Evening News Bulletin 1 November 2024

Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with
SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
The Victorian Greens co-deputy leader has stepped down from the party after admitting to a short, consensual relationship with a staff member in his office.
Member for Prahran, Sam Hibbins, says the relationship ended some time ago but it was a breach of the party room rules.
Mr Hibbins says he deeply regrets what has happened and is working to find the best way forward.
“I can tell you I absolutely own the consequences of my actions. At a time when people are struggling and already disengaged from politics, I know something like this will shake people’s trust in politics even further. But we are human, we make mistakes. The important thing is making amends and focusing on what really matters.”
—
The Royal Australian Mint has started producing new one-dollar coins for the Soloman Islands featuring King Charles III, replacing the image of Queen Elizabeth II.
The coin is expected to begin circulation halfway through next year.
The Central Bank of the Soloman Islands says the coins with Queen Elizabeth’s image will remain legal tender and can still be used for transactions.
Governor of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, Doctor Luke Forau, says the coins have a symbolic importance to the country.
“Soloman Islands is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and it’s a historic monument for us, we share the same values as any other Commonwealth country.”
—
Russia is seeking an unfathomable amount of money from Google after it refused to pay fines to the Kremin for blocking pro-Russian channels on Youtube.
The penalty amounts to more than 30 decillion dollars – that’s 20 billion trillion trillion dollars – more than exists in the world.
By comparison, the gross domestic product of the entire world economy is estimated to be around 167 trillion dollars ((IMF)).
Russian state media says a court ordered Google to restore the channels, many of which had been down since 2022, or face mounting charges doubling weekly.
—
Pauline Hanson has responded to a federal court finding that she had made a racist comment when she told a Muslim senator to pack her bags and go back to Pakistan.
Senator Hanson took to X to say she is deeply disappointed and will be appealing.
Hanson had told Mehreen Faruqi to piss off back to Pakistan after the Senator wrote she could not mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth, who she described as the leader of a racist empire built on lives, land and wealth stolen from colonised peoples.
Senator Hanson has maintained she was engaging in political discourse, but Justice Angus Stewart has found her tweet was unlawful.
Senator Fahruqi says she is pleased with the outcome, which requires Hanson to delete the post and pay her costs for the proceedings.
“This ruling draws a line that hate speech is not free speech. And those who subject people to racial abuse will not get away scot free.”
—
The All Blacks have responded to England prop Joe Marler’s comments on social media that he thought the Haka was ridiculous and needed binning.
Marler has since apologised for any upset his comments caused in New Zealand.
The All Blacks play England at Twickenham on Sunday but Marler won’t be playing after withdrawing for personal reasons prior to making his initial comments.
All Blacks Coach Scott Roberston says the Haka is an important tradition.
“We believe it’s a great tradition of rugby, as all Pacific nations do beforehand, just to honour where they’ve come from so it’s not just about the All Blacks it’s about us as a country.”