1. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is suing men’s magazine, Zoo, over an illustration that depicted her as a bikini model. The image appeared in an online edition of the magazine last last July, with an article titled ‘Asylum Seeker Bikini Plan’.
The article promised that Zoo magazine would pay the housing costs of the next boatload of asylum seekers to arrive in Australia if Hanson-Young agreed to a photo shoot.
The Greens senator is suing because she believes the article – and offensive imagery – suggests she is not a serious politician; while also making a mockery of her pro-asylum seeker stance. While Bauer media, the publisher of Zoo, succeeded yesterday in having those arguments struck out, Justice McCallum did find that the article could have defamed Hanson-Young.
2. Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella is likely to lose her seat in the House of Representatives, after 1003 votes for her competitor – independent Cathy McGowan – were discovered bundled up but uncounted as a Wangaratta pre poll centre.
A spokesperson for Ms McGowan told News Corp: “We are blown away by this news. We were a little bit concerned. We know postal votes had gone in her [Ms Mirabella’s] favour. It would have been too close to call without this extra 1000. We should be able to see off the challenge.”
3. Today marks the 12th anniversary of September 11, when almost 3000 people died as the World Trade Centre twin towers crumbled. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones today. Speaking at a memorial at the Pentagon, US President Barack Obama said: “Our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives that might have been.”
4. A group of Australians and New Zealanders will return home today after they experienced a traumatic attack in the Papua New Guinea jungle. The seven Australians were trekking the Black Cat trail on Tuesday when they were attacked by a local gang who hacked the group’s two tour guides to death using machetes. Two of the tourists were also injured; one man was speared in the calf and another sustained a cut on the arm.