Category Archives: Australia news

After a year of fighting, the Greens grant most of PM’s Christmas wishes in late bill flurry

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This week, and particularly the passing of 31 bills on a frenetic final day, has done a lot to cement Labor’s first term agenda

On Thursday after question time, Anthony Albanese gave an end-of-year speech thanking his colleagues and opponents, although at times it was difficult to tell which was which.

Turning to the crossbench, the prime minister spoke about the importance of respect in politics but couldn’t help himself when it came to an obligatory reference to the “Greens political party”.

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Paul Karp is Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent

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Personal details of financially distressed Australians shared in ‘leads list’ of property development course

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Master Wealth Control, trading as DG Institute, breached privacy laws by sharing names and addresses of people in distressed situations, regulator finds

A property investment company breached privacy laws by sharing the names and addresses of people going through a divorce or financial distress with participants of its wealth-building classes, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has found.

Master Wealth Control Pty Ltd (DG Institute), whose director was the prominent Sydney property investor Dominique Grubisa until July, offers courses and mentoring programs on property and business investment.

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Labor passes migration and social media ban bills after marathon Senate sitting

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More than 30 pieces of legislation pass the upper house amid a flurry of deals with the Coalition and Greens

A late final sitting in the Senate for the year has seen more than 30 bills pass the upper house, including controversial migration laws that allow the government to pay third countries to take non-citizens and ban travellers from specified countries.

Senators sat until almost 11.30pm on Thursday after the Albanese government struck an earlier deal with the Greens and the opposition to pass 31 bills, in addition to a social media ban on under-16s debated from 10pm.

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Australia passes world-first law banning under-16s from social media despite safety concerns

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Bill passes amid warning that process has been rushed and that a ban could push teenagers towards the dark web or into isolation

Australia’s parliament has passed a law that will aim to do what no other government has, and many parents have tried to: stop children from using social media. The new law was drafted in response to what the Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says is a “clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians.”

On Thursday, parliament’s upper house, the Senate, passed a bill by 34 votes to 19 banning children under 16 from social media platforms.

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Australia politics live: Thorpe says her suspension from Senate a ‘colonial action’ and stages pro-Palestine protest from gallery

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Nuclear costings coming ‘in coming weeks and months ahead of election’: Taylor

The shadow treasurer was also asked when the Coalition would release the costings of its nuclear plan.

We will not be announcing it on your program this morning, as much as you might like me to.

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Thunderstorms, hail and possible flash flooding forecast for Sydney after days of intense heat

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New South Wales to see wild weather and heavy rainfall after ‘unseasonably hot’ temperatures

Severe thunderstorms are forecast to bring lightning, damaging winds and hail to New South Wales on Thursday, following days of intense heat earlier this week.

Sydney, Wollongong, Goulburn, Orange and Gosford are anticipating severe thunderstorm activity, with thunderstorms also forecast for inland Queensland on Thursday.

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Sydney woman charged after alleged attempt to drown her children

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Two girls, aged seven and eight, rescued from Georges River by passerby in September 2023

A woman from Sydney’s south west has been charged following an alleged attempt to drown her children last year.

She was charged with two counts of attempt to drown person with intent to murder.

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Communications minister’s office admits gambling ad reform taking ‘longer than hoped’

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Exclusive: Emails seen by Guardian Australia from Michelle Rowland's office say they ‘can’t commit to a revised timeframe’ on the long-awaited reforms

The communications minister’s office has apologised to multiple people harmed by the gambling industry after delaying long-awaited advertising reforms, admitting government action has taken “longer than hoped”.

Emails seen by Guardian Australia shows Michelle Rowland’s office “can’t confirm a revised timeframe” for when it will formally respond to a report from the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, which called for a total wagering ad ban some 18 months ago.

“I acknowledge the ongoing toll this is taking on you and others, and I’m personally very sorry that we have not been able to secure an outcome thus far,” a staffer for the minister said in an email.

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Colombia-led operation seizes world record 225 tonnes of cocaine, and uncovers new Australia trafficking route

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Operation Orion, a cooperative operation between 62 countries, finds some of the record haul on a new drug route being used by a ‘narco submarine’

Colombian authorities working with dozens of other countries have seized 225 tonnes of cocaine in the space of six weeks, a global record for any single anti-narcotics operation, finding some of that haul on a “narco submarine” travelling on a new drug trafficking route to Australia.

In the six-week Operation Orion, law enforcement agencies and other organisations from 62 countries halted six semi-submersible vessels stuffed with cocaine and confiscated 1,400 tonnes of drugs in total, including more than 1,000 tonnes of marijuana.

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Nano-scale dinosaur made by Australian researchers from DNA building blocks

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Structures thousands of times narrower than a human hair suggest future uses for nanobot technology

Australian researchers have created building blocks out of DNA to construct a series of nano-scale objects and shapes, from a rod and a square to an infinitesimally small dinosaur.

The approach turns DNA into a modular material for building nanostructures – thousands of times narrower than a human hair. Developed by researchers from the University of Sydney Nano Institute and published in the journal Science Robotics, it suggests exciting possibilities for future use of nanobot technology.

