Health News at Your Fingertips

Caitlin Cassidy

Green Music Australia and Music Declares Emergency have launched their “No Music on a Dead Planet” campaign in the lead up to the federal election.

The campaign is calling on musicians and workers in the arts to lobby for greater climate action from the government, by declaring music “at risk of extinction”:

Like plants and animals, music is at risk of extinction if we fail to act and meet the current climate emergency. To highlight the urgency, musicians are declaring songs to be endangered or extinct until we take action as a community.

A number of high profile musicians and bands have publicly joined the campaign, including Something for Kate, Pinch Points and Yorta Yorta artist Drmngnow.

“I SAW MY PM ON THE TELLY BUT I DIDN’T HEAR A SOUND,” Melbourne punk band Pinch Points posted on social media.

We wrote this lyric on Virga about Scomo and the liberal government’s piss-poor response to the black summer bushfires, but it could just as easily refer to their action in the recent flood crisis or any environmental issue throughout his time in government.

We’re about to have a federal election here in so-called Australia and we need our leaders to be doing whole lot better on the climate front.

AAP is reporting that several animals have died after a cattle truck overturned in Sydney’s west.

Paramedics freed and treated the 36-year-old driver who had been trapped in the truck, which had been transporting 50 head of cattle, at Glenmore Park.

“A number of cows were located deceased at the scene, and a number were required to be humanely euthanised,” police said.

The driver was taken to Westmead hospital suffering minor injuries while police cleared the road.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area, with Mulgoa Road closed in both directions.

And, that is it.

A short press conference from the deputy Labor leader today, presumably to keep the focus on Anzac Day.

Richard Marles is asked about Scott Morrison saying China establishing a military base in the Solomon Islands would constitute crossing a “red line”:

If there is a Chinese military base in the Pacific, Australia at that moment is less safe.

That we find ourselves asking these questions in this moment, says everything about the failure of Scott Morrison in his managing of the relationships in the Pacific, and specifically Scott Morrison’s failure to manage the relationship with the Solomon Islands.

Because of Scott Morrison’s failures, Australians are less safe.

Marles is asked why, if the government is as terrible as he describes, Labor isn’t running away with the election:

We don’t take any elections for granted. We don’t take any part of Australia for granted. And this is a critically important part of Australia, and a critically important part of Australia to be remembering on this day – Darwin is one of a few of our really critical garrison towns. Darwin is an enormous asset in terms of the defence of our nation.

Next, Marles is asked about Peter Dutton’s comments this morning, when he said Australia should be “prepared for war”. Marles says the government likes to “beat its chest” but “actions matter”:

We are at a moment in our history where our strategic circumstances are as complex as many points since the end of the second world war. And we certainly need to prepare, but we have not seen the preparation under this government. Words are one thing, action is another. This is a government which beats its chest. When it comes to actually delivering, and doing what needs to be done, it’s a government which repeatedly fails.

Under this government, we have seen six defence ministers in its nine years. It shouldn’t be surprised that under this government, we have seen a feeling in the management of the submarine procurement, which means that in the last 10 years we have seen a capability gap open up 20 years, in terms of the success of submarines.

That is action, that is what needs to be done in that space for the words of one thing, action is what matters, and this is a government which repeatedly fails as it has in its management of relationships in the Pacific, as it happens in terms of the Darwin port.

Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles is giving a press conference in Darwin, and is first asked about the death threats Katherine Deves says she has received:

Let me firstly say no one was in public life should have to ensure death threats. And they are totally unacceptable.

Prime minister Scott Morrison has congratulated French president Emmanuel Macron on his election victory today.

No mention of lies, submarines or trust this time:

Tasmania has reported 867 new cases overnight, with one person in ICU and 43 people in hospital.

Scott Morrison has been attending the Anzac Day parade in Darwin following the dawn service, speaking to veterans and thanking them for their service.

Joined by Northern Territory’s administrator Vicki O’Halloran, Morrison mingled with the crowd, taking selfies and speaking with locals.

In the concluding moments of his address, Hurley says:

From some of the stories of those who have served, we see common characteristics and values. We see a continuous line from the diggers who landed at Anzac Cove through to those who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, on peacekeeping operations around the world and in Iraq and Afghanistan.

… We see the Anzac legacy in today’s serving men and women, their families, and indeed writ large in the community around us.

These common characteristics and values – mateship, endurance, courage and sacrifice – are not unique to our military service. Our forebears took them into uniform but their services, experiences and sacrifices have forever embedded them in our nation’s DNA.