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PM: Full Program Audio
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On Friday's program: New South Wales Nationals party MP John 'Wacka' Williams goes public with Parkinson's diagnosis. Lawyers representing residents in a Queensland Darling Downs town say they have the final clearance to commence a class action against the Department of Defence. And calls for a review of the guidelines that recommend IVF treatment not be offered to obese women.
Topics: australia
Heyfield Mill is likely to close without a formal Victorian offer to secure 250 jobs Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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A national wood company and the Victorian Government are at odds over the future of a sawmill facing closure. Australian Sustainable Hardwoods has confirmed the Heyfield Timber Mill is closing, and it may shift some equipment to Tasmania. Workers have described the closure of the country's biggest hardwood sawmill as disgraceful and avoidable.
Irrigators reliant on Snowy scheme worried upgrade might affect water supply Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Irrigators reliant on the Snowy scheme, are worried the new $2 billion plan to increase power generation means they won't get access to the water when they need it. The Prime Minister's announcement to increase the Hydro scheme's power generation has had a mixed response from rural communities who are also worried about land acquisitions as a result of the project. They are questions that will now be considered through a feasibility study.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, environment, government-and-politics, rural, agribusiness, water, water-management, nsw, australia
Former NT corrections minister takes 'some responsibility' for systemic failings Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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A former Northern Territory corrections minister says he bears some responsibility for systemic failings in the youth justice system. Labor's Gerry McCarthy faced the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the NT in Alice Springs today. He was the corrections minister during several incidents involving former Don Dale detainee Dylan Voller, who featured in the Four Corners program which prompted the royal commission.
Topics: prisons-and-punishment, youth, law-crime-and-justice, royal-commissions, nt, australia
Ringside at SA's first election debate Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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It's exactly one year until South Australians go to the polls. Voters are faced with the choice of returning Labor for a fifth term in power, or to usher in a Liberal government for the first time in 16 years. But the state of the state, particularly on the issue of energy, has become something of a national fascination. And today, both leaders got in the 'ring' for the first political debate, of what's likely to be, a very long 12 months.
Topics: elections, government-and-politics, sa, australia
NSW Government gives paid parental leave to surrogacy parents Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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For the first time in New South Wales, parents who use a surrogate to have a baby can claim paid parental leave from the State Government. Until now, couples have had to solely rely on the Federal Government's paid parental leave. But the decision could be overshadowed by a clamp down on 'double dipping' that aims to put an end to parents claiming both their employer's and the government's parental schemes.
Topics: surrogacy, government-and-politics, health, reproduction-and-contraception, australia
Experts call to revise IVF guidelines to improve access for obese women Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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If you're trying to have a baby, sometimes assisted fertility treatments, such as IVF, are necessary in order to conceive. But while IVF treatments are available to women aged over 40, doctors are advised not to offer them to obese women. A new paper is calling for a review of the guidelines, labelling them unjust.
Topics: reproductive-technology, family-and-children, health, obesity, reproduction-and-contraception, fertility-and-infertility, babies, australia
Does it makes sense to dip into your superannuation to help fund a home deposit? Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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There's been mounting speculation this week that we may be about to see a significant change to superannuation policy. Coalition backbenchers have been calling for the Government to allow first home buyers to access their superannuation to help fund a deposit for a house. So does the idea stack up?
Topics: housing-industry, business-economics-and-finance, superannuation, australia
Senator John 'Wacka' Williams goes public with Parkinson's diagnosis Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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His friends and parliamentary colleagues know him as 'Wacka', a salt of the earth shearer turned Senator for New South Wales. But bank bosses know Nationals party MP John Williams as the tenacious and wily politician, who's made a name for himself pursuing them for bad bank behaviour. The Senator will need to muster all that tenacity and even more to deal with a personal health condition that tonight, he's going public with. He says he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but he has the support of his colleagues and is confident he can see out the next few years in Parliament.
Topics: government-and-politics, health, nsw, australia
Anglican Church admits it has no national child protection plan Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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At the child sexual abuse Royal Commission, the Anglican Church has admitted its dioceses have failed to unite behind national child protection standards. The Bishop of Newcastle Greg Thompson blames tribalism in the church. The Archbishop of Brisbane, Phillip Aspinall, gave evidence the church is committed to national child protection standards, but there's been disagreement over their scope. New data commissioned by the inquiry shows that between 1980-2015, the church received 1082 allegations of abuse.
Topics: royal-commissions, community-and-society, anglicans, law-crime-and-justice, newcastle-2300, australia, nsw
Final clearance for Oakey class action against Department of Defence Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Lawyers representing residents in a Queensland Darling Downs town say they have the final clearance to commence a class action against the Department of Defence. About 450 Oakey residents are demanding financial compensation for their dwindling property prices, because of contaminated groundwater emanating from the defence base next to the town. But some residents are steering clear of the action, and they say repeated publicity about the contamination is causing reputational damage to the town.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, defence-forces, environment, land-pollution, qld, australia
The World Today: Full Program Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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On Friday's edition of The World Today: A controversial rescue plan as the Victorian Government vows to buy a struggling timber mill and Cystic Fibrosis Australia pushes for a new agreement with drug manufacturers.
