"It was a safe space." Adam Goodes says the booing saga made him hate the footy field, & more in News in 5.

–With AAP.

1. “It was a safe space.” Adam Goodes says the booing saga made him hate the footy field.

For Adam Goodes, the football field used to be a safe space. Then the booing saga that overshadowed the final years of his AFL career turned it into a place he hated.

Goodes, who was the 2014 Australian of the Year and won the Brownlow medal twice, has spoken about his decision to retire from AFL in documentary The Australian Dream, which has premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

He left AFL in 2015 after enduring three seasons of continuous and intense booing.

“Football, for me, was a place where I got accepted for being a good footballer,” Goodes said in the documentary. “It didn’t matter where I came from, it was a safe place that helped me break down barriers.”

The booing changed the way he felt about football, turning it into “a place I hated to walk out onto”.

The Australian Dream‘s premiere comes a month after The Final Quarter, another documentary about why Goodes exited the game.

It also focused on a defining moment in the saga, when Goodes called out a 13-year-old girl for calling him an “ape” from the sidelines of the MCG and why Goodes interpreted the booing and subsequent abuse as racist.

“People would say, ‘Oh, you’re just a big sook.’ But let me put you in that situation. Let me question you about who you are as a person.

“It’s fun, and a laugh for you… you can boo me and feel happy about yourself because you’re part of the crowd that did that. But deep down there were people in that crowd booing me because of my Aboriginality.”

The documentary’s writer, journalist Stan Grant, told ABC News the film showed Goodes’ story in the context of 200 years of Australia’s history.

Grant said the saga “opened up a space for us to have a conversation that often we turn away from”.

“This is something that is still a wound,” he said. “It’s still a wound within the nation. It’s an ongoing conversation about treaties, about recognition, about politics, about our history and truth-telling.”

The Australian Dream releases nationally on August 22.

2. Ben Cousins back in custody following alleged bail breach.

Former West Coast Eagles star Ben Cousins is back behind bars after breaching his bail conditions. https://t.co/8ftPfFYTVQ #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/D74sd7DWQP

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) August 1, 2019

Fallen AFL champion Ben Cousins is back behind bars after providing a diluted urine sample for a drug test, but his lawyer has blamed it on exercise.

The long-haired drug addict arrived at Armadale Magistrates Court on Thursday, flanked by two police officers.

He had a jacket covering his hands and was not wearing shoes but did have socks.

Although the 41-year-old did not face an additional charge of breaching bail, it was the third time in recent weeks he had been arrested for not complying with the terms, prompting the magistrate to revoke his bail.

Cousins did not fail a drug test but he had provided a diluted sample after a long run.

His lawyer Michael Tudori told AAP Cousins has been training for a football charity match and the City to Surf event.

“In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have been training and he wouldn’t be in this position,” Mr Tudori said.

“It’s difficult when you’re having constant (random) urinalysis, which we accept is part of his rehab.”

Mr Tudori said he was disappointed Cousins had his bail revoked, but conceded the retired footballer had been warned.

He said Cousins had been working two jobs and self-funding his rehabilitation with Whitehaven Clinic.

Cousins is scheduled to stand trial on September 12 over alleged family violence offences.

He walked free from prison in April after being granted bail ahead of the trial, and was recently photographed spending time with his ex-partner, Maylea Tinecheff, and their children.

The former West Coast captain was arrested at a Canning Vale house in August last year and charged with a string of offences.

He pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of breaching a violence restraining order, and one count each of aggravated stalking and threatening to harm.

Mr Tudori has said the trial will hinge on Ms Tinecheff’s evidence.

Cousins is alleged to have told her: “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to take your life and your freedom and the things you love the most.”

The Brownlow medallist also allegedly said he was going to bury her car “where she would survive for a couple of days, then he would bring the kids to play so she would hear them but would not be able to get to them”.

Cousins previously pleaded guilty to meth possession and trespassing, which was downgraded from a charge of aggravated burglary, stemming from the same arrest in Canning Vale, and was fined for those offences.

He was released from Acacia prison in January last year, about two months short of his one-year sentence for stalking Ms Tinecheff.

3. Israel Folau’s cousin Josiah reportedly let go from his job over religious beliefs.

The cousin of sacked rugby star Israel Folau has reportedly left his job at a Sydney Catholic school after calling the church a “synagogue of Satan”. #7NEWS https://t.co/J9gF4k1kzP

— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) August 1, 2019

The cousin of sacked rugby star Israel Folau has reportedly been let go from his job at a Sydney Catholic school after calling the church a “synagogue of Satan”.

Twenty-year-old Josiah Folau was dismissed in July from his post as a boarding house supervisor at St Gregory’s College in Campbelltown, News Corp Australia reports.

The former captain of the school is a member of the Truth of Jesus Christ Church as is Israel Folau.

Josiah Folau has labelled Roman Catholicism “masked devil worship”, according to Nine newspapers.

He’s also posted comments and a video on Instagram that were critical of the Catholic church.

St Gregory’s headmaster Lee McMaster has confirmed Josiah Folau’s departure.

