Key occasions
720 new secure areas introduced for ladies and kids escaping violence
The Albanese authorities has asserting funding for 720 new secure areas over the following three years, offering emergency accomodation for ladies and kids experiencing household and home violence.
This can convey the entire variety of emergency accomodation locations delivered underneath the Protected Areas Program throughout the nation to round 1500, as soon as the initiatives are accomplished.
This system offers a capital funding to fund the constructing, renovation or buy of emergency accomodation. Round 4200 ladies and kids are supported every year by the present websites.
An announcement mentioned the initiatives may have a deal with enhancing entry for First Nations ladies and kids, ladies and kids from CALD backgrounds and ladies and kids with incapacity.
Minister for social companies, Amanda Rishworth, mentioned:
Household and home violence is among the main causes of homelessness and housing uncertainty for ladies and kids throughout Australia, and we all know there’s an elevated demand for emergency lodging.
Initiatives will likely be funding in every state and territory, and are anticipated to be full and delivering companies by June 2027.
Burney on Alice Springs curfew: ‘No 1 priority should be safety of people in central Australia’
Yesterday a snap three-day curfew was introduced for Alice Springs after a collection of alleged violent assaults.
The curfew will cowl components of the CBD from 10pm to 6am, with police commissioner Michael Murphy stating a collection of crimes on the weekend had contributed to the choice:
In a single day minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney launched a press release on the curfew and acknowledged communities within the crimson centre had been “doing it tough”:
The short-term curfew is an operational choice for the NT Police – and the primary precedence ought to be the protection of individuals in Central Australia.
Because the Police Commissioner has rightly mentioned, policing alone received’t clear up among the social points going through Central Australia. That’s why investments in youth companies, home violence companies, faculties and distant housing are so essential.
The challenges confronting communities in Central Australia have developed over many years and options will take time. However with governments and the group working collectively, I’m assured we’ll make progress.
Good morning
Emily Wind
And pleased Tuesday – because of Martin for kicking issues off. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the weblog at present.
As all the time, you may attain out with any questions, ideas or suggestions by way of X, @emilywindwrites, or you may ship me an e mail: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s go.
Australian utilizing document quantity of illicit medicine
Elias Visontay
Australians are consuming document numbers of illicit medicine, with cocaine use gaining popularity throughout the nation in latest months and methamphetamine use growing in cities, as hashish stays by far probably the most consumed substance nationwide.
On Tuesday, the Australian Felony Intelligence Fee launched its newest wastewater drug monitoring program information protecting December 2023 to February 2024, which revealed a number of key variations between drug use habits in capital cities and regional areas.
Hashish consumption remained Australia’s hottest illicit drug “by a large margin”, in line with the report, although use in regional areas is “substantially higher” on common than in capital cities. Whereas remaining probably the most consumed of the substances, its use dropped off barely in the latest information in each capital cities and regional areas.
Cocaine consumption has been growing throughout each regional areas and capital cities, and has elevated in most jurisdictions since document lows in August 2022. Nationwide common cocaine consumption in December 2023 was on the highest degree since reporting started in August 2016.
Methamphetamine use additionally rose steadily. This per capita reputation was seen notably in regional areas, with the December 2023 information suggesting regional use reached its highest since August 2022 whereas capital metropolis use was at its highest since August 2016.
MDMA consumption has additionally been growing, in line with the info, with the December 2023 information suggesting nationwide common consumption throughout capital cities and regional websites have been at their highest degree since August 2020.
Whereas hashish was the most well-liked substance nationwide, the info prompt differing tastes between cities. In Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, methamphetamine was the second hottest illicit substance, adopted by cocaine. In Melbourne and Perth, methamphetamine was the second hottest substance, adopted by heroin.
Cash launderers utilizing casinos and property, Mark Dreyfus says
Josh Butler
The lawyer normal has warned that critical criminals are utilizing casinos, actual property and luxurious items to launder their cash, with the federal government to launch new threat assessments to focus on such companies.
Mark Dreyfus will seem on the Nationwide Press Membership on Tuesday to debate terrorism financing and cash laundering, alongside CEO of monetary crime company Austrac, Brendan Thomas.
In accordance with advance notes of his speech, the lawyer normal says the federal government has “no tolerance for corruption or illicit financing of any kind”, warning of coming enhancements to monetary crime methods.
Dreyfus is anticipated to say:
We wish to modernise the Anti-Cash Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act to make sure it retains tempo with the more and more digital, on the spot nature of our international monetary system – closing these gaps that we all know more and more subtle, skilled felony organisations can exploit.
Cash laundering is just not a victimless crime. We’ve to behave. We can’t afford any additional delay.
Dreyfus will warn that drug trafficking, terrorism and youngster exploitation are being financed by such cash laundering, and particularly pointed to a number of enterprise sorts.
Dreyfus will say:
The cash laundering Nationwide Threat Evaluation exhibits that criminals proceed to take advantage of established and authorized channels – corresponding to money, luxurious items, actual property, home banks, casinos and remitters to launder funds in Australia.
As I’m positive Brendan will point out, the insights and threat assessments offered by Austrac – corresponding to these being launched at present – ought to be heeded by trade and used to tell their identification and administration of cash laundering and terrorism financing dangers. Importantly, additionally they ship a transparent sign about excessive threat industries and people threats and vulnerabilities to which we should listen.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our dwell weblog of all of the day’s information. I’m Martin Farrer and listed here are among the prime in a single day strains earlier than my colleague Emily Wind takes up the reins.
Fatima Payman’s resignation from Labor final week over disagreement about coverage on Palestinian statehood has awoken a risk that the celebration might face a critical problem in inner-city seats from independents backed by Muslim teams and voters. We look at who the teams is likely to be, which MPs they may goal, and what it means for Australia if the politics of spiritual points turn out to be extra central.
The lawyer normal, Mark Dreyfus, will inform the Nationwide Press Membership at present that the nation has to behave to cease drug traffickers and terrorists exploiting actual property, banks, casinos and different authorized channels to launder cash and revenue from their crimes. Dreyfus will pledge to modernise cash laundering and counter-terrorism laws with the intention to crack down on a present system that’s “allowing criminals to profit from their offending”.
The most recent survey of wastewater reveals that Australians are consuming extra illicit medicine than ever earlier than. Hashish stays the most well-liked drug – particularly in regional areas – whereas cocaine use has risen after falling through the pandemic years. Its use is extra widespread in cities, in line with the Australian Felony Intelligence Fee’s wastewater information protecting December 2023 to February this yr.
