Crikey Worm: Australia ends direct aid to Palestinian Authority

PALESTINIAN AID DIVERTED

Australia has ended direct humanitarian funds to the Palestinian Authority’s Recovery and Development Program. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced plans to reroute funds to alleviate concerns they could go towards Palestinians convicted of politically motivated violence.

The ABC reports that Australia’s $10 million to Palestinian territories will now go through the United Nations’ Humanitarian Fund, which means Australia now joins the US in altering aid programs to exclude families of Palestinians killed or jailed while fighting against Israel. The news follows months of increased violence along Gaza, including the Nakba Day massacres in early May and the June 1 murder of a 21-year-old Palestinian medic.

HIGH PENALTIES

South Australia’s opposition and crossbench have hit out at a new push to impose jail terms for possession of marijuana. The Advertiser ($) reports that, while state Labor supports most of the government’s new “war on drugs”, the party has expressed concern over elevating cannabis to a controlled drug status, along with ecstasy or heroin, and therefore incurring a maximum sentence of two years jail.

The SA government’s anti-drug package, which also creates higher fines and limits access to diversion programs, stands in contrast to both a new safe injection room ($) in Melbourne and broader moves to legalise marijuana in the US and Canada.

BASKETBALL BRAWL

Australia’s qualifying FIBA Basketball World Cup match against the Philippines has been abandoned after a shockingly violent brawl saw no fewer than 13 players ejected from the game.

The ABC reports that, as the Boomers looked set to win with a 79-48 lead late in the third quarter, Philippines guard Roger Pogoy knocked over Boomer Chris Goulding and almost instantly sparked a truly wild brawl. Footage show players, officials and even fans throwing punches, elbows, kicks and a chair, before mass suspensions lead to the three remaining Philippines players (against Australia’s five) foul themselves out.

[free_worm]

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

David Leyonhjelm: No woman in my family would accuse all men of being sexual predators.

Virginia Trioli: And neither did Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, you certainly can’t produce that quote and she denies saying that.

DL: So you believe her and you’re calling me a liar. Thank you very much.

VT: No I’m saying you actually can’t remember. You’ve said that you can’t exactly remember what she said… You’ve given me ‘words to the effect’ that range across a number of different scenarios.

DL: Do I have to remember every word precisely for it to be true?

VT: In order to justify a pretty strong comment, yeah I reckon you do.

DL: No I don’t reckon I don’t.

David Leyonhjelm and Virginia Trioli

The Liberal Democrat Senator attempts to justify his hugely inappropriate attacks on Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s sex life, and 7.30’s Trioli in turn delivers one of the best interviews in the program’s history.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Labor MP says China needs to control the global media, among other thingsBernard Keane

“At a time when foreign interference is at the front and centre of the political agenda, a NSW Labor MP has delivered an extraordinary speech parroting Beijing’s narrative of Western victimisation and the need for a ‘new world order’ in which China will ‘force a change to the rules’.”

SBS supporters call for all advertising to be cut from networkEmily Watkins

“The SBS supporters group Save Our SBS has joined criticism from commercial broadcasters of Australia’s second public broadcaster as too commercial. In a submission to the competitive neutrality inquiry, Save Our SBS has called for the ‘de-commercialisation’ of SBS, and more focus on the broadcaster’s original charter requirements — in particular, more multilingual content.”

Legislating the confessional: when does the church have to report abuse?Charlie Lewis

“The royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse identified, among many areas, one thing that allowed abuse to continue in the Catholic Church: the confessional. Perpetrators had somewhere they could go, be absolved of what they had done, and face no further action.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

SA radio legend Jeff Sunderland dead at 73 ($)

Hobart home prices no longer the most affordable in Australia ($)

Perth weather: July starts with a drenching as South West of state remains on severe weather alert

National coalition launches for residents of country’s 90 toxic sites

NT firefighters stretched to their limits by Cracker Night fires ($)

Diplomatic row ‘partly’ Beijing’s fault, says top envoy ($)

Matt Canavan’s optimistic coal forecast contradicts his own department

Tour de France: UCI drops case against Chris Froome over Salbutamol reading

How Pacific Chocolate helped scientists crack the koala’s genetic code

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Darwin

• The banking royal commission will continue examining financial issues affecting Indigenous Australians.

Sydney

• For the ninth year, Sydney Town Hall will open its doors for the annual Sydney Homeless Connect event where homeless people can have a free hot meal, haircut, medical and dental care, and legal help.

• An exhibition showcasing 50 artworks from NSW survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions will be launched at NSW Parliament House. Attorney-General Mark Speakman to attend.

• Director at the Australian Museum Research Institute Professor Rebecca Johnson and University of Sydney Professor of Comparative Genomics Katherine Belov will make a world-first science announcement about Australian marsupial genomics.

• RBA will hold a board meeting to discuss interest rates.

Melbourne

• Former PM Tony Abbott will deliver an address on climate change and restraining greenhouse gas emissions as part of an Australian Environment Foundation event.

• CEDA will release new data relating to Victoria’s “economic disconnect”, relating to how residents feel about recent spending on infrastructure, health, work, education, community and the economy.

• The Melbourne Magic Festival will hold a performance specifically designed for blind and vision-impaired Victorians.

Adelaide

• The royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin Authority will hear from Professor Sarah Wheeler.

• Senator Tim Storer will hand deliver a formal letter of invitation to Mitsubishi Motors Australia to make a submission to the newly established Senate Select Committee on Electric Vehicles.

• National housing campaign spokesperson Kate Colvin will deliver a keynote on the impact of housing costs and rental insecurity on Australian students at the National Union of Students Annual Conference.

Hobart

• AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan to make an announcement in Hobart with AFL Tasmania CEO Trisha Squires.

Brisbane

• Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey and Brisbane Airport Corporation head Julieanne Alroe will speak at a CEDA lunch.

Perth

• Jobs and Innovation Minister Michaelia Cash will announce $7.14 million in project funding for eight mining suppliers.

• Day one of the four-day Australian Medical Students Association conference, attended by students from Australia and New Zealand. Speakers are from within and outside of medicine, including engineer and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied.

Bendigo, Victoria

• Victoria Police will launch Bendigo’s “Coffee with a Cop” initiative to engage with local communities.

THE COMMENTARIAT

New childcare policy still leaves vulnerable families behind — Marianne Fenech (The Conversation): “This week sees the introduction of the federal government’s new Child Care package. In a media release, Education Minister Simon Birmingham said this subsidy system would provide more child care support for the families who needed it most, including families living in vulnerable circumstances. But while child care policies over the past decade have improved child care accessibility and quality, families in vulnerable circumstances are still left behind. And allowing for-profit services to be the majority seems to be part of the problem.”

The demerit system is ruthless social policy, designed to keep the poor powerless — Jeremy Poxon (The Guardian): “All across the country unemployed Australians are today bracing themselves for more stress and suffering, as the Coalition unleashes its new needlessly cruel benefit sanctions regime. Starting July 1, the Turnbull government is granting job agencies new, unprecedented powers to punish Newstart recipients for failing to comply with gruelling compliance demands.”

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