Australia and Papua New Guinea lock in new defence treaty after delay
Tom McIlroy
Australia and Papua New Guinea have locked in a significant new defence treaty, weeks after the deal was delayed as a result of home political issues in PNG.
The cupboard of the PNG prime minister, James Marape, has signed off on the settlement and an announcement is imminent in Port Moresby.
The 2 nations will conform to defend one another within the occasion of a army assault, and enhance cooperation between the Australian defence drive and their PNG counterparts.
Designed to push again towards China’s expansionist perspective to Pacific nations, the deal is the most recent negotiated by the Albanese authorities with regional neighbours.
An analogous settlement with Vanuatu was additionally delayed final month.
The treaty will enable PNG residents to affix the ADF, and for Australians to serve with PNG troops, promote interoperability between the 2 nations and combine responses to a army assault.
Joint army coaching and defence workouts are deliberate, in addition to new cooperation on cybersecurity preparedness.
The settlement was as a result of be signed when Anthony Albanese was in PNG for the fiftieth anniversary of independence from Australia in September.
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Up to date at 22.35 EDT
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Andrew Messenger
Brisbane’s Story Bridge to reopen to cyclists and pedestrians
After practically seven months, pedestrians and cyclists will once more be allowed to journey over Brisbane’s Story Bridge.
Brisbane metropolis council mayor Adrian Schrinner introduced the council has completed putting in about 300 metres of substitute footpath for crumbling depression-era concrete on the western bridge walkway. Set up of decking on the japanese path has now begun.
The Story Bridge in Brisbane. {Photograph}: Aaron Foster/Getty Photos
Schrinner refused to dedicate one of many six automotive lanes to pedestrians and cyclists on the premise that most individuals drive.
Kathryn Good, organiser of Story Bridge Energetic Journey Alliance, stated the reopening was a bittersweet milestone:
Council talks about ‘preserving Brisbane shifting’, however their remedy of energetic transport is caught in reverse. Should you’re not in a automotive, their insurance policies make it clear: you’re not going wherever quick.
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Up to date at 23.39 EDT
Tom McIlroy
Australian authorities welcomes new defence pact
The federal authorities has welcomed a brand new defence treaty with Papua New Guinea, set to be signed in coming weeks.
PNG’s prime minister, James Marape, confirmed on Thursday the deal was set to be signed, after it was delayed final month by political issues in PNG.
Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and PGN prime minister, James Marape. {Photograph}: Mick Tsikas/AP
A authorities spokesperson says the treaty is a completed deal:
Final month, prime minister Albanese and prime minister Marape signed a joint communique for a Papua New Guinea-Australia Mutual Defence Treaty.
Because the leaders stated on the time, that Treaty could be signed following Cupboard processes in each nations.
This Treaty will elevate our relationship with PNG to an Alliance – the primary in over 70 years and solely our third general.
It places our relationship with PNG on the identical degree as we have now with america and New Zealand and builds on the already robust bonds between our defence forces, our economies and our individuals.
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Up to date at 23.22 EDT
An replace on the CommBank outage
Commonwealth Financial institution stated companies together with funds, on-line entry and ATMs have been affected by the outage.
Entry is at the moment being restored.
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Footage exhibits vessel in flotilla sure for Gaza being intercepted by IDF troopers – video
Footage captured by a British journalist travelling with the flotilla headed for Gaza captured the second activists say the Adara vessel was intercepted by IDF troopers.
The professional-Palestinian International Sumud Flotilla consists of greater than 40 civilian boats and is trying to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza and convey humanitarian assist to the war-torn territory.
Footage exhibits vessel in flotilla sure for Gaza being intercepted by IDF troopers – videoShare
Flotilla says boat Australian travelling on intercepted and boarded
Krishani Dhanji
The International Sumud Flotilla says Australian Abubakir Rafiq has been “kidnapped” after the boat he was on – Spectre – was intercepted and boarded.
Guardian Australia hasn’t individually verified Rafiq being taken, and has contacted Dfat.
Rafiq is one in all six Australians who joined the flotilla of greater than 40 boats. The newest info we have now is that there are about 30 boats which are nonetheless on target heading in direction of Gaza to open up a humanitarian hall and supply humanitarian assist.
Yesterday Guardian Australia spoke to 2 different Australians on board – Juliet Lamont and Surya McEwen.
McEwen, who has been on a number of flotillas, stated his resolve has been “magnified” because the scenario continues to worsen:
The chance to carry meals to ravenous kids and to carry medication to individuals who aren’t being allowed to have medication is like a part of the responsibility of the human spirit. [It’s] the take a look at of our era. In a long time to return, it’ll be the query like, What did you do throughout this second? Or what would you will have completed?
We characterize billions of individuals the world over, and there’s individuals on the bottom who’re doing the identical work … we’ll create peace and justice and equality, lastly, for individuals in Palestine.
