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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Antoun Issa

Afternoon Update: Jail term for protester condemned; Brian Houston trial begins; and dead Caspian seals

Violet Coco
Fireproof Australia activist Violet Coco’s prison sentence has led to calls to protect the right to protest. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

The jailing of a protester in New South Wales has sparked an outcry, with independent senator David Pocock leading a chorus of condemnation amid calls to protect the right to protest.

“The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy,” the senator said after Deanna “Violet” Coco was sentenced to 15 months in prison, with a non-parole period of eight months. Her crime? Blocking a lane of traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in April as part of a climate protest.

Several states – with Labor and Coalition governments – have in recent months passed tough anti-protest laws that have drawn criticism for being anti-democratic. Coco’s case was the first time such laws were put to the test.

The major parties remained defiant with the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, saying the sentence was “pleasing to see”, while his Labor opponent, Chris Minns, said he had no regrets for supporting anti-protest laws.

Top news

Brian Houston
Former Hillsong pastor Brian Houston arrives at the Downing Centre local court in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
  • Brian Houston allegedly blames child for rape | The Hillsong church founder allegedly told the person who had been repeatedly raped by Houston’s father: “You know it’s your fault all of this happened, you tempted my father,” a Sydney court heard today. Brian Houston is on trial for failing to report the abuse to police after his father, Frank Houston, confessed to sexually assaulting the boy in 1999. The assault allegedly began when the boy was seven years old, in 1970.

  • Grace Tame’s abuser in court | The former Australian of the Year’s childhood abuser has faced a Hobart court for allegedly harassing her via social media. Nicolaas Ockert Bester, 70, was charged in October with three counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. The charges relate to tweets that either concern or were directed to Tame on 27 April, 21 July and 28 August this year.

  • Christmas scams | Australians are being warned to be on high alert for scams this Christmas, as online fraudsters attempt to cash in on the shopping season. Australians reported about $2bn in scam losses last year, and the government expects that to double this year. Fake online toy shops, far-too-cheap puppies and text alerts for deliveries you never ordered are just some of the scams expected to do the rounds this year.

  • Afghan war crimes compensation | The Albanese government is looking to compensate families of victims of alleged Afghanistan war crimes, more than two years after a landmark inquiry found payments should be offered quickly to restore “Australia’s standing”. The inquiry by Maj Gen Paul Brereton found “credible” information to implicate 25 current or former Australian special forces personnel in the alleged unlawful killing of 39 individuals and the cruel treatment of two others.

  • Greens push to lower voting age | The Greens will introduce a private member’s bill to lower the voting age to 16 in February when parliament resumes after the summer break. “Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can drive cars, work, enlist in the Australian defence force, and serve their communities, yet they have no say in the composition of their own government,” Greens MP Stephen Bates said.

People walk near bodies of dead seals on a beach
Thousands of seals have died in southern Russia. Photograph: AP
  • Caspian seal deaths | About 2,500 endangered seals have been found dead on the Caspian Sea coast in southern Russia. It’s unclear what caused the deaths. The head of the Caspian Environmental Protection Center, Zaur Gapizov, said in a statement that the seals probably died a couple of weeks ago, adding that there was no sign that they were killed or caught in fishing nets.

  • UK House of Lords | Labour has unveiled a plan to replace what it calls the “indefensible” House of Lords with an elected upper house. Unlike our Senate, members of the House of Lords are unelected and have either been appointed or have inherited their title. The idea is part of a 40-point plan written by former prime minister Gordon Brown, which includes an overhaul of the constitution.

A crowd of socceroos fans is covered in smoke and a red flow from a flare. One person is waving a large Australian flag above the crowd
Socceroos fans watch the World Cup Round of 16 match between Australia and Argentina in Melbourne. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images
  • Australia’s best World Cup | The Socceroos’ performance has left us much to be proud of, and it was Australia’s best World Cup showing ever. Put your speakers on and listen to this noisychart comparing the Socceroos’ past records with their 2022 results.

Full Story

Police officers pin down and arrest a protester on a street
Authorities eased anti-virus rules in scattered areas but affirmed China’s severe ‘zero-Covid’ strategy. Photograph: AP

China’s zero-Covid protests

China has been rocked by an outpouring of communal anger at the government’s restrictive zero-Covid lockdown policies. Could the protests develop into something more substantial? Listen to this 27-minute episode.

What they said …

Clement Voule
The UN special rapporteur on freedom of association and peaceful assembly Clement Voule has spoken against the jailing of a climate protester in Australia. Photograph: Rodrigo Sura/EPA

***

“Peaceful protesters should never be criminalised or imprisoned.” – Clement Voule, UN official

Voule, who is the UN special rapporteur on freedom of association and peaceful assembly, tweeted the remarks, leading a flurry of condemnation on the jailing of Coco. Our climate and environment editor, Adam Morton, called it “a bad day for democratic expression in Australia” in his column today – well worth a read.

In numbers

A graphic of the figure 6.1%, referring to the ‘increase in Youth

The increase to the youth allowance, Austudy and carer payments is part of a routine adjustment to keep up with increases in the consumer price index.

Before bed read

An Aboriginal flag is waved in front of Parliament House
The Albanese government has put forward a preferred form of words to insert into the constitution to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

There’s going to be a lot of coverage – some of it ugly – of the Indigenous voice to parliament as we inch closer to a referendum. So let’s start off with the basic facts: what is it and how would it work?

Be informed before you vote, and if you have friends or family who aren’t quite sure what it is, feel free to send them the link to this explainer.

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