Category Archives: Australia news

‘None’ of 81 people released from immigration detention arrived during Albanese government, Labor says

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Immigration minister Andrew Giles hits back at Peter Dutton, saying parties have ‘shared rejection and revulsion’ at criminal conduct of those released

Labor has hit back at Peter Dutton for politicising the high court’s ruling on indefinite detention, arguing that “none” of the 81 people released so far arrived on the Albanese government’s watch.

On Tuesday the opposition leader claimed the government should not have released people from immigration detention on the basis there was “another” – unspecified – “option available” to prevent their release and still comply with the court ruling.

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Neil the 600kg seal stops Tasmanian woman going to work after taking nap in front of her car

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Amber Harris woke to the sound of what she thought was somebody breaking into her car but found a tired southern elephant seal

A 600kg seal took a nap in front of a Tasmanian woman’s car, stopping her from going to work on Tuesday.

Amber Harris woke up at 6.20am to the sound of what she thought was “somebody breaking into my car”, she told ABC Hobart.

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Victorian premier suggests businesses could pay more if Coalition votes down WorkCover reforms

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The government may increase premiums paid by businesses if Labor’s WorkCover bill is defeated, Jacinta Allan says

The Victorian premier has threatened to further hike premiums paid by businesses to fund the state’s workers’ compensation scheme if parliament does not pass proposed reforms she says will secure its financial future.

The Coalition party room on Tuesday voted to oppose the WorkCover bill in its current form, joining the Greens and several other crossbenchers in effectively denying Labor the numbers it needs to pass the legislation in the upper house.

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‘Alarming’: convincing AI vaccine and vaping disinformation generated by Australian researchers

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Experiment produced fake images, patient and doctor testimonials and video in just over an hour

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to generate more than 100 blog posts of health disinformation in multiple languages, an “alarming” experiment that has prompted them to call for stronger industry accountability.

Artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT contain safeguards that stop it from responding to prompts about illegal or harmful activities, such as how to buy illicit drugs.

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Renters on jobseeker need at least 78% of income for one-bedroom apartment in capital cities, report finds

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Index reveals rental affordability has plunged over year with situation particularly difficult in Sydney

Rental affordability has plunged in the past year with low-income Australians now completely priced out of living alone, a new report has revealed.

The ninth annual National Shelter-SGS Economics and Planning Rental Affordability Index has found affordability has worsened in the past year in every capital city except Hobart and Canberra.

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Animals to be recognised as sentient beings under proposed Victorian cruelty laws

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New draft of animal care and protection act may make Victoria first state to explicitly recognise animal sentience

The Victorian government will follow the ACT and could become the first Australian state to recognise that animals are sentient beings, under a draft overhaul of cruelty laws to be released in the coming weeks.

Guardian Australia understands a long-awaited draft of the new animal care and protection act will be released for public consultation next month, before a final bill is tabled in parliament in 2024.

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Firms that donate to political parties twice as likely to win government contracts, analysis finds

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Transparency group says donating companies should be banned from government contracts but constitutional expert disagrees

Companies that make political donations are more than twice as likely to win government contracts and should be banned from working with departments for an entire electoral cycle, according to a key transparency group.

But a constitutional expert has warned a ban could be an overreaction that confuses coincidence with corruption, given public servants who award contracts may have no idea of recent donations to political parties.

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More Australians support providing assistance to Palestinians than Israel in Gaza conflict, Essential poll finds

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But majority want Australia to stay out of the conflict entirely as less than a third of those polled approve of federal government’s response

Australians’ sympathies in the Israel-Gaza conflict have flipped, with more now wanting to provide assistance to Palestine than Israel and a big drop in those who say Israel’s reaction to the 7 October attack by Hamas is proportionate.

The Guardian Essential poll of 1,150 voters, released on Tuesday, also found that Anthony Albanese’s approval rating is now negative for the first time in his prime ministership.

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NSW government seeks third extension of racing boss’s term as sector faces ‘challenging’ times

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Animal Justice party to fight state government’s ‘absurd’ move to extend Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding’s term

The New South Wales government will seek a third extension of Russell Balding’s term as chairman of Racing NSW despite Treasury recommending two-term limits for directors of state-owned firms.

The extension will require legislation to be passed before the end of the year, with Balding’s position ending on 18 December, alongside that of the deputy chair, Saranne Cooke, who the government also wants to retain.

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Australia politics live: Gaza civilian casualties ‘unacceptably high’, Plibersek says; ANZ posts record profit as customers ‘muddle through’ rate rises

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Environment minister says ‘well‑behaved and peaceful’ pro-Palestine protests in Australia are ‘just part of democracy’. Follow the day’s news live

Minister focuses on multicultural cohesion

Pressed on why he wouldn’t call for a ceasefire, Andrew Giles says:

We have seen a considered and careful response by the Australian government through foreign minister Wong pushing towards the sort of outcomes that I think every Australian was to see.

In the last few weeks as minister for multicultural affairs I’ve spent an extraordinary amount of time engaging directly with Australians who have a close personal connection to this conflict.

Palestinian Australians, Jewish Australians and members of the wider Arab and Muslim communities and I’m, of course, deeply affected by every one of these conversations.

