TRANSCRIPT
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has called for the construction arm of the CFMEU to be dumped from the Victorian Labor Party.
The CFMEU'sVictorian branch is being put into administration after allegations of links to bikie gangs and criminal behaviour.
The head of the Victorian branch of the CFMEU John Setka quit on Friday night but not before describing the reports as "false accusations" and "malicious attacks".
The Premier is referring the construction division to Victoria Police and the state's anti-corruption monitor.
CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith has also condemned the alleged behaviour and called for an 'unprecedented response'.
Jacinta Allan says the alleged behaviour fosters a rotten culture.
"What we have seen here in recent days isn't unionism its thuggish, unacceptable behaviour at its worst that I have zero tolerance for and has absolutely no place on any Victorian worksite. I also want to express my deep disgust at the people who behaved in this way at their activities. Again, I have zero tolerance for this sort of behaviour."
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Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill Shorten says the issue of sexual support services on the NDIS is a "clickbait issue".
Last week the government indicated that sexual services would be banned from the NDIS, a move that disability advocacy groups have strongly opposed.
The minister says on average 100 million invoices are paid annually through the NDIS, with 228 requests for sexual support services in the last 12 months, none of which were approved.
Mr Shorten says the issue has been blown out of proportion.
"Do I think it's appropriate? No. Do I think it's an epidemic? No. Do I think the NDIS is changing hundreds of 1000s of lives for the better? Yes. Do I think that 99.99999% of all people aren't seeking the services? Absolutely. And if someone does, it's been rejected."
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The C-S-I-R-O says Australia faces an unprecedented threat from three different strains of bird flu with a fourth around the corner.
Poultry farms across the country have been badly impacted since May, with farms in New South Wales, Victoria and the A-C-T culling chickens to prevent the spread.
The peak science organisation says that genetic sequencing has revealed three different strains of H-7 - a highly pathogenic avian influenza - have hit farms at roughly the same time.
It remains a mystery why so many strains have appeared at once and experts say they cannot rule out more strains popping up, including the highly pathogenic H5 strain which has reached every continent except Australia.
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Energy policy group Nexa Advisory warns power bills will continue to rise unless governments invest in transmission networks.
The research by Nexa found the delays in building energy transmission infrastructure also compromise energy reliability and put emissions reduction targets in jeopardy.
Consumers in New South Wales could face the biggest price rise, with Nexa warning residential consumers could face up to $1100 in additional annual costs if transmission delays continue at this pace.
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The government will sink $100 million into drones across the next decade as it tries to future proof the Australian Defence Force.
Over 110 drones will be purchased by the government in the next 10 years with a range of lethal and non-lethal capabilities.
The spend is one part of a greater investment towards drones and defence force capabilities to expand the use of the technology.
Assistant Minister for Defence Pat Conroy says it will boost the ADF's abilities.
"Drones and autonomous systems are changing battlefields every day. That's why we've committed over $10 billion in the national defence strategy to support the Australian Defence Forces acquisition of the latest systems over the next 10 years."
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To football now...
Defending Champions Argentina have defeated Colombia in the Copa America Final in Miami after chaos outside the stadium delayed the final start time by over an hour.
Before the game, chaos broke out when thousands of ticketless fans attempted to breach security and enter the stadium, causing major delays and forcing the gates of the stadium to be closed.
Colombian Fan Jorge Daniels says he hopes the World Cup has better organisation.
SPANISH THEN ENGLISH VO: “We've been here for an hour and a half outside the stadium. They open the gate and there is total chaos. At least 500 people got in the last time they opened the gate, and we paid 10,000 dollars for five tickets and we are still outside and they don't open the gate. It's chaos. I hope the World Cup, which is going to be in the United States, won't be the same, because it's a bad organisation. It’s too big for them.”
