Category Archives: Australia news

Kyle & Jackie O Show drew nearly half of all decency complaints on Australian radio in last financial year

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Exclusive: Kiis FM show promises to ‘behave’ in 2025 as regulator reveals 146 complaints made to broadcaster about material in 2023-24

Almost half of all complaints made in the last financial year about decency standards on Australian radio were about The Kyle & Jackie O Show, the Guardian can reveal.

In the 2023-2024 financial year, 321 complaints were made to radio stations across Australia about “material not suitable for broadcast”. Of these, 146 complaints (45%) were about The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

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Two injured by falling tree at Sydney’s Hyde Park as strong winds damage houses and SCG grandstand

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More than 1,000 trees have fallen in Sydney as wild weather causes problems around city

At least two people have been hit after a huge fig tree fell in Sydney’s centre amid strong winds.

The large tree in Hyde Park crashed to the ground across a footpath and on to a busy street at about 3pm on Friday.

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Tributes for ‘star’ Melbourne burlesque performer killed in arson attack

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Police believe 27-year-old Katie Tangey’s death was a case of mistaken identity as friends rally to raise funds for her family

A popular performer, killed by fire in what police say is a case of mistaken identity, has been remembered as “an icon” as friends rally to raise funds for her heartbroken family.

Katie Tangey, 27, died after becoming trapped while house-sitting her brother’s three-storey townhouse in Truganina, Melbourne’s west, on Thursday morning.

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Melbourne brawl that left two men dead began with birthday party argument, police say

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Neighbours told to stay inside as police seek information on stabbing deaths of two men from same family

Two men died in a brawl at a birthday party on that spilled on to the streets in Melbourne’s outer south-eastern suburbs, police say.

Detectives said the two men, aged 23 and 54, who were from the same family, were involved in a brawl involving about 20 people. Police alleged some left the scene before police arrived.

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Australia news live: relief for Sydney morning commuters as train unions ordered to halt action; man charged over death threats to Jewish group

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First charge by AFP’s Special Operation Avalite established in December. Follow today’s news headlines live

Richard Marles will become the first minister to visit Kiribati in almost two years, AAP reports.

The deputy prime minister and defence minister is travelling to Kiribati for high-level talks with the nation’s re-elected government, which closed its country’s borders in 2024 while national elections were held.

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Human rights report lashes Australia’s ‘diabolical’ asylum seeker treatment and ‘appalling’ youth crime laws

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Latest world report by Human Rights Watch describes Australia as a ‘vibrant democracy … marred by some key human rights concerns’

Australia’s “diabolical” treatment of asylum seekers and youth crime has worsened, a global human rights advocacy body has warned, urging voters to push back on leaders politicising the issue for gain.

Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) latest world report has lashed Australia for going backwards on children in the criminal justice system in 2024, referencing the Northern Territory’s decision to reintroduce spit hoods for youth detainees and the continued use of watch houses to detain children in Queensland.

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NSW government asks private sector to take public hospital patients as hundreds of psychiatrists set to resign

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Exclusive: Guardian Australia has seen an email from the director of Australia’s largest private mental health provider about the contract

The NSW government is considering moving public psychiatry patients into private hospitals in preparation for the mass resignation of the state’s psychiatrists next week, but doctors warn the panicked response will not help the “droves of people with significant illness and crises”.

At least 205 psychiatrists will resign on Tuesday after 16 months of negotiations over the workforce crisis, with the government not agreeing to the psychiatrist’s proposed solution – a special levy increasing their pay by 25%, similar to that which emergency doctors received in 2015.

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Melbourne woman’s fight to keep NDIS support raises legal questions about agency’s ‘troubling’ processes

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Tribunal decision for 54-year-old Veronica Stephan-Miller suggests onus of proof should be on NDIA, not recipient, before revoking benefits

A tribunal has questioned whether it is lawful for the National Disability Insurance Agency to require that participants provide renewed evidence of their eligibility before revoking their access, describing the approach as “troubling”.

The Administrative Review Tribunal on Wednesday granted a 54-year-old Melbourne woman with disability, Veronica Stephan-Miller, the right to continue accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme while she appealed against the agency’s decision last year to remove her from it.

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A Chinese app is rocketing up download charts – but in Australia, the sudden uptake is not just about TikTok

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Experts say the flood of users to RedNote highlights flaws in the Albanese government’s social media ban

As the TikTok ban looms in the United States, users have flocked to RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, a China-based app that looks similar to Instagram.

But in Australia, where there is no imminent TikTok ban, the app is also rocketing up the app download charts. And it doesn’t just tell us about TikTok – it also exposes issues with Australia’s forthcoming social media age ban.

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Woolworths sacks two workers and investigates dozens over alleged conduct during 17-day strike

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Letters seen by Guardian Australia focus on alleged pickets on 26 November outside warehouses that were not then on strike

Two workers have been dismissed and Woolworths has told dozens of warehouse employees it is investigating their alleged conduct during a recent 17-day strike that cost it more than $100m in sales.

In November 2024, about 1,500 warehouse staff across four of the company’s distribution centres in New South Wales and Victoria took industrial action over pay and workplace conditions.

