18:05:00 03/02/2017
It's been a day of legal blows for former West Australian One Nation Senator Rod Culleton. First, the High Court ruled his election in July was invalid. Now, Mr Culleton has lost an appeal against a Federal Court ruling that had declared him bankrupt. More
- Kim Landers
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18:10:00 03/02/2017
One of America's most senior former diplomats says it was 'improper' for President Donald Trump to tweet his disdain for a refugee resettlement deal, adding that it's not the way the United States should treat a trusted ally. President Trump yesterday called the deal to send refugees from Manus Island and Nauru to the US 'dumb'. Today he said he 'loves Australia' and will respect the deal. PM speaks to Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
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18:15:00 03/02/2017
Ian Bremmer is the President and Founder of the Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm. He's not confident that the Australia-US alliance will survive in its current form, saying Trump's tweet about the Australian refugee deal shows that his willingness to do damage to existing relationships is high. He says the US' existing allies may be doing some strategic thinking about where their future global ties lie. More
18:20:00 03/02/2017
The Trump Administration has given its first indication of what it'd do in response to aggression from North Korea. The US Secretary of Defence James Mattis, in South Korea on his first overseas trip, says any attack on the United States or its allies would be defeated. It's just what South Korea and Japan wanted to hear. They'd been questioning the strength of the US alliance since then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump cast doubt on it last year. More
18:25:00 03/02/2017
With uncertainty over the US alliance, James Mattis is emerging as the most reliable link for Australia inside President Donald Trump's Cabinet. The ABC can reveal the new US Defence Secretary was in regular face-to-face contact with Australian military figures before taking charge of the Pentagon. In recent months he's praised Australia and declared America must never forget the debt it owes to its long-time ally.
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18:30:00 03/02/2017
The Federal Government's Indigenous Advancement Strategy has been torn apart in a report from the Australian National Audit Office. The strategy was supposed to overhaul and streamline how the Federal Government funded Indigenous organisations. But the audit has found it was rushed, ineffective and lacked transparency. In response, the Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion has announced $40 million to improve program evaluation.
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18:35:00 03/02/2017
On Manus Island and Nauru, refugees are in limbo again as confusion reigns over the future of Australia's deal to send them to the US. One of those refugees is Iranian man Loghman Sawari, who escaped from Manus Island to Fiji last week, after claiming he'd been assaulted. The 21-year-old was detained by Fijian police today and deported back to PNG, despite an agreement with the country's immigration director that he could apply for asylum. Human rights groups say he urgently needs medical attention, and Fiji's Human Rights Commissioner says the country has breached its international obligations. More
18:40:00 03/02/2017
A Victorian senator and some lawyers are calling for a federal inquiry into an implant product, which is being blamed for causing chronic pain and complications in thousands of Australian women. They want an investigation into the pharmaceutical company that makes the insertable mesh device used for pelvic floor reconstructions and they also want to know why the Therapeutic Goods Administration allowed it onto the market. A class action is already underway against the maker Johnson and Johnson. But the Australian Medical Association says an inquiry isn't needed, and the TGA isn't solely to blame.
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18:45:00 03/02/2017
An Australian-first trial is testing whether two weeks of intensive treatment for post traumatic stress disorder can be as good or better than the usual three month programs. About 200 serving and former defence force personnel are being recruited to take part. The treatment may eventually be available to other members of the community with PTSD. More
18:50:00 03/02/2017
The low-cost airline TigerAir has permanently stopped flights from Australia to Bali. The decision once again leaves Australians currently staying on the tourist island unsure as to how they'll get home. It comes three weeks after the airline left hundreds of people stranded in Bali after the Indonesian government imposed new administrative requirements.
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