TRANSCRIPT
- The appointment of a special envoy for anti-Semitism garners mixed responses
- Senator says increased domestic violence service funding is welcome but comes too late
- West Coast Eagles' coach Adam Simpson to depart after eleven years
The Prime Minister's appointment of businesswoman Jillian Segal to the role of special anti-Semitism envoy has garnered varying reactions.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the appointment today and says the envoy will work to address and combat heightened levels of anti-Semitism in the community.
The appointment has been welcomed by the Coalition and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
However, the Jewish Council of Australia says it is concerned about the appointment of a pro-Israel advocate to the position, and that the envoy will fail to distinguish between Jewishness and support for Israel.
The government says it will soon announce a special envoy for Islamophobia.
Newly appointed anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal says anti-Semitism threatens everyone in the community.
"Antisemitism erodes all that is good and healthy in a society. As such, it poses a threat not just to the Jewish community, but to our entire nation. Antisemitism is an age-old hatred. It has the capacity to lie dormant through good times and then, in times of crisis like pandemic, which we’ve experienced, economic downturn, war – it awakens. It triggers the very worst instincts in an individual"
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Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is warning that Australia's money laundering laws need to be overhauled to prevent illicit funds flooding into the country.
Speaking in a joint address at the National Press Club, Mr Dreyfus says the former government has left the door wide open for illicit funds.
The address comes as AUSTRAC's national risk assessment which examines current money laundering and terrorism financing threats and vulnerabilities in specific parts of Australia’s financial sector.
One key finding in the recent assessment is that Australia is an attractive destination for money laundering.
Mark Dreyfus says Australia must be vigilant and update money laundering defences.
"It’s a disturbing but inescapable fact that Australia is at serious risk of exploitation by criminals seeking to launder illicit funds. Each year, trillions of dollars are generated from illegal activities such as drug trafficking, tax evasion, people smuggling, cybercrime and arms trafficking."
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The announcement comes following another recent spate of domestic violence deaths, including the violent murder of a 21-year-old Sydney woman this week.
The new projects are expected to focus on improving access and inclusion for First Nations women and children, people living with disability and others facing barriers to support.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie told Channel Nine's Today Show that frontline services still need more funding.
"I think, you know, we've said enough is enough and it really is. The government said we would have 500 frontline workers in place last June. And here we are, we haven't even got a quarter of them across the country. You know, now they're announcing 720 crisis centers needing to be built well, we needed this a year ago, and I think everybody wants the government to succeed in this space because enough is enough."
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The White House is rejecting reports from the New York Times that suggest President Joe Biden is being treated for Parkinson's disease.
The New York Times has reported visitor logs showing a doctor specialising in Parkinson's visited the White House at least eight times from August 2023 through to March 2024.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refuses to confirm or deny whether neurologist Dr Kevin Cannard made said visits to the White House and says she wants to respect the privacy of those involved.
She did say however that after Mr Biden's performance in the June 27 debate, which sparked widespread concerns over his ability to stay in the race, he did not have a proper medical exam.
''But, to answer your point, he did not have a medical exam. He did not have a physical. He did do like a verbal check in with his doctor a couple of days after the debate. And it was very quick. It was a couple of words that were spoken to each other. And that's how we were able to give you that answer. But he did not have a medical exam. He did not have a physical.''
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The West Coast Eagles have announced coach Adam Simpson will depart the club.
It comes after months of pressure on his leadership over a long run of poor results for the club.
West Coast have won just eight games across the past three seasons, losing seven by more than 100 points.
Simpson has been at the club for 11 years and is one of only three coaches to lead the club to a premiership win.
The club has offered Simpson to coach one final game this weekend, but it's unclear if he will.
