TRANSCRIPT
- Anthony Albanese defends his handling of national security
- An appeal date set over a nursing home taser killing
- Arsenal defeat defending champions Real Madrid to book a spot in the Champions League semi-final
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has again declined to answer questions on when his government learned of a Russian push to secure an airbase in the Indonesian province of Papua.
It comes after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton admitted he had made a mistake in suggesting Indonesia's President had publicly announced Russia's request.
Indonesia has since assured the government it has no plans to allow a Russian airbase, but Russia did confirm that security discussions have taken place.
Asked when he learnt about the request, Mr Albanese replied that the premise of the request was wrong, and he criticised Mr Dutton for his approach.
"Why didn't Labor know about something that is not happening?" That is the question that has been asked. It's not happening. There's not a base. There was no statement from the Indonesian President. No statement from the Indonesian Defence Minister, no statement from the Indonesian Foreign Minister. And the question is - how could Peter Dutton, if he is successful on 3 May, deal with the President of Indonesia which is so important for Australia?"
Mr Dutton maintains that it is concerning that the Prime Minister appeared to be unaware of conversations between Indonesia and Russia, until they were published in a British defence journal.
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An appeal hearing has been scheduled for late June as New South Wales prosecutors challenge the sentence handed to a former police officer who fatally tasered an aged care resident.
They say Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison made a number of errors in imposing a community corrections order, instead of sending Kristian White to prison.
White had been convicted of manslaughter over the 2023 death of 95 year-old dementia patient, Clare Nowland.
He was handed a two-year good behaviour bond last month, and ordered to complete community service.
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A childcare centre in Melbourne will close for up to six months after the discovery of lead in the soil of the kindergarten area.
The discovery was made at the Flemington facility last October when soil was tested in preparation for planned upgrades.
A statement from Goodstart says the risk of contamination for children or staff is low but safety is their highest priority.
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United States President Donald Trump has pledged to combat what he sees as anti-Christian bias in schools.
Mr Trump has held an Easter Prayer Service for 40 Christian leaders at the White House.
Speaking to the leaders, Mr Trump has called the death and resurrection of Jesus two of the most monumental events in history.
He says his administration's decision to abolish the Department of Education will fix many problems in American schooling.
"I proudly created the White House Faith office and a brand new DOJ task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias. And there is anti-Christian. You don't hear about that very much. But there is anti-Christian bias. We're stopping the radical indoctrination in our schools and supporting school choice. And we're going to be moving our education department and various educational departments down to the states where they belong."
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And in football, Arsenal has defeated defending champions Real Madrid 2-1 to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009.
Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