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New weather system to strike eastern Australia with strong winds and rain

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Eastern NSW, particularly northern rivers, and Gold Coast at high risk for severe thunderstorms and winds on Thursday, BoM forecasts

Persistent rain and strong winds will sweep across New South Wales into the weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology predicts, with parts of Victoria and south-east Queensland also likely to be affected.

Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said Sydney’s weather could shift from storms to a “dreary” mix of wind, rain and cloud. It would be “persistently windy” and “quite chilly”, he said.

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Accused Queensland torturer allegedly poisoned one-year-old and posted videos seeking donations

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Police allege woman, 34, filmed girl in ‘immense distress’ and used videos to ‘entice monetary donations and online followers’

A 34-year-old Queensland woman has been arrested and charged after allegedly poisoning a one-year-old girl and posting videos of her in what police describe as “immense distress and pain” in order to solicit donations and build an online following.

Police laid charges, including torture, against the Sunshine Coast woman on Thursday, on the back of what they said were extensive investigations after concerns were raised by medical staff from a hospital in Brisbane’s south while the child was admitted.

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Queensland paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith to appeal against life sentence

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Former childcare worker, 46, given a non-parole period of 27 years in October after pleading guilty to hundreds of sexual offences, will argue jail time is ‘manifestly excessive’

One of Australia’s worst paedophiles is appealing against his life sentence on the grounds that it is “manifestly excessive”.

Ashley Paul Griffith, a former childcare worker, was given a non-parole period of 27 years in October after pleading guilty to hundreds of sexual offences spanning almost 20 years.

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In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. The crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000. International helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

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3M knew firefighting foams containing PFAS were toxic, documents show

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Exclusive: Newly uncovered documents reveal chemicals giant was aware ‘environmentally neutral’ products did not biodegrade

The multibillion-dollar chemicals company 3M told customers its firefighting foams were harmless and biodegradable when it knew they contained toxic substances so persistent they are now known as “forever chemicals” and banned in many countries including the UK, newly uncovered documents show.

From the 1960s until 2003, 3M made foams containing PFOS and PFOA (perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid), synthetic chemicals that can take tens of thousands of years to degrade in the environment and have been linked to cancers and a range of other health problems such as thyroid disease, high cholesterol, hormonal problems and fertility issues.

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Greater Sydney council bans ‘revealing swimwear’ sparking debate about double standards

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One expert says women’s bodies and attire have long been a source for public debate in a way that doesn’t happen with men

A council in Greater Sydney has announced it is banning G-string bikinis at its public pools without providing further details about how the rule will be policed, sparking debate about gender standards.

Earlier this month, Blue Mountains Leisure Centres (BMLC) posted on Facebook that it had noticed some “confusion” about “appropriate swimwear” when visiting one of their pools.

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Coles to stop selling kitchen knives in supermarkets across Australia after Ipswich worker stabbed

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Decision comes after alleged assault on 63-year-old Claudia Campomayor Watt on Monday

Coles will stop selling kitchen knives after the stabbing of one its employees in a south-east Queensland supermarket – an alleged assault that prompted the state’s premier to promise further crackdowns on youth crime.

Claudia Campomayor Watt, 63, was allegedly stabbed in the back on Monday while working at a Coles in Ipswich’s Yamanto Central shopping centre. The knife was taken from the supermarket’s shelves.

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Australia news live: delays up to 70 minutes on Sydney trains as industrial action begins; Hume says Coalition would cut ‘bloated bureaucracy’

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‘Passengers should expect delays, service cancellations and large service gaps’ across Sydney today, NSW TrainLink warns. Follow today’s news live

Wong ‘absolutely confident’ government can work with Trump as US president

Moving to another topic, Penny Wong was asked about her invite to Donald Trump’s inauguration in the US, and responded:

Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States, and I’m honoured, on behalf of the country, to have been invited to his inauguration.

This includes humane treatment and the right to a fair trial. So that is their obligation, [and] we will look at the facts when they have been ascertained.

But I want to be clear, all options are on the table. Those options include expelling the ambassador and recalling Australia’s ambassador in Russia … I need, as the foreign minister, to identify and ascertain the facts beforehand.

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Sam Kerr appears in court charged with alleged racially aggravated harassment

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The Australia and Chelsea striker, who denies the charge, appeared at Kingston crown court on Tuesday

The Matildas and Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr has appeared in court charged with alleged racially aggravated harassment of a police officer

The Australian striker attended a hearing, wearing a black coat and a white jumper, at Kingston crown court on Tuesday.

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Middle-income Australians experiencing rental stress with a third of pay spent on housing, report shows

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Rent has increased by 36% nationally since Covid, CoreLogic finds, which equates to an extra $171 a week on average

Even Australians on median incomes are in rental stress, a new report has found, with households on middle incomes spending 33% of their wages on housing.

Last year saw the smallest annual rental increase since 2021, going up 4.8% over the year – down from 8.1% in 2023, CoreLogic’s report found.

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After costly appeal and dispute over research standards, religious institution becomes Australia’s 44th university

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Australian College of Theology is the third theological institution to get university status since 2020, demonstrating growing power of religious providers

A college that describes itself as Australia’s largest provider of theological education has become the nation’s 44th university, ending years of costly appeals and demonstrating the growing power of small religious providers.

The Australian College of Theology (ACT) – which will be renamed the Australian University of Theology – is the third religious institution to receive full university status since 2020.

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