Category Archives: Australia news

Israeli officials who want to deny aid to Gaza civilians merit Australian sanctions, humanitarian groups say

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Peak body for Australian aid groups joined by faith groups and health experts saying there is no excuse for starvation due to impact of war

The Australian government should impose targeted sanctions on Israeli officials who have called for the denial of aid to civilians of Gaza, according to humanitarian organisations, faith groups and health experts.

The Australian Council for International Development (Acfid), the peak body for Australian aid groups, said a “man-made, preventable famine” in Gaza would leave “a permanent stain on all our collective humanity”.

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‘I’ve got the yarn’: Taylor Auerbach cautioned over spending as he courted Bruce Lehrmann, texts reveal

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Fellow Spotlight producer told Auerbach he found it ‘bizarre’ he was taking Lehrmann to dinner every night

Spotlight producers warned Taylor Auerbach about dropping too much money on Seven’s company card while he courted Bruce Lehrmann over several months for an exclusive interview, text messages have revealed.

The text messages between the former Seven producer and his senior colleagues were tendered in federal court after the Lehrmann defamation trial was reopened for Auerbach to give additional evidence as part of Channel Ten’s defence.

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Police find missing member of group who reached remote Western Australia coast by boat

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Search was conducted in difficult terrain near Mitchell Plateau as Coalition presses government over ‘third boat since November’

A man has been found in “relatively good condition” after becoming separated from a group of people who reached a remote pocket of the Kimberley coastline in Western Australia by boat.

A source confirmed to Guardian Australia that nine individuals had broached Australia’s mainland but did not confirm what nation they had arrived from.

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Investigation under way after gas pipeline off Victorian coast ruptures

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Gas platforms in the area are among the oldest offshore oil and gas operations in the country

The offshore oil and gas regulator is investigating after an undersea gas pipeline ruptured off the Victorian coast, causing a visible “sheen” on the ocean’s surface.

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema) confirmed it received a notification about a potential spill from ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso on Saturday morning.

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Disaster assistance activated as Sydney ‘blue sky flood’ continues to threaten homes

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NSW emergency services minister warns flood threat not over after heavy rain causes flooding in and around Sydney

Hundreds of residents in Sydney’s north-west have been ordered to flee their homes after heavy rain caused flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River catchment.

The New South Wales government has announced assistance measures after heavy rain on Friday and Saturday prompted authorities to open the spill gates at Warragamba Dam.

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Ed Husic accuses Israeli government of ‘systematic failure’ over death of Zomi Frankcom

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Coalition refuses to state if Israel breached international law, saying it ‘takes more care than Hamas does to protect civilian lives’

Senior Australian minister Ed Husic has accused the Israeli government of “a systematic failure” to observe the laws of war in Gaza, while insisting the west must “demonstrate our values” to avoid charges of hypocrisy.

But the Coalition opposition refused to say explicitly whether the Israeli military had breached international law, saying it “takes more care than Hamas does to protect civilian lives”.

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Man’s body found in floodwater in western Sydney suburb

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More than 160 people rescued in eastern New South Wales as deluge causes landslips, flash flooding and rapid rises in rivers

A man has died and more than 160 people have been rescued as a deluge across eastern New South Wales caused landslips, flash flooding and rapid rises in river levels.

Suburbs on Sydney’s fringes are facing the threat of significant flooding after more than a month’s rain fell overnight, while a major landslip in the Blue Mountains has cut off a community.

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Make-up of Tasmanian parliament finally settled as ‘anti-politician’ independent takes last seat

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Premier Jeremy Rockliff says he will advise governor Barbara Baker that he be recommissioned to form a new government

Independent candidate and salmon farming opponent Craig Garland has secured the final spot in Tasmania’s parliament, leaving the Liberals with 14 seats, Labor 10, the Greens five, Jacqui Lambie Network three and three independents.

Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, said with the 35 members of the state’s assembly elected, 13 of them new faces, he would advise governor Barbara Baker that he be recommissioned to form a new government.

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Mohamed came to Australia as a teenager. Now, he faces being deported to a country he doesn’t know

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After almost a decade in immigration detention Mohamed Coker was told he would be put on a plane to Sierra Leone within hours

“My dad was murdered there. The people that murdered my dad are still around … I fear the same thing will happen to me.”

Mohamed Coker, 33, spoke to Guardian Australia on his way to the airport.

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‘Deadly failure’: Australia demands Israel take ‘appropriate action’ against those responsible for killing aid workers

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Foreign minister Penny Wong says IDF’s killing of the seven aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, ‘cannot be swept aside’

The Australian government has demanded Israel take “appropriate action” over its military’s “deadly failure” that killed seven aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom.

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said she and the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, wrote to their counterparts in Israel overnight on Friday after a verbal briefing on the initial findings of Israel Defense Forces’ investigation, which Wong said had not yet satisfied the government’s expectations.

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Julie Bishop ‘deeply honoured’ to be appointed UN special envoy for Myanmar

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Former Australian foreign minister named as secretary general António Guterres’ special envoy to country gripped by civil war

The former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop has been appointed the United Nations secretary general António Guterres’ special envoy on Myanmar, the world body has said.

Bishop, the Australian National University’s chancellor, will take up the UN role that has been vacant since June last year, when Singaporean diplomat Noeleen Heyzer stepped down.

