Australia abortion laws: Terminations now legal in New South Wales - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Abortion has been decriminalised across Australia after the last remaining state where it was illegal, New South Wales (NSW), voted to reform its laws.

The bill, passed on Thursday, overturns a 119-year-old law which had been criticised by opponents as archaic.

The legislation had generated weeks of heated debate and deeply divided the state's conservative government.

Previously, abortions were possible in NSW only if a doctor deemed there was "serious risk" to a woman's health.

The legislation was passed 26-14 in the state's lower house after discussions about more than 100 possible amendments. It has already been approved by the upper house.

The law makes it legal for terminations to be conducted up to 22 weeks into a woman's pregnancy - or later if two doctors agree.

The reform had been strongly opposed by some activists and MPs who raised objections due to their personal beliefs, as well as concerns about late-term abortions.

But last-minute amendments ultimately persuaded some conservative MPs, and the bill drew support from other parties.

"The current law has meant women and doctors have a threat of 10 years in jail for making this decision and that's not okay," said Labor MP Penny Sharpe, one of the bill's co-sponsors.

"This is a massive step forward for women in this state."

You might also be interested in:

• Abortion law in Northern Ireland to change
• Q&A: Abortion law in the UK

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-49834734

2019-09-26 07:17:36Z
52780393822593

In a First for Australia, the Capital Legalizes Recreational Marijuana - The New York Times

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

1. In a First for Australia, the Capital Legalizes Recreational Marijuana  The New York Times
2. Australian Capital Territory legalises personal cannabis use  BBC News
3. Canberra becomes the first city in Australia to legalize marijuana  CNN
4. Australian Capital Territory votes to legalise cannabis for personal use  The Guardian
5. Australia's capital city legalizes marijuana  CNBC
6. View full coverage on Google News

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/world/australia/marijuana-cannabis-recreational-legal.html

2019-09-25 09:35:00Z
52780393420761

Australian Capital Territory legalises personal cannabis use - BBC News

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has become the first jurisdiction in the nation to legalise recreational cannabis use.

Lawmakers in the territory passed a landmark bill on Wednesday allowing adults to possess up to 50 grams of the drug and to grow four plants at home.

Personal cannabis use remains prohibited elsewhere in Australia, but medicinal use was legalised in 2016.

The territory's law could be overturned if challenged at a federal level.

Recreational cannabis use is legal in countries including Canada, Spain, Uruguay, and several US states including California.

About 35% of Australians aged over 14 have used the drug in their lifetime, health authorities say.

The ACT has almost 400,000 residents and comprises the city of Canberra and surrounding areas.

Under its legislation - to come into effect on 31 January - it will remain illegal to sell cannabis and to consume it in public or around children.

Supporters say the law aims to reduce risk and stigma for users of the drug, while opponents argue it could introduce more people to harmful drug-taking.

Because it is not a state, the ACT is more vulnerable to its laws being overturned by the federal government. This happened in 2013, for instance, when its decision to legalise same-sex marriage was reversed.

Lawmakers who sponsored the bill on Wednesday said they were "very confident" that it would not be challenged by federal politicians.

However, they acknowledged that there were additional legal uncertainties.

"This does not entirely remove the risk of people being arrested under [federal] law, and we are being up front with the community about that," Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said in the ACT Legislative Assembly.

New Zealand is due to hold a referendum next year on whether it should legalise the drug.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-49820735

2019-09-25 08:15:44Z
52780393420761

David Attenborough attacks Australian PM on climate record and support for coal - CNN

The renowned broadcaster and natural historian used an interview with ABC's "Hack" program to criticize recent developments in Australia's approach to climate change.

He said that while previous administrations had been "saying all the right things," under Morrison that had changed.

In June, authorities granted Indian billionaire Gautam Adani the green light to start building a new coal mine in the state of Queensland despite fierce opposition from climate change campaigners.

"You are the keepers of an extraordinary section of the surface of this planet, including the Barrier Reef, and what you say, what you do, really, really matters," said Attenborough.

"And then you suddenly say, 'No it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how much coal we burn ... we don't give a damn what it does to the rest of the world.'"

Environmental activists say the Queensland mine will be a "death sentence" for the Great Barrier Reef because of the high levels of carbon pollution that coal produces.

Large parts of the reef have already been destroyed by rising ocean temperatures linked to global warming.

Attenborough also highlighted a February 2017 incident in which then treasurer Morrison brought a lump of coal into the Australian parliament's Question Time, a regular opportunity for politicians to raise issues with government ministers.

Morrison said he was making a joke but Attenborough disagreed, emphasizing his support for the proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland.

"I don't think it was a joke," he said.

"If you weren't opening a coal mine okay I would agree, it's a joke. But you are opening a coal mine."

Attenborough went on to express his support for the recent climate protests in many cities around the world.

"Young people see things very clearly. And they are speaking very clearly to politicians," he said.

"But if they actually do something in the way that they have been doing in this era, then politicians have to sit up and take notice."

The broadcaster appeared to approve of the tactics employed by protesters, who have taken to blocking roads in many places.

"And you can say, 'It gets you nowhere, just stopping the traffic'. But it gets you notice. People listen to what you say. And that you're important," he said.

