TRANSCRIPT
Those involved in negotiating a treaty between Aboriginal people in Victoria and the Victorian state government say the process is going well - and 2025 will be a big year for the talks.
State-wide Treaty negotiations formally opened with a ceremonial event at Darebin Parklands last month [[on 21 November 2024]]
Among Australia's states and territories, Victoria is the most progressed with Treaty negotiations.
Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg is a Co-Chair of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.
He told NITV he is pleased with how the negotiations are progressing so far.
"At the moment we're in discussions around the protocols on how we go about undertaking negotiations - and that has been going well. And hopefully soon we'll be able to progress onto the more substantive matters. Yeah, next year is going to be a big year. We have lots of key events next year. We will have another state-wide gathering. We will have another treaty day out. And those are going to be key events to continue to share back to our community about how we're progressing around Treaty. And we will also have half-way through the year Yoorrook providing their final report. And their final recommendations. So those are going to be important things that factor into our journey next year."
The Yoorrook Justice Commission is Australia’s first formal truthtelling process about the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal people.
Premier Jacinta Allan says the findings could be incorporated into curriculum to ensure all children learn about the state's past and about persisting inequalities.
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The Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia in Australia, Mr Aftab Malik, has described the latest Islamophobic graffiti incident in western Sydney as unacceptable and crossing all lines.
New South Wales police are investigating a potential hate crime after Islamophobic graffiti was painted on a busy underpass in Sydney's west over the weekend.
Incidents of abuse and assaults towards Australian Muslims have been recorded on the Islamophobia Register.
The initiative has found more incidents of Islamophobia recorded in Australia in the 12 months following the October 7 Hamas attack [[2023]] - than in the entire eight years before.
Mr Malik told SBS Arabic that incidents like this place a great deal of pressure on social cohesion, and it takes a strong leadership to stand up against hatred.
"Regarding the message itself, what was sprayed was appalling, and it's simply unacceptable, and it crosses the line from free speech to hate speech. And in the multicultural and the multi-faith Australia that we are in, that, that has no place whatsoever. That message can only do one thing. It can only feel hate and division."
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Defence Minister Richard Marles has left open the possibility that Australian troops could play a role in peacekeeping in Ukraine as part of a post-war security pact.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his 10-point peace plan includes proper and effective security guarantees for Ukraine, including renewed post-war security architecture.
Speaking after a meeting with Britain's Defence Minister John Healey in London, Mr Marles says he hasn't ruled out Australia contributing to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
"We will continue to look at ways in which we can support Ukraine for a long as it takes and we will work really closely with the UK as to what that commitment looks like. Obviously, we work with Ukraine itself."
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Ukraine's military intelligence agency and the Pentagon say North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk border region.
They are the first reported casualties since North Korean troops joined Russian forces in the almost three-year war.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency says around 30 North Korean troops were killed or wounded while fighting the Ukrainian army over the weekend.
US national security spokesman John Kirby says North Korean troops are taking casualties in the fighting - and he has promised there will be a strong response on sanctions against North Korea.
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A Chinese businessman has been barred from the UK because of concerns he cultivated links with Prince Andrew in an alleged effort to influence British elites on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
The man as now been identified as Yang Tengbo [[after an anonymity order was lifted]].
He denies being involved in espionage and says insists he has "done nothing wrong or unlawful".
The allegations represent the most high-profile example to date of a threat intelligence officials have repeatedly warned about: China’s increasing efforts to secretly influence politicians and other members of the British establishment to support the country's expansionist policies.
Britain's Foreign Minister, David Lammy, says the government is monitoring individuals who pose a threat to the country.
"I welcome the court's decision to uphold the Home Office's position on Yang's exclusion and where individuals pose a threat, as you would expect, the UK government is absolutely committed to using the full range of powers available to disrupt them. I raised these issues when I was in Beijing a few weeks ago. This case does not exist, sadly, in a vacuum."
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A teenage student and a teacher are among three people killed in a shooting at a private Christian school in Wisconsin.
Six others are injured.
Authorities say the suspected attacker was a student at the school and is also among the dead.
The incident happened in the final week before the Christmas break at the Abundant Life Christian School that teaches about 390 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Madison Police Chief [[Mr]] Shon Barnes says the police officers on the scene acted decisively.
"The fire chief and I was in a commander's training less than two weeks ago, going over this exact same scenario for another fictional location. So all of that came into play today. And our officers performed extremely well - based on their training, and based on their expectations that they know what exactly to do. Stop the threat, stop the killing, find the threat."
He says it is too early to know the shooter's motive - and that will be determined in the police investigation.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway says this will impact the community for quite some time - and more will need to be done to prevent gun violence.
"It is incredibly important that we take care of our community in this very difficult time. We all have a role in preventing gun violence. Our entire community needs to be part of the solution here. There are many things we can do. And we can have those conversations in coming days. But first and foremost - what needs to be a priority for all of us is supporting our young people."
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The ABC's new managing director has been named as Hugh Marks, the former Nine Entertainment chief executive.
He replaces David Anderson, who announced in August he would be departing from the role [[coming just one year after he was reappointed for a second five-year term]].
ABC's chair, Kim Williams, who started in the role in March after previously heading News Limited, says the new appointment of Mr Marks will help the organisation navigate the digital transformation, particularly with his "strong history of innovation in online delivery".
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In the NRL [[National Rugby League]], Anthony Seibold has had his contract as Sea Eagles head coach extended for two more seasons.
He says being in the role until the end of 2027 will allow him the time to help the club deliver a premiership during his tenure.
Manly have had ups and downs over the last few years, making the preliminary finals in 2021 before missing the top-eight the next two years.
In a statement, Seibold says he wants to make the community, members and supporters proud to follow the club; and he also wants to inspire the next generation of Sea Eagles players and supporters.
