TRANSCRIPT
- Office of the Special Investigator will continue to examine matters depite dropping a key war crimes investigation
- Australia Day celebrations banned from hundreds of pubs next month
- Arne Slot says he feels no sympathy for rival Man City boss after Liverpool's 2-0 win
The Office of the Special Investigator will continue to examine matters referred to it, despite the dropping of a war crimes investigation in Afghanistan.
The OSI has been criticised for only prosecuting one soldier almost four years after it was created by the Morrison government to investigate the Brereton inquiry’s findings that war crimes were allegedly committed by ADF personnel in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.
The report found at least 39 Afghans may have been executed by about two dozen special forces soldiers.
In response to a question by SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson asking how Australia will achieve justice for the families and the members of the military who have spoken up, Minister for Defence Richard Marles has said the government has discharged its duty and the independent body will proceed with matters it believes are prosecutable.
"The work of the Office of the Special Investigator will continue as matters have now been referred to it. It is an independent prosecuting authority which obviously stands at arm's length from government and must, just as the DPP stands at arm's length from government and the decisions that it makes in terms of what cases it takes forward and what it doesn't are based on its assessments of the likely success at trial."
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Police are searching for a man believed to be responsible for the shooting deaths of two people found inside a suburban home on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula earlier today.
The bodies of the man and the woman were discovered with gunshot wounds in Rye just after 4am this morning after reports of an early morning fight.
Homicide detectives say they believe the suspected gunman and the two people found deceased are all known to each other.
This neighbour says everyone is shocked by the shootings, describing the suburb as an otherwise safe and quiet area.
"It's confronting because anytime you hear of a homicide then you think 'What's going on?'. Generally, this is sort of what I'd define as an outlier – something that is just uncharacteristic for the court. So that's probably the more surprising thing for me."
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Australia Day celebrations will be banned from hundreds of pubs next month after a major hospitality group announced it will not be marking the national holiday.
Australian Venue Co, which owns about 200 pubs and bars across the country, says the day causes sadness and hurt for many patrons and staff.
The impact of the ban will be especially felt in Queensland where the company owns about 90 venues, including the Wickham Hotel and The Boundary Hotel in Brisbane - but it also has many popular drinking holes in Sydney, such as Untied, Cargo Bar, and Bungalow8.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says the company is free to do what it wants - but he personally believes the move is misguided.
"These are matters for private companies. We don't dictate from the government when and where people should celebrate but I don't think it's what the majority of people in the state or the country agree with and I also think there has to be a sense of national occasion – rounding out the summer with Australia Day still an important annual event."
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United States President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, who was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun.
The younger Biden had also pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion trial.
The White House has said repeatedly, as recently as September, that Biden would not pardon or commute the sentences of his son, a recovering drug addict.
But Biden now says while he believes in the justice system, the prosecution of Hunter was politically motivated, which led to a miscarriage of justice.
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To sport,
Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he feels no sympathy for rival boss Pep Guardiola after his high-flying side piled on the misery for fading champions Manchester City.
Liverpool's 2 to nothing win is City's fourth successive Premier League defeat, and put the Reds in firm command at the top.
It is the worst run of Guardiola's glittering career.
But Arne Slot says given the Spaniard's past successes – 18 trophies with City alone – he will come bouncing back.
" Pep has won so many things, and he's shown so many times already, that's why the league is not decided in November or December. Last season they were eight points behind Arsenal, I think somewhere in February, so, no one has to feel empathy or sorry for Pep, maybe for other managers, but not for Pep, he's won so many things and he will be able to bring City back."