“We have met with Josiah recently and, in our discussions, Josiah has made the decision to discontinue his casual employment at St Gregory’s College,” he told News Corp.

“We respect Josiah’s privacy in this matter.”

The boarding house master’s removal comes months after his cousin, Israel, was dumped by Rugby Australia after posting a biblical quote on social media which said homosexuals would go to hell unless they repented.

It was the second time Israel Folau sparked controversy through his social media accounts. He was reprimanded for a similar post in 2018.

4. ‘Sorry it took so long.’ Bill to decriminalise abortion introduced in NSW.

Independent MP Alex Greenwich told the parliament he would fight for decriminalisation for his grandmother, who taught him the value of reproductive rights.https://t.co/A9lL2WzPr2 #nswpol

— BuzzFeed Oz News (@buzzfeedoznews) August 1, 2019

The independent Sydney MP behind the bill to decriminalise abortion in NSW has apologised to women for taking so long to make the change.

Alex Greenwich presented the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 to the lower house on Thursday morning.

“I am sorry it has taken so long to achieve this reform,” he told parliament.

“Let’s not delay any more. Now is the time for the parliament to come together to ensure women and their doctors are appropriately protected under the law.”

The private member’s bill, which has 15 co-sponsors from across the political divide, allows for terminations up to 22 weeks and later if two doctors “consider that, in all the circumstances, the termination should be performed”.

It’s believed to have wide cross-party support but there are some vocal opponents, including church groups.

Mr Greenwich said the bill was 119 years overdue, with women and doctors operating under an “out of date law”.

The law criminalising abortion hasn’t changed since 1900 – a time when women couldn’t vote and there were no women in NSW parliament.

“Now, not only can women vote and stand for office, our state has a female premier, a female leader of the opposition and a female governor,” he said.

“Women have fought long and hard for this reform, over many, many decades.”

Mr Greenwich said the bill recognises the best outcomes in women’s reproductive health care are achieved when abortion is treated as a health matter rather than a criminal one.

The draft law was designed in consultation with the Australian Medical Association, which says it will ensure access to appropriate care for women.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian backs the bill and said there has been a “strength of feeling” across the political landscape on the issue.

“For some people it’s an extremely deeply emotional issue,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

“What is important to me is for every colleague to have the opportunity … to express their views frankly and honestly and I know that for many people like myself, this isn’t an easy issue to come to terms with.”

Before the bill was presented, about 200 people picketed outside NSW Parliament at an anti-abortion Rally for Life.

Many held signs saying “pregnant women need support not abortion” and “we love life on both sides of the womb”.

Liberal MP Nathaniel Smith said he was disgusted at how the bill was “rammed” through parliament.

“This will not protect women, this should not be going into the Health Care Act, it should remain in the Crimes Act,” he told the rally.

Finance Minister Damien Tudehope earlier on Thursday attacked the bill as unjust in an opinion piece in The Sydney Morning Herald.

The bill also came under fire from former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce who used his baby son to criticise the NSW proposal.

“Long before he was born … Tom had rights even though he was not conscious of them – they should not be removed by a parliament,” he told the lower house in Canberra.

“The hour of birth is an arbitrary point in modern medicine.”

The draft legislation gives doctors the right to conscientiously object to performing abortions, but they must refer patients to another health practitioner who can provide the service.

It’s supported by the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association which labelled the state’s current law unjust and against women’s reproductive rights.

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights said the bill, if passed, will remove the “archaic” criminal penalties for abortion currently in place in NSW.

The bill was originally scheduled to be debated this week but conservative MPs worked behind the scenes to delay debate until next Tuesday.

5. Philip ‘Dr Death’ Nitschke creates private live-streaming service to improve assisted dying.

Controversial euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke has kicked off his Australian tour on the Gold Coast, unveiling his new suicide pod. @JordanFabris9 #9News pic.twitter.com/q1akrEbjFB

— Nine News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast) July 25, 2019

The man known as Australia’s “Dr Death” has created a private live-streaming service so he can watch in real-time as members of his euthanasia group end their lives.

It might seem macabre to some but right-to-die campaigner Philip Nitschke says it’s all in the name of science.

The founder of Exit International wants to be sure that a cheap and readily available substance that’s fast emerging as a new choice for elected deaths actually delivers a peaceful ending.

Dr Nitschke says two Australians, both from Brisbane, used the substance to die in May.

Both chose to privately stream their deaths to him, so he could see if it did, indeed, provide a good and timely death.

Dr Nitschke says two other Australians have promised to do the same, and he hopes there’ll be others who follow suit.

The former GP says a lot is known about how the predominant euthanasia drug Nembutal works.

But the same can’t be said of the new substance which is a fraction of the cost, and unlike Nembutal, can be readily and legally obtained.

“This is all very new,” Dr Nitschke told AAP.

“Some people who have been planning to take this step have been very generous. They do not mind having their deaths observed because they are aware that we are very keen to get good information.”

He said initial experiences with the substance indicate it could be a promising alternative to Nembutal, which users must illegally import from overseas.

“These substances are available and they are legal, you don’t need to be approved, and you don’t need a prescription. You are not doing anything illegal to obtain it.”