NO POLICE PROSECUTIONS FOR TANYA DAY'S DEATH

According to the Human Rights Law Centre, Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions last night announced a decision not to prosecute two police officers involved in the death of Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day, despite the coroner referring officers involved in her death for criminal investigation under the belief that “an indictable offence may have been committed”.

Day was arrested for “public drunkenness” after falling asleep on a V/Line train in 2017 and, after being locked in a concrete cell, fell, hit her head on the wall, and was left lying there for over three hours; police checked on her through the cell door twice for a matter of seconds.

Victoria has since announced plans to decriminlise public drunkenness — which, for anyone who’s ever watched the Melbourne Cup, is plainly not policed equally — leaving Queensland as the final state to police the act.

The Day family has since expressed outrage over the DPP’s decision and, along with HRLC senior lawyer Monique Hurely, called for an end to police investigating the actions of their own colleagues.

PS: Amidst ongoing demonstrations over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Reuters reports that two protesters have been killed and a third seriously wounded after being shot by a teenager.

FRAGILE CHINA

In a move that could kill Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) agreement with China and, potentially, multiple other university agreements, The Conversation reports that the Morrison government is seeking legislative powers to cancel foreign agreements with state, territory and local governments and public universities.

The news follows a bizarre National Press Club address by the deputy head of mission for China’s embassy in Australia, Wang Xining, who, as The New Daily reports:

• Repeated the Chinese government’s attempt to cast doubt over Wuhan being the source of COVID-19
• Compared the federal government’s push for a global inquiry into the source of COVID-19 as Brutus stabbing Julius Caesar
• Slammed a question over the BRI being a soft-power ploy as “whining about [Australia’s] constitutional fragility and intellectual vulnerability”.

PS: In another proud moment for Australian media, no one apparently questioned Wang — the second-ranking Chinese diplomat in Australia — on human rights abuses in Xinjiang (where the ABC reports residents are being handcuffed to their homes) or China's clampdown on Hong Kong.

But the NPC did serve him beef, barley and wine — the three exports subject to anti-dumping investigations by China — so zing, I guess.

ROYAL COMMISSION? AMA

According to The Age, the Victorian government has agreed to a major backdown over its push for a 12-month extension to the state of emergency powers — bringing the period down to six months, amongst other concessions — while the Australian Medical Association has called for a royal commission into the government’s response.

The AMA’s call comes amidst the ongoing hotel quarantine inquiry, where, as the Herald Sun ($) reports, it was revealed that the Medi7 group, the Labor-connected company awarded a $417,000 contract to provide doctors to the program, warned the state government over a lack of protective clothing back in April.

The news also follows Dan Andrews’ announcement yesterday that Victoria is set for another few months of stage one/two restrictions, even, as The New Daily reports, as stage four is set to wind up in September.

PS: In other state suppression news, the ABC reports that all Queensland correctional facilities are in full lockdown until Thursday morning, after a Queensland Corrective Services officer tested positive.

DETENTION OVER

Finally, in a piece of genuinely good news, SBS reports that Huyen Thu Thi Tran and her two-year-old daughter Isabella — who has spent her entire life in Australian detention — have been released after finally securing a bridging visa.

The pair were reunited with Tran’s husband and Isabella’s father, Paul Lee, yesterday on his 34th birthday. Now, about those other two girls we locked up on Christmas Island…

PS: In a reminder that America is doing a stellar job playing catch-up on detention, The Intercept reports that immigrants in US detention centres are scared to report COVID-19 symptoms for fear of being forced into days, sometimes weeks, of solitary confinement.

STATE WRAP: WHO EXACTLY OFFERS PAID PANDEMIC LEAVE?

• Yesterday, the Tasmanian government announced that it would be the second state to offer the federal government’s $1500 paid pandemic leave scheme. This comes after South Australia announced plans on Tuesday to introduce its own plan, which follows similar state schemes currently in place in Victoria, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory
• The ACT government announced a new recovery target to grow the territory’s total level of employment to more than 250,000 jobs by 2025
• On Tuesday, the Western Australian government unveiled a $211.8 million Pilbara Recovery Plan, formed under the state’s recovery package, including investment in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, renewable energy, education and training, and agriculture
• Finally, following a webinar with child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg on Tuesday aimed at providing parents and carers with practical skills, knowledge and strategies for managing the lockdown period and remote learning, the Victorian government announced that a second event will be held, Tuesday September 15.