Good morning, it's Monday, January 31. Here's what's been happening today
One thing to know right now: Aged care workers are getting two bonus payments
Here's the lowdown:
- They'll get payments totalling up to $800 as part of government support for the sector
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to announce the additional cash splash in a speech to the National Press Club tomorrow
- How much each worker gets will be determined by how many hours they have worked
- The first payment will be made next month, with the second instalment to be paid out at the beginning of May
Another thing people were talking about today: Protests at Parliament
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Australian Federal Police officers stood guard as hundreds of people gathered at the entrance of Parliament House in Canberra in a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and public health measures.
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A convoy of demonstrators in trucks, utes and cars travelled to Canberra for the protest, which mirrored rallies held overseas — like the convoy of truckies and other protesters that converged on Ottawa over the weekend to protest against Canada's vaccine mandate.
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Some protesters parked their vehicles on the lawns of Parliament House, with officers standing their ground in front of drivers to stop them from mounting the kerb to join the other parked cars
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Those on foot were seen waving the Australian and red ensign flags upside down — generally considered a signal of distress — holding "Make Australia great again" signs and singing John Farnham's song You're The Voice (by the way, Farnham was really unhappy with people using that song at an anti-lockdown protest back in 2020)
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Parliament isn't sitting until next week — meaning very few federal politicians are in Canberra — but that didn't stop demonstrators making demands for a "representative" to address the crowd
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A GoFundMe campaign associated with the convoy attracted more than $160,000, but the company froze the fund, saying the organiser didn't detail how the money would be spent
News you might have missed:
Let's get you up to speed.
- Tony Fitzgerald will chair a royal commission-style inquiry into Queensland's anti-corruption body, the Crime and Corruption Commission, after a scathing report to parliament last year. Mr Fitzgerald in the 1980s conducted the landmark Fitzgerald Inquiry, which revealed systemic corruption in Queensland and led to the creation of what is now the CCC
- A man and a nine-year-old boy have died after being swept off rocks while fishing at Little Bay, in Sydney's south-east
- Australian Navy's largest warship has been crippled by a massive electrical power failure during its humanitarian mission to Tonga. The ABC can reveal that despite days of emergency work, HMAS Adelaide is still experiencing problems, having earlier been "stranded"
The news Australia is searching for
- Pete Smith: The New Zealand actor, who was in Once Were Warriors, The Quiet Earth, The Piano and played an orc in Lord of the Rings, died aged 63 after years of battling kidney disease. His son Poumau Papali'i-Smith told NZ news website Stuff his father had been on kidney dialysis for seven years and had been diagnosed with dementia two years ago
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Oprah: Remember that time Oprah Winfrey gave everyone in the audience of her show a new car? You know, the reason this GIF exists?
Well, even though that was all the way back in 2004, people are talking about it now because People Magazine did a deep dive into the iconic episode. It turns out the idea of the car giveaway was pitched to her via her best mate Gayle King, who was approached at an airport by a guy who wanted to give away cars. King says Winfrey made a "whole big thing" about matching her outfit to the bows on the cars, which is why she was wearing that iconic red suit.
One more thing: Iguanas are falling from trees in Florida
As one of my colleagues pointed out, it sounds like drop bears... except they're American reptiles and they're not attacking anyone — because they're too cold to move.
The US National Weather Service for Miami-South Florida put out a warning about immobilised iguanas falling out of trees due to unusually cold temps.
"Iguanas are cold-blooded," the service explained.
"They slow down or become immobile when temps drop [to between 4 and 9 degrees Celsius].
"They may fall from trees, but they are not dead."
And in case an official warning from the US National Weather Service isn't enough for you to believe this is real, here are some photos of the dropped iguanas:
That's the end of that one
But we'll meet you here tomorrow to dish out more of the good stuff!
ABC/wires