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NSW weather: significant flooding threat remains for parts of Sydney despite heavy rain easing

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NSW premier says rising flood levels present ongoing danger for some communities, including in western Sydney

Sydney may have woken up to blue skies on Saturday, but flood levels were continuing to rise across parts of New South Wales with evacuation orders issued after an overnight deluge broke rainfall records.

Suburbs on the city fringes were facing the threat of significant flooding after copping more than a month’s worth of rain while a major landslip in the Blue Mountains left one community cut off.

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Fears parliamentary behaviour watchdog could be curbed by confidentiality agreements

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Greens senator Larissa Waters vows to ensure the new process expected to open in October should be led by the complainant

The Greens senator Larissa Waters has vowed to push for a powerful complainant-led sanctions body in parliament following reports those coming forward about bad behaviour in Canberra could be forced to sign confidentiality agreements.

After years of Parliament House’s poor workplace culture being in the spotlight, the independent enforcement body, described as the “final” piece of the puzzle this week by finance minister Katy Gallagher, is finally expected to open its doors in October.

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‘Financial abuse’: how a debit scheme to help vulnerable Australians led to exploitation instead

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A Guardian investigation has revealed that Centrepay is exposing scores of welfare recipients to financial harm. Advocates say the government must act now

In February the Albanese government announced a $97m compensation scheme for thousands of Aboriginal people who lost all that they had paid to the predatory funeral insurer ACBF-Youpla.

When ACBF-Youpla collapsed in 2022, it left more than 13,000 Aboriginal people, some of them elderly and in palliative care, without the means to pay for funerals.

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Online ads promote ‘simple’ access to super to pay for healthcare, despite strict rules

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Peak consumer body and financial services minister warn against private providers encouraging patients to tap into super to fund medical procedures

Advertisements offering patients “simple” access to their superannuation to pay for medical treatments have been described by the peak consumer health body as a “worrying trend” amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) approved 37,400 individuals to access their superannuation early on compassionate medical grounds in 2022-23, releasing a total of $730m.

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Gaza killings: Australia plans to appoint independent adviser to scrutinise Israeli inquiry

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Penny Wong demands Israel preserve evidence because of unsatisfactory initial inquiry as Israel dismisses two officers over death of seven aid staff

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Australia has demanded that Israel preserve all evidence surrounding the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza and it also plans to appoint an independent adviser to scrutinise the official investigation.

The Australian government said on Friday that the information provided by Israel on its investigation into the killing of Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues “hasn’t yet satisfied our expectations”.

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East coast weather: flood warnings for Queensland and NSW as BoM forecasts heavy rainfall

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Drivers have been urged to reconsiders their travel plans ahead of a forecast deluge

Heavy rainfall will drench parts of Queensland and New South Wales this weekend, with motorists urged to stay off roads.

Laura Boekel, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said a trough is affecting both Queensland and New South Wales, producing a significant amount of rainfall across the two states.

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Australia weather live updates: more heavy rain forecast for NSW and Qld as SES issues flood warnings; Sydney downpours cause train delays and airport flight cancellations

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Dozens of flights cancelled at Sydney airport and drivers told to avoid non-essential travel as inland low and coastal trough combine

Helen Reid from the Bureau of Meteorology has just provided us with an update on the Sydney rain and said the city could very well receive a month’s worth of rain in one day.

She pointed to the Observatory Hill gauge and said on average in April, there is around 126.5mm of rainfall during the month. Since 9am yesterday morning, there has been 106mm of rain.

We are expecting rainfall over Sydney to increase during today … I would suggest that if we got more than the April average, that wouldn’t be too beyond too far beyond this stretch of imagination.

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The Picture of Dorian Gray’s Kip Williams steps down as Sydney Theatre Company artistic director

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Williams, who directed the play, leaving company to prepare for its potential Broadway season following acclaimed West End run starring Sarah Snook

The Sydney Theatre Company artistic director, Kip Williams, who steered the theatre to new heights with the global success of his one-woman production the Picture of Dorian Gray, has announced he is stepping down after 13 years with the company.

Williams was the youngest artistic director of the STC when he was appointed at the age of 30 in 2016. He will finish his tenure at the end of 2024 after eight years, in anticipation that The Picture of Dorian Gray will head to Broadway next year. In its recent run in London’s West End, Succession star Sarah Snook played all 26 roles to huge acclaim. The role was first performed by Eryn Jean Norvill in multiple sell-out runs across Australia.

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Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial live updates: judge asks Ten lawyer why ‘sordid’ evidence is relevant to case findings – latest news

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Lehrmann’s defamation trial against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson has reopened to hear evidence from the former Spotlight producer. Follow the latest news and updates from the federal court of Australia today

There has been a big document dump on the federal court’s website this morning, with 17 exhibits and affidavits relating to yesterday’s evidence uploaded to the site.

These include screenshots of text messages between Auerbach and Steve Jackson during the night of the alleged “bender” in January 2023, during which Auerbach says Lehrmann bought cocaine and ordered the services of sex workers. Auerbach told the court on Thursday that the drugs and sex workers were paid for by Lehrmann, who was then reimbursed by Channel Seven as “per diem” charges.

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