Katy Perry to perform at AFL grand final
American superstar Katy Perry will headline this year’s AFL grand final at the MCG.
Perry, best known for chart toppers like Roar, Teenage Dream, Firework and Dark Horse, said she was “so excited to be back in Australia and back at the mighty MCG to perform in front of 100,000 of the best and loudest fans in the world”.
She has performed at the 2015 NFL Super Bowl and 2020 Women’s World Cup. AFL executive general manager of customer and commercial, Kylie Rogers, said:
Katy Perry is an international music icon who has been entertaining fans with her chart-topping hits for many years, so the AFL is delighted to have her join us at the 2024 Toyota AFL Grand Final in what will be a spectacular Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment performance.
Key events
Greens MP slams US Congress for giving Netanyahu standing ovation
Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather has slammed the US congress for giving Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a standing ovation during a speech, where he called for “total victory” in the war and told congress, “our fight is your fight”.
In a post to X, Chandler-Mather said the standing ovation is a “reminder that the entire US establishment enthusiastically supports the massacre in Gaza.”
Yet Labor wants to tie [Australia] to the hip of the United States.
Iraq, Afghanistan and now Gaza. How many times does the United States have to lurch into/back murderous, destructive invasions that cause unimaginable harm, before Labor and the Liberals decide to stop acting as lackeys for US foreign policy … It makes the world less safe and leaves a dark moral stain on our country.
At the US congress there wasn’t unanimous support for Netanyahu. Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib, the sole Palestinian American in Congress, held up a sign accusing him of genocide during the speech.
Axios reported that about half of the Democrats elected to the House and Senate opted to skip the speech. Meanwhile, NBC reports that the Democrat house leader did not shake his hand, and vice president Kamala Harris did not attend the speech.
Further rate rise ‘cannot be justified’, economists warn
A further rise in interest rates would put Australia’s economic recovery at risk and wipe out the benefits of tax cuts and real wage gains, economists have argued as key decisions loom.
As AAP reports, June quarter inflation data – due to be released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics next week – represents a fork in the road for policymakers.
A benign readout could lead to the Reserve Bank board holding rates steady again when it meets in August, but an upside inflation surprise could force its hand to lift rates again, the economists said in their quarterly Business Outlook report.
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Will Katy Perry’s AFL grand final appearance be a Super Bowl moment, or jump the (left) shark?
Looking back at previous Katy Perry performances, it’s hard to forget about the iconic Left Shark.
For those who somehow missed this huge cultural moment, Left Shark was a backup dancer wearing a life-sized shark costume during Perry’s Super Bowl appearance in 2015.
Left Shark went viral instantly as it appeared to completely forget the choreography – but was totally adored for it. It’s safe to say this is one of the most memorable half-time moments in recent memory:
Perry’s performance in Australia comes as her latest single, Woman’s World, has faced widespread scathing reviews. Rolling Stone labelled it as a “catastrophic flop” and the “worst comeback song of all time”, while Guardian reviewer Laura Snapes said the single made her “feel stupider every sorry time I listened to it”.
The single was released on 11 July, and does not appear to be charting on the Aria top 50.
You can have a read of the Guardian’s review in its entirety below:
Katy Perry to perform at AFL grand final
American superstar Katy Perry will headline this year’s AFL grand final at the MCG.
Perry, best known for chart toppers like Roar, Teenage Dream, Firework and Dark Horse, said she was “so excited to be back in Australia and back at the mighty MCG to perform in front of 100,000 of the best and loudest fans in the world”.
She has performed at the 2015 NFL Super Bowl and 2020 Women’s World Cup. AFL executive general manager of customer and commercial, Kylie Rogers, said:
Katy Perry is an international music icon who has been entertaining fans with her chart-topping hits for many years, so the AFL is delighted to have her join us at the 2024 Toyota AFL Grand Final in what will be a spectacular Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment performance.
Queensland Fire Department warns bushfire season ‘almost upon us’
Although we’re still in the midst of winter, the Queensland Fire Department says the bushfire season is “almost upon us”.
In a post to X, the department said it is “already seeing grassfires break out in several areas,” reminding communities to stay up-to-date and prepared.
Bushfire season is almost upon us and we are already seeing grassfires break out in several areas.
These are usually fast-moving fires and can start easily. Regardless of where you are in Queensland, it’s important to stay up-to-date so you can act quickly if needed.
Thank you… pic.twitter.com/GY2lvIBoVH
— Queensland Fire Department (@QldFireDept) July 24, 2024
Sports minister in Paris, having talks about upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympics
The sports minister, Anika Wells, spoke with the Today show earlier from Paris, and fielded some questions about the Brisbane Olympics.
Asked about infrastructure and future planning for the 2032 games, Wells responded:
There’s obviously absolute merit to building world class stadiums for the games. It’s always just a question of what taxpayers will bear with respect to the cost burden on them.
Sometimes that comes off beautifully … Paris only built two new venues for these games – I think it was the aquatics and the climbing. But then if you look at what happened in Rio or Athens, I met with the Brazilian sports minister about how they’re still dealing with the legacy that Rio left for them.
