Crikey Worm: eight boys now saved from Thai cave

EIGHT OUT, FIVE TO GO

Eight junior soccer players have now been rescued from Thailand’s flooded Tham Luang caves, as emergency workers pause and prepare to rescue the remaining four boys and their soccer coach.

The ABC reports that, in a post now shared hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook, the Thai Navy SEALs confirmed that four more of the players (or “Wild Boars”) were rescued yesterday. They have been rushed to the nearby Chiang Rai hospital and kept separate from others, including their parents, due to fear of infections. The remaining five trapped inside the cave are reportedly still in good health.

GUN CRACKDOWN

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller and Police Minister Troy Grant will today hold crisis meetings on preventing incidents such as John Edwards’ murder of his two teenaged children in Sydney last week.

The Daily Telegraph ($) reports that “everything” will be on the table at today’s meetings, including gun clubs being asked to report suspect shooters, GPs being permitted to break client confidentiality, and working more closely with the Family Court if children are identified as at risk. Three gun clubs reportedly turned Edwards away in the months prior to the murders, but had no means of alerting the NSW Firearms Registry or other clubs about concerns.

RUNNING IT UP THE FLAGPOLE

The Indigenous flag will be flown for the first time at a major site in Alice Springs, after a 30-year battle ended in time for this week’s NAIDOC celebration.

The ABC reports that, while the man who designed the Indigenous flag was born in the town, the Alice Springs Town Council had until now rejected calls to fly the flag at a war memorial and sacred site, Anzac Hill. A local Indigenous Vietnam war veteran, Geoffrey Shaw, raised the flag and described the event as “quite significant”.

However, much like plans for the flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, organisers will remove the flag at the end of NAIDOC week.

[free_worm]

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

ML: I’ve had personal experience with Bill Shorten’s dishonesty. He just lies and lies and lies. The reason we’re having a Longman byelection is that Shorten lied about the citizenship of his Labor MPs. Whatever you do, don’t reward Shorten’s dishonesty, don’t vote Labor. Please support minor parties and independents to shake up the system and put some honest politics back into Canberra.

PH: Spoken by Mark Latham and P. Hanson. Authorised by P. Hanson.

Mark Latham and Pauline Hanson

The former Labor leader hits out at the current Labor leader in a robocall for One Nation.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Retiring MPs spent over $800,000 on leaflets before standing downWilliam Summers

“Former MPs who retired at the 2016 federal election spent over $800,000 of public money on voter communication in their final weeks before leaving Parliament — including millions of leaflets and letters promoting replacement candidates.”

And the Wankley goes to … Sunday Night for its African gangs beat-upEmily Watkins

“The narrative is familiar to Victorians, taken up with particular gusto by the Herald Sun since the 2016 Moomba festival in Melbourne was marred by rioting young criminals. Between the tabloid media and politicians capitalising on law and order panic, the story is that Melbourne was being taken over by violent Sudanese gangs.”

Turnbull launches new offensive in war on the ABCBernard Keane and Glenn Dyer

“The Turnbull government has now surpassed the Howard government in its relentless prosecution of a war against the ABC, with former Murdoch executive Peter Tonagh revealed as likely to lead yet another ‘efficiency review’ into the national broadcasters.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Geoffrey Rush withdraws from Melbourne Theatre Company production of Twelfth Night

Pauline Hanson’s former ally Brian Burston seeks investigation into One Nation

Caxton Hotel forced to scan IDs on Origin game night ($)

Bike-share company Ofo to quit Australia ($)

‘The LNP and the Hanson party are the same’: Unions step up their byelection campaigns

Frozen vegetables recalled from Woolworths, Aldi, IGA supermarkets over listeria concerns

Transurban making tens of millions of dollars in fees from motorists

Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary

Australia ‘worthy of being spat on’: Nabil Shaath condemns decision to cancel $10 million in aid ($)

Xi Jinping images defaced in protest over missing Chinese woman who splashed ink on his poster

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Sydney

• Australia’s chief scientist Alan Finkel will address the Conference of the Australian Science Teachers Association.

• Former prime minister John Howard will speak at the Centre for Independent Studies.

• The UNSW’s Kirby Institute will hold a panel event, “Celebrating Indigenous women in health and justice research”, as part of NAIDOC Week.

• The Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference 2018 will run until Friday July 13.

Melbourne

• Up to 600 CDC Victoria bus drivers will strike for 24 hours, reportedly across four pickets, in order to seek better pay. The action will impact up to 49 metropolitan bus routes, as well as services in Geelong and Ballarat.

• Artist Guan Wei’s Treasure Hunt tapestry, measuring 3.6 metres, will be cut from the loom by Carrillo Gantner AO and Ziyin Gantner.

• Victoria Police will hold a test of the Melbourne CBD public address system.

• Indigenous storyteller and singer Marbee Williams will present at St Kilda Library as part of NAIDOC Week.

Brisbane

• Police, ambulance and fire service workers will hold a mock emergency exercise at Archerfield Airport.

• Special Advisor at the Copenhagen Solutions Lab, Rasmus Bertelsen, will speak on smart cities at QUT EX.

• The Electronic Music Conference will hold an “EMC Connect” event.

Adelaide

• Former Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie will hold a community forum with voters in the lead-up to the July 28 byelection.

• Food experts and scientists will hold a wide-ranging presentation, “Thought For Food”, as part of the University of Adelaide’s Research Tuesdays series.

• Day one of the two-day Annual Australian Islamic Schooling Conference, to be held on theme of “Focus on Pedagogy”.

Darwin

• The Ocean Film Festival World Tour will showcase over two hours of short films.

• The Darwin Fringe Festival is set to run until July 15.

Perth

• 2018 Australian of the Year WA Dr Tracy Westerman will deliver a keynote speech at a social inclusion breakfast forum.

• Grattan Institute CEO John Daley will speak on “Tax reform: where should we really focus?” at a John Curtin Institute of Public Policy forum.

• Greenpeace CEO and lawyer David Ritter will discuss his new book The Coal Truth: the fight to stop Adani, defeat the big polluters and reclaim our democracy.

• Bec Garlett will host a special Noongar Storytime at the City of Vincent Library as part of NAIDOC Week.

Hobart

• Members of the AEU Tasmanian Branch will campaign on public education ahead of the Braddon byelection.

Australia

• Today is the estimated date Australia will hit a population of 25 million.

THE COMMENTARIAT

Jill Gallagher and the road ahead for Victoria’s Treaty — Daniel James (IndigenousX): “No one ever said negotiating a Treaty between Traditional Owners (TO) and the Victorian state government was going to be easy. Nothing like this has ever been attempted before by any country in the modern era. The challenges are large, but not insurmountable. The political will is there; but for how long?”

Over 20% of Australian horses race with their tongues tied to their lower jaw — Samantha Franklin and Paul McGreevy (The Conversation): “The use of widespread use of tongue-ties in horse racing in Australia has recently come under fire. Proponents of the tongue-tie — a strap that immobilises a horse’s tongue — argue that it prevents breathing issues during races, increasing performance and improves the rider’s control of the horse.” 

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