Category Archives: Australia news

The ‘speedo’ beats the Worm as commercial TV catches federal election fever | The Weekly Beast

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Seven reveals its latest psephological device as the network makes an early start on election coverage. Plus: Daily Telegraph’s tiny correction for big maths fail

The date for the federal election has not been set but that hasn’t stopped the Seven network from unveiling its Election Needle, a gimmick resembling a car’s speedometer which they say will predict whether Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton is winning the election.

The network that brought you the “Screen of Dreams” and “The Panic Station” during the 2022 race between Scott Morrison and Albanese rolled out the Election Needle’s first prediction this week.

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Human Rights Commission considers discrimination complaint against Peter Dutton over Gaza comments

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Complaint lists numerous public comments by the Liberal leader, a staunch supporter of Israel, which it alleges show discriminatory behaviour towards Palestinians, Muslims and Jews

The Australian Human Rights Commission is considering a complaint that alleges Peter Dutton discriminated against Palestinians and Muslims in public comments after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and during the subsequent war in Gaza.

The complaint, coordinated by the law firm Birchgrove Legal, includes allegations that “Palestinian-Australian, Arab-Australian and Muslim-Australian complainants” reported feeling “dehumanised … and humiliated as an ‘Other’ who does not and should not matter to Australia” as a result of some of the Liberal leader’s public commentary.

“justifying or otherwise failing to condemn violence against Palestinian civilians by Israel in likely breach of international humanitarian law”;

“erasing the human rights and equal dignity and worth of Palestinians by denying crimes and atrocities committed against them”;

“and conflating Palestinians as being terrorists or terrorist sympathisers”.

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‘Disrupt or be disrupted’, mainstream parties warned as voters turn to populists

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Research shows voters losing faith in traditional centre-left and centre-right to deliver meaningful change

Voters in western democracies are turning away from mainstream political parties and towards populists because they are losing faith in their ability to implement meaningful change, a major report based on surveys of 12,000 voters has found.

The popularity of traditional centre-left and centre-right parties across major democratic countries has plummeted from 73% in 2000 to 51% today, according to research by the Tony Blair Institute.

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Man with ‘sexsomnia’ not guilty of raping woman after judge warns jury in Sydney trial

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The 40-year-old had a medical condition where people exhibit sexual behaviour during sleep, court heard

Jurors have acquitted a man diagnosed with “sexsomnia” of rape.

On Thursday, Timothy Malcolm Rowland, 40, was found not guilty of having non-consensual sex with a woman at his Sydney apartment on 26 August 2022, after the pair spent a night out together.

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Queensland’s puberty blockers ban has potential to cause harm, sex discrimination commissioner says

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Anna Cody raises concerns over halt to hormone treatments for gender dysphoria as youth service labels it ‘discriminatory’

The Queensland government’s ban on puberty blockers for new patients seeking treatment for gender issues is “discriminatory”, according to the state’s only dedicated LGBTQI youth service, as the national sex discrimination commissioner warns the decision may harm young people.

Sex discrimination commissioner, Anna Cody, said the decision “has the potential to harm the physical and mental wellbeing of children in Queensland who are currently awaiting care”.

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High food prices becoming ingrained in Australian economy, analyst warns

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Economic data shows food and beverage prices still rising faster than long-term average, even as inflationary pressures ease

High food prices are now embedded in the economy, a retail analyst has warned, after new inflation data released on Wednesday.

Egg prices surged 11% last year, and the cost of cooking oil is up 7%; lamb prices have jumped 17%, while shoppers are paying about 6% more for fruit and vegetables. Beer prices have lifted by 4%.

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Australians paid 10% more in bank fees last year, Reserve Bank says

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Rise was partly due to more households using their credit and debit cards overseas as travel bounces back, analyst from central bank says

Australian households paid almost 10% more in bank fees in the 2023/24 financial year, with credit card and personal loan use soaring amid the rising cost of living.

That contributed to banks enjoying a 5% jump in fee revenue in 2023/24 – the first annual increase in fee earnings in seven years, the Reserve Bank said in its January bulletin.

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Study of more than 600 animal and plant species finds genetic diversity has declined globally

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Analysis by dozens of scientists internationally notes urgent conservation efforts could halt or even reverse losses

Genetic diversity in animals and plants has declined globally over the past three decades, an analysis of more than 600 species has found.

The research, published in the journal Nature, found declines in two-thirds of the populations studied, but noted that urgent conservation efforts could halt or even reverse genetic diversity losses.

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Renewables break record for share of Australia’s main energy supply in December quarter, data reveals

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Australian Energy Market Operator also reports coal-fired power plants’ contribution fell below 50% for the first time

Renewable power reached a record share of Australia’s main electricity supply in the December 2024 quarter, with the contribution of coal-fired generation dipping below 50% for the first time, the Australian Energy Market Operator said.

Renewable energy sources accounted for 46% of the overall supply mix in the national energy market (NEM), driving quarterly total emissions and emissions intensity to record low levels.

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Inflation data isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Labor – as Biden and Democrats will attest

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While a pre-election rate cut is widely seen as positive for incumbent governments, it doesn’t necessarily represent a path to victory in itself

The Reserve Bank of Australia is designed to be independent of government, but that does not mean its decisions do not have political consequences.

