TRANSCRIPT
- The new leader of the Northern Territory vows to waste no time in acting on crime
- New laws due to come into effect, giving workers in Australia the "right to disconnect"
- The Paralympics flame lit ahead of the opening ceremony in Paris.
In the Northern Territory, the Country Liberal Party has been voted into power, after eight years in opposition.
The party will govern in majority, after benefiting from a swing of 12.3 per cent towards the party - and away from Labor - on a two-party preferred basis.
Double-digit swings were also recorded against Labor in some electorates, including the seat of Drysdale, held by incumbent and Labor leader, Eva Lawler.
Her successor, Chief Minister-elect Lia Finocchiaro, says her immediate priority is reducing crime.
"I will meet with the Police Commissioner and the Chief Executive of Chief Minister in Cabinet to outline the immediate work that must begin to make the Territory safe. We will do whatever it takes (cheers) We will get to work on delivering our plan to reduce crime, rebuild our economy, and restore our lifestyle. And we will not let you down."
Meanwhile, the Greens party could win its first ever seat in the NT Parliament.
Greens candidate, Suki Dorras-Walker, is on track to potentially win the seat of Fannie Bay.
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Workers who receive calls or emails from their boss during annual leave, late at night, or while cooking dinner for their young family, will have the right to ignore them until they begin their shift.
The news laws on the right-to-disconnect come into effect tomorrow.
The legislation is meant to ensure employees are paid for every hour they work, instead of the average 5.4 hours a week they currently perform without pay according to the Australia Institute.
Australians can refuse to monitor, read or respond to work communication outside of paid hours unless doing so is unreasonable.
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A newly released national report on drug overdose deaths in Australia shows the annual number has increased by 108 per cent over the past 20 years.
Researchers at the Penington Institute say the 2,356 deaths in 2022 equates to six fatalities a day - and was almost double the number of Australians who died in road accidents.
Of that number, 80 per cent were unintentional deaths - and 73 per cent involved two or more drugs.
The rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths of Indigenous people is more than 3.5 times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous people.
The CEO of Penington Institute, John Ryan, says there must be urgent action to deal with increasing number of deaths.
"Government inaction around measures to reduce overdose is deplorable. We know that with the right interventions, overdose deaths are preventable. We need politicians to end the fear campaigns around drug use. That approach is disingenuous and we know it doesn’t work. Instead, we need our leaders to support and promote treatment-seeking behaviour."
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Police in Germany has arrested the person suspected to be behind a stabbing attack that killed three people - and injured eight others - in the city of Solingen.
No further details were released about the man who fled the scene, sparking a day-long search by police.
Police say they are still trying to establish a motive - and cannot rule out terrorism.
The attack happened during a festival of diversity to celebrate 650 years since the industrial city of Solingen was founded.
Meanwhile, intelligence agencies are assessing the claim of responsibility for the attack from the self-proclaimed Islamic State group.
The militant group said in a statement on its Telegram account that the attack was carried out by one of its members "in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere".
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Days before the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris, the flame has been lit in a village northwest of London, widely considered the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.
Stoke Mandeville was the location where the idea of the Paralympics came about after World War Two.
An archery tournament was held at the local hospital for injured veterans who were using wheelchairs in 1948 at the time of the London Olympics.
The idea of an international competition gained more support - and in 1960 the first ever official Paralympic Games were held in Rome, with 400 athletes competing from 23 countries.
The President of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, says not everyone knows the origin story.
"For everyone involved in the Paralympic movement, Stoke Mandeville represents sacred and cherished ground. It is here, a little over 76 years ago, that the visionary pioneer Sir Ludwig Guttman created the Paralympic movement. I don't know about you guys, but I can feel his presence here today, no doubt about it."
