What we learned: Friday, 23 September
With that, we will wrap up the blog for this fine Friday. If you’ve just made it through two consecutive public holidays, I commend you.
If not, enjoy your weekend, I’m backing the Cowboys tonight.
Here were the major developments of the day:
Crossbenchers are upset that a deal between the two major parties could prevent substantial amendment to the national anti-corruption commission bill. Earlier on Friday, Peter Dutton confirmed the opposition is in talks to pass Labor’s bill.
In a press conference in Canberra, the Liberal leader said there is “no place for corruption” and he will consider what powers the commission requires – but “at the same time” – he doesn’t favour protracted investigations that in past he claims have driven public servants to suicide.
Foreign minister Penny Wong said she had ‘constructive conversation’ with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in the margins of the 77th session of the United Nations general assembly in New York.
Members of parliament have been speaking in Canberra today on the Queen’s death to conclude the 14 days of mourning. Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said the legacy of the monarchy was “fraught” for Indigenous Australians.
In weather news, heavy rainfall overnight and this morning in northern parts of the New South Wales has eased, however, river rises are expected to continue “through Friday and begin to ease into the weekend”. There are almost two dozen flood warnings across the state.
Rescuers at a mass stranding of pilot whales on Tasmania’s west coast are battling to save 10 that are still alive as they make plans to tow about 200 carcasses out to sea.
And following the national transition to reporting Covid cases weekly, the seven-day average is down 1,234 cases to 6,260 this week, a 16% decrease on last week.
Updated
UN committee finds Australia has not protected Torres Strait Islanders from climate change
A group of Torres Strait islanders are celebrating a landmark victory after the United Nations human rights committee found the Australian government has failed to protect them from climate change.
In what the committee described as a ground-breaking decision, it found Australia’s failure to adequately protect Indigenous Torres Islanders against the impacts of climate change “violated their rights to enjoy their culture and be free from arbitrary interferences with their private life, family and home”.
The decision comes more than three years after eight adults and six children from four low-lying islands lodged a complaint against the then Morrison government, claiming it had failed to take adequate action to cut emissions or pursue proper adaptation measures and, as a consequence, has failed fundamental human rights obligations.
The committee has asked the Australian government to compensate the islanders for the harm they have suffered, engage in meaningful consultations to assess their needs and take measures to secure their communities’ safe existence.
A full story will be on the Guardian shortly.
Updated
