Australia’s Most Mentioned Issues in the News (August 27 – September 2, 2016)
Editor’s Note: Welcome to this weekly recap of Australia’s news, powered by iSentia
After the plebiscite was delayed until February, the Opposition announced it would lodge a motion for a Parliamentary vote on same-sex marriage in two weeks. The Greens and four crossbenchers have said they would not vote in favour of the plebiscite, claiming it would be “harmful, divisive, and expensive”, with young lives most at risk of hate speech. The government’s plebiscite Bill would need the support of Labor to pass the Senate. US celebrity Henry Rollins claimed the current conversation in Australia makes the country “look bad”. Rafael Nadal has cruised into the third round of the US Open, winning in straight sets over Andreas Seppi and setting up his next match against Andrey Kuznetsov. French Open champion and third seed Garbine Muguruza was eliminated in the second round, costing her chance of overtaking Serena Williams in the world rankings, and Australian wildcard James Duckworth was defeated by ninth seed Jo-Wilfred Tonga in four sets. Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi filed a Notice of Motion to introduce a bill to Parliament that will water down Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, particularly aimed to remove the words “offend” and “insult”. PM Malcolm Turnbull has previously said there will be no changes made. Greens leader Richard Di Natale posted a photo of Bernardi’s motion to Facebook, showing the names of 20 Coalition senators who have signed, including Eric Abetz and Ian Macdonald. Australia won the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka on Wednesday by six wickets, resulting in a 3-1 tournament lead. Aaron Finch blazed a half-century from just 18 balls, tieing for the equal-fastest ODI half century by an Australian ever. Sri Lanka batted first, managing just 212 from their 50 overs. Actor Gene Wilder died on Tuesday, well-known for his performances in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Blazing Saddles, age 83. More recently, he published a number of novels, including The Woman Who Wouldn’t. Quote of the week: “It’s important to find a balance between Pokémon and training” – Nick Kyrgios to New York Times Magazine with “only the faintest hint of sarcasm”.
