Midday News Bulletin 1 September 2024

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New cost of living measures announced for Australians; Kathleen Folbigg to seek millions in compensation over wrongful conviction; the Wallabies defeat Argentina, re-energising Australia's Rugby Championship campaign.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • New cost of living measures announced for Australians
  • Kathleen Folbigg to seek millions in compensation over wrongful conviction
  • The Wallabies defeat Argentina, re-energising Australia's Rugby Championship campaign
Federal Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth announces new increases to social security payments due to indexation.

Coming into effect on September 20, these changes will see rental assistance go up $23 a fortnight at the maximum rates; and Jobseeker payments increase by $15.30.

Additionally, payments to a single age pensioner will go up by $28.10 a fortnight; and those on a couples pension will see an increase of $42.40.

Minister Rishworth told Sky News the indexation, which occurs twice a year, will help Australians keep up with the cost of living.

"So this is real cost of living relief for people. Indexation is a very very important part of keeping up with the cost of living and it has been disappointing in recent months. We've seen Angus Taylor question the benefit of this indexation but we're proudly saying that indexation is important to ensure those on social security keep up with the cost of living."

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Experts are urging the New South Wales government to grant a multimillion-dollar payout to Kathleen Folbigg who was wrongfully convicted for over 20 years.

Ms Folbigg had been imprisoned for the deaths of her four children before being freed in June 2023 after new scientific evidence cast reasonable doubt over her convictions.

She has now submitted a 100-page statement to the state government on the hardships she endured in prison following a compensation claim submitted in late July.

Dr Xanthe Mallett, a Criminologist at the University of Newcastle, told Channel Seven it's not possible to truly compensate the 57-year-old for all she's suffered but an attempt still needs to be made.

"We can't really answer that. What can we do to compensate her for, not only 20 years incarcerated and the horror she suffered as a result of that incarceration, but also she did that while grieving the death of her four children. She was vilified, she was the most hated woman in Australia so we can't really compensate for that. But what we can do is make her life as easy and comfortable as possible now."

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The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil has divided users, and many are having difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.

The shutdown of Elon Musk's platform, formerly known as Twitter, came into effect today, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps.

This comes after the billionaire missed a deadline imposed by Supreme Court.

The ban marks an escalation in a months-long feud over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.

Some users have praised the decision for addressing extremism while others say social movements and NGOs have also lost their voice in the process.

Twenty-year-old Sao Paulo resident Fernando says he's conflicted.

"Look, when it comes to bans, I'm somewhat against them, but I am in favor of regulating some things. I know Telegram also had some problems. I think Twitter could be regulated because it's kind of a no man's land, and I think that's a bit risky."

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High school students from the New South Wales south coast are showcasing Indigenous culture through two bilingual books written using local Indigenous language, Dhurga.

Entitled 'We belong to the land, we belong to the sea', is a collection of poems and stories written in Dhurga and English by students at Vincentia High School.

The poetry and artworks throughout the book were created during workshops with Gunai author Kirli Saunders and Dharawal artist Jaz Corr.

For students like Jonah Ardler-Pascoe, who wrote the poem 'Diving' for the anthology, the workshops and resulting book were an opportunity to share culture.

He says: "My ancestors used to dive and collect seafood in order to eat and survive, and my poem tries to celebrate this part of my history".

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In rugby union,

The Wallabies have rallied for a comeback 20-19 defeat of Argentina thanks to a Ben Donaldson penalty kick on the siren.

The result has re-energised Australia's Rugby Championship campaign.

Substitute Donaldson slotted the winning kick as the full-time buzzer sounded.

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