Australian community radio was set up by Tony Staley, a minister in Malcolm Fraser's government, a development that Tony Walker argues in The Age was more significant than most for Australia's future. Although the government was full of conservative members, Staley believed that community radio was important, and though he took risks, his success in getting it established has been monitored by McNair Ingenuity Research as a weekly audience of five million people.
Police in New South Wales are facing criticism following the alleged tasering of a 95-year old woman with dementia at a care home in the city of Cooma. Officers were called to the Yallambee Lodge care home after reports of the resident carrying a knife. The woman was tasered in the chest and back and received a fractured skull and brain bleed, and is deemed to be in a critical condition. Groups including the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties and People with Disability Australia have responded with concerns over the incident, calling for it to be treated with the "utmost seriousness" by officials.
Police in Western Australia arrested two men and seized £14m ($18m) of methamphetamine from a property in Ballajura. Although delivery driver Christopher Mark Mitchell was arrested along with ex-bikie Mohammed Charif Oueida, police claimed the latter was the ringleader of the suspected drug trafficking ring they were investigating. Ballajura was the first location searched. The subsequent raids also found cash and other drugs. Assistant Police Commissioner Tony Longhorn announced investigations were continuing to discover what further links may exist and who is sending drugs to the western state.
The Queen is Dead by Stan Grant is an extended reflection on the death of the British Monarch Queen Elizabeth, written by an Indigenous Australian journalist who wrestles with a sense of anger that runs through the book. Grant's work centres on the distinction between the living person who was the Queen and the symbolic power structure that is represented by the 'White Queen', stating "Whiteness is not white people. It is an organising principle. It is a way of ordering the world."
Kenneth Elliot, a surgeon who spent seven years in captivity in west Africa after being kidnapped by al-Qaeda, has been released and reunited with his family. Elliot and wife Jocelyn were running a 120-bed clinic in Djibo, northern Burkina Faso, when they were kidnapped by the terror group. Jocelyn was released after three weeks, leaving her husband as the only surgeon for the area's two million people in captivity. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Ken Elliott, 88, was safe and well. The Australian government worked tirelessly towards the surgeon's release, said Wong.
New Zealand has ruled itself out of winning games in blowouts in rugby league’s endangered World Cup but emerged as the best hope to shoulder a large number of fixtures, including the potential for matches to be played in the Pacific islands. International Rugby League officials want to limit the teams in the men’s tournament. Last year’s World Cup had 16 teams in the round-robin stage but officials have flagged reducing that number to 12 for the 2025 World Cup.
The New York Times has called for submissions on what else to include in its weekly Australia Letter. The Letter offers perspectives on life in Australia and New Zealand, from politics and culture to life and leisure. Readers are invited to suggest what they would like to see more of and what else would be of interest to them. The newsletter, which celebrated its sixth birthday earlier this year, is also promising to expand its coverage beyond Melbourne and Sydney.
Reports suggest that US President Joe Biden has lifted his initial opposition to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine; the US was previously unwilling to allow its European allies to export the planes to Ukraine. However, White House officials have not commented on the speculation. The UK is expected to provide training for Ukrainian pilots, but has ruled out providing Typhoon jets. These developments are seen as a victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has long pushed for Western allies to supply his country with the fighter jets.
St George Illawarra’s Zac Lomax inspired a victory over the Sydney Roosters with an after-the-siren conversion. Lomax kicked an uncomplicated conversion as the Dragons ended a six-game losing streak. The match was a rollercoaster, with the lead changing four times. The Roosters led with just four minutes remaining before Mat Feagai scored to give the Dragons the win. The result was a ray of hope for St George Illawarra, who sacked coach Anthony Griffin and could potentially recruit Roosters assistant Jason Ryles.
China has warned that the US should not introduce geopolitical games to the South Pacific after it was announced Secretary of State Antony Blinken would visit Papua New Guinea. This comes after President Joe Biden cancelled his own plans to visit Papua New Guinea and take part in a meeting of leaders from the so-called Quad partnership. The US was particularly concerned last year after China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands which allowed for the presence of Chinese naval ships and security forces.
