BTN Newsbreak 26/05/2025
FLOOD RECOVERY
Emergency warnings have been lifted in New South Wales flood zones, and locals in some areas are starting to assess the damage. From muddy floors to soggy paddocks, people in some flood hit parts of NSW are starting to return home to see just how bad the damage is. Authorities think at least 10,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed or seriously damaged, with hundreds of homes too unsafe to return to. Thousands of residents are also still cut off by floodwaters. And whether it's by helicopter, boat, or drone, emergency services are still working hard carrying out rescues and delivering much needed supplies. While the worst of the wild weather is over, authorities are urging people to stay away from floodwaters, and that it could be a while before things get back to normal.
MILLION PAWS WALK
Thousands of dogs and their humans pounded the pavement on the weekend for the last ever national Million Paws Walk. The event, run by the RSPCA, has been running for the past 30 years to raise money for animals in need. In its time, more than 750,000 humans and 400,000 pooches have raised more than $17 million. But organisers say the cost of living crisis and increasing event costs mean it's now too expensive to run, so they're hanging up the leash for the final time.
MONACO GP
It was a huge win for McLaren's Lando Norris. While he took the lead quickly, he also got into trouble quickly, surviving an early scare when he nearly sent his car into the barrier in lap one. But he managed to hold on for the win, beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who came in second with teammate and Aussie star Oscar Piastri coming in third.
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE
Over in Portugal, Arsenal has defeated Barcelona 1-nil in the Women's Champions League final, thanks in part to three of our Matildas! Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord both took to the field for the Gunners, while Kyra Cooney-Cross was an unused substitute.
FRENCH OPEN
Finally to the French Open, where four all-time tennis legends came together to celebrate 14 time French open champion Rafael Nadal, who retired last year. Rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all took to the court as part of a special ceremony, paying tribute to Rafa's career, which is a pretty rare sight!
CLOWN DAY
First up, to Peru! Where hundreds of clowns have hit the streets to celebrate the country's annual Clown Day. It's big parade to celebrate all things clowning, and to pay homage to a famous Peruvian clown, Tony Perejil, who was known as the clown of the poor, and used to travel around town performing pop up shows back in the 1980s.
KERMIT GRADUATION
Now to a graduation ceremony in the United States, where Kermit the frog was asked to give the official commencement speech. Kermit's creator, Jim Henson, graduated from the University of Maryland back in 1960, so it's a bit of a full circle moment for the green puppet.
BORDER COLLIE PATROL
And finally, it's time to meet to Ned and Hercules, the two border collies single-handedly holding down the fort at this airport in West Virginia. Well, specifically, their job is to chase off any wildlife that gets in the way of planes. Hercules has been doing the job for 8 years now, and has been training Ned up since last year.
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As political turmoil continues to engulf Tasmania, the Devils AFL team remains at high risk of becoming collateral damage. But depending on who you speak to, the level of danger for Tasmania's fledgling AFL club varies. On one side, there is a view that the no-confidence motion moved against Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff has no material effect on Tasmania's plans to build the Macquarie Point stadium and, thus, enter the AFL. The argument is that even though an election has been triggered, the worst-case scenario is an upcoming parliamentary vote on the Macquarie Point stadium will simply be delayed for a few months — and when the dust has settled, the team and stadium train will roll on. But there are fundamental flaws with that argument, and they are two-fold. The first relates to contractual timelines that the Tasmanian government must meet per its contract with the AFL for a team — and a crucial one is to be met by June 30. That is the cut-off for obtaining all required planning and environmental approvals for the stadium. The stadium — pivotal to the Devils survival — has bounced from one planning process to another. Rightly or wrongly, the government has tabled legislation aimed at bypassing the Project of State Significance process bid to fast track the stadium, cognisant of looming deadlines. A vote to pass or deny that legislation — which, if passed, would have granted planning approval for the stadium — is due in the coming weeks. An election does not simply delay that. It obliterates it. It will mean the parliament is dissolved and puts the vote itself in doubt. It is true, timelines agreed upon in early 2023 have been bent and massaged over the past two years. And on current timelines, the vote would fall just outside the June 30 cut-off. But a week or two is small potatoes. An election will be a roast dinner. The Devils' high performance centre — which faced steep geotechnical hurdles at the club's preferred site of Rosny, and was subject to an elector poll of Clarence City residents — has also been pushed back. But that was a year ago, and the centre still remains on track to be built. The real threat lies in the uncertainty and the make-up of a future parliament which nobody knows what it will look like — not even the Labor party. It is what prompted tears from Devils boss Kath McCann on Wednesday, and chief executive Brendon Gale to declare that an election puts the team "at risk". If Tasmanians are marched to the ballot box, the current make-up of the state's lower house will change. The government will most likely change too. However, what is highly unlikely is either major party winning a majority of seats in the parliament. This is where the Devils are snookered. It is extremely likely that whoever wins the most seats will need the support of the Greens or the crossbench to form government, and neither major party will deal with the Greens. That leaves a hodgepodge of currently unknown independents that will be relied upon. And while the numbers in the lower house may change, the flavour of the crossbench will probably remain the same. That flavour is strongly anti-stadium. While the Labor and Liberal parties both support the stadium and the team, that matters for little if neither are able to form government without convincing anti-stadium crossbenchers to flip — and that will be first chip those crossbenchers attempt to cash. Which independent will support a minority government without demanding the stadium be dropped? Will pro-stadium independents be elected, when the stadium remains grossly unpopular amongst the Tasmanian public? Even if the Liberals had opted to change leader instead of opting for an election, which of their members would have garnered crossbench support without being required to drop the stadium and therefore the team? There was no path, without a significant change of heart from one of the two vehemently anti-stadium independents who are currently in support of Labor's no-confidence motion. And while the government was propped up by supply and confidence agreements from independents, some of them anti-stadium, a number of those agreements are not even with the Liberals but with Mr Rockliff himself. Even David O'Byrne, the staunchly pro-stadium and team independent, would not have supported a leader of the Liberal party not named Jeremy Rockliff. Mr O'Byrne's sister, Michelle O'Byrne, is the speaker of the house. It had been suggested she could use her casting vote to, as former Premier Peter Gutwein said, "end the madness". That didn't happen, such is her Labor allegiance. That leaves the last pathway — the AFL. There is zero prospect of the AFL removing the condition for a stadium at Macquarie Point. It simply won't fly with the 18 club presidents who already needed their arms twisted to agree to the current deal. Other material changes, like the requirement for a roof on the stadium, also won't be up for negotiation. Rumours continue to swirl of a Labor pivot to the proposed Stadium 2.0 proposal, but the ABC understands the party has told the Devils that is not in their plans. The ABC also understands that the Stadium 2.0 proposal is looked upon even less favourably than the Macquarie Point stadium by a large chunk of the Tasmanian Parliament, including the Greens. Where there may be some bend is on timelines. There exists a world where the AFL allows an election to run its course, and if whoever forms government somehow manages to keep its pro-stadium position intact, perhaps things can continue, albeit delayed. That is the hope of Labor but it is a huge if, and an enormously high-stakes gamble. And at this stage, that is currently all the hope the Devils have.
