Take me along with you on your commute or road trip, or listen while you cook, clean, exercise, go to sleep, or whatever! This podcast recounts stories of disasters, catastrophes and tragedies. All research, writing, recording, and editing is done by me, your host, Holly.
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All Available Units Respond Podcasts
Radio National Breakfast daily stories separated for easy listening. Radio National Breakfast is Australia's only daily national radio current affairs program, synonymous with agenda-setting news coverage, breaking news and a place where you will hear the most significant stories impacting the lives of all Australians wherever they live. It is a pre-eminent thought leader in Australia.
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Data centres causing planning headaches for housing
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7:34Data centre development applications in Victoria could see up to 20 gigalitres of water used annually if approved, according to FOI documents released to the ABC this week. With power-hungry data centres up to 100,000 square metres in size and a worsening housing crisis — are our planning laws up to scratch? Guest: Linda Allison, Chief Executive of…
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Panda diplomacy plays out before new parliament sits
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12:20It's been a week in politics headlined by Panda diplomacy, as the Prime Minister toured China, meeting with China's leaders. Anthony Albanese's visit came as Australia's biggest security partner, the US, put pressure on over Taiwan, while back home leaked Treasury advice showed the budget needs significant repair. Guests: Phil Coorey, the Australia…
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Australia's biosecurity under threat and underfunded
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6:46A natural disaster as bad as any fire or flood ... that's how the Invasive Species Council described the threat of the continued outbreak of fire ants in Queensland.The Australian Government is contributing around 296 million dollars over the next four years to the National Fire Ant Response Plan but Nationals leader and Shadow Agriculture Minister…
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'Outstandingly successful': Australia China Business Council Chair on PM's visit to China
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8:26Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his almost week-long trip to China, amid ongoing criticism from some corners of the Coalition that it was 'indulgent', and little more than a photo-op. The six-day, trade and tourism-focused tour saw the PM meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Along with journalists, the PM was also accom…
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Hogan wants PM to have same 'exuberance' to meet Trump as he did on China 'working holiday'
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6:53Shadow Trade Minister Kevin Hogan has taken a dig at what he's calling Anthony Albanese's "working holiday" to China, questioning why the PM doesn't have the same "exuberance" to meet the US president. "Look I think it's good that the prime minister went to China. I think it's good that he did the panda thing and reenacted Gough Whitlam's Great Wal…
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Treasurer Jim Chalmers joins international counterparts for G20
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10:46Treasurers, finance ministers and central bank governors are currently gathering in South Africa for G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Tasmanian election: What will the crossbench do if a hung parliament happens?
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8:12Tasmanians will head to the polls tomorrow for the state's second election in as many years, after Labor's no-confidence motion in Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockcliff passed last month. All published polls so far have indicated a hung parliament is the most likely result, meaning the crossbench would hold the balance of power. So, if that comes to fru…
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Fresh doubt over offshore windfarms in Australia
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7:09Two major offshore wind companies have pulled out of Australian projects, raising doubts about the industry's future without federal government support. BlueFloat Energy, backed by US investors, has withdrawn its interest in the proposed Gippsland offshore wind project. The decision also impacts a planned offshore wind farm in the Illawarra region …
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'Prevent harm before it happens': Children's Commissioner's message to federal government
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7:50A warning the following story contains distressing content More cracks are emerging in the childcare sector's accountability process after a week of alleged child abuse incidents across the country. This week more families in Victoria were notified about an additional number of centres in Melbourne where accused sexual abuser Joshua Dale Brown had …
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Syrian leader vows to protect Druze after Israeli strikes
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7:03Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to protect the country's Druze community after Israel bombed the capital Damascus yesterday, claiming it had intervened on behalf of the minority group. Syrian government forces have reportedly withdrawn from the city of Sweida, which has seen violent clashes between the Druze minority and local Bedouin tribe…
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UK's Labour Party suspends four MPs in rising rebellion over welfare policy
