Category Archives: Australia news

High-profile Sydney man had guilty conscience as he allegedly lied to police about intimate video, court hears

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The man, who Guardian Australia cannot name, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including five counts of rape

A high-profile Sydney man lied to the police with a guilty conscience after he allegedly threatened to distribute an intimate video of a woman, a prosecutor has alleged.

The crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson on Thursday concluded his closing argument in a sexual assault trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre expected to wrap up this week. Robertson told the court how the woman’s boyfriend had allegedly gone to the man’s home to retrieve the intimate video after he threatened to distribute it.

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Rally organisers and police reach agreement – as it happened

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The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is speaking with ABC RN from New Zealand where he is meeting with regional counterparts.

Asked about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and whether “ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are now dead”, Marles said the “continued violence in the Middle East is obviously giving rise to enormous threat to civilian life”.

I think the international community is desperate to see an end to this violence, and certainly that’s how we’re exercising our international voice.

Israel has a right to defend itself. Every country has a right to defend itself, and to do so in a proportionate way. That said, we are calling for a ceasefire, along with the United States, along with other members of the international community.

The continued violence in the Middle East is giving rise to … unacceptable numbers of civilian lives lost, and the ongoing violence is a threat to civilian life. And we, along with international community, urge an end to this.

We have [been protesting for] 51 weeks in a row, [and it’s been] absolutely peaceful. Millions of Australians have come out, it’s not provocative at all.

What’s provocative is the fact that our government isn’t listening to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of Australians, who have signed petitions, called their MPs, have done everything they’re supposed to do within this democratic framework to say ‘enough’ …

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Pro-Palestine rally and standing vigil going ahead in Sydney after protesters and police reach agreement

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Decision reached after police launched supreme court action to have events scheduled for Town Hall on 6 and 7 October ruled unlawful

Pro-Palestine organisers have claimed victory in court, after announcing that both a rally on 6 October and a standing vigil on 7 October will go ahead after a last-minute agreement with New South Wales police.

NSW police this week launched supreme court action to have both events deemed unlawful, citing concerns over expected crowd size and potential hazards including “planter boxes” at Town Hall.

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Man bailed over alleged arson attack at Friendlyjordies’ home

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Andre Stepanyan, one of two men charged over an alleged arson at the home of YouTuber Jordan Shanks-Markovina in November 2022, will fight the charges

A man charged over the brazen firebombing of a controversial YouTuber’s house has been granted bail after a judge heard he had cut ties with an outlaw motorcycle group.

Andre Stepanyan is one of two men charged over an alleged arson attack at the home of Jordan Shanks-Markovina – who posts under the name Friendlyjordies – in November 2022.

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Good eggs: fans delighted as new peregrine falcon chicks hatch on Melbourne skyscraper

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Social media stars of 367 Collins Street welcome baby birds to the nest

Joy can be hatched in the most unexpected places. On Thursday, it was nestled into the ledge of a skyscraper in Melbourne’s CBD, where two peregrine falcon chicks entered the world for the first time.

The newest members of Melbourne’s favourite family hatched in the morning on top of 367 Collins Street, witnessed by more than 1,000 viewers on the building’s rolling live feed.

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Canberra Liberal apologises for writing book that paints rosy colonisation picture and skips frontier wars

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One exercise in History of Australia, a student workbook and teaching manual, asks pupils to discuss how Aboriginal people were ‘blessed’ by the British coming

Peter Cain, the ACT’s shadow attorney general, has apologised “wholeheartedly” for a 2002 workbook he wrote which does not mention the frontier wars and paints a rosy picture of how Christian settlers helped First Nations peoples.

In History of Australia, a student workbook and teacher’s manual published by Light Educational Ministries, Cain wrote that when the British arrived, “some were afraid of the Aboriginals; some treated them badly”.

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Australia’s steepest and longest rental surge in history may be nearing end, figures show

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Annual growth is at multi-year lows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, suggesting the stretch of rent rises may have peaked, Domain says

Annual rent increases for houses have hit multi-year lows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, suggesting a relentless stretch of rising rents may have peaked, a new report has found.

Renters are still feeling the pinch from record high prices but the data in Domain’s Rent Report revealed the lowest September quarter growth rate since 2019 for houses and 2020 for units.

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Miles vows Queensland households will always have cheapest power in mainland national electricity market if Labor wins

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Premier promises to create ‘energy price guarantee’ if his party retains government at state election

Queensland’s premier, Steven Miles, will promise his state’s households they will always have the cheapest power prices of all mainland states in the national electricity market if Labor is elected this month.

Miles announced on Wednesday that he would set up a second state-owned power retailer, akin to Ergon, which operates in regional Queensland.

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Greens reveal plan for 1,000 new health clinics with free medical and dental care across Australia

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Adam Bandt to announce $54bn policy for at least six clinics in every electorate paid for by ‘Robin Hood’ tax reform

The Greens want to open 1,000 new health clinics nationwide with free medical and dental care, in a $54bn policy the minor party says it would push in the event of a hung parliament.

The party’s leader, Adam Bandt, will announce the commitment on Thursday in the seat of Perth – one of the Greens’ major targets at the next election.

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Noise from new Hobart AFL stadium will ruin symphony orchestra’s historic concert hall, CEO fears

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Caroline Sharpen says ‘there’s no precedent in the world’ for a concert hall having to deal with 23,000-seat stadium just 170 metres from its stage

The $775m bid to bring an Aussie Rules team to Tasmania will place the state’s symphony orchestra in an unenviable world-first position, which could threaten its future existence.

