Two women were awarded the McKinnon prize for 2019. 

The prizes are awarded to political leaders and is a joint endeavour with Susan McKinnon Foundation and the University of Melbourne through the Melbourne School of Government.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian was the recipient of the McKinnion Political Leader of the Year. 

Additionally, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp was named the McKinnion Emerging Political Leader of the Year, which is given to a political leader who has been in office less than 5 years.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission has released new figures showing that Australians are spending more than 11.3 billion dollars on illicit drugs per year, including methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin.

A new Wastewater monitoring report accounts for 1.5 tonnes of methylamphetamine, 4.6 tonnes of cocaine, 2.2 tonnes of MDMA and more than 900 kilograms of heroin.

Shane Neilson, the commission’s Head of Determination says that there were some reductions from the previous report but overall consumption remains troubling.

The trial of four men accused of transporting the missile that took down MH17 in 2014 has begun in Amsterdam. 

The Boeing plane was taken down in 2014, and all 298 passengers on board were killed. 

This trial has begun after more than 5 years of collecting evidence.

The United States has begun a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. 

After hailing a deal with the Taliban, United States President Donald Trump has agreed to reduce its troops from 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing the agreement that aims to bring peace to the nation. 

The Afghan government is not currently involved in the deal, but is expected to hold talks with the Taliban. The Afghan president will issue a decree for at least 1,000 Taliban prisoners to be released this week.

As a result of climate change, the quality and availability of potable groundwater has come under threat. 

Italy has been placed into lockdown after the coronavirus death toll rises. 

The latest count puts the Italian coronavirus death toll at over 360 people. 

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says movement around Italy will be restricted.

Around sixteen million Italians are in lock down across fifteen provinces, amid the closure of many public spaces. 

Travel advice for the region has been upgraded to “exercise a high degree of caution”.

Australian states will see more financial support from the Federal Government to speed up recovery efforts and help communities recovering from bushfires. 

Bushfire recovery grants are causing a large administrative load which state governments are struggling to keep up with. National Bushfire Recovery agency figures show that a mere 20 no-interest loans have been approved, of the 196 applications received. 

The 2020 Australian Council Awards were held in Australia last night. 

This year’s awards recognised Michelle Ryan, Tommy Murphy, r e a, Kath Duncan, and Autumn Skuthorpe.

The awards highlight Australian artists who are working to contribute to their art forms and the award recipients receive grants as a result.

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability will be continuing its investigation into education at a public hearing in Brisbane.