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7:51As British Prime Minister tries to reassert control of his party room, four rebel Labour MPs have been suspended after voting against the government's welfare reform bill earlier this month. Keir Starmer has defended the decision, which follows an earlier back-flip on key welfare measures in the wake of ongoing pressure from Labour MPs. Critics say…
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Changing Australia: How to get more migrants and refugees in the jobs they are qualified for
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12:02It's not uncommon to hop in a cab and start chatting to the driver — and before you know it you realise that the person you're talking to is an experienced engineer, corporate manager, or surgeon. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to Australia but many struggle to find work in their field of expertise …
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Trump base fracturing over Epstein conspiracies
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6:13Conspiracy theories over Jeffrey Epstein's death in prison and potential evidence in his sex trafficking case have been a fixation for some Trump supporters. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday became the highest-ranking Republican to break with President Trump on the issue, telling conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that “we should put everyth…
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Calls for a national database for childcare workers
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6:55Federal education minister Jason Clare has called for a national database of childcare workers and their employment histories – to be accessible at the press of a button. This comes after revelations alleged child abuser Joshua Dale Brown worked at more centres than initially thought, bringing the total to 23. It's prompted authorities to urge more…
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'Very successful': Marles reflects on PM's China visit
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10:42Trade will be high on the agenda for the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today, as the PM concludes his six-day visit to China in the city Chengdu. Meanwhile, at home and abroad, the government continues to field questions over its stance on Taiwan, after reports the Trump administration pressed Australia to declare what role it would play if the U…
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Push for urgent response as tiny insect poses major threat
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7:29The cost of a widespread fire ant outbreak could cost the Australian economy two billion dollars each year, according to the Invasive Species Council. From the devastation of the agricultural sector to increased risk of anaphylaxis-related deaths, the threat of these tiny insects is daunting. And yet, the Invasive Species Council says Australia is …
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Can Australia's energy grid keep up with the demands of AI?
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8:15If you asked ChatGPT how much power artificial intelligence uses, it would tell you: "the amount of energy artificial intelligence uses can vary hugely, depending on the type of model and its usage." By some estimates, that response alone requires around 10 times the electricity of a Google search and with more than 400 million active users of Chat…
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Victorian opposition demands action as accused childcare worker investigation deepens
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6:34A warning that this story discusses child abuse The work history of accused child abuser Joshua Dale Brown at childcare centres across Melbourne has been updated by authorities this week, with a warning further information is expected in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, police added four other childcare centres in Melbourne to the list, with health of…
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Afghans secretly settled in UK after details leaked in data breach
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7:25It's been revealed that thousands of Afghans have been secretly settled in the United Kingdom after their personal details were accidentally leaked in one of the worst security breaches in British history. The leak put those Afghans — many of whom had helped international forces during their occupation — at risk of reprisals from the Taliban, after…
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Israel launches airstrikes in Syrian capital
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12:05Israel has launched air strikes in the Syrian capital, Damascus, overnight damaging the defence ministry and hitting near the presidential palace. Military headquarters in the city were also targeted as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria The attacks marked a significant Israeli escalation …
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Matcha consumption is soaring in Australia and around the world, and prices are about to follow. The spring harvest of tencha tea in Japan (where matcha comes from) wrapped up in May and at this year's first tea auction in Kyoto, tencha prices reached a record high of 87 dollars a kilogram. Guest: Erin Lindwall, founder of Matcha Yu Tea in Melbourn…
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Changing Australia: Graeme Innes on disability and leadership
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10:38People with disability make up more than a fifth of Australia's population. And yet people with disability are significantly under-represented in leadership positions, on boards, in politics and various other roles. It's an issue Graeme Innes thinks about often…if organisations aren't reflective of the community…how can they make decisions on their…
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Could card surcharges be a thing of the past?
