Category Archives: Australia news

Fatima Payman’s exit reveals ‘chasm’ between Labor and traditional base over Palestine, party insiders say

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Exclusive: Senator’s resignation disappointing to ‘thousands of rank-and-file ALP and union members and Labor supporters’

Labor’s Friends of Palestine group has warned of “a chasm” between the Albanese government and “huge swathes of the party’s traditional base” as it described Fatima Payman’s resignation as a symptom of a bigger problem.

A day after the first-term senator quit Labor, to remain in the upper house as an independent, pro-Palestine campaigners complained that Payman had been placed “in an untenable position” by the federal leadership team.

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What it means for patients if St Vincent’s and NIB fail to reach a funding deal

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The hospital network says it will walk away from its contract with the private health insurer in three months if a fairer agreement can’t be reached. Has this situation happened before?

The clock is ticking for thousands of patients after Australia’s largest not-for-profit healthcare provider, St Vincent’s, announced it would end its current agreement with health insurer NIB if a fair funding deal could not be reached before 3 October.

The chief executive of NIB, Mark Fitzgibbon, says he hopes negotiations resume, but St Vincent’s maintains the insurer needs to come to the table during the notice period and put forward a proposal that reflects the rising costs of healthcare.

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Abolished cashless debit card still divides, two years after Labor ordered its demise

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Some users reported ‘poor decision making’ and financial coercion while others experienced positive outcomes such as reduced discrimination

The majority of past cashless debit card users have said the ending of the program was a positive step that reduced stigmatisation and discrimination but some reported it led to “poor decision making” and financial coercion once the controversial scheme was abolished, a review has found.

The review by the University of Adelaide found reports of alcohol use and gambling had increased in most of the areas where the card was formerly used. But it noted “no causal statements can be issued” about whether the card’s abolition was to blame, saying other factors, like local trends and the cost-of-living crisis, could be at play.

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Dutton says ‘Australia can learn’ from new British PM’s nuclear stance – as it happened

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‘Pretty clear’ Fatima Payman has been planning to join crossbench for a ‘long period’, minister says

The finance minister and manager of the government in the Senate, Katy Gallagher, is speaking with ABC RN after Fatima Payman’s resignation yesterday.

It’s difficult to go into, you know, when the decision was made – only Senator Payman knows that – but we do know, now that it’s been done, it’s a matter of fact that there had been obviously discussions about her role as an independent senator and for some time.

I think the way these decisions have been made by Senator Payman make it pretty clear that she has been thinking about this for a long period of time, and it was executed this week …

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‘Million dollar views, baby’: Victorian minister praises train station’s ‘fantastic’ Dandenongs vista

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On a morning when the Dandenong Ranges were largely obscured by clouds, Danny Pearson says ‘lots of caffeine’ was driving his enthusiasm

According to Victoria’s transport infrastructure minister, this is a train station with “million dollar views, baby”.

At a press conference on a cloudy Friday morning, Danny Pearson was ebullient in his praise for the views commanded by the new elevated platform at Croydon – to the point that his enthusiasm itself was questioned by reporters.

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Man charged over alleged theft of Garry the gorilla

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Officers raided 33-year-old’s home and allegedly seized statue along with 24 suspected stolen drivers’ licences and prescription medication

A man who handed himself in to police has been charged over the alleged theft of a gorilla statue from a retirement village in Melbourne’s north.

The gorilla, a 1.5-metre garden ornament named Garry, disappeared from Leith Park retirement village at St Helena on 6 June.

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Cricketer Usman Khawaja accuses Peter Dutton of ‘fuelling Islamophobia’ over Muslim candidates comments

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Australian cricket star labels opposition leader’s remarks an ‘absolute disgrace’ as newly formed Muslim Vote group sparks debate

Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja has accused Peter Dutton of “fuelling Islamophobia”, after the opposition leader said he was concerned about a future minority Labor government relying on crossbench support including “Muslim candidates from western Sydney”.

Dutton’s comments also prompted criticism from industry and science minister Ed Husic. “There’s not only been a Muslim candidate from western Sydney for more than a decade now, there’s also two of us who serve as ministers,” Husic said, refering to himself and early childhood minister Anne Aly.

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‘False phone calls’ diverted police from Gaza war protest at Parliament House, AFP chief alleges

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Australian federal police commissioner says force is investigating whether ‘diversionary tactics’ were used while activists allegedly trespassed on roof

The Australian federal police are investigating whether “diversionary tactics” were used to distract police as four people allegedly trespassed onto Parliament House’s roof to protest the war in Gaza.

On Thursday, the AFP’s commissioner, Reece Kershaw, told a Senate estimates hearing the protest was “premeditated” and he considered the diversionary tactics, which allegedly distracted police to other incidents inside and away from Parliament House, a “criminal act”.

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‘Once in a lifetime event’: rare chance to see explosion on dwarf star 3,000 light years away

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T Coronae Borealis, or the Blaze Star, was last seen in 1946 and will be visible again some time between now and September

In what is being called a “once-in-a-lifetime event”, light from a thermonuclear explosion on a star has been travelling towards Earth for thousands of years and it will be here any day.

T Coronae Borealis (also known as T Cor Bor, T CrB, and the Blaze Star) will be as bright as the North Star (for those in the northern hemisphere).

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Gas shortfalls for eastern states worse than predicted just months ago, ACCC warns

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Projections of shortfalls – and calls for more production – come even as the bulk of gas produced in Australia is exported

East coast gas shortfalls could emerge as soon as 2027, a year earlier than was forecast six months ago, unless new sources of supply are made available, the competition watchdog has warned in a report.

