Morning Bulletin 25 October 2024

Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with
SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
A man is in hospital after a shootout with police in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defends Australia after Chinese accusations of racism.
And in sport, Australian cricketer Josh Hazlewood says there are no plans to regroup the fastbowlers’ cricket trio.
A man is under police guard in hospital after a shootout with police in Victoria’s south-east.
Police allege detectives returned fire after the man shot at officers who had come to serve a warrant at an address in the Gippsland regional town of Dumbalk North.
They say the 56 year old was subsequently found injured at the property, and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Armed Crime Squad detectives are investigating the incident.
—
A top constitutional law expert says independent senator Lidia Thorpe’s oath of office
does not
violate the Constitution.
 
The First Nations independent senator has previously admitted she
deliberately
avoided a reference to the Queen’s heirs in her oath of office, after her protest at the King’s Parliamentary wel-coming ceremony sparked criticism.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has called for Ms Thorpe’s resignation, while the Coalition has also requested an examination into her
eligibility
as a senator.
But Sydney University constitutional law expert Professor Anne Twomey says the mis-pronunication is not unconstitutional.
“A mispronunciation doesn’t mean that the word has a different meaning. So arguably she has taken the oath and therefore she’s considered a senator. On the face of it, it seems to be a one shot deal. You make your oath, and if you renounce it at a later time during your term, that doesn’t seem to trigger Section 42.”
——
China has accused Australia of being plagued by systemic racism,…following Australia’s response to the United Nations’ assessment of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says Western nations are hypocritical…  accusing them of ignoring the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
He has also accused Australia of long being plagued by systemic racism and hate crimes, in areas such as refugees, Indigenous affairs, and war crime allegations against the Australian military in Afghanistan.
However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Australia’s decision to issue a statement on the U-N’s findings, along with 14 other countries.
 He says Australia has always been consistent when it comes to China’s human rights record.
“We will always stand up for Australia’s interest and when it comes to China we said we will co-operate where we can, we will disagree where we must and we will engage in our national interest.”
———-
Pacific leaders have criticised Australia at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa [[SAH-maw-uh]] for failing to take further action on climate change.
Australia has been found to make disproportionately high emissions from fossil fuel extraction within the Commonwealth of Nations, in a report released by Tu-valu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo.
Australia has signed a landmark treaty with Tuvalu, allowing 280 citizens to resettle to Australia each year as the Pacific nation faces a growing crisis from rising sea levels.
Mr Teo says Australia needs to honour its promises.
 
“My view of that commitment is that Australia not only provides or has given that legal commitment, but it’s highly morally obliged, to ensure that whatever action it does, would not compromise on its commitment that it has provided in terms of climate impacts on Tuvalu.”
——-
To sport and in cricket news,
Australia’s Josh Hazlewood believes the national side is unlikely to opt to play all front-line quicks in all five Tests this summer, saying last year’s selection was probably a one-off.
The 33 year old says there are currently no plans to rotate himself, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
 But former Australian cricketer Brett Lee has told Fox Sports that he believes the three fast bowlers will play all five test matches.
 “I really hope that they don’t rest any bowlers. I’m all for any bowlers that they pick should play all five games in the test series. The crowd have earned that right. If they’re going to pay good money they want to see their best bowlers – with all due respect to any other players that might come in.”
—-