Authorities working to ‘get Victorians back online as quickly as possible’, state’s energy minister says
Half a million households in Victoria are without electricity and trains have been suspended across metropolitan Melbourne after a power station went down during storms.
Continue reading...Police charge 28-year-old over alleged criminal cell plan to murder members of Sydney rap group
A third member of an alleged criminal cell allegedly hired to kill gang rivals is being held by police.
Police believe the group is behind multiple contract kidnappings and a plan to target Sydney-based drill rap group OneFour.
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Today is the 16th anniversary of Rudd’s national apology
It is National Apology Day, which marks the anniversary of the day the former prime minister Kevin Rudd formally apologised to Indigenous people for the stolen generations.
Continue reading...Hot, dry and windy conditions are forecast across Victoria with a catastrophic fire danger declared for parts of the state
Schools and national parks have been ordered to close as parts of Victoria face the first catastrophic fire conditions since the Black Summer of 2019-20.
Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia were also braced for extreme fire danger amid heatwave conditions.
Continue reading...Meat and Livestock Australia says it has reduced emissions by 65% on 2005 levels but data analysis suggests figures underpinning claim are ‘erroneous’
Greenhouse gas reduction figures celebrated by Australia’s red meat industry are based on unreliable land-clearing data and could be erroneous, an independent analysis has found.
In Queensland, where roughly 44% of the national cattle herd grazes and the majority of land clearing has occurred, the Statewide Landcover and Tree Study (Slats) has recorded deforestation at almost twice the rate of the national system used to calculate emissions on the red meat industry.
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Continue reading...New Australian guidelines balance the risk of getting too much sun exposure with the benefits of vitamin D
Growing evidence about the health importance of sun exposure and genetic differences in the population have prompted Australia to adopt new sun safety guidelines.
The research informing the update was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health on Tuesday, and led by Prof Rachel Neale from the QIMR Berghofer medical research institute in Brisbane.
Continue reading...As the police investigation enters its second week, wild speculation and conspiracy theories spread on social media
A CCTV image of her moments before she left home for an early morning run and a ping on a mobile phone tower 11km south of Ballarat – these are among the few clues to Samantha Murphy’s disappearance.
Yet, from these two pieces of evidence, psychics, armchair detectives and online sleuths have created and fuelled theories about how the Ballarat woman vanished, as the investigation enters its second week.
Continue reading...Regulator worried about ‘concerning spike’ in neglect cases, which advocates say are the result of workforce shortages
More than 1,000 cases of neglect are being reported in residential aged care homes each month, prompting a warning from the sector’s regulator.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) has flagged “a concerning spike” in neglect cases over the past 12 months and raised concerns about inadequate care standards.
Continue reading...Airservices Australia were grilled in Senate estimates after nationwide flight disruptions due to the missing staff. Follow the day’s news live
Dutton says Liberals will bin ‘right to disconnect’ if they win next election
Switching gears now – Peter Dutton has vowed to scrap the “right to disconnect” if the Liberal party wins the next election. Last week, Dutton told Sky News:
If you think it’s OK to outsource your industrial relations or your economic policy to the Greens, which is what the prime minister is doing, then we are going to see a continuation of the productivity problem in our country.
And as the Reserve Bank governor pointed out, if you don’t address it you’ll see interest rates continue to climb or you’ll see them stay higher for longer.
We’ve been overwhelmed by positive feedback from people who say - yeah, it’s not right that I should be on call 24/7 when I’m not getting paid for it.
And Peter Dutton wants you electronically bound to your boss, and having to answer calls 24/7, even if you’re not getting paid for it.
Continue reading...Failure to ensure special care for more than 1 million civilians in the area would ‘cause serious harm to Israel’s own interests’, foreign minister, Penny Wong, says
The Australian government has warned that Israel’s plans for a military offensive on the southern Gaza town of Rafah could have “devastating consequences” for Palestinian civilians sheltering there.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, also suggested on Monday that a failure to ensure special care for more than 1 million civilians in the area, many in makeshift tents, would “cause serious harm to Israel’s own interests”.
Continue reading...Fumes from ice resurfacing machine believed to have caused symptoms at rink, with dozens needing hospital treatment
At least 42 people have sought medical attention following exposure to a carbon monoxide leak at an Adelaide ice rink.
Emergency services were called to the Adelaide Ice Arena at Thebarton on Sunday, where several ice hockey players and spectators had attended a game on Saturday night before being treated in hospital for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
Continue reading...Home affairs department also reveals 24 former detainees have been charged with visa rule breaches or state offences since their release
The revelation that seven of 149 people released from immigration detention were convicted of murder or attempted murder has reignited a political firestorm around the government’s handling of the NZYQ high court case.
