Category Archives: Australia news

Weather tracker: six cyclones swirl simultaneously in southern hemisphere

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Bianca, Garance and Honde churn across Indian Ocean as Alfred, Rae and Seru spin through south-west Pacific

An uncommon meteorological event unfolded on Tuesday when six named tropical cyclones were active simultaneously in the southern hemisphere, several in close proximity to one another.

Three developed in the south-west Pacific. Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred formed on 20 February in the Coral Sea to the north-east of Australia, reaching an intensity equivalent to a category 4 hurricane on Thursday with sustained winds of 105mph (170km/h) and gusts at about 140mph.

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Offshore wind farm developer asks Labor to delay application on Illawarra project until after election

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Chris Bowen accuses Coalition of creating ‘sovereign risk’ by opposing offshore projects as Nationals celebrate ‘major win’

An offshore windfarm developer has asked the Albanese government to pause its application to progress its project off the Illawarra until after the coming federal election, after the Coalition campaigned against it.

BlueFloat Energy was the only applicant asking for a seven-year feasibility licence to further develop its project in the deep waters of the Illawarra offshore wind zone.

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Lattouf says unlawful termination case exposes ‘systemic racism and rot at heart of ABC’

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In closing submissions, broadcaster proposes ‘modest’ payout to journalist if it loses high-stakes battle

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Antoinette Lattouf says her protracted legal fight with the national broadcaster has revealed “the systemic racism and rot at the heart of the ABC”.

In an emotional press conference outside Sydney’s federal court at the conclusion of the case, Lattouf said of her dismissal from the ABC and the fallout: “This saga has undoubtedly been the most difficult of my entire life.”

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Australia news live: Conroy says Chinese flotilla under ‘unprecedented’ naval surveillance as it sails south of Adelaide

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Safety net for laid off fashion group workers

Workers out of a job after the collapse of fashion retailer Mosiac Group will be guaranteed their entitlements after the federal government fast-tracked access to its worker safety net scheme.

Staff are largely women, many balancing part-time employment with care responsibilities, and highly reliant on their pay, so we want to ensure they have as much certainty as possible around their finances going forward.

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Creative Australia boss forced to refute rumour he had resigned as fallout over Khaled Sabsabi dumping continues

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Adrian Collette sends all-staff email denying that he and the chair of Creative Australia’s board had quit amid calls for resignations

The beleaguered CEO of Creative Australia, Adrian Collette, has quashed rumours that emerged overnight that he and the chair of the body’s board, Robert Morgan, had resigned.

“There is a rumour circulating on social media that Robert Morgan and I have resigned,” said his email to all staff of the government arts funding organisation, sent just after 8.30am on Friday.

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Cyclone Alfred threat eases as BoM says it is now less likely to cross Queensland coast

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Alfred is creating hazardous weather conditions from Townsville south to K’Gari, with gale force winds forecast on the Great Barrier Reef and dangerous surf between Yeppoon and Hervey Bay

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is becoming less likely to make landfall on the Queensland coast after it briefly intensified to a category four.

Alfred briefly strengthened to a category four overnight but has since been downgraded back to a category three.

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Australian politicians unworried by Trump’s ‘what does that mean?’ response to Aukus question

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US president was questioned about defence deal during meeting with UK prime minister Keir Starmer

Australian politicians have played down a slip from Donald Trump, who initially failed to understand a question about Aukus posed by a British reporter.

The US president was questioned about the Australia-UK-US defence deal during a meeting with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, in the Oval Office.

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No reason for China to apologise to Australia for live-fire drills, ambassador says

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Xiao Qian says exercises in Tasman Sea posed ‘no threat’ to Australia as previously unreported communications between pilots and air traffic controllers show confusion over drills

China doesn’t even need to “think” about apologising over the way it notified Australia about live-fire naval drills off the Australian coast, the country’s ambassador says.

Xiao Qian told the ABC the drills last Friday and Saturday posed “no threat” to Australia and were “a normal kind of practice for many navies in the world”.

He said the notification of the drills had followed normal international practice, despite Australian authorities first becoming aware of them after they began, from a passing Virgin pilot.

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The São Paulo connection: a Brazilian gang is spreading its cocaine business into Australia

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The PCC – First Capital Command – formed in a Sāo Paulo prison but is now spreading its tentacles around the world

In September 2020, the Australian Border Force intercepted 552kg of cocaine concealed in 2,000 boxes of frozen banana pulp that had arrived at the port of Sydney on a ship from Brazil.

Two years later, a diver was found floating dead next to 52kg of cocaine near the port of Newcastle, in New South Wales, Australia. Police later discovered that he was a Brazilian national who had been attempting to retrieve drugs from a cargo ship’s hull.

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Ita Buttrose’s emails ‘hammering’ top ABC executives instrumental in Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking, court hears

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Court hears how journalist’s social media post on Gaza was seized upon as a ‘pretext’ to get rid of her in an ‘utterly abnormal’ fashion

Ita Buttrose’s emails “hammering” executives with complaints about Antoinette Lattouf’s social media presence were influential in her sacking, the federal court has heard in closing submissions.

Lattouf’s barrister, Oshie Fagir, argued the former chair was one of four ABC figureheads who played a pivotal role in the removal of the casual host from air, including the formal decision-maker, Chris Oliver-Taylor, the chief content officer at the broadcaster.