Released on Friday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report does not cover the supply squeeze that prompted the market operator last month to issue a “threat notice” of potential shortfalls of the fuel in southern states, amid production issues and a prolonged cold snap.

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Thousands of patients facing healthcare price hikes after negotiations break down between St Vincent’s and NIB

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Australian Medical Association is urging both parties to reach an agreement for the sake of patients

Thousands of patients could face higher out-of-pocket healthcare costs after negotiations broke down between St Vincent’s private hospital network and the private health fund, NIB, for a new funding agreement.

On Thursday, St Vincent’s Health Australia gave notice to NIB that it will walk away from its contract within the next 65 business days unless a fairer funding agreement is reached.

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Fatima Payman’s decision to quit Labor party will ‘empower opponents on far right’, Wayne Swan says

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Government MPs express disappointment over WA senator’s decision as Greens and crossbench praise move

Fatima Payman says she is “grieving” after deciding to quit Labor to sit as an independent, a move the party’s president, Wayne Swan, claims will “empower Labor’s opponents on the far right”.

Payman said on Thursday she felt she had no choice but to quit Labor after her advocacy for the Australian government to recognise a Palestinian state. She claimed voters were “frustrated” at Labor’s position on the war in Gaza, and that she was displaying “Labor values” in the positions she had taken.

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Teen accused of driving stolen Jeep in fatal Melbourne crash faces court as three males remain on the run

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Boy, 17, charged over driving an allegedly stolen car in a fatal crash that killed a 28-year-old man in Burwood

A teen accused of driving a stolen Jeep that killed another driver was checked on by police hours after the crash and found in bed with a doona pulled up to his chin, police allege.

Police are relying on a pair of white shoes, a phone call and an accusation by a young female co-accused to prove the 17-year-old was behind the wheel during the deadly crash.

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Senator says PM’s office planted seed about crossing floor – as it happened

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Josh Burns says Labor motion to recognise Palestine as part of the peace process is ‘the bare minimum’

Josh Burns finished with:

This motion before the House is the bare minimum. It says that we support the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a peace process. That peace process is something that I hold onto and that I have held onto my entire life.

That peace process says that we are all people, above all, and that there has to be a way through this. There has to be a way through this conflict. I wish that we could pull a lever here in Australia and it would all end today, but we have seen time and time again that that is not the case.

There are so many intractable parts of this conflict. I have a degree in this conflict, and I still don’t quite know how to fix it.

I know that there are players who are desperate to end the peace process and to try and disturb any efforts towards peace. I know that trees take years and years and years to grow and can be cut down in a second, and that is what the Middle East has demonstrated over and over again.

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Police find human remains believed to be 12-year-old girl missing after suspected NT crocodile attack

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The girl was last seen swimming at Mango Creek, near the remote community of Palumpa, 350km south-west of Darwin

Northern Territory police have located remains believed to be of a missing 12-year-old girl who was the victim of a suspected crocodile attack.

The girl was reported missing on Tuesday after the attack near the remote Northern Territory community of Palumpa. The girl had last been seen swimming at Mango Creek, about 350km south-west of Darwin, and was reported missing about 5.30pm on Tuesday.

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Victoria police make 2,700 arrests in five-month domestic violence blitz in south-east Melbourne

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Police say 7,500 charges laid, including against a man, 42, who allegedly stabbed a woman and assaulted a teenager in front of two younger children

A man who allegedly stabbed a woman and assaulted a teenager in front of two children was among 2,700 arrests by Victoria police during a five-month blitz targeting family violence offenders in Melbourne’s south-east.

Victoria police on Thursday said 7,500 charges had been laid as a result of the blitz, between January and June of this year.

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Pro-Palestine protesters scale roof of Australia’s Parliament House to unfurl banners criticising war in Gaza

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Call for investigation into security breach after parliament partly locked down as activists reveal banner declaring ‘war crimes … enabled here’

Some areas of Australia’s federal parliament were locked down as pro-Palestine protesters climbed on to the roof of the building in Canberra and unfurled a banner declaring “war crimes … enabled here”.

Thursday’s protest focused on the war in Gaza appeared to be coordinated with other actions highlighting the climate crisis and Indigenous rights.

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NSW greyhound racing board could be sacked after minister issues ‘show cause’ notice

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Greyhound Racing NSW allegedly breached licence that stipulates it must immediately disclose anything that brings industry into disrepute

The New South Wales minister responsible for greyhound racing has threatened to sack the industry’s governing board over its alleged failure to properly manage a series of complaints over how it operates and other matters.

Guardian Australia understands the racing minister, David Harris, issued a show cause notice to the Greyhound Racing NSW board on the grounds it had breached the terms of its operating licence, as the sector faces criticism over rising dog injuries and its adoption programs.

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Synthetic opioid detected in bodies of four people found dead in Melbourne home

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Police confirm drug’s presence after deaths of boy, 17, and three adults in Broadmeadows last week

A synthetic opioid has been found in the bodies of four people found dead in a Melbourne home last week, police say.

The bodies of the 17-year-old boy, two men aged 32 and 37, and a 42-year-old woman were discovered at the property in Broadmeadows, in Melbourne’s north, in the early hours of 25 June.

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Australia to strike new funding deal with Papua New Guinea to manage transferred asylum seekers

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Exclusive: Government regulations reveal Australia will provide ‘further capability support and funding’ to PNG but dollar figure is confidential

The Albanese government will strike a new funding deal with Papua New Guinea (PNG) to support asylum seekers after the country threatened to send them back to Australia unless a fresh agreement was signed.

In December 2021 the Morrison government struck a secret deal for about 75 refugees and asylum seekers to stay in Port Moresby after the regional processing centre at Manus Island was closed.

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