TRANSCRIPT
- The Disability Royal Commission report to be publicly released tomorrow
- Australia's universities slide down the global rankings
- Newcastle has claimed both major prizes in rugby league
A long-awaited final report from the Disability Royal Commission will be publicly released tomorrow.
The Royal Commission has heard evidence from over 10,000 Australians through written submissions, private sessions, and public hearings since it was founded in April 2019.
People shared experiences of violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
People with Disability Australia Board director Michelle Hyde says the report should address human rights violations encountered by persons with disabilities in every state and territory.
"We've come a long way since we first signed on to the CRPD, but we still have such a long way to go. The Disability Royal Commission has heard evidence from 1000s of people with disability, as well as advocates supporters and representatives of government departments and service providers, and what it's heard is that we need to step up as one of the wealthier countries to ratify the treaty, we have the resources to do so much more. "
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Victoria's new premier Jacinta Allan is on her first day in office, saying women politicians are held to different standards because there's been only a few in leadership positions.
Jacinta Allan was sworn in as the state's 49th premier after Daniel Andrews announced his resignation.
Ms Allan is only the second female Premier in Victoria after Joan Kirner who served from 1990 to 1992.
Ms Allan told the ABC she hoped to be judged based on her work ethic as a politician and not her gender.
"There is I think a sense of what will a woman look like as a minister? How will they perform as a leader? So yes, I think there are different expectations simply because it has been unusual in history. Thankfully that is changing. And I hope that the standard that I will be held to is the one that I'm judged on my actions, my deeds and my words, and I intend to bring to this role, the values that have driven me in parliament for 24 years, and the values that have guided me over that period of time.”
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Australian top universities have dropped positions in the latest world rankings.
The Times Higher Education's global rankings reveal most of Australia’s top 10 universities dropped places in this year’s ranking, with only one surviving in the top 50 and six in the top 100.
The University of Melbourne was the highest-ranked Australian university at 37, down three places from 2023; Monash was second, sliding 10 to 54; and the University of Sydney was third, falling six to 60.
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A study led by RMIT University has found a significant gap in digital inclusion for First Nations people compared with other Australians, with remote communities among the worst affected.
The study has found that 45.9 per cent of First Nations participants are highly excluded from access to things like mobile phone or internet access, compared with 9.4 per cent of the general Australian population.
Lead investigator and RMIT Senior Research Fellow Dr Daniel Featherstone says that with essential services increasingly moving online, more needs to be done to make sure all Australians have digital access.
"(The) government are deliberately transitioning to online service delivery by 2025, all your MyGov and your banking and your Centrelink payments, all the billing and information that you need nowadays. And particularly in remote communities where there aren't those face-to-face services that other people take for granted, being online is critical to being able to access essential services."
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Frank Rubio has returned to Earth, after setting a new record for the longest continuous spaceflight by an American.
The 47-year-old spent more than a year - 371 days - on board the International Space Station with two Russian cosmonauts.
The stay was six months longer than expected after a coolant leak with the spacecraft necessitated waiting for a replacement.
Landing in a remote area of Kazakhstan, Rubio says his first space voyage has been memorable.
"Fantastic, everybody did very well. (Man: “You look very well.) Thank you! It’s good to be home."
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Newcastle has claimed both major prizes in rugby league, with Kalyn Ponga and Tamika Upton taking home the player of the year award.
Ponga and Upton won the NRL and NRLW awards, respectively, by a single point in the last round of voting.
Both athletes have expressed their appreciation.
"PONGA - I feel humbled, honoured and very lucky. I have a lot of people to thank. My family, the coaching staff, and my teammates, a hundred percent without you guys, this is impossible. UPTON - I guess I am really lucky to be surrounded by the most amazing players and people. I am really privileged to be a part of that club."