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Former NSW Liberal MP pleads not guilty to sexually assaulting teenage boy

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Rory Amon committed to stand trial on 10 separate charges, including sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14

A former New South Wales Liberal MP has been committed to stand trial over multiple alleged sexual assaults.

Rory Amon is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy he knew on Sydney’s northern beaches in 2017.

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Affluent suburbs targeted in Victorian government move to seize planning controls to build more homes

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South Yarra and Windsor among 25 new ‘activity centres’ identified by Labor for higher-density housing

The Victorian government has announced affluent suburbs such as Prahran, South Yarra and Windsor are among the final 25 areas where it will seize planning controls in an effort to increase housing density.

Two local government areas – Melbourne and Yarra – have also been named “city-wide activity centres” to allow for the rezoning of under-utilised areas.

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Penny Wong accuses Coalition of ‘gunboat diplomacy’ in Senate estimates as Chinese warships sail into Great Australian Bight

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James Paterson questions whether PM was across detail of live-fire drill, prompting Wong to say opposition senator ‘not actually interested in detail’

Three Chinese warships have sailed west into the Great Australian Bight, as Penny Wong accuses the Coalition of deliberately stirring controversy over live-fire drills that the flotilla conducted last week in the Tasman Sea.

During a fractious Senate estimates hearing Thursday morning, the foreign affairs minister accused the shadow home affairs spokesperson, James Paterson, of ignoring national security in favour of spearheading a “political attack” on the government.

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Man allegedly behind Melbourne’s ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti bailed to live with ‘no nonsense’ grandmother

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Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, released after flagging he will fight more than 50 offences and being accused of painting on Melbourne landmarks

A Melbourne man alleged to be the creator of the prolific “Pam the Bird” graffiti has been released back into the community to live with his grandmother in Geelong, who has warned it is “my house, my rules”.

Jack Gibson-Burrell’s legal team successfully argued for their client to be granted bail under strict conditions including not possessing abseiling-related equipment or graffiti implements, a night-time curfew, $30,000 surety and residing with his grandmother.

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New Zealand’s top diplomat tells China sudden live-fire drills represent ‘failure’ in relationship

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Winston Peters says he told Chinese counterpart Wang Yi not enough warning was given about recent navy exercises that forced planes to divert

New Zealand’s foreign minister said he had raised concerns over China’s recent live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea during meetings with Chinese leaders on Wednesday.

The issue was a lack of notice given to New Zealand over the military exercises off its coast, Winston Peters told reporters in Beijing after meetings with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and vice premier Han Zheng.

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Tropical Cyclone Alfred forecast: system yet to intensify as it lingers off Queensland coast

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BoM says category 2 tropical cyclone is about 930km north-east of Mackay and path is tracking slowly south through Coral Sea

A slow-moving tropical cyclone off north-east Australia is expected to linger in the Coral Sea for at least the next few days, but forecasters say there remains a risk the system could eventually turn towards the Queensland coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology says category 2 Tropical Cyclone Alfred is about 930km north-east of Mackay, and is tracking slowly south through the Coral Sea.

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Khaled Sabsabi pledges to show Venice Biennale work despite Creative Australia decision to drop him

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Artist and curator Michael Dagostino break silence following Creative Australia decision to withdraw them as representatives

The artistic team who were suddenly withdrawn as Australia’s representatives at next year’s Venice Biennale have broken their silence and suggested they will proceed with their exhibition without the Australian government’s endorsement.

Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino issued a detailed statement on Wednesday evening, saying they remained committed to presenting the work they pitched to Creative Australia last year in Venice, to ensure that the “voices and ideas behind it are not silenced”.

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Triple M host Marty Sheargold departs after being condemned for comparing Matildas to ‘year 10 girls’

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Parent company Southern Cross Austereo says programming should meet ‘expectations of its audience’ and ‘it’s clear this is a moment for reflection and review’

Triple M host Marty Sheargold is departing the network after being condemned for comments he made about the Matildas.

Sheargold, a broadcaster and comedian, said on his Drive show on Monday that he “would rather hammer a nail through the head of [his] penis” than watch Australia’s national women’s football team in next year’s Asian Cup. He also asked: “Got any men’s sport?”

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‘Dangerous, highly manipulative’ sect leader among 14 jailed for Elizabeth Struhs’ manslaughter

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Eight-year-old’s parents and 12 other members of Toowoomba religious group the Saints are responsible for her ‘slow and painful death’, judge says

A “dangerous, highly manipulative” Queensland religious sect leader has been sentenced to 13 years behind bars for the death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs while her parents have been handed jail terms of more than 14 years each.

They are among 14 members of Toowoomba-based religious sect the Saints sentenced to prison in the Queensland supreme court on Wednesday after they were found guilty of manslaughter over Elizabeth’s January 2022 death by diabetic ketoacidosis.

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Rajwinder Singh linked to Toyah Cordingley’s shallow grave through DNA and ‘distinctive’ car, court hears

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Singh, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, owned Alfa Romeo sedan ‘similar’ to one seen on CCTV in areas where Cordingley’s phone was located, jury told

A man accused of murder can be linked to a young woman’s shallow grave on a beach via DNA samples and a “distinctive” European car, a jury has heard.

Rajwinder Singh pleaded not guilty in the supreme court on Tuesday to the murder of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley, more than six years after the young woman’s body was found at an isolated far north Queensland beach.

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