Category Archives: Australia news

‘Best slow TV ever’: scientists mount cameras on endangered sea lions to map Australia’s ocean floor

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Eight females from two seal colonies have filmed almost 90 hours across more than 500km, helping scientists map 5,000 sq km of habitat

The Australian sea lions glide and dart through underwater tunnels, over seagrass beds and rocky reefs, searching for a meal and dancing with dolphins around a giant bait ball of fish – all the action captured by a camera stuck on their back.

“I can watch this stuff for hours,” says Prof Simon Goldsworthy. “It’s like the best slow TV ever. You just don’t know what you’re going to see next.”

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US plans more frequent bomber deployments to Australia amid China’s ‘escalatory behaviour’

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Australia-US talks also turn to Middle East conflict as representatives ramp up calls for Gaza ceasefire

The US says it plans “more frequent” deployments of bomber aircraft to Australia amid concerns over China’s “dangerous and escalatory behaviour” in the region.

The announcement after annual talks on Wednesday builds on a long-term trend of increased rotations of American forces to Australia, along with moves to upgrade Australian military bases and pre-position US army equipment in Australia.

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Centrepay report that found major failings ‘ignored’ by successive Coalition governments, author says

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Advocate Anna Buduls AO says her 2013 report, which found major failings with the controversial Centrepay debt recovery system, was mostly forgotten about

A government-appointed reviewer who warned the government of serious problems with its Centrepay debt recovery system 11 years ago says her report was “mostly buried” and ignored and has expressed “huge sadness” that people continued to suffer.

Anna Buduls was tasked by the Gillard government in 2012 to review the controversial system. She recommended a significant overhaul of the system to stop the “exploitation of financially vulnerable people by some unscrupulous operators”.

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Labor’s attempts to tie gambling harm advocates into ‘ridiculous’ secret agreements rejected

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The government has invited anti-gambling groups to a briefing on proposed reforms to the sector on Friday – but there’s a special condition if they want to attend

A leading anti-gambling advocate has refused to sign a contentious non-disclosure agreement in order to attend a briefing with the government about gambling advertising reforms.

After the government was roundly criticised for consulting with betting companies ahead of gambling harm advocates about the reforms, the Alliance for Gambling Reform was among several organisations that on Monday evening received an invitation to a government briefing.

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‘Hobbit’ bones from tiny species of ancient humans found on Indonesian island

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Flores arm bone suggests Homo floresiensis was forced to undergo a dramatic reduction in body size

The remains of a member of the smallest ancient human species on record, who stood at just 1m tall, have been discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores.

The fossil arm bone belonged to a tiny adult human who roamed the island 700,000 years ago alongside pygmy elephants, Komodo dragons and giant rats the size of rabbits. It is thought to be from a very early individual of the “hobbit” species Homo floresiensis that has perplexed scientists since its discovery two decades ago.

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Pig-nosed turtle among over a dozen new species added to Australia’s list of endangered species

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The number of species recognised as threatened with extinction in Australia now stands at 2,224

Another 13 animals and plants have been added to Australia’s list of threatened species, sparking renewed calls for the federal government to quickly overhaul the country’s nature laws.

The species newly listed as at risk include the pig-nosed turtle (listed as vulnerable), the Dalhousie catfish (critically endangered), Pugh’s sphagnum frog (endangered) and the Coffs Harbour Fontainea, a rainforest tree (critically endangered). Other species are freshwater fish, lizards, flowering shrubs, a daisy and an orchid species.

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Weather and a changing world — not large corporations — behind downturn in Australia’s live music scene, inquiry hears

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Outgoing CEO of promoters’ body says inquiry has produced no evidence that companies have engaged in anticompetitive behaviour

Many of Australia’s live music business models are “broken and unsustainable”, a parliamentary inquiry into the crisis-hit sector heard on Tuesday.

But overseas-based companies such as Live Nation and TEG, the large tour promotion multinationals that have come under criticism during the inquiry, are not the problem, the industry’s peak body said.

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Anyone hoping for lower interest rates any time soon will be dismayed by RBA chief’s media conference

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Governor Michele Bullock makes clear any expectation of interest rate cuts this year ‘not aligned’ with bank’s present thinking

Those hoping for lower interest rates soon – whether stressed borrowers or those in the Albanese government itching for an early election – would have been dismayed by the Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock’s media conference on Tuesday.

The RBA board had just wrapped up the eighth meeting under her leadership and considered just two options for its key interest rate: “hold for some time” or another rate hike. A rate cut was not up for discussion.

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Beyond ‘stretch of imagination’ Brittany Higgins fundraising page part of conspiracy to damage Linda Reynolds, court told

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Communications between Higgins and sexual assault survivor advocate subpoenaed during defamation trial as Reynolds’ lawyer accuses former staffer of trying to ‘capture public opinion’

Any communications between Brittany Higgins and sexual assault survivor advocate, Saxon Mullins, over a newly created page to fundraise for Higgins’ legal costs will be handed over to Linda Reynolds’ legal team, a court has heard.

The Western Australian Liberal senator is suing Higgins for a series of social media posts published in July 2023, which she says damaged her reputation.

