Australia

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Israel has a right to defend itself, and judging its security decisions from a distance is "very difficult", as Israel's government vows to cut off food and water to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Exclusive: Premier says an inquiry into use of force against vulnerable people isn’t necessary, despite four fatalities in as many monthss

[FriendlyJordies] Video description:

The voice is a preview of what political discourse will look like from now on.

Brett Boag holds a small square of what appears to be ordinary wooden, 20-millimetre-thick chipboard.

Only this material is heavier and startlingly stronger.

Bulletproof in fact.

During a recent test in the United States, it withstood even a burst from a high-powered AK-47.

"It's phenomenally tough. We're making products that are even way in excess of the hardest hardwoods, very high impact resistance as well," said Mr Boag, who manufactures construction materials at a factory east of Melbourne.

The products are made from hemp — one of the toughest plants on the planet. ...

A Coroner's Court document said body worn and CCTV footage "indicates" Ms Tafaifa died "following a prolonged period of physical restraint", including "the application of handcuffs and the use of a spit hood".

Former premier’s behaviour, if true, is ‘certainly improper’ and ‘ethically questionable’ and shows power of oil and gas interests, Carmen Lawrence says

Thought this might be of interest here.

Tom Tanuki's just wrapped up a series of conversations with First Nations activist on their differing positions on The Voice.

The three parts are:

THE VOICE PT. 1 - UNDECIDED ft. Celeste Liddle

THE VOICE PT. 2 - PROGRESSIVE NO ft. Keiran Stewart-Assheton

THE VOICE PT. 3 - YES ft. Tarneen Onus Browne

These were the top posts across Aussie Zone at the end of this week

Top 5 from Australia:

• Referendum Q+A thread
• Weekly Random Thread #40 03-10-2023
• Should Australian cities adopt car-free days? - ABC listen
• Decision to allow wider truck bodies paves way for electrification of big rigs in Australia
• Why cyclists should NOT get the same fines as motorists | Car Culture 6 - Motonormativity

Top 5 from Aussie Enviro:

• WA banishes loggers from old growth native forests
• It's estimated there are between 250 and 400 of these birds left in the wild — but there's no plan to save them
• Cadmium at 50,000 times the legal level found next to farm near disused gold mine, inquiry told
• Secret Forest: Australia rivals The Congo on deforestation, blocks media access to world scientists - Michael West
• 50 Scales of Grey: Crocodile lovemaking triggered by Chinook helicopters and thunder in central Queensland

Top 5 from Australian News:

• It's 175 years since William Arnott first made biscuits in this small-town bakery — and it's still running today
• ABC says it won’t reveal sources but does not rule out handing over footage of climate protesters to police
• Home Affairs and Immigration websites hit by denial-of-service cyber attacks
• Jason died the night before our wedding. Three years later, our daughter was born - ABC Everyday

Top 5 from Australian Politics:

• Yes23 campaign asked to keep purple and white signs away from AEC voting centre signage
• Dutton hits back at home affairs minister's claim that the immigration system 'broke down' under his watch

Top 5 from World News:

• China gave the ABC a tightly controlled tour of Xinjiang. Here's what we saw

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sang praise for the first project under his government's $2 billion social housing accelerator fund. Not everyone is convinced social housing is the answer to Australia's housing crisis.

Former WA premier Mark McGowan has taken on a senior role at the former federal treasurer Joe Hockey's consultancy firm, among four new jobs, including appointments to mining companies Mineral Resources and BHP.

The UN working group visited Australia for the first time in December last year. Their task was to evaluate the human rights situation of people of African descent living in Australia.

Rockstar Roger Waters outside Belmarsh Prison

The media is being used to amplify the hateful rhetoric of fringe right-wing groups, a leading expert warns.

Sixty Victorian not-for-profit organisations have written to Premier Jacinta Allan and Treasurer Tim Pallas to urge them to abolish state-owned logging business VicForests.

Commonwealth agrees to settle with more than 120 Indonesians wrongly detained as adult people smugglers, some when they were as young as 12

The Pacific's top diplomat says Australia's credibility in the region will be bolstered if the nation votes in favour of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament on October 14.

This should be an interesting case to watch. It seems on it's face something utterly inhumane and so it will be important to know whether it is considered legitimate.