WEBVTT - Arrests in multi-state CFMEU raids

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<v Speaker 1>Today's biggest news from The Australian, I'm Clare Harvey with

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<v Speaker 1>The Front's afternoon headlines. Andrew Hastie says One Nation leader

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<v Speaker 1>Pauline Hanson and her star recruit Barnaby Joyce are, quote,

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<v Speaker 1>lying cowards. The Liberal MP has vowed to fight One

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<v Speaker 1>Nation exceptionally hard at the next election. Hanson's Please Explain

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<v Speaker 1>cartoon program called Hasty, who is a West Australian MP

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<v Speaker 1>and former soldier, a traitor over evidence he gave during

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<v Speaker 1>the defamation trial of former commando Ben Robert Smith.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I'm calling on Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce

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<v Speaker 2>to own this cartoon. And if they own it, step

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<v Speaker 2>out into the house or outside the house, I don't

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<v Speaker 2>really care, use parliamentary privilege or don't, and explain why

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<v Speaker 2>I and other veterans and indeed serving members of the

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<v Speaker 2>ADF who think war crimes are wrong are traitors to

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<v Speaker 2>their country.

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<v Speaker 1>Hastie, who was a captain in the Special Air Service

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<v Speaker 1>Regiment and served alongside Robert Smith in Afghanistan, was subpoenaed

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<v Speaker 1>to give evidence by Nine Entertainment, which was defending its

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<v Speaker 1>reporting of war crimes allegations. Robert Smith was subsequently charged

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<v Speaker 1>with five counts of war crime murder and has indicated

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<v Speaker 1>he will plead not guilty. Three people have been arrested

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<v Speaker 1>in a raid of the Brisbane headquarters of the powerful

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<v Speaker 1>Construction Union. Queensland police detectives linked to the state government's

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<v Speaker 1>Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU. On Wednesday, executed search

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<v Speaker 1>warrants at the Bowen Hills premises and private homes as

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<v Speaker 1>part of an investigation into allegations of corruption related to

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<v Speaker 1>the 2032 Olympics, which are being held in Brisbane. A

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<v Speaker 1>commercial building and several homes were also raided by Victorian police.

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<v Speaker 1>The Victorian raids relate to allegations about benefits allegedly provided

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<v Speaker 1>to union officials. Blanche Delpuget, the acclaimed Australian writer and

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<v Speaker 1>widow of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, died in a

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<v Speaker 1>Sydney hospital on Tuesday. She was 82. Delpuget was a

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<v Speaker 1>celebrated journalist and author who built a career at publications

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<v Speaker 1>around the globe, including Woman's Day in Sydney and News

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<v Speaker 1>of the World on Fleet Street in London. Her biography

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<v Speaker 1>of then PM Bob Hawke won the New South Wales

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<v Speaker 1>Premier's Award in 1983. After Hawke's marriage with his first

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<v Speaker 1>wife Hazel broke up, he and Delpuget married in 1995.

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<v Speaker 1>Blanche Delpuget is survived by one son and three stepchildren.

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<v Speaker 1>Check out those stories live right now at theaustralian.com.au and

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<v Speaker 1>come back to the front first thing in the morning

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<v Speaker 1>for our look at the latest surprise from the government's

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<v Speaker 1>big budget shake-up. Attacks on the youngest members of Australian families,

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<v Speaker 1>newborn babies. That's right here Thursday morning.