Category Archives: Australia news

NSW to double penalties for worst environmental crimes in wake of asbestos crisis

Posted on by

Planned overhaul of Environment Protection Authority’s powers to be biggest since it began in 1991, government says

Penalties for the most serious environmental crimes would double and the New South Wales environmental watchdog would have powers to recall potentially contaminated products from consumers under major changes to environmental protection laws proposed by the Minns government.

The environment minister, Penny Sharpe, said the government was proposing the largest set of amendments to the Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA’s) powers since the regulator was established in 1991.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Australia locked in hours after Beijing signals wine tariff lift

Posted on by

Canberra expected to push for removal of remaining trade impediments after Wang Yi arrives next week

China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, will visit Australia for the first time in seven years, with next week’s trip being locked in just hours after Beijing offered a reprieve to Australian winemakers.

China imposed tariffs of up to 200% on Australian wine at the height of the diplomatic dispute in 2020, alongside measures affecting a range of products including barley, red meat, seafood and coal.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Second surplus on track for Australia but budget will report a fall in revenue, says treasurer

Posted on by

Jim Chalmers says slide in iron ore prices and uptick in jobless rate mean budget will report a much smaller revenue upgrade than in recent years

The government remains on track for a second straight surplus but the recent slide in iron ore prices and an uptick in the jobless rate mean the budget will report a much smaller revenue upgrade than in recent years, the federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says.

The coming budget, to be released on 14 May, will aim to address slowing economic growth, “persistent cost of living pressures”, and increased global uncertainty, Chalmers will tell a Committee for Economic Development of Australia lunch in Sydney on Thursday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: prosecutors begin withdrawing visa breach charges; asbestos detected at two central Queensland facilities

Posted on by

Follow the day’s news live

More from AAP on this:

The New South Wales government says it is working on reducing wait times and improving access to care.

We are throwing everything in our ruck sack at improving access and reducing wait times in our hospitals.

This includes boosting staff and infrastructure; but also rolling out urgent care and providing those alternate pathways to care, to treat people outside the hospital; and establishing an ED taskforce to drive improvements in wait times and access to care.

Continue reading...

Queensland man facing 116 charges against children after allegedly targeting minors online since August

Posted on by

Sunshine Coast man charged with offences including rape, stalking and making child exploitation material

Police allege a Sunshine Coast man groomed two girls aged between 12 and 14 online before sexually abusing them.

Dion Adam Lingard, 31, will face Maroochydore magistrates court again on 18 March on 116 charges including rape, indecent treatment and stalking.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

WA floods: severe weather hampers search for seven people missing in remote Western Australia

Posted on by

Road conditions are dangerous along the route the group is believed to have taken from Kalgoorlie to Tjuntjuntjara, police say

Severe weather is hampering search efforts for seven people who are missing amid ongoing flooding in remote Western Australia.

The group – which includes four children and two elderly drivers – left Kalgoorlie, about 600km east of Perth, on Sunday and were travelling in two vehicles north-east to the Tjuntjuntjara Aboriginal community.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Rohan Dennis, husband of former Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins, faces court charged with causing her death

Posted on by

Former cycling champion Rohan Dennis charged with recklessly striking his wife with his car in Adelaide’s inner north on 30 December

The husband of former Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins has faced court for the first time after allegedly striking her with his car and causing her death.

Rohan Dennis, a former world champion cyclist, was arrested in January and charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and endangering life.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australian shepherds: the dog breed that’s not really Australian, but is winning titles and hearts alike

Posted on by

An Australian shepherd named Viking won best in show at Crufts, and the ‘extremely smart’ breed is increasingly popular for its temperament and beauty

On a property out of Tamworth in country New South Wales, the uncle of the Australian shepherd Viking – winner of the most prestigious title at the 2024 Crufts dog competition in the UK – is a champion in his own right.

Bradley, who was born in Russia to the same litter as Viking’s mother, is nine years old and a semi-retired multi-champion of dog shows overseas and in Australia.

Continue reading...

AFP officers mistakenly handcuffed and arrested Iraqi refugee after acting on bad tip-off

Posted on by

Agency says bad intelligence led to the wrongful arrest of Nahi Al Sharify at his Sydney home in February, leaving him traumatised and distraught

Australian federal police agents mistakenly handcuffed an Iraqi refugee on strict visa conditions due to bad intelligence, the agency has confirmed.

Nahi Al Sharify has been in community detention since January 2023 but his case has been included in the NZYQ cohort when about 150 detainees were freed in November, despite the 40-year-old having no criminal record in Australia or elsewhere.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

‘Poor taste’: Brisbane school holds nappy changing activity to mark International Women’s Day

Posted on by

Stretton State College shares photo of students with nappies and dolls among images of events to celebrate the day

A Brisbane school has been criticised for acting “in poor taste” after posting images of a nappy changing activity held on International Women’s Day on Facebook.

Stretton State College posted the photo of students with nappies and dolls among images of different events held to celebrate the day. They included selling cookies and a photo station with a border featuring the slogan “inspire inclusion”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Pet perils: injuries from animals are on the rise after Australia’s surge in dog and cat ownership

Posted on by

Animal-related hospitalisations have been increasing for years but have surged since the start of the pandemic, AIHW study finds

In the north-west New South Wales town of Gunnedah, there are much deadlier things than a puppy. They are used to deadly brown and red-bellied snakes.

