Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Prime Minister Albanese backing WA police after the Perth Bunnings stabbing, Qantas paying $79 million over the ‘ghost flights’ controversy, NSW committing $230 million to fight domestic violence, and Australia enhancing Philippine military ties as South China Sea tensions escalate.
Politics
PM Albanese backs police after Perth Bunnings stabbing
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed West Australian police after officers shot and killed a radicalised teenager who stabbed a man outside a Bunnings, 1 News has reported. The 16-year-old called Triple Zero threatening “acts of violence” around 10 pm on Saturday about the same time he was spotted outside the store in the southern Perth suburb of Willetton. Responding officers deployed Tasers when the boy rushed at them but he continued to advance at police before a single gunshot brought him to the ground. “It’s the right time to back our police, it’s the right time to back the processes they undertake,” he said.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/05/06/albanese-backs-australian-police-after-perth-bunnings-stabbing/
Companies
Qantas paying $79 million over the ‘ghost flights’ controversy
Qantas has agreed to pay $120 million to settle a lawsuit over the sale of tickets for cancelled flights, Aljazeera reported. The airline will pay a fine of $100 million and provide compensation of $20 million to more than 86,000 customers. This is after advertising seats on thousands of “ghost flights” in 2021 and 2022. “Qantas’ conduct was egregious and unacceptable. Many consumers will have made holiday, business and travel plans after booking a phantom flight that had been cancelled,” said Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairperson Gina Cass-Gottlieb in a statement. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the settlement, which is subject to court approval, was an “important step forward as we work towards restoring confidence in the national carrier.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/5/6/australias-qantas-to-pay-66m-over-ghost-flights-furore
Regions
NSW commits $230 million to fight domestic violence
The NSW Government is spending almost a quarter of a billion dollars on services to support women experiencing domestic and family violence, Sky News has reported. As part of the package, money has also been set aside to reform bail laws. Premier Chris Minns has announced $230 million to help victims of domestic and family violence with a focus on intervention and prevention. A major part of this package is $48 million to be spent on expanding a program, which has been successfully trialled in Western Sydney and in regional New South Wales, helping support women to stay in their own homes once a perpetrator has been removed.
Defence
Australia enhances Philippine military ties as South China Sea tensions escalate
Australia has agreed to strengthen its security cooperation with the United States, Japan and the Philippines. Analysts say the move is a response to China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, VOA reported. China’s ambitions in the South China Sea continue to alarm Australia, its Indo-Pacific allies and the United States. In response, Australia, the United States, and Japan have agreed to step up military drills with the Philippines. Defence officials from the four countries met in Hawaii on Friday, declaring their commitment to protecting freedom of navigation in the region.
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