Issues such as wastage and meal quality in schools were raised.

A group of advocates are campaigning for Melbourne's Yarra River to be transformed into a city swimming spot.

But experts say the water quality would need to significantly improve for people to be able to safely take a dip.

The Yarra has a reputation for being brown, a little smelly, and very polluted, and outside of Moomba's Birdman rally, swimming so close to the city is a bit of a no-go.

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It's not just because of the bacteria, but because it's also technically illegal.

That doesn't mean there are a small group of people that would like to see that overturned, however, including Matt Sykes.

Inspired by seeing what Paris did for the Seine River at last year's Olympics, he's campaigning around the world for cities like Melbourne to make their rivers swimmable.

"What we're trying to do is advocate for a Birrarung Marr or a Yarra River swimming trail between Dights Falls and the Bay," the Swimmable Cities co-founder said.

Sykes has been inspired by seeing the saunas in Oslo as well as river floats in Switzerland, but unlike many European cities, including Paris, Melbourne has a problem: stormwater feeds directly into the Yarra River without being treated at all.

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Further upstream, the water quality was so poor today that taking a dip near Kew, Healesville, and the Yarra Junction was not advised.

Professor Tim Fletcher from the University of Melbourne knows all too well how bad things can get if you take a chance with bacteria and things go wrong.

"Having done some wastewater sampling, and I had a little cut in my glove that I didn't see," he said.

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"I ended up in hospital on a drip for 10 days and had to cancel a trip overseas."

The City of Yarra has already signed up to the Swimmable Cities charter, and Sykes hopes the City of Melbourne will be next before the Netherlands hosts the world-first Swimmable Cities summit.

IRD consultation document reveals 11,700 charities reported business income in 2024.

It comes as an iwi group makes a last-minute legal move to stop the works.

An Australian Defence Force (ADF) officer has lost his high-level security clearance due to his loyalty to Israel.

The Army Reserve officer, known in documents as HWMW, is an Australian citizen and Jewish man who first joined the ADF in 2004.

He has held an NV2 security clearance since 2010 — the second-highest clearance that includes access to classified resources up to and including "top secret".

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Australia's intelligence agency ASIO conducted two security assessment interviews and two written questionnaires from October 2020 to April 2023, in which HWMW stated he would hand over classified or sensitive information to Israel if asked, felt a sense of "natural solidarity" with Israel and does not view Israel as a foreign government.

He also intentionally withheld information on two training courses he attended in Israel in February 2016 and February 2019.

ASIO found HWMW was vulnerable to influence or coercion in acts of espionage or foreign interference and concluded that he had "demonstrated a higher level of loyalty to Israel than to the Australian government".

"ASIO assesses this demonstrates [HWMW's] loyalty to Israel outweighs his obligations to the Australian government as a security clearance holder," ASIO assessments found, according to Administrative Review Tribunal documents.

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess issued an adverse security assessment on June 3, 2023.

HWMW's security clearance was revoked, which ASIO admitted may negatively affect his ongoing employment due to the type of information and roles he can be subject to and future employment within the Australian government.

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HWMW did not agree with the assessment and requested a review by the Administrative Review Tribunal, arguing he had served 19 years with the Army and acted within the requirements of his security clearance.

"…Under no circumstances would I conduct espionage or assist the [Israel intelligence service] whilst I am wearing the ADF uniform," he said, according to tribunal documents.

The Administrative Review Tribunal heard from both sides and, in its decision published last week, supported and affirmed the ASIO assessment.

"We are satisfied the information contained in the security assessment is correct and correctly represented, and we are satisfied it is reasonably relevant to the requirements of security in respect of risks of espionage and acts of foreign interference," the tribunal found.

The tribunal noted it did not make findings into whether HWMW has been disloyal to the Australian government but rather his divided loyalties between his obligations in his role and his faith and cultural identity.

9news.com.au has contacted the ADF for comment.

ASIO has refused to comment on individual cases.

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Resign or be sacked were the only options for Andrew Bayly.

Poll asked voters if they would support or oppose policies to grow the economy.

Hundreds of thousands of people packed into a stadium in Beirut and nearby streets on Sunday for the funeral of Hezbollah's former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The 31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards are here, and the stars of this year's biggest films and TV shows have taken to the red carpet decked out in designers.

Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann, who was found by a Federal Court to have raped one-time colleague Brittany Higgins, has been accused of stealing a car.

Lehrmann appeared by phone in Hobart Magistrates Court this morning, with the matter adjourned without plea.

It is alleged the 29-year-old stole a Toyota Prado from Mountain River, a rural area south-west of Hobart, on November 20.

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Lehrmann's lawyer Zali Burrows, who also appeared by phone, requested an adjournment so she could make representations on the charge.

Lehrmann, who the court was unable to initially contact by phone, will re-appear on June 19.

According to court documents, the charge of motor vehicle stealing was brought against Lehrmann by Gail Denise Oates.

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Lehrmann's trial for allegedly raping Higgins in 2019 Canberra's parliament house was abandoned in October 2022 because of juror misconduct.

A retrial did not occurred because of concerns for Higgins' mental health.

Lehrmann, who has maintained his innocence, sued media outlets for defamation in civil action in the Federal Court, which ultimately found he had raped Higgins.

He is appealing the Federal Court decision.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).