As it happened:Rental inflation expected to soar;Ukraine still waiting for urgent shipment of Australian coal

This is where we will conclude today’s live coverage. Thanks for reading.

To wrap up,here are the top stories we covered today:

An open letter signed by three prominent Australian human rights groups has called on the government to confirm Australia’s support to the International Criminal Court and condemn Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s comments on the court.

The Australian Centre for International Justice,the Human Rights Law Centre and Amnesty International Australia signed the joint letter,which said the organisations were “alarmed by a rise in public comments in Australia and abroad threatening the independence of the ICC”.

The letter,addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong,also says that “the remarks by the Leader of the Opposition undermine Australia’s commitment to international law and
promote a culture of impunity”.

Nine Entertainment has commissioned an independent review of its newsroom culture as staff anger escalates over the way management has dealt with allegations of lecherous behaviour and toxic leadership centred on former television news boss Darren Wick.

Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby addressed staff on Monday afternoon and sent an all-staff email which acknowledged the serious allegations against Wick. Those allegations involved inappropriately touching female staff at Nine functions such as Christmas parties and the Logies television awards.

He said the review would be handled by an external firm and would provide advice on how things could be done better in future.

Sneesby also said the “alleged serious failings of leadership in television news clearly tells me more work needs to be done to ensure we have a safe and inclusive workplace throughout Nine”.

Read the full story here.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia has called on the government to provide a thermal coal “lifeline”,telling ABC’sAfternoon Briefing that,without it,“the winter will kill us”.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko made the comments following anexclusive report in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that found Ukraine had appealed directly to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong for an urgent shipment of coal.

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Ukraine pleaded for help from Australia six months ago. It hasn’t received a reply

The report said Ukraine is concerned a shipment won’t arrive in time for the European winter despite the request being made in December last year.

Myroshnychenko said he was “still expecting a response from the government”,and explained that “Ukraine needs an all year round supply of thermal coal,and for us,it is not a choice but a lifeline because without thermal coal,while Russia is there on a daily basis,winter will kill us”.

He continued that Ukraine was very grateful for Australia’s support in 2022,but that they again needed coal not just for heating but to produce the electricity required for the defence industry and economy.

Myroshnychenko explained that he had asked the government to consider the request again:

“It still could be possible and Australia is producing plenty of coal and that would be very highly appreciated,a contribution to Ukraine’s support and survival.”

The WA government has outlined the changes it will make to gun laws in the aftermath of the murders of a Perth mother and daughter by a man,Mark Bombara,who was hunting for his ex-wife.

WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said that the state laws,which are currently before the state’s lower house,would state categorically that the use of a firearm is a “privilege” that is conditional on “public safety”.

“This assumption drives every other part of the law and impacts every single firearms licence holder in the state,” Papalia said.

Papalia detailed how the new laws could have helped stop Bombara before he committed the crimes.

“He would have been impacted by the numerical limits of the new laws,in that he would have only been able to possess five firearms,” Papalia said.

“He would have been subject to a health check with a mental health component,and the collector’s licenses that he held would have been far stricter or subject to far stricter regulation and requirements,which would have prevented him from being approved as a collector.”

Papalia also confirmed there will be no recreational licence in the new laws.

WA Premier Roger Cook has just announced his government will introduce “the toughest gun laws in Australia”,after it was a revealed a man who allegedly murdered a mother and daughter in Perth before turning the gun on himself was the legal owner of 13 firearms.

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‘He was law-abiding,until he wasn’t’:How murderer of WA women owned 13 guns

“It’s hard to fathom one man,13 guns legally owned right in the suburbs of Perth,” Cook said.

“Our firearm reforms are before the parliament right now. They will be debated in the Legislative Council tomorrow. They will be the toughest gun laws in Australia.”

Cook also indicated he was open to further reforms pending a review into the murders.

Cook continued:

I’ve asked the police minister to closely review what happened on Friday to see if there’s any further changes that we can make to make these laws,even tougher.

We owe that to Jennifer and to Gretel,because anything we can do to reduce the access to guns will reduce the chances of another tragedy like this.”

The Papua New Guinea national disaster centre said that Friday’slandslide in a remote village in the northern part of the country buried more than 2,000 people.

“The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction to buildings,food gardens and caused major impact on the economic lifeline of the country,” an official from the national disaster centre said in a letter to the United Nations.

Reuters

Labor senator Fatima Payman has taken to social media to again accuse Israel of conducting a genocide inGaza and to call for recognition of a Palestinian state.

In a post to X,Payman called videos of “beheaded babies” circulating on social media “deplorable”.

Payman has previously received criticism from her Labor colleagues over her use of the pro-Palestine chant “from the river to the sea,Palestine will be free”,with the government joining with the opposition to condemn the slogan in the senate.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he considered Payman’s use of the phrase inappropriate,but sidestepped opposition calls to remove her from a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs.

Students manning the ANU pro-Palestinian encampment have refused orders to leave,as police warn protesters they have until 12pm tomorrow before they begin arresting people.

Negotiations between police and protesters were unsuccessful,as member of the ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment Nick Reich conveyed to students:“The decision has been made to stay,” he said earlier today.

Speaking over a megaphone this afternoon,ACT Policing said if students wished to continue protesting they should move to a different area of the campus away from the fire evacuation spot they are currently based.

“You are directed to vacate this area by 12pm tomorrow,Tuesday 28 of May 2024,” police said over a loudspeaker.

“Your current position is situated in the fire evacuation zone.”

The announcement was met with shouts of “shame” and chants that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,the Labor Party and the ANU had “blood on[their] hands”.

French President Emmanuel Macron decided on Monday to lift the state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia in a move meant to allow political dialogue following the unrest that left seven people dead and a trail of destruction,his office said.

The president’s office said in a statement the state of emergency would not be extended “for the moment” and would therefore end on Monday at 8pm in Paris,which is 5am on Tuesday in New Caledonia (4am AEDT).

The decision aims at “enabling meetings of the various components” of pro-independence movement FLNKS,the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front,and allow elected officials and other local leaders “in a position to call” for lifting the barricades to go there and meet protesters,the statement said.

Macron repeatedly pushed for the removal of protesters’ barricades with leaders on both sides of New Caledonia’s bitter divide – indigenous Kanaks,who want independence,and the pro-Paris leaders,who do not.

In the statement,he insisted it is “the necessary condition for the opening of concrete and serious negotiations”.

Macron’s move comes after he travelled to New Caledonia last Thursday.

AP