Category Archives: Australia news

AI datacentres to strain Australia’s energy supply, spike prices without change, expert says

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UBS analyst says tech firms must ensure datacentres have ability to power up and down like aluminium smelters

Soaring electricity demand from datacentres could strain supplies and contribute to much higher prices unless tech firms agree to act like aluminium smelters that can power up or down to support the grid, an energy analyst says.

The demand, fuelled in part by the growth of energy-hungry artificial intelligence services, could require between 3.3 and 5 gigawatts of additional capacity by 2030, or about 15% of total load, according to Tom Allen, an analyst with investment bank UBS.

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Greens and academics criticise appointment of antisemitism envoy – as it happened

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Flights have been cancelled or delayed out of Brisbane airport this morning as thick smoke blankets the city.

According to the Brisbane airport website, nine domestic flights and two international flights have been cancelled. On social media, the airport wrote that widespread fog across Brisbane was “slowing movements on ground and limiting visibility.”

Flights are still departing but there are delays due to the reduced visibility.

Participants will be able to check accessible scorecards that will show what services DES providers offer and how they rate for quality and effectiveness, helping them make an informed choice when selecting their provider.

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Former defence chief’s report into Zomi Frankcom killing handed to Albanese government

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Humanitarian worker was among seven killed in drone strikes carried out by the Israeli Defense Force in Gaza on 1 April

The Australian government has received a highly anticipated report from former defence force chief Mark Binskin on the killing of Australian humanitarian worker Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues in Israeli military drone strikes in Gaza.

Guardian Australia understands the government has received the report regarding the 1 April incident and is now working with Binskin to “action” his recommendations.

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NSW premier hosing down greyhound racing ban before inquiry a ‘mockery’, Animal Justice MP says

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Emma Hurst blasts ‘absurd turn of events’ and calls for public reassurance after damning allegations dog deaths are higher than thought

The greyhound racing industry in New South Wales will face a government inquiry but not a ban after the resignation of the industry body’s chief executive and the release of a scathing report alleging welfare issues for the dogs.

The chief executive of Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW), Robert Macaulay, resigned after the report’s release on Tuesday in a decision his board described as “an amicable one, and one he felt was best for the industry at this time”.

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Uber is cutting fares before Australia’s minimum gig work standards take effect, drivers say

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Ride-hail giant is lowering the starting point for negotiations under the closing loopholes regime, one driver claims

Uber drivers say looming cuts to fares will squeeze them even more in a cost-of-living crisis, arguing the ride-hailing giant is reducing what they are paid before new standards under the government’s closing loopholes legislation are determined.

Last week, Uber told drivers that rider fares would be cut from 7 August. The company has not told drivers the exact amount, but it is understood it would be an average of less than 5%.

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Is coal’s recent revival in Australia’s energy mix just a blip or something more?

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Australia’s electricity sector was fast to cut carbon pollution due to renewables as alternatives to coal and gas – until lately

Australia’s electricity sector has long been the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the economy, accounting for more than a third of the national total.

The industry was one of the fastest to cut carbon pollution because of the availability of wind, solar and hydro power as alternatives to burning coal and gas – until lately.

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Queensland Greens unveil plan to cap grocery prices and ‘smash up’ Coles and Woolworths duopoly’

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Party’s new policy includes limiting cost increases on 30 essential items, with the shopping list to be determined by a ‘Fair Prices Authority’

The price of 30 basic essentials such as bread, milk and nappies would be capped, with increases tied to wages, under a new policy to be announced by the Queensland Greens on Wednesday.

The party will also lay out a plan to break up the Coles and Woolworths “duopoly” by requiring the companies to sell supermarkets if they own more than 20% of the market.

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More than 20% of Australians aged 18 to 45 have committed sexual violence in adulthood, report shows

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Men more likely to perpetrate sexual violence than women, and more likely to commit multiple forms of sexual violence, survey of 5,000 Australians shows

Just over one-fifth of Australians aged 18 to 45 have perpetrated a form of sexual violence since turning 18, and one in 14 have done so in the past year, a survey of more than 5,000 Australians has found.

The Australian Institute of Criminology report released Tuesday also found men were significantly more likely than women to have perpetrated sexual violence, with 26.4% doing so in adulthood, and 13.2% doing so in the past 12 months. That compared with 17.7% of women perpetrating sexual violence since turning 18, and 6.6% doing so in the past 12 months.

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Police search for teenager bailed over alleged crash that killed 28-year-old in Melbourne

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Police allege 17-year-old has failed to comply with bail conditions and his location is unknown

Police are searching for a teenager who was charged and bailed after an alleged crash that killed a 28-year-old man.

Victoria police on Tuesday afternoon alleged the 17-year-old failed to comply with his bail conditions and his whereabouts was unknown.

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DNA testing could be used to detect elusive crocodiles, Queensland officials say

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Wildlife authorities are hopeful about a new technique to identify which waterways have crocs without needing to sight them

DNA testing could be the latest tool to help park rangers track down elusive crocodiles in tropical north Queensland.

Researchers from the University of Canberra have developed a technique that can detect minute amounts of a crocodile’s mitochondrial DNA in water samples.

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Australia news live: Albanese announces special envoy to combat antisemitism, says Jewish students ‘worried’ to wear school uniform

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Meanwhile, attorney general to outline updated legislation to crackdown on money laundering. Follow the day’s news live

The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said that when it comes to the Alice Springs curfew, politics needs to be left out of it.

