Peter Dutton boycotted the stolen generations apology delivered by the then prime minister, Kevin Rudd, in 2008. Today, the opposition leader used the 15th anniversary of the occasion to admit he was wrong not to attend.
“I failed to grasp at the time the symbolic significance to the stolen generation of the apology,” Dutton said in Parliament House, where members of the stolen generations sat in the public gallery.
But he said those questioning the Indigenous voice to parliament were “not hardhearted” after Anthony Albanese argued the referendum was the next stage in Australia’s reconciliation process.
It came as the government’s proposal not to fund the yes or no campaigns was supported by a parliamentary review, although five Coalition members of the panel said they could not “in good conscience” support the bill. Labor also announced the next stage of its Closing the Gap plan with a $420m commitment to provide clean water, food security and housing to Indigenous Australians.
Top news
Sydney child dies at Fiji resort | An eight-year-old girl from Sydney died in Nadi on Thursday after being found motionless near a garden bed at a resort. The girl was found by another guest and later taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police in Fiji say an investigation is ongoing.
‘Potentially devastating’ cyclone lashes NZ | States of emergency have been declared across much of New Zealand’s North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle brings Auckland to a standstill. The Auckland mayor, Wayne Brown, said the recovery for many would be long after warning of “a hard night and a very difficult week”. Follow our liveblog for updates.
US shoots down ‘octagonal’ flying object | The spate of flying objects above North America has continued, with an “octagonal structure” with strings attached to it shot down over Michigan on Sunday (local time). The Pentagon said the object appeared to have travelled near US military sites and posed a threat to civilian aviation. Only the first of the four objects shot down has so far been attributed to Beijing.
Chiefs’ Super Bowl win and Rihanna’s reveal | Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes steered his Kansas City Chiefs to glory on the biggest stage in US sport, with a field goal eight seconds from time sealing a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. But perhaps the most audacious play of the day came from Rihanna, who used her lowkey half-time show to reveal a second pregnancy to rapper ASAP Rocky.
Cambodia’s dictator shuts down broadcaster | Hun Sen has ordered the shutdown of Voice of Democracy, one of the last independent local news organisations in Cambodia. The dictator said the broadcaster had attacked him and his son and harmed the “dignity and reputation” of the government with a story about Cambodia’s earthquake aid to Turkey.
De La Soul founder dead at 54 | David Jolicoeur, who as Trugy the Dave helped produce at least one masterpiece in 3 Feet High and Rising, has died aged 54. While no cause of death has been given, the rapper has in the past discussed his struggle with congestive heart failure. Fellow rappers have remembered “a legend of hip-hop music and culture”.
Full Story
These five things will determine your interest rates
Guardian Australia’s economics correspondent, Peter Hannam, speaks to Jane Lee about five things that will decide how quickly the central bank can stop raising rates and steer the economy to recovery. Listen to this 21-minute episode.
What they said …
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“The manner and circumstances behind this prosecution of Dan are something you would expect to find in an authoritarian country, but not in a democratic Australia.” – Saffrine Duggan
The wife of detained Australian citizen and former US Marines fighter pilot Daniel Duggan has described his 115-day incarceration as an “affront to Australia’s rule of law”. The US is seeking Duggan’s extradition on charges of arms trafficking and money laundering more than a decade ago.
In numbers
Female voices are still taking a backseat to men in newsrooms, according to the latest Women in Media gender scorecard. While there has been a 10% upswing in byline share towards women since 2016, the analysis of 18,346 press, radio and TV news reports last year found male voices are still dominant.
Before bed read
Does “like attract like” or do “opposites attract”? Science is closing in on the answers to what really ignites a long-lasting relationship and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s complicated.
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