After Wednesday’s better-than-expected inflation reading, there is now broad consensus among economists that the RBA will cut interest rates next month.

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Caravan laden with explosives found in Sydney allegedly intended for antisemitic attack

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NSW police investigating after explosives found in Dural with premier Chris Minns warning incident could have led to ‘mass casualty event’

More than 100 counter-terrorism police are investigating after a caravan was found laden with explosives at a residential property in greater Sydney with indications the explosives would be used in an antisemitic attack.

Police said they had found the caravan on a property in Dural, on the outskirts of Sydney on 19 January after a report was made.

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Australia news live: Angus Taylor says cost-of-living pain ‘far from over’ despite inflation falling to three-year low

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Labor adds homelessness focus to disability strategy

Australians with disabilities experiencing homelessness will be prioritised as the government commits to disability reforms, months after a scathing royal commission into the sector, AAP reports.

For the first time, they also include a number of national actions that all governments will work on together, with the disability community, to ensure people with disability right across Australia experience the benefits.

Some students, especially those in our cities, can see a career in agriculture as something that’s only for those who live in the regions or for those whose family own land that can be used to operate an agribusiness.

AgConnections aims to break down these misconceptions and build on the diversity of the industry, by highlighting and encouraging women and Indigenous Australians wanting to pursue a career in agriculture.

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Australia’s underlying inflation rate falls to 3.2% to bolster case for RBA rate cut next month

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Consumer price index dropped to 2.4% in December quarter, according to ABS figures released on Wednesday

Australia’s underlying inflation rate has fallen to a three-year low of 3.2%, bolstering the case for a rate cut next month that would provide a dopamine hit to the government ahead of a cost-of-living election.

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s preferred inflation gauge, which strips out volatile price swings, fell to an annual 3.2% for the December quarter, down from 3.5%.

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Queensland social media influencer accused of torturing one-year-old for money and fame granted bail

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Magistrate allows release of 34-year-old charged with 11 offences related to treatment of her baby daughter

A social media influencer who allegedly gave her baby multiple drugs to film her in “immense distress” in a plan to gain fame and money online has been granted bail by a Queensland magistrate.

On Wednesday morning, magistrate Stephen Courtney accepted the arguments of lawyer Mathew Cuskelly that any risk his 34-year-old client, who cannot be named for legal reasons, posed to her now 18-month-old daughter could be ameliorated by strict conditions.

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Origin Energy fined $1.6m after sharing private details of family violence victims

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Company apologises over disclosure of information and collection of debts from vulnerable people

Human error has been blamed after a major energy retailer shared family violence victims’ private details without their consent and for chasing other survivors for unpaid power bills.

Origin Energy has coughed up $1.6m after it was served penalty notices by Victoria’s Essential Services Commission for breaching rules designed to protect the vulnerable cohort.

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Inflation figures to ‘make or break’ the case for an Australian pre-election February rate cut

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Release of December quarterly CPI may be the most politically consequential set of numbers in recent times

Inflation figures due out on Wednesday could “make or break” the case for a pre-election rate cut next month, according to economists, in one of the most politically consequential set of numbers of recent times.

The market is pricing in an 84% chance of a 25 basis-point rate cut when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) meets mid-next month, although those odds will rise or fall based on the December quarterly consumer price index.

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Australians who get most of their news from social media more likely to believe in climate conspiracy, study finds

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Exclusive: Monash University study suggests those who rely more on newspapers and public broadcasters more likely to score highly on ‘civic values’

Those who believe global heating is a conspiracy get most of their information about news and current events from commercial and social media, according to a study by researchers at Monash University.

The study, led by Prof Mark Andrejevic and Assoc Prof Zala Volcic, found that those who relied on social media as the main source of news scored lower on a measure of “civic values” than people who relied on newspapers and non-commercial media.

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Australia’s new chief scientist open to nuclear power but focused on energy forms available ‘right now’

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Prof Tony Haymet says nuclear industry will need to ‘rebuild their social licence’ while noting solar and wind are ‘incredibly cheap’

Australia’s new chief scientist has said he is open to the prospect of nuclear power playing a role in the country’s energy mix, but remained focused on forms of energy that were “available to help us right now”.

On his first day in the job, Prof Tony Haymet said new energy-intensive technologies like artificial intelligence could be powered by renewables, but that he thought serious discussions about nuclear in Australia were likely to be years away.

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Social media influencer manufactured symptoms that caused one-year-old to have brain surgery, Brisbane court hears

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The woman, 34, is accused of torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations

A social media influencer allegedly gave her baby multiple drugs that led to a cardiac arrest and manufactured symptoms that caused unnecessary brain surgery as part of a plan to gain fame and money online, a magistrate has heard.

Queensland police have accused the woman of filming the torture of her one-year-old infant after administering drugs to worsen the symptoms of her brain tumours.

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Queensland halts prescription of puberty blockers and hormones for children with gender dysphoria

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Pause comes as Crisafulli government launches independent review after reports gender-affirming hormones were given without proper consultation

Children with gender dysphoria will be denied puberty blockers as a state government reviews hormone therapies for minors.

The Queensland government launched the investigation after reports gender-affirming hormones had been given to children as young as 12 without authorised care.

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