Comply with the most recent developments dwell:
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Up to date at 22.56 EDT
Some Commonwealth Financial institution companies down
CommBank is reporting a few of its companies are at the moment unavailable, with some customers reporting difficulties accessing the financial institution’s app.
The financial institution stated in an announcement at 12pm:
We’re urgently working to repair this. We’ll proceed to supply updates right here. We apologise and admire your persistence.
A CommBank brand. {Photograph}: Pavlo Gonchar/Sopa Photos/Rex/ShutterstockShare
Up to date at 22.52 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Victoria premier says reported evaluate of Suburban Rail Loop ‘commonplace’
Victoria premier Jacinta Allan was requested earlier a couple of report within the Age, which revealed a significant contract for the Suburban Rail Loop is being reviewed by the Overseas Funding Evaluate Board. Allan says it’s “commonplace” and varieties a part of the tender course of.
[FIRB reviews] – they’ve been a part of … tasks right here … for tasks like Sydney Metro as nicely so it is a pretty customary a part of the contract and the procurement processes that firms who’re participating on tasks in Australia take part in. However let’s additionally keep in mind that it’s a unbelievable factor that we have now international firms.
Allan says it’s had no impression on the timeline on the SRL.
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Australia and Papua New Guinea lock in new defence treaty after delay
Tom McIlroy
Australia and Papua New Guinea have locked in a significant new defence treaty, weeks after the deal was delayed as a result of home political issues in PNG.
The cupboard of the PNG prime minister, James Marape, has signed off on the settlement and an announcement is imminent in Port Moresby.
The 2 nations will conform to defend one another within the occasion of a army assault, and enhance cooperation between the Australian defence drive and their PNG counterparts.
Designed to push again towards China’s expansionist perspective to Pacific nations, the deal is the most recent negotiated by the Albanese authorities with regional neighbours.
An analogous settlement with Vanuatu was additionally delayed final month.
The treaty will enable PNG residents to affix the ADF, and for Australians to serve with PNG troops, promote interoperability between the 2 nations and combine responses to a army assault.
Joint army coaching and defence workouts are deliberate, in addition to new cooperation on cybersecurity preparedness.
The settlement was as a result of be signed when Anthony Albanese was in PNG for the fiftieth anniversary of independence from Australia in September.
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Up to date at 22.35 EDT
Natasha Could
‘Folks will probably be turned away from emergency departments’: Minns
Minns stated a deal between the states and commonwealth on hospital funding was a “good distance off” and within the meantime may lead to individuals being turned away from emergency departments:
Finally, the best way this will probably be managed is that individuals will probably be turned away from emergency departments. There’s solely so many docs and nurses. There’s solely so many paramedics that we will make use of in our public hospital system, notably if it’s going to be starved of funds within the years forward.
The feds have gotten deeper pockets. We admire they’re beneath strain with the NDIS, however we’d like assist to run a number of the largest public hospitals within the nation, if not the world.
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Commonwealth not stepping as much as aged care obligations – contributing to hospital mattress block, Minns says
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says the online discount within the cash the commonwealth is contributing to state hospitals is liable for the mattress for mattress block in NSW.
At a press convention this morning, Minns stated “the provide that we’ve gotten from the commonwealth is decrease than the agreed quantity from our final nationwide cupboard assembly. So we’re going backwards. We’re not going forwards.”
Chris Minns. {Photograph}: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
Minns defined the commonwealth has the accountability for aged care which he stated is the key supply of mattress block in hospitals:
We’ve bought a whole lot of sufferers in New South Wales public hospitals that will ordinarily be discharged, besides they’ve bought nowhere to go. They’re all aged, and so they want a spot to go.
Now the commonwealth’s accountability is aged care in New South Wales and Australia throughout each jurisdiction, and so they can’t have it each methods. We will’t have a whole lot of sufferers who’re in New South Wales public hospitals that ought to be discharged and on the identical time, see a web discount within the sum of money that the commonwealth is ready to offer the states.
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Up to date at 21.48 EDT
Two bushwalkers rescued from Cradle Mountain nationwide park lower than per week after a vacationer died
Two bushwalkers with delicate hypothermia are being rescued from rugged wilderness, lower than per week after a vacationer died in the identical space, AAP studies.
The pair activated an emergency beacon at 7.15pm on Wednesday in Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain nationwide park, however an try to succeed in them by helicopter was referred to as off in dangerous climate.
A rescue within the Cradle Mountain space final week happened after snow fell within the area. {Photograph}: Tasmania Police
An on-foot search and rescue group reached the bushwalkers and have been anticipated to stroll with them to security on Thursday morning.
They got remedy for delicate hypothermia.
Temperatures within the nationwide park reached zero levels on Thursday morning – snow has fallen within the space prior to now week.
It comes lower than per week after a feminine Chinese language vacationer died within the nationwide park after being “overcome” by climate situations whereas strolling with a gaggle.
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Up to date at 21.37 EDT
