Category Archives: Australia news

NSW mega-councils to foot the bill if they want to reverse forced mergers

Posted on by

Labor to create legal pathway for council demergers after forced amalgamations by former Coalition government

New South Wales mega-councils will be forced to pay for their own demergers, in a move likely to anger local governments that have long been advocating for the state government to stump up cash and allow forced amalgamations to be reversed.

The Minns government will on Tuesday introduce legislation to parliament to create a legal pathway to demergers for councils, including Sydney’s Inner West, that wish to split – but it has made it clear it won’t be footing the bill.

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

Continue reading...

Australian academic Yang Hengjun given suspended death sentence by Chinese court

Posted on by

Australia’s foreign minister says government is ‘appalled’ by sentence, which could mean life in prison

The Australian academic Yang Hengjun has been given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court, after five years in detention on espionage charges. His sentence came on the same day that the women’s rights activist Li Qiaochu was sentenced to three years and eight months by a court in Shandong for “inciting subversion of state power”.

Yang was arrested in 2019 at Guangzhou airport, accused of spying for an undisclosed foreign country. The 57-year-old pro-democracy blogger is an Australian citizen who was born in China. He was tried in a one-day, closed-door hearing in Beijing in May 2021, with a verdict not publicly disclosed.

Continue reading...

News live: Australian government ‘appalled’ by Yang Hengjun’s suspended death sentence, Wong says

Posted on by

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says ‘Australia will not relent in their advocacy for justice’ for Dr Yang. Follow the day’s news live

Finance minister Katy Gallagher was asked about the Grattan Institute research (we had this earlier in the blog) showing that a third of households don’t pay tax and therefore miss out on the benefits.

Will the government consider raising jobseeker?

I think the treasurer and I have made it clear that every budget, we look at all aspects of expenditure across government, that would include looking at our payments and looking at our services … I think the PM committed to that before the election, this is something that we keep under consideration. It has to be balanced up with all of the other competing pressures where people want additional spending as well.

I think people are up for a rational and reasonable discussion… We made this decision based on putting people before politics.

I’m sure there’ll be others that will write things about [this] in future, but that hasn’t been something that we’ve been conscious of, it really has been about what we can do to help people – particularly those that have been feeling the crunch from the interest rate increases.

Continue reading...

Man accused of throwing beloved chicken to alligator will plead not guilty to animal cruelty, NSW court hears

Posted on by

The 57-year-old allegedly threw a silkie bantam chook known as Betty White into alligator pen, shocking onlookers at Oakvale Farm and Fauna World

A man accused of throwing a chicken known as Betty White into an alligator pen in front of shocked families at a popular NSW wildlife park has indicated he’ll plead not guilty to animal cruelty.

The case against Peter William Smith, 57, of Singleton, was briefly mentioned in Raymond Terrace local court on Monday.

Continue reading...

Victorian government condemns protesters who clashed with police at pride march as Midsumma blames ‘both sides’

Posted on by

Group of up to 50 protesters allegedly tried to stop police contingent from joining annual pride march in Melbourne

The Victorian government has condemned protesters who confronted police at Melbourne’s Midsumma Pride March as thugs, and called on event organisers to follow suit.

A contingent of about 100 people from Victoria police, including the chief commissioner, Shane Patton, were among the more than 15,000 marchers who participated in the event in St Kilda on Sunday.

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

Continue reading...

Kurtley Beale trial: woman aired sexual assault allegations on family trip to buy wedding dress, court hears

Posted on by

Former Wallaby has pleaded not guilty and denies sexually assaulting woman at Beach Road Hotel in December 2022

A woman aired allegations she was assaulted by the rugby star Kurtley Beale with her fiance’s family during a trip intended for wedding-dress shopping, a court has heard.

Beale, 35, is facing one count of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching in the NSW district court, following the alleged incident at Bondi’s Beach Road hotel in December 2022.

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

Continue reading...

Boy arrested over stolen car as police investigate stabbing of Queensland woman in front of granddaughter

Posted on by

Police still seeking three males in relation to fatal stabbing at Redbank Plains shopping centre car park

Queensland police investigating the stabbing death of a 70-year-old woman in front of her granddaughter have arrested a 15-year-old boy in relation to an allegedly stolen car.

The boy, from Ripley, surrendered to officers at the Ipswich police station about 9.30pm on Sunday. He was charged with one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

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

Continue reading...

No way to ‘budget’ out of cost-of-living crisis for low-income earners, report finds

Posted on by

Many participants struggled to afford basics, cutting back on food or rationing medication, survey suggests

People experiencing poverty and job insecurity are increasingly unable to budget their way out of financial crisis, a new report from the Brotherhood of St Laurence has found.

The research, which asked 40 low to middle-income Victorians to detail their finances over 10 weeks, found inadequate income support, insecure work and the cost-of-living crisis are driving inequality across Australia.

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

Continue reading...

Ban on doctors raising voluntary assisted dying with ill patients to remain as Victoria reviews law

Posted on by

Advocates lament missed opportunity for reform, saying some safeguards have become barriers

Allowing doctors to start conversations with terminally ill patients about voluntary assisted dying will not be considered under a review of Victoria’s euthanasia laws – sparking criticism from advocates who say it is a missed opportunity for reform.

A five-year review of the dying laws is open for public submissions and will consider issues including access to the scheme and safeguards. Advocates say Victoria – which in 2017 became the first Australian jurisdiction to legalise VAD – is now lagging behind other jurisdictions.

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

Continue reading...