Speaking with ABC RN, Burney said:

This issues in Alice Springs have been a long time in the making … [The issues] will only be addressed over a long-term funding commitment, which we’ve made from the federal government.

We certainly are concerned that this is going to continue to increase and potentially overwhelm the hospital systems.

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Hero neighbour ‘heartbroken’ about death of three children in Sydney fire

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Jarrod Hawkins crawled into the smoke-filled home to save the children from the Lalor Park house fire on Sunday

A heroic neighbour who helped rescue children from a deadly house fire says he’s heartbroken that three young kids died in the catastrophic blaze.

Three children aged six, three and 10 months were killed in the fire at Lalor Park, in Sydney’s west, early on Sunday.

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Mapped: the vast network of security deals spanning the Pacific, and what it means

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Guardian analysis shows web of agreements between Pacific countries and Australia, US and China, as experts raise concerns over rising militarisation

As competition for influence in the Pacific region intensifies, analysis by the Guardian has mapped a vast network of security, policing and defence agreements between the island countries and foreign partners – leading to concerns about militarisation of the region.

The Guardian examined agreements and partnerships covering security, defence and policing with the 10 largest Pacific countries by population. Australia remains the dominant partner in the region – accounting for more than half the deals identified – followed by New Zealand, the US and China.

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Alice Springs’ problems ‘a long time in the making’, Linda Burney says after first night of curfew

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Three-night stay-at-home order issued for town after weekend violence, including a brawl involving 80 people

Politics needs to be kept out of addressing long-running issues in Alice Springs, the minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney said, following the town’s first night of curfew.

A three-night stay-at-home order was issued for the Northern Territory community after a spate of violent weekend incidents, including a brawl involving 80 people and a knife attack on a 42-year-old woman.

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Man charged with murder over alleged DV-related stabbing death in Sydney’s west

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Twenty-one-year-old arrested in Penrith after woman found with two stab wounds to her chest at Kingswood on Monday

A man has been charged after the stabbing of a young woman in an alleged domestic violence-related murder in Sydney’s west.

The 21-year-old was arrested in Penrith and was due to face court on Tuesday, after the woman was found with two stab wounds to her chest.

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Modern-day dingoes already established across Australia thousands of years ago, research finds

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Newly recovered DNA shows the predators share little genetic ancestry with domestic dogs and are descended from ancient animals from China

Scientists have for the first time recovered DNA from the remains of dingoes between 400 and 2,700 years old to find the predator’s population was well established across the Australian continent thousands of years ago.

According to the researchers, modern dingoes share little genetic ancestry with domestic dogs introduced into Australia from Europe but are instead descended from ancient dogs and wolves from China and the Tibetan plateau. Dingoes were closely related to modern New Guinea singing dogs, the research confirmed, with both sharing a common ancestor.

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Alex de Minaur lays Wimbledon ghosts to rest to reach last eight for first time

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  • Australian No 1 beats France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
  • Win banishes memory of losing two-set lead in 2022

The “Demon” has slain his Wimbledon demon to reach the last eight of the grass court grand slam for the first time. But Alex de Minaur now has another bad memory to exorcise. Two years after blowing a two-set lead and two match points when on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals, the No 9 seed held his nerve as a horror repeat threatened against Arthur Fils.

De Minaur put his fans on No 1 Court – and late-night television viewers back home – through the wringer as he dropped the third set but showed Aussie grit to take the fourth on his second match point. His 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win, in just shy of three hours, booked a last-eight meeting with Novak Djokovic on Wednesday (late Wednesday or early Thursday AEST).

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Police seek Sydney woman’s partner over alleged stabbing death – as it happened

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Australians feel ‘crushing burden’ from humanitarian crises

Many Australians are feeling a “crushing burden” as they see images from multiple humanitarian crises around the world, a prominent charity says.

I think sometimes people see this stuff on the news or read about it in the newspaper and they feel like they have to carry this burden on their own shoulder, and so they have nothing in between crisis and themselves.

And they look at something like what’s happening in Gaza and Israel, what’s happening in Ukraine, what’s happening now in Sudan, and think how can they possibly make a difference? What can they possibly do to make that situation better? And so it feels like a crushing burden.

Abortion is a very personal choice, and every Queenslander deserves the level of support and care we are offering with this investment.

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Amber Haigh showed cousin bruises on wrists she said were from being tied up by Robert Geeves, court hears

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Jackie Winn tells court she warned Haigh to stay away from Robert because of alleged previous incidents at his property

Amber Haigh told her cousin bruises across her wrists were injuries caused by being tied up by the father of her baby, the man now accused of her murder, a court has heard.

Haigh’s cousin testified she warned her “naive” relative to stay away from the man, Robert Geeves, because of his previous alleged incidents at his property. In one she said that she had heard, two girls were “kidnapped”, tied up and put in a silo. In another, a woman was allegedly fatally shot in the face.

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Blockade Australia climate activist sentenced to three months in jail over Port of Newcastle protest

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Laura Davy, who travelled from Tasmania to take part in a protest at a coal terminal, will appeal prison sentence

A 21-year-old woman who secured herself to a piece of machinery during a climate protest at a Newcastle coal terminal has been sentenced to three months in prison.

The climate protest, which is now in its 14th day and has involved daily actions, was organised by Blockade Australia to call for a change to the economic and political system to achieve meaningful climate action.

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