So Sarah Carter was surprised when her corgi Maxi landed her in hospital.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Peak motorist body requests clarity on Albanese government’s proposed clean car policy

Posted on by

Automobile Association wants to see the calculations behind national vehicle efficiency standards

The nation’s peak motorist organisation has called on the Albanese government to release in full the modelling underpinning its proposed new laws aimed at removing the worst polluting cars from Australian roads and hastening the uptake of cleaner vehicles.

The Australian Automobile Association (AAA), in its submission responding to the government’s proposed national vehicle efficiency standard (NVES), reiterated it has long supported such a scheme. But it said Labor should “be more transparent” about how it arrived at the calculations supporting its preferred, more ambitious targets.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australian renewable sector recorded ‘alarming’ slowdown in 2023, energy body finds

Posted on by

Clean Energy Council report details ‘particularly poor’ investment in large-scale plants but says roof-top solar and batteries are ‘storming ahead’

Investments in renewable energy plants showed an “alarming” slowdown in 2023, with financial approvals for new solar farms shrinking more than a third while no new windfarms won backing, the Clean Energy Council said in its annual report.

The yearly results come as separate data revealed fossil fuel power stations expanded generation in the first two months of 2024 as heatwaves in the east of Australia sent demand soaring.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia’s poorest schools to be fully funded in ‘landmark’ commonwealth investment in NT

Posted on by

Commonwealth moves closer to fully funding all public schools in deal that will make ‘immediate difference’ in Northern Territory

The federal government is one step closer to fully funding all public schools after reaching an agreement with the Northern Territory to double the commonwealth’s funding contribution.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, chief minister of the NT, Eva Lawler, and education minister Jason Clare and his counterpart Mark Monaghan will sign the statement of intent on Wednesday morning.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Bronwyn Bishop apologises on Sky News after accusing MP Sophie Scamps of being part of ‘antisemitic movement’

Posted on by

Former Howard government minister agrees to apologise on Sharri Markson’s program after threat of legal action

Bronwyn Bishop has made an on-air apology on Sharri Markson’s Sky News program after accusing the federal MP Sophie Scamps of being “part and parcel of the antisemitic movement”.

After a threat of legal action from Scamps, a teal independent who holds Bishop’s old seat of Mackellar, the former Liberal minister and Speaker agreed to apologise on Tuesday night’s program.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

‘Felt like an earthquake’: passengers recall moment of terror on Latam flight as investigation launched

Posted on by

Latam Airlines flight LA800 was headed to Auckland from Sydney when plane’s ‘gauges just blanked out’ due to technical problem, pilot reportedly told passengers

Cockpit voice and flight data recorders are being gathered as an investigation begins into a sudden mid-air drop on an Auckland-bound flight that left passengers bloodied, hospitalised dozens and “felt like an earthquake had just hit”.

Latam Airlines flight LA800 departed Sydney at 11.35am on Monday with 263 passengers and nine flight and cabin crew headed for Auckland. About two-thirds of the way into the three-hour flight, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner – which was eight years old, according to flight tracking data – “experienced a strong shake”, the airline said.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Rising festival 2024: theatre-maker to be drugged unconscious in ‘deeply unnerving’ show about date rape

Posted on by

A Brazilian artist will have her body manipulated while passed out, in a lauded work about sexual violence that headlines Melbourne’s winter festival

A theatremaker will be drugged unconscious on stage in Melbourne this year, in a controversial and highly lauded theatre work about sexual violence that will have its Australian premiere at Rising festival.

Cadela Força Trilogy: The Bride and the Goodnight Cinderella is directed by and stars Brazilian artist Carolina Bianchi, who recounts her experience of being drugged and sexually assaulted, before taking a drug on stage. Once unconscious, female performers then move her body around, even at one point inserting a speculum and camera into her vagina, with a live video feed shown to the audience in a simulation of a post-rape forensic examination.

Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning

Continue reading...

Almost half of cane growers sceptical of science behind laws protecting Great Barrier Reef

Posted on by

Review found ongoing ‘mistrust’ among farmers, including many who remain unconvinced by need for pollution regulations

A review of the Queensland government’s Great Barrier Reef protection regulations has found that almost half the affected farmers still believe there is little or no scientific evidence to support pollution reduction rules.

The laws, passed in 2019, were based on scientific advice that limits on sediment and chemical runoff were needed in the reef catchment, amid concerns about water quality.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

TGA investigating telehealth websites prescribing nicotine vaping products for exclusive pharmacies

Posted on by

GPs say patients should be able to fill scripts at any pharmacy and that a health professional should be consulted first

Australia’s drugs regulator is investigating several telehealth platforms that offer prescriptions only for nicotine vaping products, which experts warn could compromise patient care.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) confirmed it was assessing the vaping prescription telehealth sites medicalnicotine.com.au, myduke.com.au, quitmate.com.au and a site related to quitmate, medmate.com.au.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Gareth Evans tells Labor to ‘get off the fence’ and restart UNRWA funding to help ease Gaza crisis

Posted on by

Former Labor foreign minister says $6m in emergency funding should be released immediately as Canada and Sweden have done

Labor’s longest serving foreign minister, Gareth Evans, has urged the Australian government to “get off the fence” and immediately reinstate funding to a key UN agency to help avert mass starvation in Gaza.

The Labor government is edging closer to unfreezing $6m in emergency funding for UNRWA after similar moves by Canada and Sweden, possibly within days, but it is understood a decision has yet to be made.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...