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6:58The Reserve Bank wants to end debit and credit card surcharges — but some small business owners are concerned that, if implemented, they may end up covering the difference. They say the move risks prices increasing across the board. Guest: Matthew Addison, Chair, Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA). Producers: Oscar Coleman a…
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The nation's low productivity — and how to improve it — is a major priority for the returned Albanese Government's second term. Ahead of the Treasurer's upcoming economic reform roundtable, former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry says reforming the nation's "broken environmental laws" is an obvious lever to lift productivity and enhance resilience Gues…
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'Focus on what brings us together': Ed Husic on plans to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia
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9:08Australia's former Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, has shared his views on special envoy Jillian Segal's plan to combat antisemitism, along with the upcoming plan from special envoy Aftab Malik to combat Islamophobia. Mr Husic, who was one of the country's first two Muslim federal ministers sworn into office, says both plans need to fo…
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NSW pattern book launches with housing designs available for $1
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6:11Under a New South Wales state government plan, architect-designed drawings for new homes are being offered up for just a gold coin for the first six months, before increasing to $1,000 dollars. The low-rise designs have been released as part of a New South Wales Housing Pattern Book, which the government says will speed up the delivery of new homes…
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Can cannabis be successfully regulated in Australia?
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7:50Regulations around cannabis have come a long way in Australia, with medicinal cannabis now legal in every jurisdiction, and recreational use decriminalised in the ACT. In a recent NSW upper house inquiry, six of the seven committee members backed the decriminalisation of cannabis use and possession, and ultimately a move towards a regulated, legali…
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UN reports growing crisis of Afghans returning home from Iran and Pakistan
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7:02The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR ) is reporting a growing crisis at the border of Iran and Afghanistan, with almost one and a half million Afghans having left Iran and Pakistan this year to return to their homeland. The UNHCR says the number of Afghans crossing the border has intensified since mid-June, with tens of thousands of people crossing the bor…
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Can Australia's data centres keep pace with AI?
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6:42Australia's need for data centres is growing exponentially as artificial intelligence advances and more critical systems like banking and healthcare go digital. But these large, power-hungry warehouses are causing planning and environmental headaches across the world. As multinational corporations pledge billions to establish centres on Australian …
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What the United States' new weapons mean for Ukraine
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6:18Ukraine is hoping to intercept more Russian missiles headed for its cities after US President Donald Trump confirmed he would transfer more Patriot battery systems to Kyiv. The president promised the weapons would arrive within days, responding to a long-term request from Ukraine to help bolster its defences. Under the plan, the United States will …
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Ukraine President proposes major government shake-up
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7:36Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planning a major reshuffle of his government, proposing to replace his Prime Minister with his deputy Yulia Svyrydenko and appointing the current PM — Denys Shmyhal — as Ukraine's new Defence Minister. Ms Svyrydenko is an economist and has served as first deputy prime minister since before the war, while M…
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Largest ever collision of black holes detected
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5:49The largest ever collision of black holes has been recorded by scientist leading them to question previous models about how they form. The two black holes collided on the edge of the milky way and were detected back on earth by the The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory which say the final merger produced a black hole approximately…
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Changing Australia: Peter MacDonald on saving hearts and saving lives
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10:12In the 1980s, Peter MacDonald found himself in the back of a speeding police car and whisked onto Kerry Packer's private plane.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Does the housing sector believe key targets can be met?
