Category Archives: Australia news

Anthony Albanese condemns ‘abhorrent’ threat made to Sydney mosque as NSW police investigate

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President of Australian Islamic House says he is ‘profoundly concerned by this threat’

Anthony Albanese has condemned a threat made against a mosque in south-west Sydney that referenced the Christchurch terror attack as “abhorrent”, as the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, confirmed police were conducting a “major investigation”.

NSW police on Tuesday evening confirmed they were investigating after the Australian Islamic House – Masjid Al-Bayt Al-Islami in Edmondson Park reported an online threat made against it on Instagram.

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Communities warned to prepare as weather system takes right turn – as it happened

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Why should Australia trust president Donald Trump, given how he’s treated Ukraine’s president at the Oval Office? Richard Marles said the government’s focus was on supporting Ukraine:

That’s where Australia lies. That’s the decision that we have to make. And Ukraine can absolutely rely on Australia’s ongoing support in their defence, and we will work with international partners.

We’ve obviously worked with the United States over the last three years, and we’ll continue to do that, but we’ve worked with the United Kingdom, and we’ll continue to do that as well, and with European partners, and look at the best way in which we can provide support.

We have established a timeline with [the] Ukrainian government about the delivery of those tanks to Ukraine. Now, for operational reasons, won’t go into the detail of that timeline.

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‘Be prepared’: Tropical Cyclone Alfred changes direction and heads towards Queensland coast

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Weather system bears down on south-east Queensland with BoM forecasting landfall between Brisbane and Sunshine Coast

Tropical Cyclone Alfred has made a dramatic right turn, and is now “heading towards the Queensland coast”, the state’s premier has warned.

Alfred had been gradually heading in a generally southerly direction for 12 days, but changed course on Tuesday as expected.

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Guardian Essential poll: RBA rate cut too little too late for many as Albanese’s rating dips again

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As the official start of the election campaign nears, almost one in two Australians don’t know who they will vote for or might change their mind

More than half of Australians believe last month’s cash rate cut was too little too late and a sign the Labor government’s economic plan is not working, but voters think Anthony Albanese is better placed than Peter Dutton to deliver cost-of-living relief and higher wages and safeguard Medicare.

Voters have again marked down Albanese, with his net approval rating dipping to minus eight in the latest Guardian Essential poll. But Australians believe his party would be better – or at least no worse – than the Coalition on some key issues.

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Gambling companies threaten to ramp up betting promotions to counter AFL revenue grab

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Exclusive: Critics say inducements are harmful and urge a ban as recommended by Murphy inquiry

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Gambling companies are preparing to ramp up their use of harmful inducements that encourage people to spend more money, in response to the AFL’s push for a bigger slice of gambling revenue.

Earlier this week, Guardian Australia revealed AFL executives had cited concerns about serious shortcomings in the integrity system to justify a campaign to seize a bigger share of money gambled on its games.

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Mental health crisis ‘means youth is no longer one of happiest times of life’

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UN-commissioned study in UK, US, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand finds satisfaction rises with age

For more than half a century, the midlife crisis has been a feature of western society. Fast cars, impulsive decisions, and peak misery between the age of 40 and 50. But all that is changing, according to experts.

In a new paper commissioned by the UN, the leading academics Jean Twenge and David Blanchflower warn that a burgeoning youth mental health crisis in six English-speaking countries worldwide is upending the traditional pattern of happiness across our lifetimes.

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Brisbane ferries suspended ‘until further notice’ – as it happened

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As we flagged earlier, this year’s Oscars will kick off in a few hours. There are a few Australian nominations to keep an eye out for, including:

Guy Pearce, The Brutalist (best supporting actor)

Adam Elliot, Memoir of a Snail (best animated feature)

Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two (best cinematography)

Rodney Burke, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (best visual effects)

Maya Gnyp, I Am Ready, Warden (best documentary short)

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Ocean rower Aurimas Mockus stranded by cyclone off Australia’s east coast safely rescued

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Lithuanian rower’s two-day wait to be rescued off Queensland comes to an end

A Lithuanian rower has been rescued off the Queensland coast after he was caught in a tropical cyclone’s 130km/h winds and monster waves.

Aurimas Mockus ran into trouble about 740km east of Mackay while attempting a 12,000km Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego to Brisbane in his solo rowing boat.

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Cyclone Alfred forecast: people urged to prepare for the worst as storm bears down on south-east Queensland

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Residents warned to stock up on food and water and secure properties as BoM predicts Alfred will make landfall near Brisbane

People have been warned to leave or prepare for the worst, with a tropical cyclone on track to cross a densely populated part of Australia’s coast for the first time in 50 years.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is looming off Queensland’s coast, threatening to bring heavy rainfall, damaging winds and monster waves.

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Premier claims WA a ‘renewable energy powerhouse’ but leaked document shows wind and solar projects have ‘stalled’

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Exclusive: Government document confirms electricity from large-scale renewables has flatlined, with one campaigner saying pipeline has ‘little sign of life’

Officials have warned the Western Australian Labor government that work to build wind and solar farms for the state’s main electricity grid has stalled under its leadership, a leaked document shows.

A confidential state government document reveals state bureaucrats advised the government that the “decarbonisation work program” in Perth’s electricity grid had “stalled to date”. It said there were “few new wind developments” advanced enough to be added to the grid before the promised closure of a coal power station in 2027.

