes that serious human rights violations have been committed in Xinjiang.
It states that allegations of torture or ill-treatment are credible, as are allegations of individual incidents of sexual and gender-based violence and that some of the violations may constitute crimes against humanity.
Australia has consistently condemned human rights violations against the Uyghurs and other ethnic and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and across China.
The Australian Government has emphasised the importance of transparency and accountability, in calling on China to grant meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for United Nations experts, and other independent observers.
Australia expects all countries to adhere to their international human rights obligations and we join with others in the international community in calling on the Chinese Government to address the concerns raised in this report.
Our thoughts are also with the Australian Uyghur community. We acknowledge the strength and determination they have shown in speaking out, in support of their loved ones.
Updated