Climate groups welcome fuel efficiency standards – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed

Labor tried to amend stage-three tax cuts, Albanese says

Anthony Albanese says Labor attempted to amend the stage-three tax cuts but its proposal failed by a single vote:

What we did in the parliament in 2019 is two things. One, we tried to amend our the stage-three tax cuts. We weren’t successful. We failed by just one vote. When that occurred, we thought that we weren’t prepared to stand in the way of all of the government to say they knew what the economy would look like in five years’ time.

One of the things, David, I have done is go to the National Press Club – and say we have changed our position. Why? We listened to people and particularly low- and middle-income Australians are under financial pressure.

What I can’t do as prime minister of Australia is to wring my hands and say, “If only there was something I co-do about it” What we needed to do was to look at what is the best way we can take pressure off cost of living without putting pressure on inflation.

We want it to be passed as soon as possible. Certainly, it needs to be passed during this existing session, so as to provide that easy transition for employers, the tax office, for others as well.

Circumstances have changed. We’ve responded.

Continue reading...

Fuel efficiency standards: Labor unveils proposal, highlighting petrol savings of $1,000 a year for motorists

Posted on by

Coalition-led scare campaign predicted for plan to place yearly cap on emissions for new cars sold in Australia

The Albanese government has unveiled its long-awaited plan for fuel efficiency standards for new cars while highlighting potential savings of $1,000 a year and predicting a Coalition-led scare campaign.

The proposed model, announced on Sunday, would place a yearly cap on the emissions output for new cars sold in Australia to incentivise carmakers to supply low- and zero-emissions vehicles and penalise companies that do not.

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

Continue reading...

Lowitja O’Donoghue, celebrated campaigner for Aboriginal Australians, dies aged 91

Posted on by

A member of the stolen generations, the Yankunytjatjara leader was only reunited with her mother through a chance meeting 30 years later

Lowitja O’Donoghue, a Yankunytjatjara leader and activist, has died at the age of 91.

The Lowitja Institute announced her death on Sunday. A pioneering leader in Aboriginal advancement and recognition campaigns, O’Donoghue was a “formidable leader who was never afraid to listen, speak and act”, her family said.

Continue reading...

Woman killed in front of granddaughter in random car park attack in Ipswich

Posted on by

Victim, 70, had been shopping with six-year-old before she was stabbed on Saturday night in Redbank Plains, police say

Police have launched a homicide investigation after a 70-year-old woman was stabbed to death in a shopping centre car park in Ipswich near Brisbane.

Emergency services were called to the Redbank Plains car park about 6.10pm on Saturday following reports of a stabbing.

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

Continue reading...

Man charged with murdering a mother and son in Adelaide home

Posted on by

Daughter and sister of victims found bodies before detectives arrested 43-year-old man who police say was living across the road in Rosewater

A man has been charged with murdering a mother and son whose bodies were found at their home in Adelaide’s west.

South Australian police were called to the Rosewater property on Saturday afternoon.

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

Continue reading...

South Australia police arrest man after two found dead in Adelaide home

Posted on by

The bodies of a woman, 76, and man, 55, found with significant injuries inside property at Rosewater

A man has been arrested after the bodies of two people were found at a home in Adelaide’s west.

South Australian police were called the property in Rosewater on Saturday afternoon.

Continue reading...

Scuba diver and fisherman dead in separate incidents in Port Phillip bay

Posted on by

Third man rescued from capsized boat, under which his fellow fisher became trapped off Barwon Heads

A fishing trip has turned into tragedy with a man drowning when large waves caused the boat he was in to capsize near Geelong.

In a separate incident, a scuba diver has died at Rye on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, where emergency services responded to reports that a man was pulled from the water at about 10am.

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

Continue reading...

Scorching weather forecast for western Sydney, Melbourne and northern Victoria

Posted on by

Heatwave warnings as ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily continues to dump heavy rain across parts of outback Queensland

Much of southern Queensland and eastern New South Wales will be gripped by heatwave conditions over the weekend as western Sydney and Melbourne brace for temperatures in the high 30s on Sunday.

Ex-tropical cyclone Kirrily has continued to dump heavy rain across parts of outback Queensland but the system was forecast to track south, taking a route across NSW, before finally leaving the continent on Tuesday.

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

Continue reading...

Boy in hospital after fourth dingo bite on Queensland’s K’gari in as many weeks

Posted on by

Boy was bitten at campsite of western side of K’gari, also known as Fraser Island, and taken to Hervey Bay hospital

A young boy has become the fourth victim of a dingo bite on the Queensland island of K’gari in as many weeks.

The boy was bitten at a campsite on the western side of K’gari, also known as Fraser Island, and was taken to the Hervey Bay hospital on Saturday.

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

Continue reading...

Victoria’s Squeaky beach beats famous Sydney and Queensland spots to be judged Australia’s best

Posted on by

Wilson’s Promontory beach is the first Victorian site to top Tourism Australia’s list, which celebrates coastal spots

It’s not the famous sands of Bondi, the surf mecca of Bells, or the pristine white stretches along the Great Barrier Reef – but Squeaky beach in Victoria has been named the best in Australia.

Named for the under-foot sound of its quartz sand, the Wilson’s Promontory beach is close to the most southerly point of mainland Australia.

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

Continue reading...

Rightwing lobby group Advance Australia doubles donation revenue but half of donors unknown

Posted on by

Campaigner for no vote in voice referendum received $5.2m last financial year, 47% of it ‘dark money’ from sources not revealed publicly

Advance Australia, the conservative lobby group that claimed success for defeating the voice referendum, more than doubled the amount of donations it received during the 2022-23 financial year.

But the origin of almost half of the funds remains unknown.

Continue reading...