Evening News Bulletin 15 November 2024

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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
Independents say the government’s spending cap plan is being rushed;
Palestinian Ambassador to Australia welcomes backing of UN resolution to recognise Palestinian sovereignty;
And in football, Matildas’ Courtnee Vine to take a break from the game.
Independent senator David Pocock has criticised the federal government for attempting to reform electoral processes without sufficient scrutiny.
The reforms will be introduced to parliament next week, and will see politicians face spending caps for the first time.
Candidates will only be able to receive $20,000 from any one donor each year, with a total limit of $600,000 for political donations each year for individuals, businesses, unions, and other groups.
Real-time disclosure will be introduced, and the limit on disclosures will be dropped to $1000.
The changes won’t come into effect until after the next election.
However, Mr Pocock says the crossbench has not been consulted in months.
“Liberals and Labor when something is in their interests are very happy to pass it within days, avoid parliamentary scrutiny, senate inquiries, all the other things. At the same time we have measures around housing and cost of living that they’ll play politics with. This doesn’t cut it.”
Meanwhile, billionaire businessman and United Australia Party leader Clive Palmer says the new legislation is designed to rig elections and says he plans to challenge the reform.
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The Palestinian ambassador to Australia says he welcomes the country’s decision to back a United Nations resolution to recognise the permanent sovereignty of Palestinian people.
Australia has joined 155 other countries in the UN committee to vote in favour of the resolution to recognise the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Seven voted against the resolution, including the United States, Canada and Israel. Eleven abstained.
Speaking to SBS Arabic, Palestinian ambassador Dr Izzat Abdel Hadi says he has seen a change in Australia’s position.
“Of course, the Palestinian government and the Palestinian embassy warmly welcome the vote, but it was not a surprise because there has been a fundamental and important change in Australia’s voting pattern at the United Nations since this government took office in 2022, and therefore there have been various positive votes at the United Nations in the General Assembly, and this was an important development. The origin of this development is Australia’s decision to accept that the Palestinian territories are occupied territories.”
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An investigation into mock awards handed out by members of the Northern Territory police force, has found they were racist, but recommended the matter be closed.
Critics say the report, and the government’s response to it, completely dismisses the experiences of Aboriginal police officers and the broader community.
The probe was triggered by former constable Zachary Rolfe, who tendered three award certificates during an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, attempting to prove the force’s ingrained culture of racism.
In 2022, Mr Rolfe was acquitted of murder at a five-week trial after he shot 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker three times as he resisted being handcuffed while armed with a pair of scissors.
Human rights lawyer Dana Levitt has described the findings as gaslighting.
“This report and investigation and the chief minister’s response are gaslighting at an institutional and government level. It suggests that the lived experiences of police officers and the Aboriginal community are not real and that is very counterproductive to undoing the damage that has been done and the damage that the police commissioner acknowledged in his apology in August this year.”
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The Matildas will be without winger Cortnee Vine indefinitely as she takes a break from football to take care of her mental health.
Vine has been a notable absentee in interim coach Tom Sermanni’s extended squad for the Matildas’ upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Taiwan – after making herself unavailable for selection.
The dashing winger was a star of the A-League Women’s competition but catapulted into the national spotlight when she scored the winning spot-kick in Australia’s marathon penalty shootout win over France in the Cup quarter-final.
Vine has missed multiple recent camps for personal reasons, while also attempting to settle into life at NWSL club North Carolina Courage, who she joined from Sydney FC in the off-season.
Vine says she is confident she’ll return stronger than ever.