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DP World hack: Australian port operator hit by cyber-attack says cargo may be stranded for ‘days’

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DP World pulls plug on its internet connection after finding hackers inside its systems

Australia’s biggest ports operator, which has been the target of a cyber-attack, says it should be up and running again within days.

DP World Australia closed its Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle port operations after detecting the breach on Friday, leaving cargo and containers stuck on the docks.

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Eighty people already freed from Australia’s immigration detention since landmark high court ruling

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Minister seeks to allay community concern about releases but admits ‘full ramifications’ of decision yet to be determined

The immigration minister has revealed that 80 people have so far been released from immigration detention since the high court ruled it is unlawful to hold those with no realistic prospect of deportation.

On Monday Andrew Giles sought to allay community concern about the releases, which have included Malaysian hitman Sirul Azhar Umar, by saying “all [80] are on appropriate visa conditions” including regular reporting.

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Nigel Farage spotted in Brisbane just before start of I’m a Celebrity

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Former Ukip leader has reportedly been offered large sum to appear on ITV show, which begins this month

Nigel Farage has been seen at Brisbane airport in Australia, adding to speculation that he will be joining the lineup in this year’s I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!.

The former leader of Ukip and the Brexit party did not confirm when asked whether he was entering the jungle as part of the ITV show, but did tell a reporter that he “might be going in”.

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Irish woman inspired to return African and Aboriginal antiquities by Guardian article

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Isabella Walsh has contacted embassies and consulates to repatriate 10 objects that her father wanted to be returned

An Irish woman has been inspired by the Guardian to return her late father’s collection of 19th-century African and Aboriginal objects to their countries of origin.

Isabella Walsh, 39, from Limerick, has contacted embassies and consulates in Dublin and London to repatriate 10 objects, including spears, harpoon heads and a shield, after she read about other cases in the newspaper.

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Regional roads in dire state as Australian councils made to waste money on grants tribute signs: report

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Grattan Institute says Australia’s regional roads are a ‘dangerous disgrace’ due to paltry federal funding

Regional Australian roads have become a “dangerous disgrace”, according to a new report that warns they will get worse due to paltry funding that favours cities and forces poorer regional councils to waste repair money erecting signs in tribute to government grants.

In a new report, the Grattan Institute has found that roads across the country have become riddled with potholes and other hazards because inadequate federal and state government funding has left councils under-resourced and without sufficient knowledge or data to maintain the roads they are responsible for.

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‘Poverty pay’: travellers may soon face airport disruption as Virgin Australia crew close in on striking

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Transport Workers Union chief says ground crew and pilots fear ‘mistakes being made due to their unsustainable working conditions’

Travellers could be hit with unexpected disruptions as Virgin Australia’s cabin crew and ground workers close in on strike action over claims of “poverty pay” and “unsustainable” conditions.

On Monday, the Virgin cabin crew members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) will apply to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for a protected action ballot, which, if granted, means they can vote to take industrial action that they have been threatening to do over claims of “poverty pay, job insecurity and unsafe conditions”.

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Mansfield crash: four people suspected dead after fiery accident in north-east Victoria

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Burnt-out car was found on Sunday morning on Mansfield-Woods Point Road in Piries

Four people are suspected to have perished after a car crashed and burst into flames in Victoria’s north-east high country.

The burnt-out car was found on Sunday morning on Mansfield-Woods Point Road in Piries, south-east of Mansfield.

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Malaysian hitman released from Australian immigration detention after high court ruling

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Sirul Azhar Umar, sentenced in Malaysia over a politically charged murder, cannot be deported by Australia because he would face the death penalty

A Malaysian bodyguard sentenced over the politically charged murder of a pregnant woman is among dozens of people released from immigration detention after Wednesday’s high court ruling.

Sirul Azhar Umar, a bodyguard to former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, has languished in immigration detention in Australia since having his claim for asylum in Australia rejected in 2019.

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Greens say CSIRO’s independence must be protected after alleged collaboration with BP

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Exclusive: Australian scientific agency rejects ‘ghostwriting’ claims made by US law firm representing victims of Deepwater Horizon oil spill

The Greens have warned that fossil fuel companies must not be allowed to “gag scientists” after lawyers representing victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill claimed to have uncovered evidence of the Australian government’s independent science agency collaborating with BP on academic studies.

The Downs Law Group has said documents it received as part of litigation against BP reveal the oil company’s lawyers reviewed and gave corporate approval to nine scientific studies by CSIRO employees, raising questions about the studies’ impartiality.

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“[W]e do not have a revised final with CSIRO authors”

“Planned for December. Approved?”

“Appear to be other papers that CSIRO is drafting and I will need confirmation they are indeed under way so I can track them and make sure they go through the review process”

“CSIRO paper from last year which made it through the review process and was approved”

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Penny Wong says ‘steps towards ceasefire’ in Israel-Hamas war ‘cannot be one-sided’

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Australian foreign minister calls on Israel to show greater restraint around medical facilities and for Hamas to release hostages

Penny Wong has called for “steps towards” a ceasefire in Gaza, including greater restraint from Israel towards medical facilities and for Hamas to release Israeli hostages.

The Australian foreign minister told ABC’s Insiders she is “deeply concerned” about the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza but steps towards a ceasefire “cannot be one-sided”, because Hamas is yet to release hostages taken in its 7 October attacks.

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