Domestic Politics
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that this year's election will take place on September 19. Ardern is seeking to retain her incumbency in a coalition government following "strong economic growth, low levels of unemployment, and 'critical' investments in health and education". [Newsroom]
International Relations
The Australian government is meeting with Chinese authorities in Beijing to discuss sending consular officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to Wuhan–the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic– to assist in the evacuation of around 400 Australian citizens in the city that have registered for evacuation. [Sydney Morning Herald]
Despite promising to sign a free trade deal with the European Union by the end of 2019, New Zealand is still locked in discussions with the EU since mid-2018. A major stumbling block is the EU's agriculture industry, which is known for its protectionist stance. [Newsroom]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison are in talks to coordinate bringing back the 400 Australians and 54 New Zealanders in Wuhan that have registered for evacuation. [news.com.au, The Guardian]
Society
A petition to the federal and New South Wales government by parents who want students returning from summer break in China to be kept out of schools for at least a two week quarantine period has gained 17,000 signatures. [ABC]
A New South Wales man is in court for allegedly calling Singapore airlines and "induc[ing] a false belief that an explosive was on Singapore Airlines flight SQ423 that was airborne between Mumbai and Singapore”. He is charged with using a carriage service to make a hoax threat. [news.com.au]
Environment
The Bureau of Meteorology warned of "life-threatening" floods in the annual monsoon in Queensland. They say that many rivers could flood. Several schools in the state have been shut in anticipation. [news.com.au]
Gender
An ABC report found that 140,000 sexual assaults were reported to Australian police from 2007-2017. The police rejected nearly 12,000 because they did not believe a sexual assault had occurred. The police "cleared" more than 34,000, or 25%, of sexual assault investigations without an arrest or any form of legal action. 50,800 investigations, or 35%, or reported sexual assaults remain unsolved. [ABC]
Image Source: New York Post