Category Archives: Australia news

Queensland weather: flood-affected far north could be battered with more heavy rain as monsoon approaches

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BoM forecasts show communities hit hard by recent floods may see more wild weather and flash flooding in coming days

Residents of far north Queensland still recovering from the devastation wreaked by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper could be hit by more heavy rain from a monsoon trough over coming days, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

There is a chance the monsoon trough may develop over the Gulf of Carpentaria by Thursday, bringing with it thunderstorms and potential flooding to the east coast and north Queensland, according to the BoM.

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Steven Miles says Queensland crime is not ‘worsening’ as new data shows spike in assaults and domestic violence

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Queensland premier rejects opposition’s interpretation of numbers, as the total crime rate remains below mid-2000s levels

The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, says crime is “not clearly worsening” after the release of new police data that showed significant spikes in assaults and domestic violence offending.

The state opposition and several media reports have called the crime data the worst in two decades – highlighting raw numbers that showed more total offences committed in 2023 than any other year since 2000.

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NSW police say man they shot dead outside medical clinic was armed – as it happened

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Victoria floods: affected communities urged to prepare up to three days of supplies

A watch and act alert is in place along the Goulburn River from Murchison and Shepparton to south of Lake Eildon.

We’re not expecting the levels of October 2022 which is pleasing, but there will still be a significant amount of water around and we’re asking community to be really vigilant and have that awareness of what’s happening.

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Mulch containing asbestos found at Rozelle parklands may have been used at other Sydney sites

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Testing reveals ‘low-risk’ contamination in samples taken from mulch near Rozelle playground, Transport for NSW says

An expansive park built above Rozelle’s multibillion-dollar spaghetti junction interchange has been closed after asbestos was found in garden mulch around a children’s playground – with the contractor involved confirming the mulch was also used elsewhere in Sydney.

An urgent audit was under way to determine what other sites could be affected by what the premier, Chris Minns, described as “a toxic substance”.

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Peter Dutton was flown by a billionaire to Gina Rinehart’s Pilbara party – where he had a message for parents

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Federal opposition leader told audience at Roy Hill mine that parents and teachers should instruct children about benefits of mining

Peter Dutton was flown to a party at the Pilbara mine of Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, by another billionaire rich-lister, where he made a speech suggesting parents and teachers talk to children about the positives of the mining sector.

In a speech at Hancock Prospecting’s Roy Hill mine in November last year, Dutton repeatedly thanked those working in resources. He described the work carried out at the mine as a “national treasure”.

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Police on alert for potential violence at Eritrean festival in Melbourne

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Supporters of the African nation’s dictatorial regime have clashed with opponents in the diaspora at similar events in other countries

Australian federal police and government officials have met representatives of the Eritrean community in a bid to avoid potential violence during a planned cultural festival in Melbourne’s western suburbs this weekend.

Similar events held in Europe and North America in recent months have ended in violence and arrests, as supporters of the African nation’s regime clashed with members of the pro-democracy youth movement Birged Nhamedu.

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Woman rescued after car swept into swollen Bendigo Creek as floods peak in Victoria

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Man jumped into rushing flood waters and tied 74-year-old woman to a tree after she was swept 100 metres downstream

A man jumped into rushing flood waters to save a woman swept away into Bendigo Creek, risking his own life to secure her with ratchet straps to a tree, as Victorian towns braced for more flood damage.

The rescue came amid flash flooding across parts of the state, which emergency services on Tuesday afternoon said was easing. However, flooding along several rivers continued, with 20 properties in and around Seymour affected by the deluge.

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The Iconic pledges to refund customers charged for bogus orders after hack

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Retailer’s move comes after some shoppers said more than $1,000 had been taken from their accounts

Online retailer the Iconic has promised to refund customers who were charged large sums for fraudulent orders after having their accounts compromised.

The refund pledge follows a backlash from consumers, who have been posting their frustration on the retailer’s Facebook page.

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Surfer flown to hospital after South Australia shark attack

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Man suffers leg wound less than two weeks after a boy was killed by a suspected great white shark on the Yorke Peninsula

A surfer has been flown to hospital after being bitten by a shark off the South Australian coast.

The 65-year-old man was bitten on the leg after a shark attack that occurred about 200m offshore near Elliston, on the SA west coast.

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PM flags consideration of dedicated force for natural disaster responses amid climate crisis

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On recent floods in Victoria and Queensland, Albanese said Australian defence force was a vital asset but that future recovery mitigation may need a re-think

Anthony Albanese and the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, say a re-think of disaster recovery and flood mitigation may be needed due to climate change, with at least 26 homes inundated in the state’s flooding.

Across Victoria, 61 emergency warnings remained in place on Tuesday afternoon as Mooroopna and Shepparton, in the state’s north, brace for high and moderate flooding in the coming days.

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Alcoa Kwinana alumina refinery shutdown will lead to hundreds of job cuts in resources minister’s electorate

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Madeleine King says she is ‘extremely disappointed’ while the opposition criticises Labor for ‘embarrassing failure’ on industry policy

The federal resources minister, Madeleine King, says she is “extremely disappointed” at the closure of a major alumina refinery in her electorate, with about 800 job losses expected, as the opposition criticises the government over what it has labelled “an embarrassing failure” on industry policy.