So it can go either way and I think, of course we want world class venues, but at what price are we prepared to pay for it as a country?
Decision looms in landmark Roundup class action
Hundreds of Australians will soon learn whether their cancer could have been caused by a widely-used weed killer, AAP reports.
In the federal court today, Justice Michael Lee will hand down a judgment in the class action against popular herbicide Roundup.
The case claims Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate caused the cancer of more than 800 Australian non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients. It’s alleged glyphosate is a carcinogen to humans and exposure to the ingredient increases the risk of developing cancer.
The case was launched by Maurice Blackburn lawyers in the federal court against Monsanto, which produced Roundup. Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018. Bayer has previously stated glyphosate-based herbicides have been rigorously tested in hundreds of studies and the science confirms glyphosate is safe when used as directed.
Justice Lee is due to rule today whether glyphosate is carcinogenic and capable of causing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans.
The court is yet to consider lead applicant Kelvin McNickle’s individual claim Roundup caused his cancer. The 40-year-old Queensland man allegedly used the herbicide as a child while spraying weeds with his father and at work as an adult before being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2018.
Refugee council welcomes findings of multicultural framework review
Just circling back to the multicultural framework review: the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has welcomed the findings and recommendations as a “generational reform agenda that requires a whole-of-government and community approach”.
The review made a set of 29 recommendations, calling for ten of them to be actioned immediately. As we mentioned earlier, one recommendation is for a review of the citizenship test, including considering offering it in languages other than English.
The RCOA chief executive officer, Paul Power, said:
In too many cases, we see families divided between those who are able to pass the citizenship and those who cannot. Instead of penalising those with low English proficiency, we should strive to encourage all individuals to become citizens and contribute to Australian society.
We urge the government to implement the panel’s recommendation for a comprehensive review of the citizenship test.
Government still ‘working with communities’ on implementing Islamophobia envoy, Marles says
Richard Marles was also asked about any progress on implement a special envoy on Islamophobia, following the announcement of a special envoy on antisemitism earlier this month.
Marles said “we’re working with communities around that role”. Asked how long it will take, he didn’t put a timeline on it because “we’re not gonna set somebody up to fail.”
We need to be making sure that we have a person who is in a position to do the job that we’ve asked them to do, and that is to be an envoy in combating Islamophobia.
Albanese government supports ‘principles’ of multicultural framework review, Marles says
The deputy prime minister was also asked about the recommendations of the multicultural framework review (we flagged this in yesterday’s blog), including reforms to the citizenship test.
The recommendations is:
The department of home affairs, through government and non-government consultation, to action an immediate review of the Australian citizenship test procedures, including considering providing the test in languages other than English and in alternative and more accessible formats.
Asked if the government would support this, Richard Marles told ABC RN the government supports the “principles” of the review “around the identity of our communities, their connection to Australia, their inclusion within our society”.
What the review observes is that as a country, half of our population are either born overseas or have a parent who were born overseas … What this report affirms is that what we have done as a nation and what we need to continue to do is to embrace the idea of multiculturalism …
The most Australian thing that we can see happen is for communities to celebrate their heritage, and it’s actually a very uniquely Australian perspective on how multiculturalism should work.
Marles demurs on reports Australia to take over Red Sea task force command
Q: Defence sources say authorisation has been given for Australia to take over from Italy in leading the combined task force in the Red Sea. Can you confirm that?
Marles said the decision about command structure is “ultimately a decision beyond Australia” involving multiple nations:
I’m not in a position to be able to answer those questions now, other than to say we are active participants.
Asked if Australia would be prepared to say yes, Marles said he couldn’t get into hypotheticals as “there is a process under way here”.
Marles says world must impose ‘as much pressure as possible’ to end war in Gaza
Turning to international news, Richard Marles was asked about comments from US president Joe Biden that he would like to bring the war in Gaza to an end before he leaves office.
Responding to this, Marles said Australia supports Biden’s efforts and “affirm his hope and the peace plan … to bring a ceasefire into place.”
What we’re seeing in Gaza is absolutely catastrophic. I think that the images that we are seeing on our TVs every night is utterly heartbreaking, and we need to see an end to this and that’s where our diplomatic efforts are involved.
We very much support the efforts of president Biden in relation to this, but the world has to be imposing as much pressure as possible on the participants to end this.
Asked if Australia could be louder in its opposition to the conflict, Marles said: “I think we are exercising extremely loudly to bring an end to this conflict.”
Military exercise in Northern Territory expected to resume today after aircraft crash
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles is now speaking with ABC RN, asked about the decision to suspend a large military exercise in the Northern Territory after one of the participating aircraft crashed.
Marles said the pilot ejected and was recovered safely, spending the night in hospital and will hopefully be released today.
He’s he sustained minor injuries … but he’s fundamentally OK, so that’s good news in terms of the safety of those involved.
He said the exercise itself is the biggest the air force conducts every two years, and while it was paused yesterday he anticipates it will begin again today.