Journalist Jackson dies
ABC journalist, Liz Jackson has died on holiday in Greece.
Recognised as one of Australia’s finest journalists, Ms Jackson (pictured) joined the ABC’s Radio National in 1986 and from 1993 worked on television’s Four Corners and Media Watch winning nine Walkley Awards, including the 2006 Gold Walkley.
Her most recent Walkley in 2017 was the Documentary Award for A Sense of Self, a personal account of her own descent into Parkinson’s disease.
Ms Jackson was 67.
Plain packaging upheld
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has rejected claims made against Australia’s tobacco plain packaging legislation.
The claims brought by Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia and Cuba accused Australia of breaching WTO rules but the Organisation confirmed that plain packaging was making a meaningful contribution to improving public health.
Australia was the first country to introduce plain packaging in 2011.
Protections for violence victims
Legislation introduced into Federal Parliament protects victims of serious family violence having to directly cross-examine or be cross-examined by perpetrators of the violence during family law proceedings.
The Family Law Amendment (Family Violence and Cross-examination of Parties) Bill 2018 prohibits direct cross examination in specific and serious circumstances to protect victims from re-traumatisation.
This includes where there are convictions, charges or final family violence orders in place between the parties.
Courts will also have discretion to prohibit direct cross-examination in cases where family violence is alleged and, if a court does not exercise that discretion, it will be mandatory for the court to apply other protections, such as the use of video links or screens in the court room.
Military reservists recognised
The Australian community has been encouraged to recognise the role of the nation’s Navy, Army and Air Force Reservists in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations on the occasion of Reserve Forces Day which was celebrated last Sunday (1 July).
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Darren Chester said Reserve Forces Day was first held on 1 July 1998 to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the reforming of the Citizen Military Forces after World War II.
“Our part-time forces have served alongside their full-time comrades throughout Australia’s military history — from the Boer War through to the present day,” Mr Chester said.
“Reservists have always volunteered in times of emergency, playing an important role in rebuilding the lives of entire communities.”
Pacific workers attracted
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has launched a new scheme to allow workers from Nauru, Kiribati and Tuvalu to come to Australia to earn an income and develop skills by accessing temporary work opportunities.
The ‘Pacific Labour Scheme’ is expected to attract about 2,000 workers and will be targeted at industries with projected job growth and which match Pacific island skill sets, such as hospitality, tourism and aged-care.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop said the Department had established strong measures to guard against unfair and unlawful treatment of the workers.