"And they are important. They are the people who are going to inherit the mess that we've made."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/24/asia/attenborough-australia-climate-scli-intl/index.html

2019-09-24 09:10:00Z
CAIiEGw6DK1OrKRQAVn6K9fdKOgqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMPrTpgU

Australia's Gladys Liu scandal shows how the Chinese Communist Party is weaponizing race - CNN

In May 2019, Gladys Liu from the Victorian seat of Chisholm became the first female Chinese-Australian elected to sit in the Australian Lower House of Parliament. That was a significant milestone and not before time given there are approximately 1.2 million citizens with Chinese ancestry in a nation of 25 million. What was then a celebration of progress with respect to ethnic diversity amongst the ranks of politicians has descended into controversy.

Over the past month, it was revealed that Liu was previously associated with Australia-based organizations with alleged ties to the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Known as an effective fund raiser for her Liberal Party, there are also questions about the links of those donors to Beijing, which Liu allegedly tapped for money.

Liu has strenuously denied any association with the Chinese government, saying she would always put "Australia's interests first," and said she would audit local organizations which had listed her as a member without her permission.

Australia is at the forefront of calling out and passing legislation against covert influence and foreign interference activities by Chinese operatives. The United Front, which is supported by considerable resources and a vast bureaucratic operation, was called one of his "magical weapons" by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014. One of the objectives is to co-opt ethnic Chinese individuals and organizations in foreign countries or else silence dissent.

Unlike the former Labor Senator Sam Dastyari who was forced to resign in December 2017, there is no evidence Liu has opposed government policy nor colluded with foreign entities against Australian authorities in return for financial largesse from donors allegedly linked to the United Front. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has strongly backed Liu and indicated there were no adverse findings against her made public by Australian intelligence agencies.

Regardless of how this plays out for Liu, the deeply uncomfortable issue for pluralistic democratic societies of the link between race and allegiance has been pulled into the spotlight.

Are Australian citizens of Chinese origin less supportive of Australian interests and values? Will this question be asked of large ethnic Chinese diasporas in countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand? One should expect that an increasing number of ethnic Chinese citizens will seek to win office in their respective countries. Might the controversy surrounding Liu dissuade them from doing so -- to our collectively detriment -- and how to ensure that does not occur?

As awkward as it is, there is no escaping that race and ethnicity has become a legitimate political and national security issue and we need to be frank and upfront about the cause.

It is occurring primarily because the Communist Party has chosen to politicize and even weaponize race as a tool of foreign policy and subversion.

Xi has delivered multiple speeches and made it formal policy to demand loyalty and commitment from diasporas who the Party refers to as the "sons and daughters" of China. The United Front is the apparatus of choice. This implies one's identity and loyalty are not defined by nationality but race or ethnicity.

In Australia, the majority of Chinese-language press are owned by entities with at least partial links to Beijing. The problem is compounded by the reality that social media platforms used by Chinese-Australians such as WeChat and Weibo are already moderated and censored. Some Australian-based Chinese community organizations have either been set-up specifically to influence the diaspora while existing ones are targets for influence and infiltration through financial incentives or else intimidation. The result is that many of these organizations now parrot Communist Party views on sensitive issues such as the South China Sea and Taiwan.

As in all liberal democracies, Australians of every ethnicity should feel free to hold and express their legitimate views without fear of censure or consequences. The point is not to tell the Chinese diaspora what they should think -- it is to protect them against foreign governments telling them what they must think.

Members of Chinese community organizations in the West and the population at large both need to have the assurance that these organizations are not front entities for Beijing or have been otherwise infiltrated to support the Communist Party's agenda. If that assurance is lacking, all members will inevitably and unfairly be tainted simply by association. That will only lead to the fracturing of multicultural societies.

If Chinese diasporas are to feel respected and valued in Australia and other countries, and if more ethnic Chinese citizens are to be encouraged to run for political office, the countering of Beijing's United Front operations needs to be taken seriously. That is the source of the divide in the first place. Legislation prohibiting such activities ought to be passed. There needs to be transparency in media ownership. Politicians, community leaders and individuals must be given the space and support to call out external attempts to covertly influence, silence or intimidate.

Most of all, the perceived link between race on the one hand and one's loyalty and views on the other, must be broken. In Australia's case, failure to do so could mean that Liu is the first and last Chinese-born Australian to enter federal politics in the country -- with ramifications in other democracies.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/23/opinions/gladys-liu-china-australia-opinion-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-09-24 05:20:00Z
CAIiEC41q93Zg7zVuFksSwYhPjUqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMKrUpgU

Australia Is Using New Technology to Catch Drivers on Phones - TIME

this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://time.com/5683862/australia-technology-drivers-driving-phones/

2019-09-23 09:43:41Z
52780390040904

Donald Trump hosts Australia PM at the White House - BBC News

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is only the second leader to receive a state dinner under President Trump. What does this visit have in store for the Aussies?

James Glenday from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation explains all you need to know.

Edited by Chloe Kim

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-49730164/donald-trump-hosts-australia-pm-at-the-white-house

2019-09-20 09:23:21Z
52780387854098