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Social media platforms could face $50m fines if Australian children access adult content on their sites

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Under proposed new codes submitted to eSafety commissioner, tech companies would have six months to implement new measures

Social media and technology companies would have six months to implement a suite of new measures to restrict Australian children from accessing adult content online, or face fines up to $50m, under proposed new codes developed by the industry.

The draft codes, submitted to the eSafety commissioner last week for approval, would require social media platforms that allow pornography to prevent access to minors, and implement age assurance measures for users.

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AFL admits it has lost control of online gambling oversight amid spike in ‘integrity risks’

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Exclusive: Leaked documents reveal the AFL struggles to detect if players are using inside information to manipulate betting markets, despite close ties to industry

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The AFL has admitted its integrity system for online gambling is seriously deficient and struggles to identity whether players, coaches and staff are using inside information to manipulate betting markets, in breach of their contracts.

Leaked documents seen by Guardian Australia reveal executives have expressed alarm about an “unprecedented” increase in “integrity risks” posed by the wagering industry, which has exploded in popularity since the pandemic with more than 80 bookmakers now taking bets on its games.

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Four million Queenslanders warned they could be in ‘firing line’ when Cyclone Alfred heads towards coast

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Bureau of Meteorology says guidance ‘favours landfall on Thursday’ as premier David Crisafulli warns ‘large system presents big challenge’

Tropical Cyclone Alfred will “likely” turn towards major population centres in south-east Queensland this week, with authorities warning more than 4 million people from Bundaberg to the Gold Coast that their communities could be “in the firing line”.

The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, said on Sunday the system could cause serious and potentially dangerous coastal erosion, flash flooding and strong winds.

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‘I need to survive’: rower attempting to cross Pacific activates emergency beacon off Queensland near Cyclone Alfred

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Australian navy ship heading to Coral Sea after Aurimas Mockus calls for help one week out from reaching Queensland

A Royal Australian Navy ship is bound for the Coral Sea after a Lithuanian man attempting to row across the Pacific Ocean from San Diego to Brisbane got into trouble.

Aurimas Mockus activated his emergency beacon on Friday night about 740km east of Mackay, Queensland, and 90km west of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

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Australia’s second-hottest summer in 2024-25 ‘not possible without climate change’, scientist says

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2024-25 summer at 1.89C above long-term average ‘will be one of the coolest in the 21st century’, according to one expert

Last summer was Australia’s second-hottest on a record going back to 1910, at 1.89C above the long-term average, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology.

The second-hottest summer – coming after the second-hottest winter and the hottest spring on record – included the second-hottest January and the third-hottest December.

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Sniffer dogs deployed as NSW pill-testing trial begins in Wollongong

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Attenders able to check what substances are in their illicit pills and powders at two-day Yours and Owls music festival

Festival goers using NSW’s first pill testing service won’t be subjected to sniffer dog searches but that doesn’t apply to people on their way to have their substances checked.

Authorities warned taking drugs remains illegal and police vowed to maintain a highly visible presence around the long-awaited trial site, insisting safety was the top priority.

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Two boys including son of Blaxland candidate taken to hospital after alleged hit-and-run in western Sydney

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Ahmed Ouf, Cumberland councillor tilting at federal seat held by Jason Clare, shares thanks for ‘outpouring of community support’

Two school-age boys, one the son of a local councillor, were taken to hospital on Friday afternoon after an alleged hit-and-run incident in Auburn in western Sydney.

One of the children is the son of Ahmed Ouf, a Cumberland councillor and an independent candidate for the federal seat of Blaxland.

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Albanese sidesteps questions on Trump as he backs Zelenskyy after White House confrontation

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PM pledges support for Ukraine but declines to directly comment on US president’s approach as community rallies in Sydney

Anthony Albanese has reiterated Australia’s support for Ukraine after a fiery meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But even as Sydney’s Ukrainian community rallied in protest, the prime minister declined to comment directly on how the confrontation might affect Australia’s relationship with the US.

US military support for Ukraine hangs in the balance and talks over a minerals deal deteriorated after a disastrous interchange at the White House that also included the US vice-president, JD Vance. The US president claimed his Ukraine counterpart was not “ready for peace” and accused him of “gambling with world war three”, before Zelenskyy left the White House early.

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Two Australian men charged in global investigation into AI-made child abuse images

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Dozens including man from Queensland and man from NSW arrested as part of international operation

Two Australian men have been charged during a global operation into a criminal group distributing artificial intelligence-generated child abuse images.

A 38-year-old NSW man and 31-year-old Queensland man have been arrested alongside a total of 25 linked to the investigation into child sexual exploitation.

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The 50 public schools in Australia where parents pay the highest voluntary fees

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At all of these schools, parents paid on average $1,800 a student, according to data from the national education and curriculum authority

Many parents with children in public school are paying thousands of dollars a year in fees and contributions at levels rivalling the compulsory fees paid to attend some private schools, leading to concerns the principle of a free, government-funded education is being undermined.

At the 50 public schools where parents paid the most in fees and contributions, parents paid an average of more than $1,800 a student, an analysis of the latest funding data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, provided to Guardian Australia by the Greens, reveals.

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