TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin,
- Thousands across Australia join rallies against Queensland's ban on gender-affirming care;
- A US federal judge says he will order a pause on Donald Trump's withdrawal of foreign aid programs;
- And in sport, Golf Australia to separate the men's and women's tournaments once again.
Thousands of transgender people and allies have attended rallies across the country after gender-affirming care was banned in some parts of the country.
The rallies come a week after the Queensland government paused any new patients under 18 accessing gender-affirming care including puberty blockers and hormone therapies while a probe into the services is carried out.
The federal government also announced that Australia's peak medical body would review the health care provided to transgender and gender-diverse children.
Riley Brooke attended the rally in Sydney and says the Queensland government's limits on healthcare access for trans youth is terrifying.
"Trans rights are not up for negotiation. Trans people are everywhere, trans people have always been here, trans people are not going away. And attacks on trans people are attacks on all of us. The same politicians who are coming after trans people are coming after queer people, coming after people of colour, immigrants. It's both the Liberal party and the Labor party out here attacking trans people and attacking all of us."
—
Eyes are on Prahran and Werribee in Victoria, as locals head to polls today for two key state by-elections ahead of the federal election.
Labor hopes to retain the seat of Werribee in western Victoria. It's been Labor seat since 1976, and was held by former state treasurer Tim Pallas until his resignation.
The Greens hope to keep the inner-city suburb of Prahran, following the resignation of former Greens MP Sam Hibbins.
But as the by-election is held ahead of the federal election, Victorian Greens MP Tim Read the results could have implications for both state and federal politics.
"What's really important is whoever wins tonight, it's the big issue, whether it's climate change, housing inequality, cost of living, they are still gonna be there tomorrow morning, and by-elections do give you funny result, so it's important not to read too much into them, but the issues, they are not gonna go away, depending on who wins, and those issues are gonna be coming increasingly important for both Premier and opposition leader at the state level, and for the PM and opposition leader federally."
—
A federal judge in the United States says he will issue a temporary restraining order to pause the shutdown of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
President Donald Trump has ordered an imminent administrative leave of 2,200 USAID employees, and planned to withdraw most of the agency's overseas workers within a month.
Judge Nichols, a 2019 Trump appointees, was ruling on a lawsuit filed by a public service workers union over Mr Trump's order.
He says the ordered pause would allow further "expedited" argument to determine the legality of the actions by Mr Trump's administration.
—
Australia has made its first almost $800 million payment to the US for the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.
Speaking from the United States, deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles says the defence pact has received support from the current Trump administration.
"Look I think the very unique nature of the agreement that we have where we are not only paying for the Virginia submarines but in addition to that making a contribution to the $2 billion to the United States industrial base is a very unique and significant step. I think that was appreciated as it was that we made the first payment in respect to that in the last week."
Mr Marles also met with the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, and the pair discussed security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
—
And in sport,
Golf Australia has decided they will again seperate the men's and women's Australian Opens.
This comes as leading players, including Cameron Smith and Minjin Lee expressed opposition to the shared timeslot.
The past three Australian Opens have seen men and women play at the same two venues concurrently in late November-early December.
Smith was the most outspoken critic last year, slamming the "soft and slow" conditions at the two famed Melbourne courses which he claimed had reduced the Opens to "American-style target golf".