US alumina giant Alcoa announced on Tuesday it would close its 60-year-old refinery south of Perth, where hundreds of workers were expected to lose their jobs.

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Australian police renew search for wanted man in Greece before statute of limitations runs out

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James Dalamangas was allegedly involved in the death of George Giannopoulos in a Sydney nightclub in 1999

Australian police are issuing a global plea to locate one of the country’s most wanted men who they say fled to Greece after allegedly stabbing a man to death in a Sydney nightclub 25 years ago.

James Dalamangas is wanted over his alleged involvement in the murder of George Giannopoulos in Belmore, in Sydney’s south-west, in April 1999.

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Queensland farmers call for probe into price gouging after premier writes to grocery giants

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Peak body says farmers aren’t getting ‘fair value’ as Steven Miles demands answers from supermarkets on overcharging claims

A peak body representing Queensland farmers has increased pressure for an inquiry into price gouging after the state’s premier wrote to the big supermarket chains demanding answers over a “widening gap” between the prices farmers receive and those customers pay.

The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, sent a letter to the CEOs of Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi on Friday telling them about his “growing concern” about the disparity between checkout prices and the value farmers receive for their stock.

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Australian capital city rents up 13% over year as further hikes predicted for 2024 amid housing shortage

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Housing advocates call for urgent reform to address growing crisis as capital rents hit average of $600 a week

Australia’s record shortage of rental properties will continue to drive prices up for tenants, analysts say, with a new report revealing combined capital city rents rose 13.2% year-on-year.

Data from PropTrack, the property analytics division of REA Group, has revealed national rental prices rose 11.5% over the past year, with combined capital city rents up 13.2% to an average of $600 a week, driven by large increases in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

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HyperVerse crypto promoter ‘Bitcoin Rodney’ arrested and charged in US

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Internal Revenue Service alleges Rodney Burton was part of a network that made ‘fraudulent’ presentations claiming high returns for investors based on crypto-mining operations that did not exist

A promoter of the HyperVerse crypto investment scheme has been arrested and charged in the US for his alleged role in the scheme, with court documents claiming he was part of a network that made “fraudulent promotional presentations” to investors and potential investors.

Rodney Burton, who goes by the name “Bitcoin Rodney”, was arrested in Florida on Friday and remains in custody pending transfer to Maryland, where the charges were laid. He has been charged with operating and conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

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Rate of GPs bulk billing all patients in Australia drops to below one in four, data reveals

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Cleanbill report reveals national rate of bulk billing dropped 11% last year to 23.6%, with 514 clinics removing the service

Fewer than one in four Australian general practices provide bulk billing to all patients, with more than 500 clinics switching to private billing in the past year, according to a new report.

Online healthcare directory Cleanbill on Monday released its Blue Report providing data on the rates of bulk billing – where the full cost of a consultation is paid for by Medicare without any additional gap fees – across 6,818 practices.

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Calls for nationwide pill testing after suspected MDMA overdoses at Melbourne music festival

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Eight people were in induced comas after the Hardmission event at Flemington on Satuday

The suspected MDMA overdoses at a Melbourne music festival that left eight young people in medically induced comas over the weekend has sparked renewed calls for nationwide pill-testing programs.

Harm reduction and social justice advocates, and the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA), were among those urging state governments to legalise pill-testing, saying the scale of the overdoses highlight the urgency of the issue.

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This article was amended on 8 January 2024 after Ambulance Victoria clarified that eight people were in induced comas, not seven.

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Labor ‘not giving up’ on republic push – as it happened

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Liberal senate leader and shadow foreign minister Simon Birmingham says a reported bomb threat against a person flying the Palestinian flag in Botany “has no place in our nation”.

He wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

Australia is a democratic nation of free speech. Whether driven by disagreement, intolerance or Islamophobia this act has no place in our nation.

Whatever anyone’s views about flying the Palestinian flag at this time, this is illegal and reprehensible behaviour to be condemned.

ENOUGH! TAKE DOWN FLAG! ONE CHANCE!!!

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Victoria weather: warnings of further rain amid evacuations and dozens of flood rescues

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Parts of Seymour and Yea subject to evacuation orders as BoM forecasts more intense rain and wild weather

Residents in north-eastern Victoria are bracing for further flooding in the coming days, after heavy rainfall inundated the state and forced two towns to evacuate.

An evacuation order was issued for parts of the Goulburn Valley town of Seymour, in central Victoria, shortly before noon on Monday, before similar orders were put in place for sections of nearby Yea.

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Golden Globe awards 2024: Australians win big as Sarah Snook, Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki land gongs

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Snook wins best actress in a TV drama series for her performance as the ambitious Shiv Roy in Succession, which also won best TV drama

Australians have won big at this year’s Golden Globes, with Sarah Snook and Elizabeth Debicki taking home acting awards and Margot Robbie winning for Barbie’s box office success.

Snook won the best actress in a TV series – drama for her performance as the ambitious Shiv Roy in Succession, which also won best TV drama.

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