Australia news live update: ‘an attack on our very democracy,’ Morrison says after Victorian crossbench MP’s daughter allegedly attacked on street



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Police searching for the remains of missing boy William Tyrrell have finished the fifth day of search activity, laying tarpaulin over the search area to protect it from potential rain.

On Friday, there were few developments in Kendall – the town four hours north of Sydney where William went missing from in 2014.

In the morning, police pumped a creek next to the area of bushland they were searching, and found a small piece of light blue cloth about 8cm long.

It was taken in an evidence bag and sent to a police lab in Sydney to be analysed, however its significance to the investigation is unclear.

Forensic teams will return tomorrow as part of the search that will explore two nearby stretches of the bushland.

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The Morrison government has rejected a call by the Greens and Labor to provide Australia’s live performance sector with an insurance guarantee to guard against future cancellations and border closures due to Covid.

On Friday a report resulting from an inquiry into the feasibility of a new insurance scheme for the performing arts sector was tabled in parliament.



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Australia is failing to meet its own plastic reduction targets, with just 16% of plastic recovered last year despite more than half of packaging found to be easily recyclable, a new report shows.

The latest progress report released by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (Apco) found plastic recycling has flatlined since a voluntary plan was implemented in 2017.



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