Category Archives: Australia news

Australia news live: Israel’s deputy foreign affairs minister says Sydney Harbour Bridge marchers ‘useful idiots’

Posted on by

Follow today’s news live

Attorney general says Australia complying with international obligations regarding defence exports to Israel

Michelle Rowland says she is confident that Australia is meeting its obligations regarding defence approvals for exports of parts for F-35 fighter jets bound for Israel.

Certainly Israel is a democracy in the region. We maintain relations, obviously at that level. But as the prime minister himself has clearly said, these were difficult conversations that he needed to have with the government of Israel. We stand by the statements that we’ve made in terms of recognition – it has long been the policy of this government to have a two-state solution.

Continue reading...

Plan to extend Queensland coalmine would bulldoze ‘critical’ koala habitat

Posted on by

Glencore says it is working with state and federal governments to minimise the impact of flora and fauna in the 680ha area west of Mackay

Habitat for threatened koalas that are part of a population described by one expert as nationally significant would be bulldozed under plans to extend a Queensland coalmine.

The campaign group Lock the Gate used drones with thermal imaging cameras to find 13 koalas in one night in trees earmarked for clearing by mining company Glencore.

Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter

Continue reading...

Australian property investors squeezing out first-time buyers as record borrowing and rate cuts drive purchases

Posted on by

Pressure on first home buyers heightens as investors target lower-priced homes and more affordable regions

Property investors borrowed a record sum, nearly $130bn, to buy homes over the year to June, supported by interest rate cuts but squeezing out first-time buyers.

Banks made almost 200,000 new loans to landlords over the year, the most since 2022, while the number of new first-home mortgages slipped to 116,000.

Continue reading...

Judge criticises lawyers acting for boy accused of murder for filing misleading AI-created documents

Posted on by

Documents filed included references to nonexistent case citations and inaccurate quotes from a parliamentary speech, judge says

A judge has criticised lawyers acting for a boy accused of murder for filing misleading information with the courts after failing to check documents created using artificial intelligence.

“It is not acceptable for AI to be used unless the product of that use is independently and thoroughly verified,” Justice James Elliott told the supreme court in Melbourne.

Continue reading...

Albanese says ‘Hamas will engage in propaganda’ amid confusion over statements on Palestinian statehood

Posted on by

Hamas account claims quotes attributed to co-founder Hassan Yousef unlikely to be true given he’s been in jail since October 2023

Anthony Albanese has warned media about Hamas propaganda, amid confusion regarding statements reportedly made by the terrorist group in relation to Australia’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state.

Nine newspapers reported on Wednesday that the Hamas co-founder and senior official Hassan Yousef had welcomed the decision, praising Australia’s “political courage” and calling on other countries to follow its example.

Continue reading...

Childcare workers with ‘red flags’ should be on database to prevent them ‘shopping around’ for lax centres, inquiry told

Posted on by

Head of NSW police child sex abuse squad also advises parents to report concerns directly to police – not their childcare centre

The head of the New South Wales police child sexual abuse squad has called for the creation of a national database of childcare workers who have had “red flags” raised that fall short of criminal prosecution.

Giving evidence before a government inquiry into the early childhood education sector in NSW, Det Supt Linda Howlett said such a database would allow centres to share intelligence about former employees who have faced serious allegations that didn’t result in criminal charges. They are still allowed to work with children.

Continue reading...

‘Social apnoea’: sleep disorder could worsen at weekends, research suggests

Posted on by

Lifestyle factors such as drinking and smoking could contribute to increased severity of obstructive sleep apnoea

Letting your hair down at the weekend might be a well-known recipe for a hangover, but researchers say it might also increase the severity of a common sleep disorder.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) involves complete pauses in breathing or partial reductions in airflow that arise because muscles in the back of the throat relax, causing the airways to narrow or close. It is more common in groups such as older people and people who are overweight or obese.

Continue reading...

Outback Wrangler star asked paralysed pilot in hospital to change flight records and erase items on phone, court hears

Posted on by

Reality TV star Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice

Reality TV star Matt Wright visited a pilot while he was heavily sedated in hospital after a deadly helicopter crash and asked him to manipulate flying hour records, a court has been told.

Outback Wrangler co-star Chris “Willow” Wilson died in the February 2022 accident, falling to the ground from a sling beneath the chopper while collecting crocodile eggs in remote swampland in the Northern Territory.

Continue reading...

Commonwealth Bank urged to repay fees of 2 million low-income customers after posting record profit

Posted on by

Australia’s biggest bank delivers bumper payout to shareholders as CBA vows to end lending to coal companies with no net zero plans

The Commonwealth bank has posted a record cash profit, sparking renewed calls for Australia’s biggest bank to repay more than 2 million low-income customers $270m in fees – something it has refused to do.

CBA recorded $10.25bn in annual cash profits for the year to June – a 4% lift on the previous year – and gave a bumper $2.60 payout per share to shareholders.

Continue reading...

WA Museum partnership with Woodside criticised as record-breaking marine heatwave decimates coral reefs

Posted on by

A report finding 75% of coral is bleached or dead along a 1,500km stretch of WA coastline is released as fossil fuel giant inks partnership extension

The WA Greens and the state’s peak conservation body have condemned the extension of a research partnership between the Western Australian Museum and Woodside, as the state reels from a record-breaking marine heatwave that has killed corals over a 1,500km stretch of ocean.

The five-year continuation of the “longstanding collaboration”, in which the gas giant supports the museum’s biodiversity research along the WA coastline, would allow for further targeted research along the Gascoyne coast, according to announcements.

Continue reading...

