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PM: Full Program Audio
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On Monday's program: The Disability Discrimination Commissioner says people with a disability are still not equal before the law, three years on from a damning Human Rights Commission Report. The Northern Territory youth detention royal commission has heard some of its most explosive evidence yet, with a guard admitting he filmed detainees eating faeces, urinating and being sworn at. And Australia's peak accounting body has joined the list of financial heavyweights rejecting the idea of using superannuation to help ease the east coast housing affordability crisis.
Topics: australia
Killer crocodile turns on search boat Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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A crocodile that attacked and killed an experienced Queensland fisherman has aggressively rammed the boat of wildlife officers sent to find the animal. The State Government has issued a destruction order, meaning the crocodile can be killed if necessary. The incident was one of two crocodile attacks in far north Queensland in two days. But the Government says a wider culling program is unwarranted.
Topics: crocodile, animal-attacks, qld, australia
CPA Australia opposes using super to boost housing affordability Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Australia's peak accounting body has joined the list of financial heavyweights rejecting the idea of using superannuation to help ease the east coast housing affordability crisis. It comes on the heels of a dark ad campaign by Industry Super Australia warning savers that the big four banks are coming after their super. In the television advertisement, the major banks are portrayed as foxes stalking a henhouse ready to gobble up retirement nest eggs.
Topics: superannuation, business-economics-and-finance, housing-industry, australia, nsw, vic
Anglicare leaders support national redress scheme Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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At the child sexual abuse Royal Commission, leaders of the Anglican social welfare charity Anglicare have indicated their support for the national redress scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. They believe their individual state-based charities could opt-in to the scheme even if their dioceses do not.
Topics: royal-commissions, community-and-society, child-abuse, religion-and-beliefs, anglicans, law-crime-and-justice, australia
Victorian Ombudsman finds ski resort executives misused $85,000 of public money Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Victorian Ombudsman has found members of the board of the Mount Buller and Mount Stirling Resort mis-spent taxpayers money to the tune of $85,000. The money was spent by three executives on on international trips with family, entertaining friends, bonuses and prizes for staff. The Ombudsman has highlighted concerns with employing people from the private sector with little or no public sector experience, and has recommended more stringent training of public sector boards about the use of public money.
Topics: corruption, government-and-politics, australia
Don Dale guard films request for oral sex, detainees urinating, eating faeces Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Northern Territory youth detention royal commission has heard some of its most explosive evidence yet, with a guard admitting he filmed detainees eating faeces, urinating and being sworn at. Former guards from the Don Dale youth detention centre in Darwin are giving evidence at public hearings this week. The commissioners have also been told detainees were taken to a toilet area to fight.
Topics: royal-commissions, youth, law-crime-and-justice, prisons-and-punishment, nt, australia
Turnbull challenges McGowan on GST Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Western Australia's new Premier Mark McGowan convened his first cabinet meeting today. Chief among his challenges will be plugging the state's gaping revenue hole. The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has reiterated there'll be no federal lifeline in the form of GST formula changes until 2019 at the earliest. He's also challenged Mr McGowan to support his plan in the face of expected opposition from other Labor leaders.
Topics: states-and-territories, government-and-politics, perth-6000, australia, wa
Oppostion calls on Govt to come clean on 18C changes Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The ABC understands cabinet will tonight debate plans to change the controversial section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Shadow Multicultural Australia Minister Tony Burke is calling on the Government to outline what changes it's considering.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, community-and-society, discrimination, race-relations, government-and-politics, australia
Accusations fly over worker protection in Parliament Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The political attack turned personal in Canberra today, with both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader accusing one another of letting down workers. Labor says Malcolm Turnbull is waving through changes to Sunday penalty rates, ignoring the plight of thousands of workers on low wages. While the PM continued his attacks on Bill Shorten, accusing him in Question Time of 'taking backhanders' from businesses and in exchange for workers' entitlements.
Topics: federal-government, industrial-relations, community-and-society, government-and-politics, work, parliament-house-2600, australia
People with a disability still not equal before the law Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Disability Discrimination Commissioner says people with a disability are still not equal before the law, three years on from a damning Human Rights Commission Report. Alistair McEwin called for the state and federal governments to urgently address the issue, at a Griffith University Human Rights forum today. Mr McEwin says there has been little progress since the Commission's 2014 Equal Before the Law Report, which found that discrimination against people with a disability is widespread in Australia's justice system.
Topics: disabilities, community-and-society, discrimination, health, law-crime-and-justice, rights, australia
People of Timor-Leste head to the polls to elect new president Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Democracy is being tested in Timor Leste with hundreds-of-thousands of Timorese having their say about who should be their next President. A Professor Of International Politics at Deakin University, Damien Kingsbury, is monitoring the situation on the ground.
Topics: elections, government-and-politics, east-timor, australia
The World Today: Full Program Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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On Monday's edition of The World Today: The Federal Government insists its child care changes must pass Parliament this fortnight, but that's not necessarily the way the Senate sees it; Timorese-Australians cast their ballots as their nation elects a new president; and a new study into concussion shows a significant difference between the brains of former rugby league players and men of a similar age.
