Evening News Bulletin 18 November 2024

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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
The Opposition confirms it will oppose a cap on international students;
Advocates call for more funding to protect older Australians from elder abuse;
And in football, the Para Matildas just one match away from qualifying for the World Cup final.
The Coalition has confirmed it will oppose the federal government’s plan to cap international student numbers.
Labor’s contentious bill would have limited the number of international students able to start studying in Australia to 270,000 next year.
It’s unlikely the bill will pass without the Coalition’s support.
The opposition ministers for education, home affairs and immigration have described the government’s immigration legislation as chaotic and confused.
In a statement, the trio says Labor’s piecemeal approach does nothing to address the structural issues it has created.
The Greens are also opposing the bill.
—
Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones has been charged following an investigation into alleged indecent assault and sexual touching offences spanning two decades.
New South Wales Police and Child Abuse Squad detectives say the 83-year-old has been charged with a total of 24 offences against eight victims.
Jones has been granted bail and is due to appear before Downing Centre Local Court in December.
New South Wales Assistant Commissioner, Michael Fitzgerald, says the investigation will continue.
“We believe that we will have more people coming forward with information, so Strike Force Bonnefin will continue, and they are currently talking to people and will continue to talk to people.”
The Herald and the Age newspapers in recent months published allegations from a number of young men that they had been indecently assaulted by Alan Jones.
He has previously denied all allegations against him.
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North Queensland member of parliament, Bob Katter, has welcomed the government’s plan to legislate a requirement for businesses to accept cash for essential items.
The change is set to come into effect from 2026 as part of efforts to ensure Australians can still use cash for payments, amid the trend of moving to digital payment methods.
The government says it is also phasing out the use of cheques, and they won’t be accepted from September 2029.
Mr Katter says he could not buy food for two days when flooding caused electricity to cut out and he ran out of cash.
He says cash is crucial to ensure Australians continue to have autonomy over their own money.
“You must understand that unless you use cash then you’ll have to get permission off your bank manager to buy a load of bread, and most towns in Australia don’t have a bank manager.”
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Advocates are calling for greater funding to ensure older Australians experiencing abuse can access support services across Australia.
It follows the introduction of a $4.8 million government-funded awareness campaign in July, which aimed to ignite conversations in the community.
It’s believed one in six older Australians can experience abuse in their lifetime – whether it is physical, psychological, emotional, financial, or sexual.
Cybele Koning from Caxton Legal Centre says older Australians deserve more respect.
“We spend billions of dollars on domestic and family violence each year. We spend billions of dollars on child protection services each year. Older Australians who experience elder abuse and who are at risk of exploitation and neglect deserve this government’s same level of respect in terms of funding services that are needed Australia-wide for them to access.”
—
The Para Matildas have all but sealed their spot in a second consecutive World Cup final.
Australia made it 3 wins from as many matches in Spain, thrashing Ireland 9-2.
Annmarie De Uriarte led the way for Australia with four goals.
A positive result against Denmark later tonight will see them progress to Wednesday’s final.
Para Matildas coach Kelly Stirton says she’s proud of the team’s progress.
“Can’t fault the team’s performance at the moment. The girls have been working super hard for this. As I said before, two years in the making and we’ve fixed the issues that we had previously and onto the finals now as well.”