Australia’s borrowers may have to wait weeks for Reserve Bank’s rate cut to reduce their mortgage

Posted on by

NAB said it would wait 13 days to pass on the 0.25% cut to borrowers, while Westpac announced it would wait 14 days

Mortgage rates will slide after the Reserve Bank announced a third interest rate cut of the year – but borrowers with some major banks may have to wait weeks for relief.

Lenders have lined up to reduce their rates by 0.25%, with 20 banks – including each of the big four – announcing on Tuesday that they will pass on the cuts but only two of them doing so immediately.

Continue reading...

Aukus laws will mean anywhere in Australia could be potential nuclear waste dump, critics say

Posted on by

Greens senator David Shoebridge says communities will have ‘no way to protect the land’ from waste that will be radioactive for millennia

Critics of Australia’s Aukus submarine deal say the government has given itself the power to nominate any place in Australia as a potential nuclear waste dump, without proper consultation with communities and indigenous landowners.

Australia has agreed to take sole responsibility for the management, security and storage of all nuclear waste from its fleet of proposed nuclear-powered submarines, including the spent fuel from the submarines’ reactors – high-level nuclear waste that will be radioactive for millennia once the submarines are decommissioned from the early 2050s.

Continue reading...

Sydney has wettest start to August in decades – and there could be more rain when spring arrives

Posted on by

More than double the monthly average rain fell in the first 11 days, marking the wettest start to the month since 1998

After Sydney’s soggiest start to August in nearly three decades, even more rain could be on the way, with a wetter than usual spring forecast for eastern New South Wales.

Only 11 days into August, rainfall in the city had reached 194mm – more than double the monthly average – marking the wettest start to the month since 1998, according to Weatherzone.

Continue reading...

WA’s ‘longest and most intense’ marine heatwave killed coral across 1,500km stretch

Posted on by

Scientists shocked by bleaching event that hit reefs from the world heritage-listed Ningaloo to the remote Ashmore Reef

The “longest, largest and most intense” marine heatwave ever recorded in Western Australia has killed coral throughout an area that stretches 1,500km, according to state and federal scientists.

More than 100 scientists and marine managers will gather in Perth on Tuesday for a special meeting to discuss the devastating event that bleached and killed corals on remote reefs earlier this year.

The marine heatwave that hit reefs from the world heritage-listed Ningaloo to the remote Ashmore Reef left many scientists shocked.

Continue reading...

Helicopter pilot in crash that killed Outback Wrangler star was a ‘party animal’, court told

Posted on by

Jock Purcell tells court Sebastian Robinson was ‘hopeless with paperwork’ and says Matt Wright – who has pleaded not guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice – was ‘lenient’ with record keeping

A pilot whose helicopter crashed, killing Outback Wrangler co-star Chris “Willow” Wilson, was a “party animal” and cocaine user who was “hopeless” at keeping flight records, a court has been told.

Pilot Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic after the February 2022 crash during a crocodile-egg collecting mission in remote swampland in the Northern Territory.

Continue reading...

Judge ruled Erin Patterson would have to face separate trial for attempting to kill estranged husband to avoid prejudice

Posted on by

Prosecutors ultimately dropped charges relating to Simon Patterson before triple murder trial over mushroom lunch started

Triple murderer Erin Patterson would have been unfairly prejudiced if a jury heard allegations she tried to kill her estranged husband in the years before the fatal poison mushroom lunch.

Victorian supreme court justice Christopher Beale made the decision on 14 March, ruling Patterson would have to face a separate trial for the three alleged attempted murder charges.

Continue reading...

Freddo bar creator would be ‘rolling in his grave’ at its price today, daughter says

Posted on by

Harry Melbourne’s froggy treat that cost 10p in its 1990s heyday sells for about 30p or even up to £1 now

The creator of the Freddo chocolate bar would be rolling in his grave if he could see the prices being charged for a treat that cost 10p back in its 1990s heyday, his daughter has said.

Leonie Wadin said she once waited impatiently for her father, Harry Melbourne, to come home with boxes of Freddos, but has now vowed never to buy another one.

Continue reading...

Tasmanian premier vows to end greyhound racing as he woos crossbench to back minority government

Posted on by

Jeremy Rockliff says ‘it’s time to draw a line in the sand and ensure an orderly exit from greyhound racing in Tasmania’

The Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, has vowed to end greyhound racing in the state by mid-2029 as he works to shore up support from independents.

The decision comes after a “great” of Tasmanian greyhound racing, Raider’s Guide, was euthanised in late July after falling and breaking its neck at a Launceston track.

Continue reading...

National Indigenous Music awards 2025: Emily Wurramara wins artist of the year

Posted on by

Warnindhilyagwa singer also wins film clip of the year, while Malyangapa Barkindji rapper Barkaa wins album of the year

Emily Wurramara expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine and “all Indigenous peoples around the world” experiencing oppression as she accepted the artist of the year award at the 21st National Indigenous Music awards at the Nimas in Garramilla/Darwin on Saturday night.

“There’s nothing like coming back home and being here and playing for mob and playing for the people,” the Garramilla-born Warnindhilyagwa singer said. “Because the music is about the people. The music is freedom. Free Palestine, free Congo and free all Indigenous peoples around the world from their oppressors. It always was, always will be Indigenous land.”

Continue reading...

Albanese and Luxon urge Israel to reconsider Gaza City takeover during ‘warm, generous’ meeting

Posted on by

Australian and New Zealand leaders reject possible US trade retaliation over recognising Palestinian statehood and reaffirm plans to deepen security ties

Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, have urged Israel to reconsider its plans to take over Gaza City and reaffirmed their intentions to deepen security ties, as they met in Queenstown on Saturday.

Following a pōwhiri (formal Māori welcome) at Te Wharehuanui – a private retreat built by the billionaire Xero founder, Rod Drury – Luxon said the world had become uncertain and fractious, and that New Zealand “has no greater friend than Australia”.

Continue reading...