Calls for medicine reimbursement scheme to be adopted in Australia Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Most parents would do anything to keep their child healthy - but what if that meant handing over $250,000 a year, every year, for the rest of their lives? That's the position parents of those with cystic fibrosis currently find themselves in, because a life-changing medicine is yet to be included on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Advocates are now calling for medicine reimbursement system to be adopted in Australia - where drug companies are only paid for the medicine when it is found to have worked.
Topics: pharmaceuticals, ballarat-3350, australia, vic
Consumers assured of good prices and good prawns amid white spot disease spread Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Australian Prawn Farmers Association is trying to reassure consumers that the spread of the white spot prawn disease in south east Queensland will not lead to higher prawn prices. The disease has now spread to wild prawns in the Moreton Bay region near Brisbane. Imported green prawn products are suspected to be behind the outbreak but the Prime Minister says Australian biosecurity systems are strong.
Topics: fishing-aquaculture, environmental-impact, qld, australia
Change brewing in Australia's investment sector Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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An increase in Australian investors wanting their retirement funds to go into the stocks of ethical companies means change is afoot within the nation's finance industry. The latest move has come from AMP Capital, which has announced it's banning investment in companies that manufacture tobacco, cluster munitions, landmines and biological and chemical weapons. Now there are suggestions that this could be the start of a new trend in ethical investments.
Topics: ethical-investment, australia
Strong links between democracy and happiness, says researcher Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Many people might think that democracy is the right system because it is the fairer, most just order, delivers the best outcomes for the most people, but does it actually make us happier? Ethicists and data scientists have been studying the correlation between happiness and democracy for years and have found that indeed there is a strong link between the two. Ethicist Matthew Beard has been looking at these issues, correlating three indexes on happiness, wellbeing and democracy.
US President Trump proposes slashing environmental and humanitarian funding to boost defence spendin Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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US President Donald Trump's first budget blue print proposes to slash funding from the State Department and Environmental Protection Agency while giving the military a US $52 billion boost. It's been described as the most ambitious effort to pare back domestic spending and boost defence spending since the Reagan-era.
Topics: world-politics, budget, united-states
Tasmanian Labor leader Bryan Green resigns, is replaced by Rebecca White Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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After 19 years in Parliament the Tasmanian Labor leader Bryan Green has resigned from politics. Labor MPs have unanimously voted to replaced Mr Green with the shadow health minister, Rebecca White.
Topics: alp, states-and-territories, hobart-7000, australia, tas
Victorian Government will purchase Heyfield mill if there are no other buyers Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Victorian taxpayers could soon be the new owners of a timber mill in the tiny Gippsland town of Heyfield. The future of the mill has been in doubt because of questions over its timber supply which is being drastically cut. The State Government has stepped in, arguing the business is viable and saying it'll buy the mill if no one else does.
Anglican Church apologises to abuse survivors at Royal Commission Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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At the child sexual abuse Royal Commission, the Anglican Church has apologised to people who were abused in its care. A senior leader admitted the Church had cared more about its reputation than the survivors it had tried to silence. New data commissioned by the inquiry shows that between 1980-2015 the Church received 1,082 allegations of abuse.
Topics: royal-commissions, child-abuse, australia
Amber Harrison hires high-profile barrister in battle against Seven West Media Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Amber Harrison has hired prominent barrister Julian Burnside QC as her high-profile battle with Seven West Media moves to a new level. Mr Burnside confirmed Ms Harrison would now counter-sue her former employer after Seven escalated legal action over the release of confidential documents relating to her ill-fated affair with chief executive Tim Worner.
Topics: courts-and-trials, australia
Australian sailor being investigated as part of a massive US navy bribery scandal Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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At least one Australian sailor is being investigated as part of a massive US navy bribery scandal involving prostitutes and wild parties. Nine high-ranking US navy officers including an admiral have been charged with trading classified information in exchange for travel, dinners and prostitution services from a foreign defence contractor.
Topics: navy, defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, law-crime-and-justice, corruption, united-states, australia
Growing pressure for leaders to come up with unified national energy strategy Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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After a flurry of competing political announcements this week about how to deal with a predicted energy crisis, there's growing pressure for the nation's leaders to come up with a unified national strategy. A review into the electricity market by the chief scientist Alan Finkel's being seen as a potential way of forging some consensus on the way ahead and submissions to the review have been publicly released. The Energy Users Association of Australia represents some of the power industry's biggest customers and was one of the dozens of organisations that made submissions calling for an end to the political bickering on energy policy.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, energy, australia
Industrial relations fight heats up as Parliament prepares to return next week Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Prime Minister and Opposition leader have again exchanged barbs over the Fair Work Commission's decision to reduce Sunday penalty rates for some workers. It's likely to again dominate Federal Parliament, which begins again on Monday for the final two weeks before the budget in May. Labor will try to pass a bill to stop the Fair Work Commission's decision, while the Government will focus on a package of welfare savings and its plan to cut the corporate tax rate.
Topics: work, government-and-politics, australia
What impact does the defeat of Geert Wilders in the Dutch elections mean for the French election? Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The defeat of far right candidate Geert Wilders in the Dutch elections has been hailed by many as the end of the populist momentum with the French president called the Dutch result 'a clear victory against extremism.' After Brexit and Donald Trump there were predictions that the Netherlands would be the first of the European dominoes to fall. Observers though are warning against making too many comparisons with France where Marine Le Pen is still leading in the polls.
Topics: elections, world-politics, france