The plan to build a home for the newly formed Tasmanian Devils AFL team will see a 23,000 seat capacity sports and music stadium constructed on a historic Hobart foreshore site just 40 metres from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s purpose-built performing and recording headquarters, the Federation Concert Hall.

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Cuddles and drama as live stream shows secret life of ‘ridiculously fluffy’ greater glider

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Camera installed inside a tree hollow in NSW forest to raise awareness of the plight of the endangered possum

Conservationists call them “ridiculously cute” and “captivating” – and now a live stream offers a global audience the chance to view life inside the hollow for a family of eastern Australia’s largest gliding possums.

The hollow-cam broadcasting live from a tree in south-east NSW offered unlimited greater glider viewing for animal lovers and reality TV tragics.

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Australia news live: Miles promises state-owned power company for Queensland; NSW police arrest woman following Sydney protest rally

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Children’s commissioner to address National Press Club today on youth justice

The children’s commissioner, Anne Hollonds, is due to address the National Press Club today on a new report calling for an overhaul of Australia’s approach to child justice.

That kind of slogan really is trying to show that ‘we’re really tough up here, we’re going to be tough on crime’. And what our report shows is that that approach, that traditional approach in this country, hasn’t worked and and that basically it’s evident that we’ve misunderstood the nature of the problem we’re trying to solve. We know that toughening up the justice system doesn’t actually prevent crime by children.

The idea that the states and territories could fix this on their own has been misguided, we need to work together on it.

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Alpine dingoes at risk of extinction after Victorian government extends right to cull

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At least 468 shot by government controllers last year out of an estimated population of as few as 2,640 in the state’s east, advocates say

Traditional owners and dingo advocates say a Victorian government decision extending the right to kill dingoes on private and public land until 2028 could threaten local populations with extinction.

A government order, which took effect on Tuesday, declared dingoes were “unprotected wildlife” under the state’s Wildlife Act. The ruling means dingoes can be killed by trapping, poisoning or shooting across large parts of eastern Victoria, despite being listed as threatened under the state’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

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Labor’s 11th-hour decision on LGBTQ+ census questions prompted weekend scramble, documents reveal

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Australian Bureau of Statistics officers cancelled media briefings and social media promotion after Albanese government’s last-minute decision

The Albanese government’s last-minute rejection of proposed questions on sexuality and gender diversity in the upcoming 2026 census sent bureaucrats into a weekend scramble, new documents show.

In the late hours of Friday 23 August and Saturday 24 August, officials at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) agreed to cancel a scheduled media briefing on Monday 26 August and the rollout of its “large-scale” test census to 50,000 households from Tuesday 27 August as a result of the 11th-hour decision.

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One in three Australians throwing unwanted clothes in rubbish, survey finds

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RMIT-led study recommends a national recycling scheme to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of textiles sent to landfill each year

Most Australians are confused about what to do with their unwanted clothes, leading about a third to throw their closet clutter in the rubbish, according to the first national survey of clothing use and disposal habits.

The RMIT-led survey of 3,080 Australians found 84% of people owned garments they hadn’t worn in the past year, including a third who hadn’t touched more than half of their wardrobe.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters call NSW police attempt to block rally on 7 October ‘an attack on fundamental democratic rights’

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Exclusive: police will ask state supreme court to prevent the protests due to safety concerns as Palestine Action Group says it ‘unequivocally opposes’ move

The organisers behind the weekly pro-Palestine protests have criticised New South Wales Police for their decision to apply to the state’s supreme court to prevent two rallies from going ahead on 6 and 7 October.

Palestine Action Group (PAG) had informed police of the protests and submitted the required paperwork request, known as form 1, for both.

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Australia financially assisting some citizens to leave Lebanon as Israel launches ground incursion

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It is thought there are 15,000 Australians in Lebanon, and plans for an emergency evacuation have been in place for months

The federal government is understood to be financially assisting some Australians in Lebanon to leave the country as part of an escalated bid to expatriate citizens as Israel begins a ground incursion.

Guardian Australia understands Beirut-Rafic Hariri international airport – the only operational commercial airport in Lebanon – remains open and both Australian passport and visa holders were being assisted on to flights by diplomatic staff. An estimated 15,000 Australians are in Lebanon.

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Controversial Queensland mayor labels Steven Miles’ move to oust him a ‘political hit job’

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Premier issues show cause notice to Troy Thompson as investigation into the Townsville mayor’s military service record continues

The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, has launched an 11th hour bid to stand down controversial north Queensland mayor Troy Thompson as the Labor state government enters caretaker mode and faces an uphill state reelection campaign.

Miles’ office confirmed on Tuesday it had sent a show cause to the Townsville mayor.

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Woman killed in NT town’s second suspected DV death since July

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Emergency services unable to save 22-year-old after responding to reports of a distressed man in Katherine on Monday night

A woman has been killed in a suspected domestic violence assault in the Northern Territory.

Emergency services found the 22-year-old after responding to reports of a distressed man on O’Shea Terrace in Katherine on Monday night.

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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

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Burke accuses Dutton of trying to ‘throw kerosene’ on public debate over Middle East

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Home affairs minister says he will cancel visas of people waving Hezbollah flags at rallies as experts point to nuanced community perspectives on group

The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, has accused Peter Dutton of seeking to “raise the temperature” of public debate over conflict in the Middle East, after protests on the weekend included some people holding the Hezbollah flag.

The opposition leader on Monday suggested parliament should be recalled to enact new anti-terror laws that would cover such actions, if it was not already illegal.

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