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Western Australia’s endangered cockatoo among world’s longest-living birds

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Oldest Carnaby’s cockatoo in wild lived to 35, with eight recorded living beyond 21, researchers find

Western Australia’s endangered Carnaby’s cockatoos can live up to 35 years in the wild, making them one of the longest-lived bird species, according to a study that began in 1969.

Eight Carnaby’s cockatoos aged between 21 and 35 years have been recorded, according to research published in Pacific Conservation Biology.

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Australia politics live: Hanson fails in bid to refer Payman over citizenship; Thorpe withdraws ‘shut your mouth’ comment to Labor senator

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Labour market steadying as latest monthly CPI result looms

The consensus for much of the year has been the Reserve Bank’s 13-year high interest rates would squeeze demand in the economy, nudge up unemployment and help bring down inflation. And then it could start cutting its cash rate.

And then more recently, we’re actually starting to see [the labour market] tighten.

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First Nations Voice makes history in South Australia: ‘We are determined to prove you wrong’

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Inaugural address from Leeroy Bilney, outlining racist history of Australia and future challenges, greeted with acclaim

The First Nations Voice has delivered its first message to the South Australian parliament: “We are determined to prove you wrong.”

MPs had to squeeze together to make room for all those who turned up to Wednesday’s special joint sitting to hear the Voice’s inaugural address.

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Hanson alleging Fatima Payman in breach of section 44 ends with Thorpe giving Senate the finger

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Hanson alleges Payman, who was born in Afghanistan, has not shown evidence she has revoked that citizenship

An extraordinary row has erupted in the Senate as Pauline Hanson attempted to have Fatima Payman investigated for an alleged section 44 citizenship issue, with Lidia Thorpe throwing papers at the One Nation leader and flipping her middle finger as she stormed out of the chamber.

The Senate president, Sue Lines said, she had advised the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service of the incident between Hanson and Thorpe this morning, saying she was “incredibly disappointed” in the behaviour which she described as “physically threatening”.

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Zachary Rolfe’s ego played a part in Kumanjayi Walker’s shooting death, NT coroner told

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Coroner urged not to ‘sugarcoat’ police officer’s actions as inquest nears end

Zachary Rolfe’s ego “had a lot to do with” the death of Kumanjayi Walker, and the former police officer “invented” evidence about the Warlpiri man attempting to take his gun before the fatal shooting, a court has heard.

The inquest into the death of Walker is holding its final hearings, almost two years after it was due to be completed.

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Insurance companies should be forced to disclose calculations, inquiry says as Australians face rising premiums

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Policy costs surging for many households, committee report finds, especially those facing ‘the brunt of climate-driven disasters’

A parliamentary select committee has recommended insurance companies be forced to disclose insurance premium calculations amid a surge in the cost of household policies, especially for those living in and around areas prone to natural disasters.

The recommendation, one of eight flowing out of an inquiry into the impact of climate change on insurance premiums, comes during a period of rising stress for many homeowners who have received huge price increases in their renewal notices with little explanation.

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Molly the magpie’s owners have licence for Instagram star revoked by Queensland supreme court

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Wildlife group claims win as environment department says granting licence for bird was ‘an error’

A magpie made famous on social media may again be separated from his canine friends after a special carers’ licence was revoked.

The supreme court overturned the licence just months after it was granted to Molly the magpie’s Gold Coast rescue family that includes his best mates, dogs Peggy and Ruby.

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Man charged after allegedly trying to smuggle meth-soaked cow onesie on flight to Australia

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US authorities allege Californian man Raj Matharu tried to conceal more than 1kg of drugs soaked into items of clothing

An alleged would-be drug smuggler soaked a cow onesie in methamphetamine, part of a whole suitcase full of clothes he tried to sneak aboard a plane, US justice officials have said.

Raj Matharu allegedly checked in two bags at Los Angeles international airport on a flight to Sydney, Australia, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

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New home construction slumps to near 40-year low as renovation spending booms

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‘This indicates that there is not enough money and resources being attracted to expanding the housing stock,’ urban economist says

New private residential construction is at its lowest level for almost four decades but spending on renovations has boomed, according to a new analysis.

The report by KPMG found that new private residential construction spending per capita is at its lowest level since 1987-88, as renovation spending surged from 34.2% of total residential construction spend in 2018-19 to 40% in 2023-24.

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Albanese government says Australia on target to reduce emissions – but campaigners say they could do more

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Departmental analysis includes contentious measurements, but climate minister says government is cleaning up after ‘decade of denial, delay, dysfunction and utter neglect’

The Australian government will claim it is on track to meet its legislated 43% emissions reduction target by 2030 after a departmental analysis found it had improved its position over the past year.

The government said annual emissions projections, based on an assessment of government policies and other trends, suggest national climate pollution would be at least 42.6% less than 2005 levels by the end of the decade, compared with 37% last year. The forecast included the impact of an underwriting scheme for new large-scale renewable energy and batteries, and vehicle efficiency standards that from next year require auto companies to start selling more zero and low-emissions cars.

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