Sacheen Littlefeather was heckled on the Oscars stage. 49 years later, she’s receiving an apology.

Sacheen Littlefeather is an American actress, model, and Native American civil rights activist. She is most well known for going to the 1973 Oscars where she accepted an award on the behalf of famed American actor Marlon Brando.

When Brando won best actor for The Godfather in 1973, Littlefeather, who was wearing traditional Native American clothing, went on stage – becoming the first Native American woman ever to do so at the Academy Awards. In a 60-second speech, she explained that Brando could not accept the award due to “the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry”.

She was subsequently booed on stage, heckled and threatened with arrest and physical assault. Film star John Wayne, who was backstage at the time, was reportedly furious at her and had to be restrained by six security guards.

In the years since, Littlefeather said she has been mocked, discriminated against and personally attacked for her brief Academy Awards appearance.

Nearly half a century later, she will return to the Academy as an invited guest of honour for “an evening of reflection” at the Academy Museum, featuring a formal apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“I was stunned. I never thought I’d live to see the day I would be hearing this, experiencing this,” Littlefeather, now 75, said to The Hollywood Reporter.

“When I was at the podium in 1973, I stood there alone. Yes, there’s an apology that’s due. As my friends in the Native community said, it’s long overdue,” she said. Littlefeather is now living with metastasised breast cancer, and said she is glad the apology has come in her lifetime.

“At long last, somebody is breaking down the doors. And I’m so very happy this is happening.”

Sacheen Littlefeather at the 1973 Oscars and her today. Image: Getty.

Easing the administrative burden on NSW teachers would be the best way to ease the brain drain on educators, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.

An upper house committee is investigating how to combat the shrinking supply of school teachers – a problem being felt across the country that has now drawn the federal government’s focus.

Science Teachers Association of NSW head Margaret Shepherd said workloads and administration demands were a “significant driver” of teacher shortages.

“Add to that the feeling of being undervalued because of the ongoing wage dispute,” Shepherd said on Tuesday.

Public school teachers in NSW have taken strike action twice this year, calling for improved pay and better conditions. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has floated paying top-performing teachers more and supplying educators with pre-written lessons to reduce work hours.

But the former suggestion has been criticised for pitting teachers against each other, while the latter has drawn ire because it is one aspect of the job teachers enjoy.

The inquiry also heard from Glenn Fahey from the Centre for Independent Studies, a libertarian think-tank. He told the committee Australian teachers perform nearly four hours of extra work per week than the average educator in other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

This included about an hour on school management tasks, about 90 minutes on administrative work, and nearly an hour on collaborative work with colleagues. Education and occupation experts from the University of Sydney also said administrative work, and the extra hours teachers performed to complete it, needed to change.

Rachel Wilson said teachers got job satisfaction from spending time in the classroom, while administrative tasks raised stress and job dissatisfaction. Her colleague, Susan McGrath-Champ, said teachers worked 44 hours a week on campus, an extra 11 hours a week at home, and 10 hours a week during term breaks.

Keeping teachers in schools has become a national agenda item. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare met with his state and territory counterparts in Canberra last week to discuss how to fix the crisis.

The meeting canvassed multiple issues, including labour shortages, workloads and retention issues. It also considered incentives for people wanting to make a mid-career change to teaching. Of the nearly 11,300 teachers and administrators surveyed in NSW, about 60 per cent said they planned to leave the profession in the next five years. The online survey was commissioned by the upper house committee.

The inquiry continues.

With AAP.

Do you find the news cycle overwhelming? Depressing? Confusing? Boring? Endless? Then you need The Quicky. Mamamia’s daily podcast that gets you up to speed on the top stories.

In news that will either find you screaming in your car with excitement or yelling “no one cares”, the John Wick prequel finally has a home and a release date. Here’s everything you need to know.

And it’s been reported that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck didn’t settle for a low-key Las Vegas wedding (complete with dirty bathroom photos) after all. Instead, it looks like they’re planning a lavish three-day wedding this weekend and so it’s time to say goodbye to ‘anti-weddings’ and embrace the gravy train that is opulent public love stories.

Plus, Adele has given her first interview about ‘the worst moment of her career’ and talked to Elle magazine about the last-minute cancellation of her Las Vegas shows earlier this year. Her words are a lesson on the importance of sitting in public failure, but also a reminder of the real reason people were primed to turn against Adele.

Get today’s episode of The Spill in your ears now:

Morning everyone, 

It's Tuesday August 16 and there's a lot of talk about former Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the moment.

Let's get you up to speed with the top five news stories you need to know today. 

1. Scott Morrison faces probe amid secret portfolio claims.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government will investigate claims former Prime Minister Scott Morrison secretly swore himself into three ministries during the pandemic.

On the weekend, The Australian reported Morrison swore himself in as health minister and finance minister, alongside his own ministers, after the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Morrison also swore himself in as resources minister in 2021 and used his powers to overturn a decision by former minister Keith Pitt to approve a controversial gas project off the NSW coast, according to news.com.au.

Albanese said the action take by his predecessor was unprecedented.

"The people of Australia were kept in the dark as to what the ministerial arrangements were - it's completely unacceptable," he said.

Former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the move was "sinister" and went against the traditions of Westminster parliamentary democracy.

"I'm astonished that Mr Morrison thought he could do it, astonished that the prime minister and cabinet went along with it," he told ABC's 730 program. "I'm even more astonished that the governor-general was party it to. This is sinister stuff."

