Category Archives: Australia news

At least 42 people treated after carbon monoxide leak at Adelaide Ice Arena

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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.

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Seven of the immigration detainees released in Australia were convicted of murder or attempted murder

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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”

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Summer heat bakes south and west but Melbourne will have dramatic cool change midweek

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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.

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Antoinette Lattouf lawyer calls for ABC to hand over any communications with the Australian

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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.

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Australia paid companies linked to suspected drug and weapons smuggling to run offshore detention, review finds

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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.

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Number of young Australians in psychological distress continues sharp rise

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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.

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Landlords should reveal homes’ energy efficiency to help Australia’s renters cut power bills, advocates say

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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.

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‘Pressure works’: Greens to stall Labor housing bill in campaign to limit negative gearing

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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.

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‘Suddenly it’s cool’: children believe use of influencers in gambling ads make it seem fun

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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.

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Albanese calls on Coalition to explain Barnaby Joyce footpath incident

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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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‘Absolute tragedy’: Murray River waterskiing race called off after death of sixth competitor in 18 years

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Man succumbs to serious injury suffered during fall while skiing, with paramedics declaring him dead at the scene

Police say the death of a man while waterskiing at an annual event on the Victoria-NSW border is a tragedy that will affect the community for months to come.

It was the sixth fatal accident at the Southern 80 waterski race since 2006.

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Australian greyhounds being adopted to US in increasing numbers as welfare advocates call for greater transparency

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More than 500 dogs sent to US for rehoming as local industry breeds more dogs than needed and demand for homes outstrips supply

Greyhound welfare advocates are calling for more transparency after figures emerged that at least 500 dogs have been sent to the US for rehoming as the racing industry continues to breed far more dogs than are needed.

Australia is one of seven countries where commercial greyhound racing is legal – New Zealand, Mexico, Ireland, the UK, US and Vietnam (where no races occur) also allow the sport.

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Sydney’s 90m-year-old climbing galaxias fish may have been wiped out by school building works

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The species can climb waterfalls and reaches back to Gondwanaland – but there are fears polluted runoff has proven fatal

A “miracle fish” may have been snuffed out in its Sydney habitat by bungled construction work at a nearby government high school, local environmentalists fear.

The climbing galaxias (Galaxias brevipinnis) belongs to a species line reaching back to Gondwanaland. It was only identified in the Manly Dam region in Sydney’s north – the fish’s most northerly known location in Australia – in 1998.

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Brisbane v the Olympics: Gabba shambles shows people power is hitting the 2032 Games

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The speed of recent pivots reveals there is genuine concern that people are uneasy about the Games amid rising housing and cost of living pressures

Denver, Colorado, is the only place to ever cancel the Olympic Games. The city had won the right to host the 1976 Winter Games, but withdrew amid mounting local opposition.

“We ought to say to the nation and the world, ‘We’re sorry … we made a mistake. Take the Games elsewhere,” state representative Bob Jackson told the Associated Press in 1971.

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Teal candidates hard to find in Queensland as Climate 200 seeks to spark community action

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With less than nine months before an election, lobby group is yet to find an independent candidate who aligns with their values

Less than nine months out from the Queensland state election, not a single ‘teal’ candidate has emerged to attract funding from influential lobby group Climate 200.

Experts say it’s increasingly unlikely credible teal challengers will emerge ahead of the October poll, given the time needed for an independent to build name recognition in the electorate.

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Man shot by officer in Melbourne CBD made threats with broken glass, police allege

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Shooting one of two separate incidents on Friday night after second man allegedly attacked four people with glass bottle

Police have alleged a man shot in the abdomen in the centre of Melbourne on Friday night had threatened and pursued protective services officers with broken glass.

It was one of two separate incidents in Melbourne’s CBD on Friday night after a 27-year-old man allegedly attacked four people with a glass bottle after a reported botched handbag robbery on a tram.

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Two men charged over alleged kidnapping and torture of Brisbane woman

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Police say victim did not know alleged attackers but there is no threat to wider community or indication it was gang-related

Two men have faced court charged with torture, kidnapping and other offences while two others are wanted for questioning over an alleged violent attack on a woman in Brisbane.

Detectives say the victim did not know her alleged attackers but there is no threat to the wider community or indication it was gang-related.

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Search for Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy turns to dashcam footage as police ‘scale back’ on-the-ground operation

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Mother-of-three, 51, was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home about 7am last Sunday to go for a run

Police have expanded an appeal for dashcam or CCTV footage as they investigate the disappearance of the Victorian woman Samantha Murphy.

Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home in Ballarat East about 7am last Sunday to go for a run.

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‘Someone must know’: family’s plea for answers 40 years after Melbourne woman was murdered in her home

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Victoria police launch fresh appeal for information on anniversary of death of Boronia woman Nanette Ellis

The family of a single mother murdered in her own home say their pain has been made worse by not knowing who killed her, as they launched a fresh plea for answers on the 40th anniversary of her death.

Melbourne woman Nanette Ellis was stabbed in her Boronia home by an unknown offender or group of offenders on the evening of 10 February 1984.

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‘Incredibly disturbing’: calls for audit of out-of-home care providers after court hears Aboriginal baby’s aunt refused as carer due to same-sex relationship

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Two of the biggest Aboriginal groups in NSW claim racism is ‘rife’ in the child protection system, which needs an overhaul

Pressure is growing for the New South Wales government to review its out-of-home care providers after it was revealed in court that a faith-based service refused to assess an Aboriginal kinship carer because of her sexual orientation.

The call comes as two of the biggest Aboriginal organisations in NSW claim racism in the child protection system is “rife” and closing the gap measures to reduce the number of Aboriginal children taken into care will fail unless the Minns government overhauls the sector.

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