Good evening!
It's Friday, February 4. Here's what's been happening today.
One thing to know right now: The PM said the aged care sector was in crisis … but then corrected himself
- Scott Morrison had a bit of a slip of the tongue during a press conference today when he said:
"I want to thank everybody for the incredible work they are doing to keep those in our care in the best possible care that we can provide in a crisis — in a, in a situation of this nature.
"You heard me say crisis. And I know for many Australians that's how it feels. I can tell you that's how it feels for us.
"What is more important is that this is a function of a lot of pressure on the system."
- This came after Lynelle Briggs, one of the aged care royal commissioners, said the commission warned the government a year ago the sector had a shortage of workers, and those it had were under-recognised, underpaid and under-skilled
- "We shouldn't be seeing the disproportionate impact on this group when we've known for two years they were particularly vulnerable to the disease," she said
- Mr Morrison said he'd asked the ministers for defence and aged care to see what other help the Australian Defence Force could provide, but said the ADF wasn't a "shadow workforce" for the aged care sector
- Neil James from the Australia Defence Association says there are constant demands on troops to assist with emergencies like bushfires and it's having flow-on effects for soldiers called away from home
- "The idea that they're suddenly this reservoir of manpower that you can just throw at any problem in society has to stop," he said
Another thing we heard a lot about today: The death of Islamic State group leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi
- He died during a US raid in north-west Syria overnight, with emergency services at the scene reporting 13 people were killed — including six children and four women
- From hiding, al-Qurayshi led IS members as they regrouped after the downfall of their caliphate and shifted underground to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria
- The Centre for International Justice and Accountability found he was central to the group's massacre of Yazidi men and boys and enslavement of thousands of Yazidi women
- US President Joe Biden also said al-Qurayshi was also directly responsible for last month's prison strike in Syria
- But experts say his death won't have a long-term impact on IS
- "Killing al-Qurayshi will not stop this spread of Islamist militancy," ABC international affairs analyst Stan Grant says
News you might have missed:
Let's get you up to speed.
- The pressure on British PM Boris Johnson is increasing, with four of his senior aides — including his chief of staff and policy head — resigning. Mr Johnson has been accused of misleading the UK public about parties held at his offices during strict lockdowns
- Rescuer workers in northern Morocco are frantically digging for a second straight day to reach a five-year-old boy trapped down a 32-metre-deep well. They've managed to deliver oxygen and water to him with a rope, but are still unable to reach the hole where he is trapped despite digging down 19 metres
The news Australia is searching for:
- Scott Morrison: The PM washed someone's hair during a press opportunity at a hairdresser's salon:
- And Just Like That: The finale of the continuation of Sex and the City aired last night. There's been whispers of a second season, with producer Michael Patrick King telling Deadline: "We're having conversations right now between us about the storylines with the actors and with the network. I mean, it’s a very alive franchise — let’s just say that."
One more thing: Donkeys are fetching a lot of coin right now
The price for donkeys has soared in the last 18 months or so.
WA livestock agent Phil Petricevich says donkeys were worth about $60 a head as pet meat about three years ago.
Then they started going for something between $600 and $700.
"Then a couple of sales ago I think it reached $2,500 for a good young jenny," Mr Petricevich said.
"It was just such a rapid rise in pricing that it caught a lot of us by surprise."
So why the sudden jump in price?
There's been a decline in the global donkey population, which Mr Petricevich said was driven by demand for donkey skins in China.
But for Australian graziers, donkeys are sought after for other reasons.
They're often put in with mobs of sheep to act as guardians against predators and when they're among cattle, they act as peacekeepers to prevent fighting.
That's this week done
We'll be back bright and early Monday morn with a strong batch of the good stuff.
Until we meet again, happy trails to you!
ABC/wires
