Afternoon News Bulletin September 8, 2024

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Australia’s 2026 census will include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity
Thousands of people join protests in France against the appointment of Michel Barnier as prime minister
Australia adds 10 medals to its tally on Day 10 of the Paralympic Games

The federal government has confirmed that Australia’s next census in 2026 will include questions on both sexual orientation and gender.

It is a further reversal of the position the federal government announced two weeks ago, when it cancelled plans by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to trial new questions that would identify sexually diverse, transgender and intersex Australians.

Members of the Labor party and the LGBTIQ+ community strongly criticised the initial decision, after commitments were made as part of Labor’s national platform.

Finance Minister Jim Chalmers told ABC Insiders the federal government has heard from LGBTIQ+ Australians and they will be counted in the 2026 census.

The CIA chief, who is also the top US negotiator for ending the war in the Gaza Strip and releasing hostages held by Hamas, says a more detailed ceasefire proposal will be made in the coming days.

In an unprecedented joint public appearance, CIA Director William Burns made the comments at a Financial Times event in London, along with Richard Moore, the head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6.

After 11 months of conflict in Gaza, Burns says he has been working very hard on “texts and creative formulas” with mediators Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire, finding a proposal that both sides are happy with.

“I can’t sit here today, with all of you, and say that we’re going to succeed. I can’t tell you how close we are now. The fact is that if you look at the written text, 90% of the paragraphs have been approved, but in every negotiation that I’ve been involved in, the last 10% is the last 10% for a reason, because it’s the hardest part to do. So, I can only say three things. First, we’re going to continue to work as hard as we can with the other mediators, because there is no good alternative to achieving that ceasefire and the release of hostages.”

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across France to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint centre-right politician Michel Barnier as prime minister.

Left-wing parties accuse Barnier of stealing the parliamentary elections, which sparked the protests.

Mr Barnier defended his appointment by saying he wanted to unite Parliament.

“I hear words like power grab. That is not the spirit we are pursuing here. The spirit is to bring together as many parliamentarians as possible for a government of action.”

The LGBTQ+ community in Serbia held a pride march in the capital Belgrade.

There was heavy police surveillance due to possible attacks by far-right groups.

Thousands of people took part in the march, calling for better rights for the LGBTQ+ community, which often faces harassment and discrimination in the conservative Balkan country.

The LGBTQ+ community in Serbia is demanding that authorities pass a law on same-sex partnerships and strengthen other rights.

This participant came from France to attend the parade.

“I’m here at Pride in Belgrade because it’s important to fight for our rights and celebrate diversity in this country and all over the world. I’m from France and I know how hard it is to be accepted by our families and everything, so I think it’s really important and I love seeing so many different people here in Belgrade, so yeah, I enjoy it.”

Australia added 10 medals to its sporting tally on the tenth day of the Paralympic Games in Paris.

It includes a silver medal for the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team of Rowan Crothers, Alexa Leary, Chloe Osborn and Callum Simpson.

The team finished behind Italy, who broke their own world record.

Team member Rowan Crothers spoke to Channel Nine after the win.

“You have no idea who’s going to come first until the last 20 metres. So it was really intense. It was great fun. Italy swam bloody well. It took a world record to beat us, and I think a big part of being Australian is that it’s not always about being the best. It’s about doing your best. And this team here, we did our best and silver is bloody amazing.”