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Thousands of Indonesian soldiers and emergency services specialists have been working through the night to try to find survivors of an earthquake in Aceh. The death toll is around 100 but it's expected to rise.
Topics: earthquake, aceh
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Controversial actor-director Mel Gibson has taken out the top prizes in Australian cinema for his film Hacksaw Ridge. The movie, set in World War Two, was judged the best film and Gibson was also given the award for best direction. It's a remarkable comeback for Gibson whose career looked almost over after several notorious incidents including an anti-Semitic rant at a Jewish policeman. But the night wasn't without its own controversy, with activists protesting on the red carpet about the lack of female participation in Australian cinema.
Topics: film-movies, awards-and-prizes, australia
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Time is running out for Australia to eradicate the potentially deadly red fire ants, according to a report prepared for the Federal Government and obtained by the ABC. The independent expert report warns the fire ants could spread nationwide from south-east Queensland, doing more damage than rabbits, cane toads and foxes combined. It's found that Federal and State Governments will need to spend almost $400 million over the next decade in order to eliminate the destructive pest for good.
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On Wednesday's program: Official figures show Australia's economy went into reverse in the September quarter, with GDP falling by 0.5 per cent. There's been a rise in the number of West Australians prescribed with stimulants for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. And in what's believed to be an Australian first, the Catholic Church has defrocked a priest for having a 'long term inappropriate sexual relationship' with a woman.
Topics: australia
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| UpdatedFighting between the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and the Nigerian Army is fuelling a humanitarian crisis in Africa's most populous country. In Borno state in north-east Nigeria, more people have been displaced from their homes than refugees reached Europe by boat in 2015. M�decins Sans Fronti�res deputy operational director, Isabelle Mouniaman, says 1.8 million people are displaced in the state and over four million are food insecure.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, community-and-society, charities-and-community-organisations, nigeria
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In what's believed to be an Australian first, the Catholic Church has defrocked a priest for having a 'long term inappropriate sexual relationship' with a woman. The church has also publicly apologised to the female parishioner involved. The apology is the culmination of a seven-year legal battle Jennifer Herrick has waged against the church over the 'toxic' relationship she had with Father Thomas Knowles.
Topics: courts-and-trials, community-and-society, catholic, law-crime-and-justice, australia
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More World Heritage protected sites have been placed on the UNESCO endangered list this year as a result of wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya. There are now 55 protected sites that are considered to be in danger. Anna Segall is the director of international standards and legal affairs at UNESCO, who is in Adelaide for the Red Cross international Culture Under Attack conference.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, community-and-society, syrian-arab-republic, australia, iraq, libyan-arab-jamahiriya, yemen
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The Salvation Army has become the latest organisation to be told it still has work to do to improve its child protection policies. The Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has been reviewing the progress made by organisations it's scrutinised, such as the YMCA, the Scouts, and today, the Salvation Army. The Commissioner, Justice Peter McClellan told the hearing their response to the problem of abuse is still a work in progress.
Topics: royal-commissions, community-and-society, child-abuse, law-crime-and-justice, australia
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| UpdatedThe Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory has spent the day touring the current and former Don Dale youth detention centres. This week had been set aside for hearings with young people who've been through the detention system, but that's now been delayed. The mother of former Don Dale detainee Dylan Voller says uncertainty about when he's giving evidence and his safety inside prison is putting extra stress on Dylan and the family.
Topics: prisons-and-punishment, community-and-society, youth, law-crime-and-justice, nt, australia
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| UpdatedPeople with life-limiting illnesses and with disabilities fear being left out of a debate about euthanasia. The Victorian Parliament is heading for a conscience vote on the issue, after the state's government endorsed legalising assisted suicide.
Topics: euthanasia, community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, laws, vic, australia
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| UpdatedAustralia's takeover of Norfolk Island's government is sparking deep divisions in the community. The island lost self-rule on July the first, but already there are big questions about the new administration. An internal audit suggested possible conflicts of interest involving some of the senior staff engaging consultants they had connections with, and there have been allegations of censorship of the local radio station.
Topics: government-and-politics, norfolk-island-2899, australia
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| UpdatedThe Federal Government says the first contraction in the Australian economy in five years justifies its policy to cut the corporate tax rate to 25 per cent over the next 10 years. The Treasurer Scott Morrison says the negative GDP figures demands support for the policy in the national interest. But the Opposition says the Government is simply relying on a slogan to boost the economy. Labor has also attacked the Government for ruling out a carbon pricing scheme for the electricity sector, just two days after the Environment and Energy Minister said it would be looked at in the Government's review of climate policies.