The home affairs department revealed on Monday that 24 of the people released as a result of the high court’s ruling have already been charged for visa condition breaches or state offences and 36 are not required to wear ankle bracelets.
72 convicted for assault and violent offending, kidnapping, armed robbery
37 for sexually based offending, including child sex offending
16 for domestic violence and stalking
13 for serious drug offending
Seven for murder and attempted murder;
Fewer than five for people smuggling, crimes of serious international concern; and
Fewer than five with “low level or no criminality”
Continue reading...Hot weather with 30C-plus temperatures forecast for three mainland state capitals, plus Canberra and Darwin, on Monday
Southern Australia is in for a hot, sunny start to the week, with three state capitals plus Canberra forecast to record temperatures in the 30s.
The Bureau of Meteorology was warning of extreme fire danger for parts of South Australia and Victoria on Tuesday before a cool change sets in midweek.
Continue reading...Presenter also seeking correspondence between ABC managing director David Anderson and outgoing chair Ita Buttrose
A former ABC presenter who says she was sacked because of her race and political opinion is seeking a court order forcing employees of the public broadcaster to hand over records of any communications they had with a journalist at the Australian.
Antoinette Lattouf was contracted to work five shifts as a casual presenter of Sydney’s Mornings radio program in December but says she was told not to return for the final two shifts.
Continue reading...Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil says scathing report shows offshore processing ‘used as a slush fund by suspected criminals’
Contractors suspected of drug smuggling and weapons trafficking were handed multimillion dollar contracts due to a lack of due diligence in the administration of Australia’s offshore detention regime, a scathing report has found.
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has seized on the findings of the inquiry to claim that the now opposition leader, Peter Dutton, oversaw “an offshore processing regime being used as a slush fund by suspected criminals” when he was the responsible minister.
A company whose owners were suspected, through the ownership of another company, of seeking to circumvent US sanctions against Iran, and with extensive suspicious money movements suggesting money laundering, bribery and other criminal activity;
Companies under investigation by the Australian federal police (AFP)
A company whose chief executive was being investigated for possible drugs and arms smuggling into Australia, “although, at the time it would have been unrealistic to have expected those responsible for contract and procurement to be aware of this”; and
An enterprise suspected of corruption.
Continue reading...Annual Hilda survey of 17,000 Australians shows ‘clear trend of younger people becoming lonelier and feeling more isolated as time goes on’
Australians are experiencing a large up-tick of psychological distress, with loneliness rising sharply among young people during the pandemic, a new study has revealed.
The annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (Hilda) report examines data gathered between 2001 and 2021, by tracking over 17,000 people in over 9,000 households.
Continue reading...Acoss report says $2bn federal fund and coordinated policies would reduce costs, protect against heat-related illness and reduce emissions
Governments should require landlords to reveal the energy performance of homes put up for sale or lease as part of a policy blitz aimed at helping low-income households cut power bills and improve their comfort, according to a report by the Australian Council of Social Service.
The report, released on Monday, also calls for a $2bn federal fund and coordinated policies across all levels of government to assist less-advantaged residents tap emerging technologies. They should also follow Victoria by banning new gas connections.
Continue reading...System is ‘stacked against renters and first-home buyers’ and government must change its position on negative gearing and capital gains tax, Greens say
The Greens are threatening to impede passage of the government’s “help-to-buy” housing scheme, as they seek to force Labor into winding back tax breaks on investment properties.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, on Sunday said the government had no plans to change negative gearing, as attention shifted to other areas of tax reform after the government’s amendments to stage-three income tax cuts.
Continue reading...Researchers say study funded by the Australian Research Council demonstrates the need for strict gambling advertising regulations
Children as young as 12 believe celebrities and influencers who are paid to promote gambling are making the practice seem safe, normal, attractive and fun, according to a new study.
The study, funded by the Australian Research Council, heard from children who believed the use of stars like former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal in ads were making their peers more likely to consider gambling.
Continue reading...Prime minister says ‘there needs to be an explanation’ after former deputy prime minister was seen lying on a Canberra street swearing into his phone
The prime minister has called for the Coalition leadership to explain the actions of former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who was last week filmed lying on a Canberra footpath having a phone conversation.
Guardian Australia understands Joyce won’t attend the Nationals party room meeting scheduled for Monday.
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