NSW police say no one should open or remove any of the packages after finding seven washed ashore
New South Wales police have issued a warning to the public about packages suspected of containing cocaine washing up on beaches between Sydney and Newcastle.
At least seven packages – with “significant barnacle growth” on the outer plastic wrapping – have been found on beaches since Friday night, and police on Sunday warned people not to open or remove any further finds.
Continue reading...Political leaders also thank emergency services workers in annual Christmas messages
Anthony Albanese has used his annual Christmas message to pay tribute to flood-affected residents in northern Queensland while expressing gratitude to medical and hospitality workers.
The prime minister issued a short video message to the nation on Christmas Eve, wishing Australians well over the holiday period and paying particular tribute to defence force personnel.
Continue reading...Thunderstorm conditions extending from Mackay in Queensland to Melbourne, with BoM warning weather may change quickly
Widespread rain and cloudy weather affecting much of the east coast is expected to continue into Christmas Day, with revellers encouraged to prepare an indoor option for tomorrow’s festivities.
Queensland was lashed with severe thunderstorms on Sunday, with giant hail and huge downpours of up to 43mm in just 15 minutes recorded in northern Brisbane.
Continue reading...Temporary roadside barriers set up to channel tens of millions of crabs migrating to the coastline
The welcome mat has been rolled out for scores of red crabs as they make their annual coastal dash on Christmas Island.
Each year, the first substantial rain of the wet season triggers tens of millions of adult red crabs to leave their forest homes, in the interior of the island, and march towards the coast to mate and spawn.
Continue reading...Authorities say blaze south of the city is under control after homes were lost around Keysbrook
A blaze that destroyed two homes south of Perth has been brought under control, but firefighters are urging people to remain vigilant for bushfire threats.
Seven emergency-level bushfires have engulfed homes and torn through bushland, rural properties and suburbs on Perth’s fringes in the past three days.
Continue reading...Statistics reveal over 2,000 intimate partner homicides from 1989 to 2021, with three in four victims female
More than 60 women have been violently killed this year, many by intimate partners, and experts warn that the holidays are a particularly dangerous time.
Counting Dead Women Australia – which is run by Destroy the Joint researchers – tracks “every known death due to violence against women” and says the number this week reached 62.
Continue reading...Supermarket says there have been no complaints and the New South Wales recall is being done as a ‘precaution’
The chance of metal contamination has led to supermarket giant Woolworths issuing a recall in New South Wales for a batch of a common Christmas treat.
Woolworths said the affected product is Shortcrust Summer Berry Mince Pies, sold in six-packs, with a “best before” date of 13 June 2024.
Continue reading...NSW SES warns heavy rain may cause flash flooding with storms forecast across three states from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day
Residents of Australia’s eastern states have been warned to prepare for severe storms forecast over the Christmas weekend.
Thunderstorms are expected between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day across a broad region, including much of New South Wales and south-east Queensland and spreading down into Victoria.
Continue reading...The weather bureau has issued an extreme fire danger warning for the Burrup district on Saturday
Firefighters on Saturday continued to battle multiple blazes across Western Australia as authorities warn of more “difficult” days ahead.
Seven emergency-level blazes have destroyed homes and torn through bushland, rural properties and suburbs on Perth’s fringes in the past three days.
Continue reading...Exclusive: The apparent error has been occurring for at least three years and has been blamed on a transition to new computer systems
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has apologised for chasing elderly Australians for alleged pension overpayments and has blamed a systems error for wrongly targeting those aged over 90.
After a Guardian Australia report on the issue, a departmental spokesperson said a number of veterans were incorrectly subjected to compliance reviews, resulting in debt notices.
Continue reading...Those not eligible for Medicare due to their visas to get free hospital care, dental and other services
People fleeing the Israel-Gaza war will receive free healthcare under a Victorian initiative, amid calls for other states to follow suit.
The state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, will on Saturday announce people fleeing the conflict – who aren’t eligible for Medicare due to their visa – will be able to access essential healthcare, specialised mental health support and language services.
Continue reading...EVs made up just 2% of new car sales in May 2022, but now 8.3% of new car sales in 2023 are battery powered
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has welcomed a boom in electric vehicle sales, revealing the number of fast-charging sites has nearly doubled in the last year.
National strategies on electric vehicles are expected to more than double the number of charger stations again within three years, as the federal government seeks to incentivise the use of cleaner cars. New fuel efficiency standards, expected to be outlined in early 2024, are likely to further discourage the sale of higher-emitting vehicles, making electric cars more attractive.
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Continue reading...Curators of new exhibition say decision was made in consultation with artist’s family and dismiss claims move is ‘paternalistic’
Two art world figures pivotal in the career of Australia’s most internationally lauded female painter have spoken out against the decision by the National Gallery of Australia to adopt a new spelling of her name.
The Emily Kam Kngwarray retrospective which opened at the NGA in Canberra earlier this month is the first major exhibition of the artist, who died in 1996, to use the new spelling.
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Continue reading...Judge concludes case and reserves his decision after more than four weeks of evidence
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyers have argued on the final day of his high-profile defamation trial that Brittany Higgins told “complete falsehoods” and her allegations were part of a “political hit job” fuelled by her partner.
Justice Michael Lee on Friday concluded the case and reserved his decision after more than four weeks of evidence and submissions.
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Justice Lee describes some of Lehrmann barrister’s suggestions about Higgins’ behaviour as ‘simplistic’
Justice Lee has said it is simplistic to suggest a young woman could not have been sexually assaulted because she carried on in a professional manner.
Continue reading...Coalition MP Colin Boyce claimed highest travel allowance of $29,623 for third quarter in 2022, while Adam Bandt claimed $15,309 for plane charter
Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles have defended themselves and their colleagues over millions in taxpayer-funded expenses claimed by federal politicians, as political spending again comes under the microscope after the release of long-delayed reports.
The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (Ipea) this week published new reports giving the public insight into how politicians spend public funds on office expenses and travel.
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Continue reading...Indigenous Australians department says it is giving advice on treaty and truth processes, but declines to reveal commission’s status
After the failed voice referendum, the Indigenous Australians department says it is still giving advice to the federal government on treaty and truth processes but the future of the Makarrata commission remains in limbo.
The 2022 budget provided $5.8m to start work on setting up the Makarrata commission, which was to oversee processes for making agreements and truth-telling. During the election, the government pledged more than $27m to establish the body.
Continue reading...Officers obtain court order to test Dorothy James Downie, 55, for drugs after she was charged with murder over Hamilton incident
Police have been granted an order to obtain blood samples as soon as possible from a woman charged with murder so they can be tested for the presence of drugs.
Dorothy James Downie, 55, is accused of fatally stabbing a woman known to her in the Brisbane suburb of Hamilton on Thursday.
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Uninsured won’t be left behind in flood clean-up
Australians priced out of insurance or underinsured will not be left behind by the federal government as the flood clean-up begins in far north Queensland.
We’re working through what we can do to assist those people as well to ensure that nobody’s left behind as we make the big clean-up effort.
What we’re experiencing in Australia is part of a global phenomenon with reinsurers and global insurers starting to factor in the impact of climate change.
And the impact of those severe weather events and the risks associated with them and insurance policies.
The products are not considered as discretionary spending but rather essential items.
Continue reading...Multicultural action plan seeks to remove barriers to players and volunteers from diverse communities
Two-thirds of south Asian-Australian cricketers find it challenging to find a club, according to Cricket Australia’s multicultural action plan, which calls for the body’s staff to undergo unconscious bias and cultural awareness training.
The plan – which was released on Friday in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan – is the result of thousands of hours of consultation with members of local communities.
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