Welcome to Country opens 48th parliament of Australia
Welcome to Country opens 48th parliament of Australia
Australia signs a joint statement with a number of nations calling on Israel to end war in Gaza
Nick Kyrgios defeated in ATP doubles match comeback. The Prime Minister paid homage to the Welcome to Country, which opened the first sitting day of the 48th parliament of Australia. Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan gave the Welcome to Country in the Great Hall. Mr Albanese says it's a ceremony which didn't take place until 2007, and was controversial then, adding that it's no longer controversial today. He says the ceremony is an opportunity for MPs to embrace and show a profound love of home and country. "And the welcome to Country lets us touch the very beginning of the story, our story, the Australian story in the 48th Parliament. We write the next chapter. Let us do it with the same sense of grace and courage that First Nations people show us with their leadership." 40 new senators and MPs are being sworn into Parliament today as Labor holds an increased majority, with 94 of 150 lower house seats. The Minister for Home Affairs has defended the timing of Australia's joint statement calling for an immediate end to Israel's war on Gaza. Tony Burke says parts of the statement reference recent events relating to how aid has been distributed and managed, adding the governmrnt was calling for a ceasefire when the conflict started in October 2023. He told ABC News Breakfast that the government hopes a joint statement with other countries will push Israel to end their war on Gaza. A joint statement signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and more than 20 of her global counterparts - barring the US - calls for an immediate end to Israel's offensive in the strip and condemns the denial of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. Israel's foreign ministry has rejected the joint statement, saying it was 'disconnected from reality', and failed to 'focus the pressure on Hamas' and their 'responsibility for the situation'. The Prime Minister's Assistant Minister says the government is ready to work for the Australian people on Parliament's first sitting day today. Patrick Gorman flagged the government's legislation on cutting student debt, as well as their new legislation to ensure award workers preserve vital penalty rates. Mr Gorman said he wants this parliament to work and for legislation to pass through more easily, while the Greens and Liberals have firmly stated they won't simply approve the government's policies before a thorough review. "I respect the parliament, i respect the role of each individual member of parliament, to do the job that their community, state or territory, sent them here to do, and we will continue to show them that respect. But equally, some of these things we are talking about, are not new propositions. It was last year that the PM was very clear that we want to cut student debt. If the Coalition are still unclear on where they stand on that, they should probably explain that to the Australian people." A United Nations political forum in New York has heard that the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are pushing global Sustainable Development Goals further out of reach. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says a slowing of the global economy, tensions over trade and aid budget cuts, were also impacting Sustainable Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 and this meeting is reviewing the 2030 Agenda and its 17 goals. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says a sense of urgency is essential if the global community wants to meet the UN targets. 'The Sustainable Development Goals are not a dream. They are a plan. A plan to keep our promises to the most vulnerable people, to each other, and to future generations. People win when we channel our energy into development. But we must face a tough reality - only 35 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress." Nick Kyrgios has come through his first match since March, completing an hour on court in a men's doubles defeat at the ATP Tour's Washington DC Open. Kyrgios had a tough opening draw alongside French veteran Gael Monfils, as they played against third seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys. While Kyrgios held his first service match both players were then broken to lose the first set 6-2.
But being on court was as much of an achievement for the 30-year-old Australian who has been grappling with injuries since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022.
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