12 May
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Morning all,

May is Domestic Violence Prevention Month, a cause Mamamia is passionate about raising awareness about.

This week, my colleague Isabella Ross spoke to Safe and Equal and the National Women’s Safety Alliance to find out the five things you can do to help a friend currently experiencing domestic violence. You can read about them here.

These are the top five news stories you need to know today, Thursday May 12. 

1. Albanese wins final election debate as new poll sees Labor in the lead. 

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has won the third and final leaders’ debate before next week’s election.

The debate, hosted by Channel Seven last night, was noticeably less fiery than Sunday’s forum and saw the leaders discuss wage growth and cost-of-living pressures.

Albanese said low-wage workers, including cleaners and aged care employees were “heroes of the pandemic” and deserved “more than our thanks”.

“I want a better future where we deal with the cost-of-living crisis where everything is going up except for people’s wages,” he said. 

Morrison said he also backed a wage rise for all workers, but small businesses across the country would struggle with that increase in their wages bills “on top of all the other things they’re facing”.

A “pub test” conducted by Seven awarded the debate to Albanese, winning 50 per cent of votes. 

A YouGov poll commissioned by The Australian, published late on Wednesday, also showed the Coalition heading for defeat.

The survey of almost 19,000 voters across all 151 lower house electorates showed Labor winning 80 seats, the coalition reduced to 63, while seven would go to independents and one to the Greens.

2. Daughter of Tamil family to spend seventh birthday in detention.

One of the daughters of the Tamil family is today celebrating her seventh birthday in community detention (her fifth in detention), as the push for their permanent settlement in Australia once again gains momentum.

Three of the four Murugappan family – parents Priya and Nades, along with daughter Kopika – were granted 12-month bridging visas by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke last year following a long ordeal.

Supporters are urging Hawke to use his ministerial powers ahead of the election and before their 12-month visas expire in September.

“It breaks my heart to be celebrating another of Kopi’s birthdays while she’s still in some form of detention,” said Angela Fredericks, from the Home to Bilo campaign.

The family, who escaped Sri Lanka by boat due to a protracted ethnic conflict targeting the minority Tamils, were given temporary protection visas but were then uprooted in March 2018 from Biloela, Queensland and placed in a Melbourne detention centre before being detained on Christmas Island in August 2019.

The family were finally placed in community detention in Perth following the medical evacuation of their youngest daughter Tharnicca from Christmas Island in June 2021 due to a blood infection.

Tharnicca remains the only member of the family without a bridging visa.

3. PM would welcome Tudge’s return to ministry after being cleared of abuse allegations.

Sidelined minister Alan Tudge would be welcomed back to the inner sanctum of a re-elected Coalition government, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed last night. 

Tudge stepped aside as education minister in December after being accused of emotional and physical abuse by staffer Rachelle Miller, with whom he was having a consensual affair.

Tudge strenuously denied the allegations, with an investigation finding there was insufficient evidence he had breached ministerial standards.

Morrison said during last night’s debate that Tudge still had a “warrant as a minister”.

“He has not resigned as a minister, nor has he been dismissed,” he said, adding, “he will be happy to come back and serve in the ministry and I welcome that.”

Morrison also addressed reports of a taxpayer-funded $500,000 compensation payout to Miller. 

“This matter, I’m advised, has not even been settled,” he said.

The prime minister said he had taken appropriate action by calling an independent inquiry into the issue.

4. Italy says US and Europe need to work with Russia and Ukraine to end conflict.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi says the US needs to work with Russia and Ukraine to end their conflict and forge a peace deal.

Speaking a day after meeting US President Joe Biden, Draghi said Russia had shown it was not invincible and that it was vital to seek ways of ending the 11-week war.

“We agreed that we must continue to support Ukraine and put pressure on Moscow but also begin to ask how to build peace,” Draghi told reporters, adding that it was essential for the US to talk directly with Russia.

However, he stressed that no one should try to impose a peace deal on Ukraine saying, “this would be a recipe for disaster”.

Russian forces have suffered repeated setbacks on the battlefield, defying many analysts who predicted a swift victory for Russia.

“In the beginning, it was a war in which one thought there was a Goliath and a David … (Now) there is certainly no longer a Goliath,” Draghi said. 

“What had seemed like an invincible power in the field… has proved to be a non-invincible power,” he said of Russia.

5. NSW voluntary assisted dying law advances.

The NSW parliament has moved a step closer to allowing euthanasia, but advocates say the legislation is not likely to pass until next week.

NSW is the only state in Australia that does not allow assisted dying for terminally ill people, with landmark legislation first passing the lower house last year.

Last night, the state’s upper house passed the bill’s second reading stage in a 20 to 17 vote.

Members of the upper house are still to debate amendments and a final vote is expected next week, independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said.

“This has been a long journey, a long and overdue journey,” Greenwich said.

Greenwich said the proposed bill is one of the most conservative models in the country, with 46 amendments to the legislation already passed.

“It’s my call to the upper house to not create any barriers and let’s work to seek to achieve voluntary assisted dying in NSW by the end of next week.”

That’s it, you’re all up to speed. We’ll bring you more of the top stories throughout the day. 

– With AAP.





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