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Australia news live: Wong ‘deeply concerned’ about escalation in Middle East; RBA interest rate decision due today

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Reserve bank’s two-day August meeting likely to leave key interest rate unchanged for a sixth straight gathering. Follow the day’s news live

Australia will join the US Global Entry program in 2025, creating an easier pathway for the hundreds of thousands of Australians who visit the country each year.

Eligible Australians who sign up for the program would benefit from streamlined and expedited immigration and customs clearance channels on arrival into the US, a statement from the foreign minister, Penny Wong, says.

Joining the Global Entry program is a mark of the closeness and the strength of the relationship between our two countries.

The foundation of the friendship between Australia and United States is the friendship between our people. This program will deepen these links and make it easier to foster greater commercial ties.

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Human remains found inside crocodile in Queensland days after fisherman fell into water

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Remains are believed to belong to NSW man who went missing at Cooktown on Saturday afternoon

Human remains have been located inside a crocodile at Cooktown in far north Queensland after a man went missing at the weekend.

Queensland police said a formal identification process was under way and a report would be prepared for the coroner, but the remains were believed to be those of a missing 40-year-old New South Wales man.

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Queensland Labor plans state-owned petrol stations as it bids for fourth term

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Premier Steven Miles will announce the policy on Tuesday as he tries to win votes for October election

A re-elected Queensland Labor government would set up state-owned petrol stations, cap daily fuel price rises and take over operation of council buses from local government, Steven Miles will announce.

The premier will use Tuesday’s state of the state address hosted by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia to make a populist pitch for a fourth Labor term.

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Flawed Aguer Akech investigation shows why Victoria’s blanket suppression law is not fit for purpose

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Well-meaning law designed to protect children prevents a basic function of investigative journalism – holding people to account

It’s a law that was designed to protect children.

But in one recent case, it also prevents the naming of police officers involved in a botched murder investigation – a prosecution case described by one of Victoria’s most experienced judges as so “extraordinary” she had never seen anything like it.

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NSW moves to outlaw asking tenants to pay for their own background checks on renter ‘blacklists’

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Minns government announces reforms to end practice of rental property platforms soliciting payments from applicants

Rental property application platforms would be prohibited from asking prospective tenants in New South Wales to pay for their own background checks under proposed new laws.

The Minns Labor government on Tuesday announced it would introduce the legislation after feedback from renters who said they were often told that paying these “optional charges” would increase their chance of securing a home.

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Labor criticised for meetings with betting companies ahead of decision on gambling ads

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Crossbenchers are furious at reports the government will propose a cap on television ads instead of a total ban

The government has come under fire for consulting betting, sport and media companies ahead of gambling harm advocates, as it prepares to respond to a plan that would ban all gambling ads.

Crossbenchers are furious over reports Labor will propose a cap on television ads instead of a total ban, with the Greens and independents warning anything short of a blanket ban could be amended by a hostile Senate.

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Linda Reynolds tells defamation trial why Brittany Higgins meeting was held in room where staffer was allegedly raped

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Western Australian senator is suing Brittany Higgins over social media posts she alleges damaged her reputation

Linda Reynolds says she chose to meet with Brittany Higgins in the room her former staffer had allegedly been raped in a few days earlier because it was the only private space available in her ministerial office suite, a court has heard.

The Western Australian senator said she also was not aware of a potential sexual assault allegation at the time, and didn’t notice any “vibes” or “glances” from Higgins, who she acknowledged was “very upset”.

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Australian Conservation Foundation’s X account suspended after apparent ‘report bombing’

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‘I do believe we are being targeted and they are trying to silence us out of this space,’ ACF spokesperson says

The X account of the Australian Conservation Foundation was suspended for more than 24 hours with the charity saying it believes it is being “report bombed by pro-nuclear groups” seeking to remove negative commentary.

The environment charity’s X account @AusConservation was suspended on Sunday morning, sparking outrage among supporters. The account was reinstated late on Monday, but without the charity’s 32,000 followers.

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Crocodile suspected of fatal Queensland attack killed as search continues for missing man

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Rangers euthanise large crocodile believed to have attacked man who went missing while fishing near Cooktown on Saturday

A large crocodile believed to be responsible for a fatal attack on a 40-year-old father in far north Queensland has been euthanised.

Rangers had targeted a crocodile with a distinctive scar near its snout as an extensive search for the NSW man near Cooktown entered a third day.

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ASX loses $160bn in two days as US recession fears prompt sell-off

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Australian share market suffers worst two-day decline since start of pandemic as it tumbles 3.7% on Monday

Australia’s share market has suffered its worst day since the onset of the pandemic as fears of a US recession prompted investors to exit their positions, erasing more than $100bn in value from local stocks.

A sea of red overwhelmed the local market on Monday, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index down by 3.7% to 7,649 at the close.

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Australian sushi chain handed record fine for ‘audacious’ underpayment of vulnerable workers

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Staff at Sushi Bay were underpaid more than $650,000 with 163 employees suffering losses ranging from about $50 to just under $84,000, court finds

Record fines have been dished out for the “audacious” underpayment of migrant workers by a once-sprawling Aussie sushi chain.

Sushi Bay group companies were ordered to pay fines totalling $13.7m by the federal court on Monday after it was revealed workers were deliberately denied entitlements including penalty rates and annual leave payments.

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