TRANSCRIPT:
- The UK's top court rules against a scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda;
- Australia's opposition leader accused of weaponising antisemitism in Parliament;
- The Socceroos feeling confident ahead of tonight's World Cup qualifier.
Britain's Supreme Court has ruled the UK government's Rwanda scheme is unlawful.
Under the plan, Britain intended to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrived on its shores without a visa to the East African country, in a bid to deter migrants crossing the Channel from Europe in small boats.
The court's President Robert Reed has said the five judges all agreed there were "substantial grounds for believing that asylum seekers sent to Rwanda would be at real risk of refoulement", meaning being sent back to their country of origin where they could be at risk of ill-treatment.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Peter Dutton of weaponising antisemitism in a fiery rebuttal of the opposition leader's attempts at criticising the government.
The allegation was in response to Mr Dutton's parliamentary motion linking together criticisms of the government's response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, its reaction to a rise in antisemitism, AND its handling of the release of detainees from indefinite immigration detention after last week's High Court ruling.
Anthony Albanese has said the court ruling and anti-semitism have nothing to do with each other.
"The weaponisation or attempt to weaponise antisemitism in this chamber and make it a partisan issue is, frankly, beyond contempt. Frankly beyond contempt. So to come in here and move this resolution and link antisemitism with the decision of the high court is beyond contempt."
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The Labor government is preparing to introduce legislation this week after a High Court decision last Wednesday forced it to release 81 people from indefinite immigration detention.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil has said the group had been released into the community on strict visa conditions, but the opposition has been critical of the move, arguing that it's not known who they are or what crimes they may have committed.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government has so far been acting in accordance with the court ruling, but will have a legislative response in the coming days.
"The legislative or regulatory framework associated with such persons will need to be amended. And the government is working through that."
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The Federal Court has granted a limited injunction against a gas export pipeline in the Timor Sea, excluding an area off the Tiwi Islands.
A judge has ruled that protecting cultural heritage shouldn't restrain the entire project.
The decision means that Santos will be able to begin work on the pipeline until the full case on the project is heard in mid January.
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New South Wales Police say they have disrupted "if not eliminated" one of Australia's largest organised crime networks, with the arrest of 28 people after a year long investigation.
The syndicate is alleged to have originated in Lebanon but become based in Sydney, and has been linked to "industrial-scale" transfer of cryptocurrency around the world, totalling 1.5 billion dollars.
Deputy Commissioner David Hudson says the group had links into all levels of organised crime in the state, allegedly controlling the illicit drug trade through fixing prices.
Crime Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Peter Faux says the investigation has revealed the lengths organised crime networks will go to reap the rewards of crime.
"They recruit trusted insiders, they recruit people in legitimate businesses, they recruit people with technical skills. And that's shown through this investigation, and which will come out through the courts in the proceeding times."
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The Queensland University of Technology has announced plans to open Australia's first faculty dedicated to Indigenous knowledges next year, with students commencing in 2025.
The Faculty of Indigenous Knowledges and Cultures will operate as a stand-alone faculty alongside others such as Engineering and Business and Law, and will deliver academic programs and conduct research.
Q-U-T Professor of Indigenous Health Chelsea Watego has told SBS NITV the new faculty represents a huge shift in higher education.
"For the most part there's been an embedding of Indigenous knowledges and perspectives to 'solve' us as the problem, and this new faculty sees a whole range of possibilities for Indigenous knowledges, and the application of Indigenous knowledges for all of our futures. And that's really exciting, to be taking people on that journey. To see us not as problems but as possibilities."
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In football,
Socceroos captain Matthew Ryan says the team is full of confidence ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh tonight.
The captain says the team respects the opposition.
And he says a win will depend on how well the team is able to create opportunities.
"Having been part of two qualifying campaigns I know that there's no easy game of football and we have to give the respect to the opposition no matter who it is that we're facing."
