State's teachers to walk out over pay
The Queensland Teacher's Union (QTU) has been in talks with the Crisafulli-led LNP government for months over a pay dispute, which came to loggerheads in June when the QTU outright rejected the government's offer of incremental salary increases by 3, 2.5 and 2.5 per cent over three years.
Almost 37,000 teachers out of the 38,243 members of the union voted to go ahead with the strike, in an overwhelming display of support for the cause.
The remaining, non-unionised teachers, who make up roughly two thirds of the entire state's teaching force, will remain at work.
QTU President Cresta Richardson says staffing of schools is an ongoing issue, which could have dire effects on communities and families. Schools in Queenland are consistently struggling to fill teaching roles. NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall Credit: News Corp Australia
'The teacher shortage crisis is real, and at a breaking point,' she said.
'Numbers don't lie. Schools are short on teachers, our members are working longer hours unpaid, and we have cost of living and inflation to account for. These are genuine, widespread issues that won't solve themselves.
'We are not doing this for ourselves. Teachers and school leaders are resources, and the government needs to support our schools. Parents, caregivers and students deserve what their taxes pay for, not government excuses.'
Speaking to the Courier Mail, a Brisbane teacher named Damion Douglass said educators in Queensland schools had been 'carrying a broken system' on their backs, 'while being told to sit tight and smile through it'.
'We've spoken. We've written letters. We've marched in unity. We've stayed late, showed up tired, covered the gaps, and absorbed the pressure. And in return, we get a reminder that our pay will be docked if we make noise,' he said.
Schools will be open with limited capacity on August 6, and negotiations continue between the QTU and the Queensland Government.
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The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Kyiv mourns after a Russian attack that killed dozens
The Ukrainian capital has observed an official day of mourning, a day after a Russian drone and missile attack on the city killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150. The youngest victim in Thursday's strikes on Kyiv was two years old, and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Friday. The death toll rose overnight as emergency crews continued to dig through rubble. The Russian barrage demolished a large part of a nine-storey residential building in the city, while more than 100 other buildings were damaged, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, officials said. Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, ignoring calls from Western leaders including US President Donald Trump to stop striking civilian areas after more than three years of war. Russian forces are also pressing on with their grinding war of attrition along the 1000km front line, where incremental gains in the past year have cost the lives of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Zelenskiy said that in July, Russia launched more than 5100 glide bombs, more than 3800 Shahed drones and almost 260 missiles of various types, 128 of them ballistic, against Ukraine. He repeated his appeal for countries to impose heavier economic sanctions on Russia to deter the Kremlin, as US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. "No matter how much the Kremlin denies (sanctions') effectiveness, they are working and must be stronger," Zelenskiy said. His comments appeared to be a response to Trump's remarks the previous day, when the Republican president said the US plans to impose sanctions on Russia but added, "I don't know that sanctions bother him," in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine also called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to be convened on Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, in an effort to push Putin into accepting "a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire". Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are under heavy pressure in the strategic hilltop city of Chasiv Yar, in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is making a concerted push to break through defences after some 18 months of fighting. Zelenskiy said Russian claims of capturing Chasiv Yar on Thursday were "disinformation". "Ukrainian units are holding our positions," Zelenskiy said in his daily video address on Thursday evening. "It is not easy, but it is the defence of Ukrainians' very right to life." Even so, the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's hold on the key city was weakening. "Russian forces will likely complete the seizure of Chasiv Yar in the coming days, which will open several possible avenues for Russian forces to attack Ukraine's fortress belt - a series of fortified cities that form the backbone of Ukraine's defensive positions" in the Donetsk region, the Washington-based think tank said. Ukraine has tried to pressure the Russian army by striking rear areas with long-range drones that target rail networks, oil depots and arsenals. Russia's defence ministry said air defences shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. More than half were destroyed over Russia's Belgorod region on the country's border with Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian capital has observed an official day of mourning, a day after a Russian drone and missile attack on the city killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150. The youngest victim in Thursday's strikes on Kyiv was two years old, and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Friday. The death toll rose overnight as emergency crews continued to dig through rubble. The Russian barrage demolished a large part of a nine-storey residential building in the city, while more than 100 other buildings were damaged, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, officials said. Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, ignoring calls from Western leaders including US President Donald Trump to stop striking civilian areas after more than three years of war. Russian forces are also pressing on with their grinding war of attrition along the 1000km front line, where incremental gains in the past year have cost the lives of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Zelenskiy said that in July, Russia launched more than 5100 glide bombs, more than 3800 Shahed drones and almost 260 missiles of various types, 128 of them ballistic, against Ukraine. He repeated his appeal for countries to impose heavier economic sanctions on Russia to deter the Kremlin, as US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. "No matter how much the Kremlin denies (sanctions') effectiveness, they are working and must be stronger," Zelenskiy said. His comments appeared to be a response to Trump's remarks the previous day, when the Republican president said the US plans to impose sanctions on Russia but added, "I don't know that sanctions bother him," in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine also called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to be convened on Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, in an effort to push Putin into accepting "a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire". Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are under heavy pressure in the strategic hilltop city of Chasiv Yar, in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is making a concerted push to break through defences after some 18 months of fighting. Zelenskiy said Russian claims of capturing Chasiv Yar on Thursday were "disinformation". "Ukrainian units are holding our positions," Zelenskiy said in his daily video address on Thursday evening. "It is not easy, but it is the defence of Ukrainians' very right to life." Even so, the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's hold on the key city was weakening. "Russian forces will likely complete the seizure of Chasiv Yar in the coming days, which will open several possible avenues for Russian forces to attack Ukraine's fortress belt - a series of fortified cities that form the backbone of Ukraine's defensive positions" in the Donetsk region, the Washington-based think tank said. Ukraine has tried to pressure the Russian army by striking rear areas with long-range drones that target rail networks, oil depots and arsenals. Russia's defence ministry said air defences shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. More than half were destroyed over Russia's Belgorod region on the country's border with Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian capital has observed an official day of mourning, a day after a Russian drone and missile attack on the city killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150. The youngest victim in Thursday's strikes on Kyiv was two years old, and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Friday. The death toll rose overnight as emergency crews continued to dig through rubble. The Russian barrage demolished a large part of a nine-storey residential building in the city, while more than 100 other buildings were damaged, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, officials said. Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, ignoring calls from Western leaders including US President Donald Trump to stop striking civilian areas after more than three years of war. Russian forces are also pressing on with their grinding war of attrition along the 1000km front line, where incremental gains in the past year have cost the lives of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Zelenskiy said that in July, Russia launched more than 5100 glide bombs, more than 3800 Shahed drones and almost 260 missiles of various types, 128 of them ballistic, against Ukraine. He repeated his appeal for countries to impose heavier economic sanctions on Russia to deter the Kremlin, as US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. "No matter how much the Kremlin denies (sanctions') effectiveness, they are working and must be stronger," Zelenskiy said. His comments appeared to be a response to Trump's remarks the previous day, when the Republican president said the US plans to impose sanctions on Russia but added, "I don't know that sanctions bother him," in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine also called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to be convened on Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, in an effort to push Putin into accepting "a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire". Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are under heavy pressure in the strategic hilltop city of Chasiv Yar, in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is making a concerted push to break through defences after some 18 months of fighting. Zelenskiy said Russian claims of capturing Chasiv Yar on Thursday were "disinformation". "Ukrainian units are holding our positions," Zelenskiy said in his daily video address on Thursday evening. "It is not easy, but it is the defence of Ukrainians' very right to life." Even so, the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's hold on the key city was weakening. "Russian forces will likely complete the seizure of Chasiv Yar in the coming days, which will open several possible avenues for Russian forces to attack Ukraine's fortress belt - a series of fortified cities that form the backbone of Ukraine's defensive positions" in the Donetsk region, the Washington-based think tank said. Ukraine has tried to pressure the Russian army by striking rear areas with long-range drones that target rail networks, oil depots and arsenals. Russia's defence ministry said air defences shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. More than half were destroyed over Russia's Belgorod region on the country's border with Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian capital has observed an official day of mourning, a day after a Russian drone and missile attack on the city killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150. The youngest victim in Thursday's strikes on Kyiv was two years old, and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Friday. The death toll rose overnight as emergency crews continued to dig through rubble. The Russian barrage demolished a large part of a nine-storey residential building in the city, while more than 100 other buildings were damaged, including homes, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities and universities, officials said. Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, ignoring calls from Western leaders including US President Donald Trump to stop striking civilian areas after more than three years of war. Russian forces are also pressing on with their grinding war of attrition along the 1000km front line, where incremental gains in the past year have cost the lives of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Zelenskiy said that in July, Russia launched more than 5100 glide bombs, more than 3800 Shahed drones and almost 260 missiles of various types, 128 of them ballistic, against Ukraine. He repeated his appeal for countries to impose heavier economic sanctions on Russia to deter the Kremlin, as US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. "No matter how much the Kremlin denies (sanctions') effectiveness, they are working and must be stronger," Zelenskiy said. His comments appeared to be a response to Trump's remarks the previous day, when the Republican president said the US plans to impose sanctions on Russia but added, "I don't know that sanctions bother him," in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine also called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to be convened on Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, in an effort to push Putin into accepting "a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire". Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are under heavy pressure in the strategic hilltop city of Chasiv Yar, in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is making a concerted push to break through defences after some 18 months of fighting. Zelenskiy said Russian claims of capturing Chasiv Yar on Thursday were "disinformation". "Ukrainian units are holding our positions," Zelenskiy said in his daily video address on Thursday evening. "It is not easy, but it is the defence of Ukrainians' very right to life." Even so, the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's hold on the key city was weakening. "Russian forces will likely complete the seizure of Chasiv Yar in the coming days, which will open several possible avenues for Russian forces to attack Ukraine's fortress belt - a series of fortified cities that form the backbone of Ukraine's defensive positions" in the Donetsk region, the Washington-based think tank said. Ukraine has tried to pressure the Russian army by striking rear areas with long-range drones that target rail networks, oil depots and arsenals. Russia's defence ministry said air defences shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. More than half were destroyed over Russia's Belgorod region on the country's border with Ukraine, it said.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
Ghislaine Maxwell will plead the Fifth in Epstein House testimony - unless these demands are met: defence lawyer
Ghislaine Maxwell will plead the Fifth Amendment in response to a congressional subpoena to testify about deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — unless several demands are met, according to a Tuesday letter from her attorney obtained by The Post. Defense lawyer David Oscar Markus told the Republican-led House Oversight Committee that his client's statements under oath 'could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool.' 'Accordingly, our initial reaction was that Ms. Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights and decline to testify at this time,' Markus wrote to Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.). 'However, after further reflection, we would like to find a way to cooperate with Congress if a fair and safe path forward can be established.' The demands listed in the letter include two items that Markus deemed non-negotiable: a grant of immunity for Maxwell and testifying outside the Florida federal prison where she's been serving a 20-year sentence since 2022 for conspiring with Epstein to abuse young girls. Before that, the 63-year-old had spent nearly two years in a Brooklyn detention facility, which her attorney called 'one of the worst' prisons in the US. The committee should also provide copies of its questions in advance, Markus said, 'to identify the relevant documentation from millions of pages that could corroborate her responses.' And Oversight lawmakers were asked to meet with Maxwell only 'after the resolution of her Supreme Court petition and her forthcoming habeas petition.' 'Of course, in the alternative, if Ms. Maxwell were to receive clemency,' Markus hinted, 'she would be willing—and eager—to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C.' 