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9:09The Federal Government is under more pressure to build 1.2 million homes in five years, saying it can overcome Treasury trajectories that it will not meet this mark. Does the housing sector share the Treasurer's optimism that it can be turned around?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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PM supports 'status quo' on Taiwan amid US defence demands
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8:00"We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan, we don't support any unilateral action there": those were the words of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week as he batted away questions in Shanghai about what role Australia might play in a potential conflict between the US and China. The Financial Times reported at the weekend that senior de…
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'Delusional': Opposition responds to government's housing target
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9:23A table of contents that was accidentally included in Treasury's response to an ABC Freedom of Information request has poured doubt on whether the federal government will be able to meet its target of building 1.2 million homes in five years. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he feels "relaxed" about the advice being made public, and remains conf…
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Calls for urgent help after supported acommodation providers close
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6:58There are warnings that vulnerable Australians are falling between the cracks after a series of accommodation providers closed their doors in recent months. Providers in the supported accommodation sector say 215 beds in Queensland have been lost in the past 18 months as they contend with rising costs. They're asking for an emergency intervention f…
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Fire ants have been detected in central Queensland for the first time, at a coal mine near Moranbah, more than 150 kilometres inland from Mackay. It's raised concerns over the capability of the current containment and eradication plan in Queensland. Guest: Reece Pianta, Invasive Species Council's Advocacy Manager Producer: Grace Stranger…
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This POW says not enough is being done to free Oscar Jenkins
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7:57Shaun Pinner was one of the last foreign-born fighters to be released by prisoner swap in 2022 and he's recently been in the UK parliament urging political leaders to push more to get more foreign fighters like Austraslian man Oscar Jenkins released.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Hundreds of birds dead in suspected poisoning in Melbourne
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6:30Hundreds of birds fell from the sky over the weekend in Melbourne's south east in what experts fear is a mass poisoning. Local volunteers say they have spent the past 48 hours collecting the bodies of more than 200 corellas and other native birds from the roof of a shopping centre, school and other public places across Springvale. At least eight bi…
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US President Donald Trump has announced he'll send what he's called "top-of-the-line weapons" to Ukraine.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Bushwalking safety in the spotlight after WA rescue
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5:31The remarkable rescue of a 26-year-old German backpacker from WA's outback has focused attention on the safety of hiking. Carolina Wilga was missing for 12 days when she was found alive with just minor injuries. And while the circumstances of how Carolina survived for almost two weeks are yet to come to light, professional hikers are urging people …
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France agrees to New Caledonian state, but not independence
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5:23New Caledonia's political parties and the French government have reached a historic agreement to create a "State of New Caledonia", more than a year after deadly riots led by pro-independence activists.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Focus on pilots after Air India crash report
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6:14The preliminary report into an Air India crash that left 260 people dead says the aircraft's fuel switches were cut shortly before it fell from the sky, putting the focus squarely on the captain and co-pilot of the doomed flight. The investigation by Indian authorities included details from the flight's black box, which captured one pilot asking th…
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The ancient rock art of Murujuga, on Western Australia's Burrup peninsula, will be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site after the federal government intervened to get a long-term campaign for listing over the line. Despite the outcome, some traditional custodians still hold concerns for the future of the over one million petroglyphs.…
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Albanese on two-way 'charm offensive' in China
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9:19Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will start his day in Shanghai as his six-day tour of Australia's biggest trading partner continues. Top of the PM's schedule will be a high-level round table focusing on green steel and what China's push to decarbonise will mean for Australia's trade relationship with the major global power.…
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Antisemitism definition's lead drafter has a message for Australia
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11:00Australia's Special Envoy on Combating Antisemitism Jillian Segal is standing by a definition of antisemitism that underscores her calls to cut funding to universities, arts bodies, and public broadcasters that fail to combat hate. Opponents of the definition, outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), say it would prevent…
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Can WA's World Heritage listed Murujuga rock art co-exist with the gas industry?
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10:16Western Australia's Murujuga Cultural Landscape is older than the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge, and now the area of ancient rock art has officially been given World Heritage Status. The decision over the weekend in Paris follows decades of campaigning from Indigenous groups, and comes as the government awaits a response to its provisional approv…
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Queensland launches new inquiry into CFMEU branch following bombshell report
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7:14The Queensland branch of the CFMEU will be scrutinised under a new state government commission of inquiry announced just days after a bombshell report led by barrister, Geoffrey Watson. The report exposed a swathe of shocking alleged incidents in the union's Queensland branch, including several instances of attacks against women, which Watson descr…
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More than 500,000 Afghans expelled from Iran since ceasefire, UN says
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5:55Iran has deported more than half a million Afghans in the weeks after its 12-day conflict with Israel ended, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration. Some of those at risk of being forced to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are now appealing to the Australian government for help. Guest: Naqib Sarwary, Amnesty Internat…
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