TRANSCRIPT
- Australia's political leaders warned about the security threats arising from climate change
- A new goal set to boost New South Wales tourism to $91 billion
- Two Australian golfing talents arrive on the sport's biggest tours
Australia's former defence chiefs are warning that the country remains unprepared to navigate the security threats arising from climate change, ahead of today's National Press Club speech by the chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security.
General Tom Middendorp is the former chief of defence of the Netherlands - and will address Australia's political leaders in a speech entitled Climate change: a matter of national security.
The author of the book, Climate General, he will lay out his insights on how to adapt and mitigate the current and future challenges.
Former Australian Defence Force chief Chris Barrie, from the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, says General Middendorp's visit is significant and provide valuable insights.
"He has invested a lot of time and effort and thinking about climate change and its consequences. And he translates all of that into what does the world look like today, and why does climate change - and its consequences such an important issue for all of us to act on? So we're looking for him to come and support the agendas we've been running since 2021; and what we perceive to be a lack of traction with the Coalition government, before it was displaced by the Labor government; and even since then."
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Australians returning from Lebanon on the first of the federal government's repatriation flights have arrived in Sydney.
About 3,800 Australians are registered with the government to leave Lebanon.
Mahmoud Gebara was among the 349 people to alight from the Qatar Airways flight in Sydney.
He says he is tired, but happy to be home.
"I was tremendously exhausted, but job well done, Australia. We were in Cyprus but what the government did to us in that camp, it was amazing. I can't describe it and I can't find a word to say thank you, Australia. Thank you to everyone in Australia."
Sanaa Chatila says the scenes in Beirut are grim.
"Look, there is smoke. Because they are starting to bomb Beirut and the south of Beirut and we were, nearly on the seashore past Beirut so we can go to the, because it is very early, but there is smoke, dark smoke and all night the whizz, terrible terrible."
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The federal government faces a new legal challenge on the immigration detention system.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has filed a new class action on behalf of South Sudanese refugees, arguing that asylum seekers should be released from detention once their refugee status has been confirmed.
The legal challenge, filed on Friday, follows the decision by the High Court in the NZYQ case, which led to the release of about 150 detainees last November.
The principal solicitor at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Hannah Dickinson, says compensation is also being sought for wrongful detainment.
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A new tourism campaign launched by the New South Wales government has set a target of generating $91 billion in annual visitor expenditure by 2035.
That's an increase from 2023's record $53 billion.
State leaders believe 150,000 jobs could be created through the increase.
That will be assisted with the opening of international airports in Newcastle and Western Sydney in the coming years.
A goverment review of the visitor economy strategy has found the expansion would need to be supported by an 40,000 extra hotel rooms, many more chefs and tour guides and better business event facilities state-wide.
It also found almost half of the $91 billion target could be spent in regional communities, but the quality of accommodation in those areas would need to improve to reap the rewards.
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A bottle with a snake-belted god and erotic pottery are among 100-plus artefacts in a rare collection of ancient gold that unpacks thousands of years of Peruvian history.
The Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru exhibit, opening at Sydney's Australian Museum next month, features the largest collection of Andean gold to ever leave the South American country.
Museum director Kim McKay says visitors examining the exhibit will see Peruvian history encompasses more than Machu Picchu and the Inca culture.
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Two of Australia's most promising golfing talents have arrived on the sport's biggest tours, earning promotion on the same day.
Karl Vilips completed a rapid-fire rise to the PGA Tour for 2025 while Cassie Porter earned a card to play the LPGA Tour next year.
Both Vilips and Porter clinched promotion through their respective US secondary tours following the season-ending tour championships, having shot up the rankings with mid-year victories.