The proposition of an Indigenous Voice referendum is not just a political issue, but also one of national inclusiveness and respect, according to a letter published in The Age. The letter responds to Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s criticism of the AFL’s decision to support the Yes vote in the referendum. The authors argue that the referendum is an invitation for everyone to inform themselves of the relevant issues and express their views, and that the No campaign should have equal representation. The letter warns that the risk to the reputation of Australia if the referendum does not pass is high, and that the fundamental question of recognising the place of Indigenous Australians must be included in the Constitution to prevent this.
Another letter in the same publication calls for the extension of voluntary assisted dying legislation to include dementia sufferers. The author shares their personal experience of caring for a loved one who had dementia and wanted the choice to end their life. The letter argues that, with the increase in dementia cases, individuals with the disease should be allowed to make their wishes clear and recorded, to prevent years of unnecessary suffering.
Finally, a letter criticises Noel Pearson for denigrating individuals who disagree with him regarding the Indigenous Voice referendum. The author argues that Pearson’s recent attacks on respected Indigenous leader Mick Gooda are unacceptable and highlight a growing intransigence within the Yes camp. The letter suggests that Pearson’s behaviour is disappointing, given his previous contributions to the cause of Aboriginal Australians.
Victoria, Australia, could terminate an agreement to supply pulpwood to the Maryvale pulp and paper mill before 2030 without incurring penalties, according to legal advice obtained by environmental groups. Victoria is contractually bound to deliver a minimum of 350,000 cubic metres of pulpwood annually, of which at least 300,000 cubic metres must be taken from the state's mountain ash and alpine ash forests. The state government is currently contractually obliged to supply pulpwood as a by-product of sawlog harvesting to Maryvale, which is owned by Opal Australian Paper, a unit of Japanese company Nippon.
Mami Mizutori, special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, has said that greater emphasis needs to be placed on the need for adaptation to climate change, rather than on mitigation. Mizutori headed a UN meeting in New York which highlighted the 80% increase in the number of people affected by natural catastrophes since 2015 and the role played by the Sendai Framework in producing national strategies aimed at reducing calamity. Mizutori’s goal is for the typical 96/4 percentage split between investment in disaster prevention and disaster rescue to be reversed. Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mizutori called for greater focus on vulnerability reduction as this area is currently underdeveloped. Mizutori has also advocated for early warning systems, with the Secretary-General targeting all countries, aiming to reach all people, to have an effective early warning system by 2027. The cost of implementing such a policy is estimated at $3.1bn – 50 cents per person each year.
ASX-listed group MA Financial has acquired d’Albora marina portfolio in a $225m deal to seed its latest fund. MA's newest fund, MA Marina, is part of the listed asset manager's expansion into the alternative asset sector, including agriculture, childcare centres, healthcare, life sciences, and pubs. The purchase of Australia’s largest marina network, comprising of 10 premium locations across the east coast, follows a challenging 2022 for office-focused real estate landlords.
Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan will return to the BBC’s Test Match Special coverage for the Ashes, following his clearance of racism allegations earlier this year. Vaughan had previously written for the Telegraph and worked for Fox in Australia, both of which stood by him throughout the affair. Neither he, nor five other individuals who played at Yorkshire, have worked for the BBC since allegations of racism caused them to leave the franchised Twenty20 team two years ago.
The African mediating mission announced by South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa may merit a mention when historians write about the rise of the post-unipolar world, according to an op-ed in the Financial Times. The author, Alec Russell, argues that the quixotic mediators from Africa underscore the accelerating assertiveness of the countries of the “global south”. Many non-western nations have seen the west's full-throttle support for Ukraine and regard it as hypocritical, with powers once again prioritising their own interests and concerns over other global issues such as health and climate change. The crisis has led to a renewed focus on the idea of six African heads of state criss-crossing the front lines of a European war, which threatens to totally rewrite the post-1945 world order.
