Morning News Bulletin 7 November 2024

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TRANSCRIPT
World leaders welcome the election of Donald Trump
Kamala Harris set to concede defeat to Mr Trump
For the first time, the AFL Women’s Grand Final this year will be hosted at night
Anthony Albanese has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory.
On his X account, Mr Albanese says Australians and Americans are “great friends and true allies”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also sent her congratulations, saying the Albanese government is committed to strengthen the US-Australia relationship.
The Opposition leader Peter Dutton has also congratulated Mr Trump on his victory.
In a statement, Mr Dutton says he wishes to see stronger collaboration with the US on AUKUS under Mr Trump’s leadership.
**
Donald Trump has vowed to seek reconciliation with Americans as he won the 47th US presidential election in a sweeping victory.
The Republican Party has so far won 294 seats compared to 223 seats for the Democratic Party.
His Democratic Party rival and US vice president Kamala Harris will soon give a speech at her alma mater, Howard University, to concede defeat.
Mr Trump leads the nationwide popular vote with 71.7 million votes, compared to 66.8 million votes for Ms Harris as counting continues.
In his victory speech in Florida, Mr Trump says he’s committed to address the divisiveness of America.
“We’re going to help our country heal… help our country heal. We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We’re going to fix our border. We’re going to fix everything about our country.”
**
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been among the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his return to the White House.
In his statement, Mr Netanyahu says Mr Trumps’ victory is “history’s greatest comeback”.
He also says Mr Trump’s return will offer a “new beginning for America” to recommit to the alliance between the US and Israel.
Mr Netanyahu met with Mr Trump in July to discuss the war in Gaza.
The two leaders also had a phone call in October ahead of the US election.
**
Ukraine and Russia have reacted to Donald Trump’s return to the White House, as the future of the almost three-year conflict becomes unclear.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Mr Trump on his “impressive” victory.
Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X that he appreciates “President Trump’s commitment to the peace through strength approach in global affairs”.
He says that’s the principle that can bring peace in Ukraine closer.
Several key figures in Russia has also expressed their support for Mr Trump, saying his re-election will help reset relations between the two countries, since the war in Ukraine began.
**
American expats and Australians have come together at pubs across the country to witness the election.
Dozens of people in Melbourne joined a function hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce.
Democrats and Republican supporters also gathered at events in Canberra and Sydney.
One attendee in Melbourne tells SBS News it was important to watch the vote counting.
“Because I think US politics is very important, and it really affects the way the world works commercially and also geopolitically, and for me, it’s a very important election, so I wanted to be here to listen and maybe celebrate the outcome if the person I wanna win wins.”
**
The Albanese government will introduce emergency legislation today to circumvent a High Court ruling on the use of ankle bracelets and curfews for more immigration detainees.
On Wednesday [[November 6]], the High Court ruled it’s unlawful to force people released from immigration detention to wear electronic monitoring ankle bracelets or follow curfews.
More than 200 people have been released from immigration detention, after the High Court ruled that indefinite detention was unlawful.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says the new legislation will allow an “adjusted process” to impose monitoring devices and curfews on the detainees.
Mr Burke says the new law will also strengthen the government’s power to deport people whose visas are cancelled.
“Our first preference when you cancel someone’s visa is to you want them to leave the country, and I want to strengthen our powers to do that.”
**
The chair of ‘s Queensland Truth-telling inquiry, Joshua Creamer, is set to meet with the new Liberal National government today to the discuss the future of the body.
It comes after the newly-elected Crisafulli government decided to abandon the inquiry.
The decision has sparked outrage from Indigenous communities in the state.
Mr Creamer says he will be meeting with Fiona Simpson, the state minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
He urged the Crisafulli government to clarify its intention to dismantle the inquiry, and to respond to concerns from the communities.
He says many elders are desperate for the impact of colonialisation to be properly recorded.
“We know in the community we are losing important people every day, particularly our elders. We have released our first report, just prior to the election on the 25th of October, our first report which set out where we want to be between now and 2026, and that was travelled across all regions in Queensland to take evidence, to work and take evidence from community members, particularly elders. So it’s really disappointing now that’s all on hold, that likely with the government’s intention, there are opportunities being missed.”
**
The AFL has launched the 2024 Women’s Finals series, with an historic first – the Grand Final this year will be played at night.
The AFLW general manager Emma Moore says this will ensure more people are available to watch the game, creating an “unforgettable atmosphere” to close the season.
The Grand Final is set to be played on the 30th of November.
This year’s AFL Women’s games have been the largest in history, with 99 home-and-away games.