Topics: tax, business-economics-and-finance, economic-trends, climate-change, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedOfficial figures show Australia's economy actually went into reverse in the September quarter. It's the first time the economy's contracted in five years. Economists are downplaying the result, describing it as a 'pot hole' on the economic road, but not everyone's convinced.
Topics: economic-trends, business-economics-and-finance, australia
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| UpdatedThe number of West Australians being prescribed with stimulant medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is on the rise. Last year more than 20,000 WA patients were prescribed stimulants like ritalin and dexamphetamine. It represents a 10 per cent increase in one year. But health practitioners are defending the figures, saying the risks associated with the medication outweigh the effects of not treating ADHD.
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| UpdatedThe first birds have hatched in an artificial hollow built for the endangered swift parrot in Tasmania. The hollows were carved after firewood collectors illegally cut down some of the birds nesting trees in July. The technology is now in demand for threatened species around the country.
Topics: endangered-and-protected-species, animal-science, birds, australia
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Australian children with autism aren't being diagnosed as quickly as is recommended, leading to a lag in treatment, which could affect their development throughout life. That's according to the Australian Medical Association, which is today releasing a position paper raising it as a concern. The lobby group says the problem is being exacerbated by a lack of specialists and diagnostic tools, and more awareness, training and resources are needed to improve the lives of those with the disorder.
Topics: autism-spectrum-disorder, health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, medical-research, australia
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Aboriginal people angered by policing in Western Australia are planning legal action following the landmark federal court compensation decision for Palm Islanders. The court found Queensland police were racist in their response to the 2004 death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee and the riots which followed. Kalgoorlie residents allege there's been discriminatory treatment by police surrounding the death of 14 year old Elijah Doughty in August. Meanwhile, the Queensland Premier has backed police in the wake of the Court decision.
Topics: indigenous-policy, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, australia
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| UpdatedThe workplace regulator and convenience store chain, 7-Eleven, have signed a landmark deal to combat exploitation of workers by franchisees. The Fair Work Ombudsman says the agreement forces 7-Eleven to tackle wages fraud and help prevent the illegal treatment of workers at its stores through measures including biometric technology and supervision by the regulator. The regulator says the deed also has measures to stamp out 'cash backs' where workers are forced to hand back part of their wage to franchisees.
Topics: fraud-and-corporate-crime, work, australia
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| UpdatedA former Ugandan child soldier who went on to become a commander in the notorious militia, the Lord's Resistance Army, is being tried for war crimes in the International Criminal Court. Prosecutors say Dominic Ongwen, who was captured last year, became the second in command to the brutal LRA leader, Joseph Kony. But the former child soldier denies being responsible for war crimes, saying he was a victim himself.
Topics: international-law, child-abuse, law-crime-and-justice, unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, murder-and-manslaughter, uganda
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| UpdatedWith populist parties seemingly on the rise in several parts of the world, lawmakers in Europe are increasingly worried about the spread of misinformation via social media. Leading researchers say governments, including those in Australia, should treat Facebook and Twitter like mainstream media companies and punish them if they break electoral laws.
Topics: social-media, information-and-communication, internet-culture, france, germany
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In the wake of the murder of Luke Batty, there's been a surge in the rates of single people with children, presenting for help with crisis accommodation. Homelessness programs are hoping to hear on Friday, whether their funding will be continued.
Topics: domestic-violence, community-and-society, homelessness, australia
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| UpdatedThe issue of how Australia deals with its young offenders has been thrown into the public eye in recent weeks, after disturbances at juvenile detention centres in Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland, and the royal commission into the Don Dale centre in the Northern Territory. It's estimated that almost a third of young detainees have come from out of home care, where they are supposed to protected by the state but many will start a lifetime of cycle of detention the first time they end up in custody.
Topics: youth, law-crime-and-justice, prisons-and-punishment, royal-commissions, australia
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The Victorian Children's Commissioner says child protection workers are repeatedly underestimating or disregarding how family violence can affect children. She's released a report highlighting common failures in the deaths of 20 children. Among other things, it highlights how 9 of the 20 children were alleged to have been abused, yet only one received counselling.
Topics: child-abuse, family-and-children, children, family, australia
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Salvation Army leaders are back in the witness box at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, assuring the Commissioners that they have taken action to ensure children within the organisation are safe. The appearance comes after the inquiry uncovered decades of abuse at the hands of Salvation Army officers.
Topics: salvation-army, child-abuse, royal-commissions, australia
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| UpdatedOne Nation Senator Rod Culleton has had a rowdy session in front of High Court judges, trying to make his case to keep his Senate seat. The court refused to allow Mr Culleton more time to prepare his argument, and a friend was then removed from the court.
Topics: one-nation, government-and-politics, elections, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, australia