Rhetoric not matched by policy: disability advocates Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Australia's leading human rights advocates say the country's policies and procedures are not matching rhetoric. Human rights, discrimination and disability commissioners are holding a forum in Brisbane today. While they support the National Disability Scheme, the say it doesn't ensure equality. They're calling for employment targets for people with disabilities, and minimum standards for disability access to houses.
Topics: disabilities, australia
Melbourne's multicultural community says Australian strategy is first step Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Migration Council Australia has embraced the federal government's launch of its first multicultural policy in half a decade. The strategy is an attempt to counter threats to national security and strengthen the country's sense of diversity. But those on the streets of Melbourne have described the move as a only minor step in supporting multiculturalism.
Topics: multiculturalism, melbourne-3000, australia
New study shows impact of repeated head injuries on former NRL players Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The NRL says it's examining two incidents from weekend rugby league games where players appeared to receive serious head injuries but weren't formally assessed and were allowed to stay on the field. Experts say they shouldn't have kept playing and have pointed to new Australian research which shows a significant difference between the brains of former NRL players and men of a similar age with no history of concussion.
Former Hockeyroo Danni Roche challenges for AOC president role Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The long-standing reign of John Coates as Australian Olympic Committee president is now under challenge. Danni Roche, a gold medal winning Hockeyroo and successful businesswoman, has thrown her hat in the ring as the first person to take on the powerful Mr Coates in 27 years.
Tillerson's Asia tour sent the right signals: Asia expert Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has just completed his first trip to Asia since taking office. The trip has been dogged by controversy, from queries about his competence, to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korea's nuclear grandstanding. Asia observer Brad Glosserman, Executive Director of the Pacific Forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says Rex Tillerson sent many of the right signals, including pushing China to start doing more to deal with the North Korean problem.
Topics: world-politics, united-states, china, korea-democratic-people-s-republic-of
Timorese-Australians vote for president for first time since independence referendum Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The people of Timor-Leste have started voting for a new president today. In Sydney and Darwin, some Timorese-Australians are voting for the first time since the country's independence referendum in 1999. Oscar Nunes is the former president of Darwin's Timorese and Portuguese community group. He spoke to our reporter Felicity James outside the polling station in Darwin, as he prepared to cast his ballot.
Topics: world-politics, elections, darwin-0800, australia, east-timor
Anglican clergy admit priests not screened properly in the past Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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At the child sexual abuse Royal Commission, Anglican Church clergymen have admitted that at times the Church has failed to properly screen trainee priests entering theological colleges. The Commission has heard 45 alleged abusers trained at St John's College Morpeth in the Newcastle diocese.
Topics: royal-commissions, child-abuse, religion-and-beliefs, sexual-offences, australia
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating warns about using superannuation for housing deposit Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Former Prime Minister Paul Keating has issued a warning to the Federal government about allowing first home buyers to use their super for a deposit. Mr Keating says that only the most reckless and wilful government would abort the superannuation policy settings.
Topics: housing, housing-industry, australia
Child care standoff continues in the Senate Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Federal Government says its child care changes must pass parliament this fortnight, but it's still facing an uphill battle to get the Senate on board. The Education Minister, Simon Birmingham says the Government will do what is 'sensibly required' to get the changes through, but he says the $1.6 billion plan must be accompanied by equivalent savings. A range of crossbench Senators say the bill is unlikely to pass in its current form.
Topics: federal-parliament, australia
Both side focused on industrial relations, with politicians back in Canberra Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced he'll introduce legislation this week to make it a criminal offence for employers to make secret payments to unions. The Government says this will bring into force a number of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Trade Unions. Labor leader Bill Shorten is also focused on industrial relations, introducing a private members bill to protect employees facing a cut to their Sunday penalty rates. .
Topics: federal-parliament, industrial-relations, unions, australia
Private measure of consumer spending shows rising unemployment is hurting economy Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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The latest measure of national-wide spending paints a worrying picture of the heath of the Australian economy. The Commonwealth Bank's Business Sales Index, which tracks your spending at the stores via the bank's EFTPOS machines, rose just 0.1 per cent in February. That's the slowest growth in two years. The bank says the consumer is the driver of the Australian economy, but describes current spending growth at 'weak'.
Topics: banking, housing-industry, australia
Timor-Leste elections: citizens begin vote for president Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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One of Australia's closest neighbours, Timor-Leste, is electing a new president today. Some Timorese-Australians will be voting for the first time since the country's independence referendum, in a new trial run by Timor-Leste's electoral commission. Francisco Guterres, a candidate endorsed by former prime minister and resistance leader Xanana Gusmao, is widely tipped to win.
Topics: world-politics, east-timor
Banks portrayed as foxes in henhouse but Industry Super denies scare campaign Audio Transcript and Verbatim
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Australia's major banks are being portrayed as foxes circling the henhouse ready to devour retirement nest eggs according to a political style attack advertisement going to air from today. The ad campaign from Industry Super Australia warns that changes to super regulations being sought by the banks could undermine the super savings of as many as five million Australians.
Topics: superannuation, australia