Former prime minister @TurnbullMalcolm says the revelations about Scott Morrison secretly appointing himself to several ministries is “sinister stuff”, and “one of the most appalling things” he has ever heard in federal government. #abc730 pic.twitter.com/6jthgXOY8c

— abc730 (@abc730) August 15, 2022

A spokesperson for Governor-General David Hurley said he followed processes consistent with the constitution when he appointed Morrison to the additional portfolios.

"It is not uncommon for ministers to be appointed to administer departments other than their portfolio responsibility," the spokesperson said in a statement. "These appointments do not require a swearing-in ceremony. The governor-general signs an administrative instrument on the advice of the prime minister."

2. Tributes flow for hairdresser Amy Hazouri after Sydney shooting. 

The family of hairdresser Amy Hazouri, who was killed in a targeted Sydney shooting, have paid tribute to the 39-year-old. 

Hazour and Lametta Fadlallah, who has links to organised crime, were shot dead after a hail of bullets struck their car in the southwest Sydney suburb of Panania on Saturday.  

Hazouri’s father told 9 News his daughter was an "angel".

"Anyone who used to be upset, depressed, anything would go to Amy and she would give them the support, the power and energy," he said. "They would go to Amy, Amy was everything to them, that's the kind of person she was."

Tributes are flowing for Amy Hazouri, 39, after NSW Police named her as the second victim in Saturday's Revesby shooting | @SamaraMGardner #nswpol pic.twitter.com/hck9dCPhaU

— 10 News First Sydney (@10NewsFirstSyd) August 15, 2022

Hazouri’s sister also paid tribute to her "beautiful sister" in a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds to have Hazouri flown to Lebanon. 

"Amy was the sole provider for our family in Lebanon that is currently struggling with the economic crisis in Lebanon," the post reads. "We require urgent funds to carry out funeral services and transfer her body to Lebanon to lay at rest. Our mother is not well and cannot travel to Australia to see her daughter."

The page has raised $9,000 at the time of publication. 

3. SA makes history with new autism minister.

In an Australian first, South Australia’s autism community will get its own state government minister.

Emily Bourke has been appointed assistant minister for autism in a bid to ensure people with the neurological condition are better represented.

Premier Peter Malinauskas says he has heard from many South Australians that the time has come for a dedicated effort from government to make autism a priority. 

"That is why we have created this new role," he said yesterday. "We have made major commitments with the aim of implementing a whole-of-government autism inclusion strategy, starting with our schools."

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A post shared by Peter Malinauskas (@pmalinauskasmp)

As well as the new minister, the premier said the government would deliver on its election commitments to invest $28.8 million for an autism lead teacher in every public primary school and an increase the number of autism-qualified staff in preschools.

In her new role, Bourke will establish the Autism Education Advisory Group, involving autistic people, parents with lived experience, experts, community stakeholders and unions to ensure policies are supported by consultation.

Bourke acknowledged she did not have lived experience with autism. But she said the government had heard the years of advocacy by the autism community.

"I am a mother of three, so I know that every parent and caregiver wants their child to reach their individual potential," she said.

4. Australia's COVID case count close to 10 million.

Australia could hit 10 million cases of COVID-19 by the end of the month. 

As of Monday, the total number of cases recorded since early 2020 was 9.8 million, including 14,623 recorded in the previous 24 hours.

The country is also approaching the grim milestone of 13,000 deaths since the pandemic began, with the national death toll currently standing at 12,886, including 27 new deaths recorded on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association says the decision to set up a Moderna mRNA vaccination production factory at Melbourne's Monash University will be an asset in years ahead.

Up to 100 million mRNA vaccine doses will be produced annually under the manufacturing partnership signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday.

mRNA vaccines will be manufactured here in Victoria, with confirmation Moderna will build a new facility at Monash University. To learn more, @mikeamor7 spoke with Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, @JaalaPulford. https://t.co/5zYfOfGqUb #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/cKD9YHIjF6

— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) August 15, 2022

Moderna will also set up its headquarters and a regional research centre in Victoria.

5. Harry and Meghan announce UK trip. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced a trip to Britain and Germany next month as part of their work with charities.

Prince Harry and Meghan will attend a summit for young leaders in Manchester and an awards ceremony for seriously ill children. They will also attend an event in Germany to mark one year to go until the 2023 Invictus Games for injured veterans, which are due to be held in Dusseldorf.

The couple joined the royal family at a thanksgiving service in London in June as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, their first public appearance in Britain since quitting royal duties two years ago.

Harry and Meghan have announced they're heading to Britain for a special trip. @Brett_McLeod #9News pic.twitter.com/2koZBGbG7X

— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) August 15, 2022

Harry moved to the US with Meghan in 2020 to lead a more independent life and raise their two young children.

You're all up to speed. We'll bring you more of the top stories throughout the day. 

- With AAP.

Over the past few decades, Donald Trump has faced literally thousands of lawsuits, but why has the Federal Bureau of Investigation suddenly taken an interest in his affairs, which resulted in a highly publicised raid on his Florida home recently?

And could an FBI investigation really stop him from re-running as president in 2024?

The Quicky speaks to an American politics expert to find out about all of the dozens of lawsuits currently facing the former President, and whether the FBI investigation could finally lead to him facing criminal charges.

READ: 

• What women were talking about on Monday

Feature Image: Getty.