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' a committee spokeswoman said in a statement to the Post. Maxwell is currently appealing her 2021 conviction and sentencing, as the Trump administration seeks to fend off criticisms from both the left and the right on its handling of a 'systematic review' into Epstein's crimes, his influential 'clientele' and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. Epstein, 66, was found dead in his Manhattan lockup on Aug. 10, 2019, after having been charged with abusing dozens of minors — some as young as 14 years old. Multiple investigations — including by the DOJ's Office of Inspector General and independent medical examiners — have ruled Epstein's demise a suicide, while laying out what former Attorney General Bill Barr referred to as a 'perfect storm of screwups' allowing it to happen. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche peppered Maxwell with questions for two days last week during which she was reportedly granted limited immunity. The UK-born convict could have been charged with lying for any false statements she made, Markus revealed to reporters after the sitdown at the Talahassee, Fla., US attorney's office, apparently pointing to the limits of that immunity. Maxwell was given a shield from future prosecution based on her interview responses, a concession known as proffer immunity, sources told ABC News last week. The Department of Justice expressed skepticism about Maxwell's truthfulness during her prosecution, writing in court filings in 2022 that she displayed a 'significant pattern of dishonest conduct' and didn't take responsibility for her sickening crimes. Markus maintains that Epstein's attorneys were told that 'no potential co-conspirators would be prosecuted' based on his statements to prosecutors following his July 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell still discussed '100 different people' linked to Epstein and was 'asked about every possible thing you could imagine — everything,' her attorney added. 'This was the first opportunity she's ever been given to answer questions about what happened,' he said. 'The truth will come out about what happened with Mr. Epstein and she's the person who's answering those questions.' 'No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits,' Blanche had posted on X July 22, when he announced plans to interview Maxwell. Originally published as Ghislaine Maxwell will plead the Fifth in Epstein House testimony - unless these demands are met: defence lawyer
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Territory "underwhelming" in tackling domestic violence
A territory government's response to a coroner's report on the deaths of four Aboriginal women fails to address "critical gaps" in combating domestic violence, a coalition of community services says. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage investigated the violent deaths of Kumarn Rubuntja, Kumanjayi Haywood, Ngeygo Ragurrk and Miss Yunupingu. They were among at least 83 Indigenous women killed by their partners in the Northern Territory since 2000. In November the coroner delivered 35 recommendations to address the Territory's domestic violence crisis, saying they reflected initiatives the sector had called for. But in delivering the NT government's response to the report on Tuesday, Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Robyn Cahill said the recommendations were "uninspiring" and failed to hit the mark. She accused the coroner of not being "brave enough" to make recommendations related to Aboriginal culture, noting findings in the report of cultural pressure used as a form of coercive control. Calling out such behaviour could have paved the way "to empower communities to take a stand on this very sensitive and challenging issue," the minister said. She said the government was investing a record $36 million a year to tackle domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV). But a coalition of community services in the sector has in turn accused the government of failing to hit the mark in its response to the coroner's recommendations. The specialist services said critical gaps remained, with no Territory-wide workforce strategy, no long-term indexed funding, no coordinated sector plan across justice, housing, health and child protection and no resourcing for Aboriginal-led initiatives. In a statement they said domestic, family and sexual violence was the NT's biggest criminal issue but the government response was "underwhelming". "The vast majority of people incarcerated in the NT are there for DFSV-related offences, yet the services best placed to prevent this violence, community-based, specialist, trauma-informed programs, continue to be overlooked." One of three coronial recommendations rejected by the government was to establish a peak body, with the NT being the only Australian jurisdiction without one. On the release of the coronial findings in November Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said a peak body was "a powerfully important tool". "When a sector can come together and speak as one voice and can be engaged with it makes government's job easier," she said. The services group said the government's lack of genuine consultation with the sector was helping make the NT one of the most dangerous places in Australia to be a woman. Cindy Torrens, CEO of the North Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Service, said real safety for Aboriginal families meant resourcing culturally strong, community-based legal and support services, not just responding after the harm is done. Sally Sievers, CEO of the NT Council of Social Service, said without coordinated system reform, without a stable workforce, without sustained funding for the services already doing the work, more lives would be lost. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
