09-05-2025
Evening News Bulletin 9 May 2025
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TRANSCRIPT:
New faces welcomed at Labor's first post-election caucus meeting;
A group of young men arrested over alleged dating app attacks;
Australian cricketers looking to fly home amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan. New faces have been welcomed to the fold at Labor's first Caucus meeting since their emphatic victory at the federal election. More than a dozen new MPs have joined the ranks after Labor increased its seats from 77 to at least 90 as the count continues. A record number of women will also be taking their seats in parliament, with at least 46 seats to be held by women in the Labor government out of a total of 150 in the House of Representatives. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told the party room he's proud of Labor's diversity. "On that first caucus, there were 22 people, and guess what they had in common? They were all blokes, every one of them, and it was a very narrow picture, even then, of what Australia was. I look around this room and I see a representative group. A majority of women." More than thirty people have been charged in Victoria over dating app attacks on men. Investigators allege that several groups of offenders, mostly young males aged between 13 and 20, are responsible for assaulting, robbing, threatening and harassing other men with homophobic comments, men they allegedly met after posing as legitimate users on platforms to arrange meetings. Division Acting Superintendent Carolyn Deer has described the offending as concerning, saying it would not be tolerated. The US says it is close to a solution on how to deliver aid into Gaza, two months after an Israeli blockade began. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has given few details about the new mechanism, but a document seen by some aid organisations is understood to be proposing four secure distribution sites, each built to serve 300,000 people, where pre-packaged rations, hygiene kits and medical supplies would be distributed through tightly controlled corridors. Israel's ongoing blockade of humanitarian assistance has forced a leading aid group to shut its community soup kitchens as it faces empty warehouses and no replenishment of supplies in the war-battered enclave. But government spokesman David Mencer says the situation is not Israel's fault. "The story of the hunger which currently exists in Gaza, this is hunger which is engineered by Hamas. It's very, very important to remember that... They have repeatedly taken control of the aid... Now, Israel is actively exploring mechanisms to ensure the future aid reaches only those in need and not the Hamas terrorist regime." Pakistan has declared the responsibility to de-escalate tensions lies with India, after days of strikes and conflict that have killed over 40 people. Pakistan's ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh has made the remarks in an interview with CNN. Pakistan and India have accused each other of launching drone attacks in the last few days, with Islamabad's defence minister calling further retaliation "increasingly certain". European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas is among the global leaders to urge New Delhi and Islamabad to find a resolution. "Nobody wins from this war. So it is clear that they have to really exercise restraint... And it is important that the channels of communication remain open and will be opened by the military commanders." Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has confirmed she will be heading to China later this year. The Premier says the September visit will involve discussions on the state's newly developed China economic strategy. But Ms Allan says the visit will also represent a new era of respect for Victorians from the Chinese community. She says she wants to make the case – in an era of Trump-style rhetoric – that Victorians from overseas are a proud part of the state's story to the world. 'We have bonds of friendships, strong cultural ties that go back – go back to the gold rush era… Beautiful buildings like this one that were built on the back of that gold rush era is how our relationship with China started. And to this day it is an incredibly strong one.' Julie Fragar has won this year's Archibald Prize with a portrait of artist Justene Williams. The winning work is titled Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), and is painted in monochrome with touches of colour, showing the artist floating among the stars above the materials of making art. Brisbane-based Fragar is a four-time Archibald Prize finalist. She is also the 13th woman to win since the prize's inception in 1921. Australian cricketers playing in India and Pakistan's T20 competitions are facing an uncertain time as conflict increases between the two countries. A number of cricket stars are understood to be on the verge of flying home, or to Dubai, as the rising tensions threaten to postpone the IPL.
Some players based in India could fly back to Australia as soon as Saturday to escape the conflict, which has already forced organisers to abandon the Ricky Ponting-coached Punjab Kings' match against Mitchell Starc's Delhi in Dharamsala.
