Australia’s Most Mentioned Issues in the News (August 13 – 19, 2016)

Editor’s Note: Welcome to this weekly recap of Australia’s news, powered by iSentiaHeading into the last week of the Olympics, Australia is tenth place on the medal tally, winning 24 so far, with the United States strongly leading in first place with 93. Aussie basketball team the Boomers will play Serbia in the semi-finals after defeating Lithuania 90-64, Tom Burton won gold for Australia in the men’s laser class sailing event, and Kathryn Mitchell has made the final for javelin. Usain Bolt easily won gold for the men’s 100m sprint, and is aiming for his eighth Olympic gold by retaining his 200m title.Following the leaking of the Nauru files last week, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has described reporting by The Guardian and the ABC as defamatory, and more than 100 current and former staff of offshore processing centres on Manus Island and Nauru have signed a statement calling for them to be closed. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Manus Island detention centre would close.  Vietnamese authorities have agreed to allow restricted access to the Long Tan site for its 50^th anniversary, after negotiations with the Australian Government this week. The planned commemoration ceremony, gala dinner and concert will not go ahead following a last-minute cancellation. Memorial events have been held at Long Tan since 1989, with no medals, uniforms or songs allowed, with the exception of the Last Post from 2006.PM Malcolm Turnbull and Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce met Murray Goulburn management on Tuesday, with the government considering a Senate inquiry into the dairy industry, after Murray Goulburn retrospectively cut the price it paid to farmers and required them to pay back the difference, affecting around 2,500 producers who owe an estimated $200 million. The meeting was first promised by Turnbull during the federal election campaign.Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn has been questioned at the Sydney Siege inquiry about text messages she received and deleted during and after the siege regarding technical problems with intelligence-gathering equipment. The inquest has previously heard there were technical challenges for NSW Police during the siege, including a delay of up to five minutes on transmissions from a covert listening device that officers had planted in the Lindt Café.Quote of the week: “I could never have predicted that Bolt would literally slow down, look at me and smile as he flew past, but he's an entertainer, and was so far in front of everyone that he could afford to put the brakes on around the 70m mark to really enjoy the last 20 to 30 metres.” – Australian photographer Cameron Spencer, who took the viral photo of Usain Bolt flashing a grin as he approached the finish line during the 100m sprint final.