The Brics summit in Durban in August will be a cacophonous showcase for the contradictions within the new “non-aligned movement”. The group consists of two autocracies, Russia and China, two big democracies, Brazil and India, and the host, and junior relation, South Africa. Now over a dozen more countries are interested in joining, including Iran. The risk, particularly for India and Brazil, is that the Brics could tilt ever more into becoming a China club.
The author suggests that the west should lead by example, commit finally to reforms of the global order and choose words more carefully. The Biden administration has been building bespoke regional alliances, but China is also busily convening summits of its own. New world orders, it is cautioned, are of course easier to declare than realise. South Africa’s chaotic mediating pas de deux with Russia is seen as an object lesson in how not to play the non-aligned game.
The G7 is holding its annual summit in the Japanese shrine city of Hiroshima where the talks are set to focus on the growing influence of China, the Ukraine crisis and the ongoing threat to Taiwan. G7 leaders, however, are keen to avoid confrontation with China over the issue of its territorial claims that are threatening the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Instead, the leaders are set to extend the promise of G7 cooperation. Alongside the G7 nations, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines have been invited as guests, symbolising Japan's ongoing interest and focus on Southeast Asia. In addition, India and South Korea, which have previously pressed Japan to address issues related to Japanese Imperial Army’s conscripting of sex slaves for the military during World War II, will also take part, together with the EU.
Revolut is locked in a board clash with largest shareholder SoftBank who have demanded compensation for giving up its priority class of shares, which the Bank of England has made a condition for granting the crucial licence, according to people with knowledge of the situation. If Revolut does not simplify its ownership structure to win a long-delayed banking licence, the payments group cannot lend or benefit from the UK’s deposit insurance scheme, which impact the fintech’s expansion into the US, Australia, and Singapore. Regulators also request Revolut expand their group level board and add more technology expertise. SoftBank had demanded double the amount of common stock Revolut is offering in exchange for giving up the preferential rights linked to its current shareholding class.
The London-based fintech is now rushing to release its 2022 accounts, and hopes to release them next month, which it hopes will be approved by its auditors after it built new systems to better document exchanges and flows of money around the app. Despite a two-and-a-half year wait for the banking license, founder, Nik Storonsky, has criticized the “extremely bureaucratic regulator,” voicing his frustration of the delays. With its 30 million existing clients, Revolut needs the license to help it expand and continue competing against other digital banks and payment services.
Revolut’s locked discord tells a wider story about London and Europe’s continued dominance in fintech, with the fintech being a potential example of London losing its status, since Brexit, as Europe’s primary financial services hub, while the UK business secretary is seeking to prevent the company moving its headquarters. Regulatory concerns have spotlighted potential conflicts of interests with banks investing in fintech and purchasing fintechs outright, and Europe’s banking industry experiencing low profitability and increasing competition from global fintechs.
Alun Wyn Jones, the 37-year-old Ospreys lock, has retired from Test rugby after earning 158 caps for Wales Rugby and making 12 British and Irish Lions Test appearances. His decision comes after Wales flanker Justin Tipuric, who earned 93 caps, also announced his retirement from the international stage. Both players had been named in a 54-player preliminary training squad for the World Cup, and their departure less than four months ahead of Wales' opener against Fiji will be a major blow. Jones is regarded as one of Wales' greatest-ever players.
Rugby player Alun Wyn Jones has retired from international rugby. The 37-year-old holds a world record for Test match appearances, with a total of 170, including 158 for Wales and 12 for the British and Irish Lions. He captained both teams and won five Six Nations titles, four World Cups, three of them as part of a Grand Slam. Jones began his international career in 2006 as a blindside flanker and helped Wales reach the semi-finals of two World Cups. He was a pivotal part of the British and Irish Lions team on four occasions, captaining them for the 2021 tour of South Africa.
