Good Evening ! It's Tuesday November 20 . Welcome to The Front Cover, your gateway to the world of Mencari News and we're covering the pro-palestine protest in Sydney.
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Australia Withdraws Adelaide COP31 Bid in Compromise Deal with Turkey
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia has withdrawn its bid to host the COP31 climate conference in Adelaide, reaching a compromise with Turkey that secures Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen a key negotiation role and guarantees a Pacific Islands pre-summit meeting.
The compromise, revealed by Albanese in Perth during a Western Australia tour, represents a significant shift from Australia’s original ambitions to bring the world’s premier climate gathering to South Australia. Under the agreement, Turkey will formally host COP31 while Bowen assumes the COP presidency for negotiations both leading up to and during the conference in Turkey.
Coalition Climate Credibility Under Fire as Energy Transition Debate Intensifies
Independent MP Zali Steggall launched a sharp attack on the Coalition’s climate and energy policies during a Thursday television interview, accusing opposition figures of spreading misinformation about renewable energy while offering no credible alternative to the government’s net-zero transition plan.
The Warringah MP’s criticism came amid escalating debate over Australia’s energy future, with the Coalition positioning itself against Labor’s renewable energy timeline while households face continuing electricity price pressures despite significant renewable capacity coming online.
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Thousands of Australians Unable to Call Triple Zero on Samsung Devices, Opposition Warns of Public Safety Disaster
Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh issued an urgent public safety warning that thousands of Australians with Samsung mobile phones cannot connect to the triple zero emergency network despite their devices functioning normally for regular calls, revealing a communications crisis far more severe than initially disclosed.
McIntosh, Member for Moncrieff in Queensland, said 11 Samsung device models are completely incompatible with the emergency network with no software remedy available, while 77 additional models require immediate software updates to restore triple zero capability. The revelation contradicts earlier assurances from telecommunications companies and regulators that users had 28 days to address compatibility issues.
Ley Signals Tougher Immigration Screening, Values Tests as Coalition Develops Policy to Cut Migrant Numbers
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley confirmed Wednesday the Coalition is developing immigration policy that would include strengthened screening processes and tougher values assessments for migrants, while refusing to specify target numbers for reducing what she characterized as excessively high migration levels under the current government.
In an interview with ABC News Australia, Ley, the Liberal member for Farrer in New South Wales, outlined principles guiding Coalition immigration policy development while declining to provide specific numerical targets, citing ongoing policy work and the need to assess final government figures closer to the election.
Breaking : Trump Signs Bill Requiring Release of Epstein Files Within 30 Days
President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday compelling his administration to release all files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing months of resistance after overwhelming bipartisan pressure from Congress.
The bill, which passed the House 427-1 and received unanimous Senate approval, requires the Justice Department to disclose all files and communications related to Epstein within 30 days, including information about the investigation into his 2019 death in federal prison.
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Arada Foundation launches ‘Arada House,’ a new women’s safe haven in Sydney, in partnership with Women’s Community Shelters
The Arada Foundation has purchased a $3.4 million unit block in Campsie to establish Arada House, its first safe haven in Australia for women and children escaping domestic and family violence (DFV).
Today’s announcement was made at an event held at NSW Parliament House, where The Hon. Jodie Harrison, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, joined Women’s Community Shelters and The Arada Foundation to celebrate the launch of Arada House. [Read more]
WATCH THIS
Tara Brown and Laura Sparkes discuss the legacy of Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent figures to stand up against Jeffrey Epstein and his network of powerful people. Tara has followed Virginia’s story since 2019, and is one of the few journalists to have the privilege of getting to know her.
Virginia took her own life in April 2025. Soon after, her revealing memoir was released.
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November 22 sees two ceremonies at the Australian National Maritime Museum where 814 names from 56 different countries will be unveiled on the National Monument to Migration, also known as the Welcome Wall.
Migration and how it has shaped Australia is one of the museum’s core pillars and the National Monument to Migration forms an integral part of the museum’s activity in this space. Families whose names are on the Monument can also contribute a brief story about the person being honoured by the inscription, details of which are published on the museum website.
Honouring those who have migrated from countries around the world to make Australia their new home, the first names were unveiled on the Welcome Wall in January 1999, and the latest additions will join the close to 36,000 names that have been added since.
The Front Page is edited by Mencari’s Miko Santos
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