The World Today

Australia's leading human rights advocates say the country's policies and procedures are not matching rhetoric. Human rights, discrimination and disability commissioners are holding a forum in Brisbane today. While they support the National Disability Scheme, the say it doesn't ensure equality. They're calling for employment targets for people with disabilities, and minimum standards for disability access to houses.

The Prime Minister and Opposition leader have again exchanged barbs over the Fair Work Commission's decision to reduce Sunday penalty rates for some workers. It's likely to again dominate Federal Parliament, which begins again on Monday for the final two weeks before the budget in May. Labor will try to pass a bill to stop the Fair Work Commission's decision, while the Government will focus on a package of welfare savings and its plan to cut the corporate tax rate.

After a flurry of competing political announcements this week about how to deal with a predicted energy crisis, there's growing pressure for the nation's leaders to come up with a unified national strategy. A review into the electricity market by the chief scientist Alan Finkel's being seen as a potential way of forging some consensus on the way ahead and submissions to the review have been publicly released. The Energy Users Association of Australia represents some of the power industry's biggest customers and was one of the dozens of organisations that made submissions calling for an end to the political bickering on energy policy.

At least one Australian sailor is being investigated as part of a massive US navy bribery scandal involving prostitutes and wild parties. Nine high-ranking US navy officers including an admiral have been charged with trading classified information in exchange for travel, dinners and prostitution services from a foreign defence contractor.

At the child sexual abuse Royal Commission, the Anglican Church has apologised to people who were abused in its care. A senior leader admitted the Church had cared more about its reputation than the survivors it had tried to silence. New data commissioned by the inquiry shows that between 1980-2015 the Church received 1,082 allegations of abuse.

Amber Harrison has hired prominent barrister Julian Burnside QC as her high-profile battle with Seven West Media moves to a new level. Mr Burnside confirmed Ms Harrison would now counter-sue her former employer after Seven escalated legal action over the release of confidential documents relating to her ill-fated affair with chief executive Tim Worner.

Victorian taxpayers could soon be the new owners of a timber mill in the tiny Gippsland town of Heyfield. The future of the mill has been in doubt because of questions over its timber supply which is being drastically cut. The State Government has stepped in, arguing the business is viable and saying it'll buy the mill if no one else does.

The Australian Prawn Farmers Association is trying to reassure consumers that the spread of the white spot prawn disease in south east Queensland will not lead to higher prawn prices. The disease has now spread to wild prawns in the Moreton Bay region near Brisbane. Imported green prawn products are suspected to be behind the outbreak but the Prime Minister says Australian biosecurity systems are strong.

After 19 years in Parliament the Tasmanian Labor leader Bryan Green has resigned from politics. Labor MPs have unanimously voted to replaced Mr Green with the shadow health minister, Rebecca White.

US President Donald Trump's first budget blue print proposes to slash funding from the State Department and Environmental Protection Agency while giving the military a US $52 billion boost. It's been described as the most ambitious effort to pare back domestic spending and boost defence spending since the Reagan-era.