Queensland government approves Winchester South mine despite report warning of potential ‘climate change consequences’
The Queensland government has approved a mega coalmine project which environmentalists say poses “unacceptable threats” to Queenslanders’ human rights.
The project now goes for federal approval, where it could become the biggest coalmine given the green light since the Albanese government came to power.
Continue reading...State’s investment in Pacific Metal Group in October 2022 was described by treasurer Tim Pallas as a ‘win for everyone’
The Victorian government is set to lose millions of dollars it invested in a scrap metal recycling company, after the business went into administration earlier this year.
The Victorian Business Growth Fund investment in Pacific Metal Group, reportedly worth $10m, will probably be lost after the company collapsed in January after a fire at its scrapyard in Laverton North.
Continue reading...Adam Bandt says changes to industrial relations bill mean ‘when you clock off, you’ll be able to switch off’
Labor’s so-called “closing loopholes” bill is set to pass parliament after deals with the crossbench, including inserting a Greens amendment creating a right to disconnect from work for employees.
On Wednesday the Greens announced the Albanese government had accepted the right to disconnect, which will prevent employees being punished for refusing to take unreasonable work calls or answer emails in their unpaid personal time.
Continue reading...The ‘Juno’ training helicopters will support essential training for aircrew before the arrival of new Black Hawks from the US later this year. Follow the day’s news live
The ADF expects that the training helicopters will be available for operations in Oakey in Queensland by around the middle of this year.
The government will argue these helicopters have been chosen because they can perform a variety of roles “including personnel and equipment transport and Defence assistance to the civil community”.
We need a highly capable Army. When the tough but necessary decision was made last year to expedite the withdrawal of the MRH-90s from service, it meant that we needed to look at all options when it came to filling the capability gap and the training which our servicemen and women need.
We have been working with the United States and United Kingdom on ways in which we can bridge this gap, and their support and willingness with the acceleration of the Black Hawks and leasing of training helicopters will have a significant impact.
Continue reading...Anthony Albanese and James Marape to meet on Thursday amid rising domestic pressures on the PNG leader
Australia will roll out the red carpet to the visiting Papua New Guinea prime minister, James Marape, amid efforts to stall China’s security talks with the Pacific country.
Marape is due to arrive in Canberra on Wednesday before he addresses a joint sitting of the Australian parliament on Thursday – the first Pacific leader to be afforded this honour.
Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast
Continue reading...PM says opposition ‘tying themselves in knots’ as parliament resumes. Follow the day’s news live
School funding data
(continued from previous post)
Continue reading...The SES rescued three people from flood waters as the tropical low moved south over the Queensland border, with more wet weather forecast
New South Wales was lashed with torrential rain in the early hours of Tuesday, and three people were rescued from flood waters in their cars, as ex-tropical cyclone Kirrily moved across the state.
After wreaking havoc in Queensland, the ex-tropical cyclone crossed the border into western NSW on Monday afternoon, bringing heavy rainfall and flash flooding to inland communities, before reaching Sydney around 5am and bringing 21mm of rain and localised flash flooding.
Continue reading...Climber, identified by police as a 29-year-old Newry man, believed to have reached top of 163m-tall residential building about 7.30am
Police say they have spoken to a man who scaled a 163m-tall residential tower in Melbourne’s city centre without a harness, while another person filmed him using a drone.
According to Victorian police, the man was seen climbing the side of 60 A’Beckett Street about 7.30am. He did not appear to be using any safety equipment.
Continue reading...Vyleen White was stabbed to death in Redbank Plains car park in front of her six-year-old granddaughter
Queensland police have charged a teenage boy with the murder of Ipswich woman Vyleen White in a shopping centre car park on Saturday.
The 16-year-old Bellbird Park boy has been charged with one count of murder, one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and three counts of stealing.
Continue reading...Study finds ‘unprovoked’ attacks were more common for surfers than swimmers
Australia is home to a disproportionate number of deadly shark attacks, with isolated areas carrying a greater risk of fatalities, international research has found.
The 10 fatal attacks globally in 2023 doubled the five in the previous year, with four of last year’s deaths occurring in Australia.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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...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...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...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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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...