1. Greens health spokesperson Senator Richard Di Natale has been on the receiving end of a online hate campaign, after he moved a motion calling for the Australian Vaccination Network be “immediately disbanded”. The motion was unanimously passed in the Senate. According to News Ltd, one email accused the Senator of “chemical rape” and the “torture of defenseless infants and countless other innocent victims besides”.
The Greens Party is also concerned that the leader of the AVN, Greg Beattie, may have recorded a phone conversation with Senator Di Natale without telling him. The Senator explained that “in the past [some of] the AVN have engaged in all sorts of behaviour, including harassing the families of children who have died from preventable diseases, used AVOs to silence critics, called doctors terrorists, and compared vaccination to rape.”
You can read more about some of the AVN’s bullying tactics here.
2. Ten Australian Defence Force Academy cadets have been suspended (and up to 20 are under investigation) after a drunken pub crawl last month, where cadets were encouraged to participate in hazing rituals including drinking urine and having intercourse with a sex worker.
3. The parents of a four-year-old Queensland girl who died after swallowing a lithium battery have warned other parents to be vigilant. “Sadly, what occurred could have happened to anyone with small children and we sincerely hope this tragedy will act as a warning to all parents,” Brad and Andrea Steer said in a statement published by News Limited papers. They described their daughter Summer as a “little pocket rocket” who was constantly on the go.4. New rules that require major mobile phone service providers to provide more detailed information about the costs of using mobile phones overseas, will be announced by Communications Minister Anthony Albanese today. In the past, Australian travellers have been hit with mobile phone bills costing thousands of dollars, after trying to use their phone for only a limited time outside the country. The new rules will come into effect on September 27.
5. In an interview with Triple J’s Hack, Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said marriage equality would happen in Australia. When asked if the Australian Labor Party would push these reforms through, Albanese said, “yes”. Albanese later clarified for News Ltd that, “While marriage equality is a matter for a conscience vote, history has shown that the removal of discrimination in Australia has been led by Labor … After the election the Liberal and National parties should also allow its members the right of a conscience vote on this important issue.”
6. The political crisis in Egypt has heightened, after President Mohamed Morsi refused to comply with demands to step down from his position. The Egyptian army released a statement that gave Mr Morsi 48 hours to act, saying the 40 hour ultimatum was his “last chance.”
7. According to the ABC, a former NSW Catholic priest has been charged over multiple instances of child sexual abuse that occurred during the 1970s and 1980s. The 70-year-old man was arrested at his home in the NSW Blue Mountains yesterday. There are believed to be five victims who were aged between the ages of 11 and 15 at the time.
8. Police in Melbourne have released CCTV images of a man who is wanted over a brutal sex attack in the CBD on the weekend. The footage was taken from a restaurant on the corner of King and La Trobe Streets. A 23-year-old new mum was reportedly raped and bashed in a lane way around 10 minutes walk from where the footage was taken. The woman was taken to hospital and had to have plastic surgery on her face. Anyone who has seen the man should contact police.