Use of cattle from country free of mad cow disease means product is safe, experts say, and patients can still donate blood
Bone cows, specially bred in mad cow-free Australia, are being used instead of human donors for dental and medical bone grafts.
While bovine grafts have been tested for spinal fusion, foot reconstructions and to fix skull traumas, the Australian versions are predominantly used in dental work to strengthen degraded jaws before tooth implants.
Continue reading...Chris Bowen says country ‘reaping the economic opportunities’ of clean energy as emissions projection improves
The Albanese government will head to a major UN climate summit in Dubai furnishing new evidence that Australia is all but on track to meet its 2030 emissions target, but facing calls that it must do more to limit the country’s fossil fuel exports.
A snapshot of an upcoming emissions projections report released by the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, suggests Australia will likely cut its CO2 pollution to 42% below 2005 levels by 2030 – nearly in line with the government’s 43% reduction target.
Continue reading...Writing from prison, Alexander Csergo says investigators have found ‘no evidence’ and fallout from case will embarrass Australia
A Sydney businessman accused of selling secrets to China has claimed from prison that the case against him is a false police narrative based on no evidence and the prosecution “will fail”, embarrassing Australia.
In his first public words written from prison, where he has been remanded for more than six months ahead of an expected trial, Alexander Csergo claimed that despite months of investigation prosecutors had found “no evidence of espionage, or classified or confidential information” being handed over.
Continue reading...ANZ stands out as ‘laggard’ while Commonwealth Bank and Westpac have restrictions on facilitating bonds for fossil fuel clients
There is a growing gulf between the climate policies of Australia’s big banks, with some pledging to severely limit future financing for fossil fuel projects, while others have left the door open, according to an analysis of updated lending policies.
Part of the discrepancy lies in the banks’ approach to arranging bonds, which are used by companies to access financing along with, and sometimes instead of, a direct loan.
Continue reading...Richard Marles says two countries committed to a peaceful region where ‘sovereignty and agreed rules and norms are respected’
Australia and the Philippines have begun joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China.
The three-day exercises follow discussions earlier this year on joint patrols to underscore what the countries say is their commitment to closer cooperation and a rules-based order in the region.
Continue reading...Greens MP and Australian Festival Association say NSW force charging much more than other states to patrol equivalent events
New South Wales police have been accused of “price gouging” and operating a “rort” that threatens the viability of music festivals, by charging tens of thousands of dollars more than their counterparts in other states to patrol the events.
The Greens MP Cate Faehrmann told NSW parliament this week that a recent festival that played across three states paid $107,852 for policing for 16,000 people in NSW, but just $45,000 for 14,000 people in both Victoria and Queensland.
Continue reading...Opposition leader says graphic videos are ‘playing into the minds’ of young Australians, particularly boys
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has backed calls to implement age verification for viewing pornographic material online.
Dutton says graphic pornographic videos are playing into the minds of young Australians.
Continue reading...Residents warned not to return to fire-affected area as bureau forecasts wind gusts of up to 80 km/h and 39C heat
Firefighters battling a blaze that has destroyed 18 homes in Perth’s outer northern suburbs will face extreme weather conditions across the weekend.
Wind gusts of up to 80 km/h and temperatures of 39C are forecast in Perth by the Bureau of Meteorology, with the fire danger also rated as extreme in parts of the city on Saturday.
Continue reading...Exclusive: State government has admitted 33,000 Covid fines were invalid but questions remain about additional 29,000 fines issued during pandemic
A New South Wales supreme court judge considering a challenge to a $3,000 Covid fine imposed on a homeless woman has suggested the state’s fines body was “not following the law” as declared in a previous ruling that saw more than 33,000 Covid penalties scrapped.
A year ago, a decision by justice Dina Yehia prompted the state government to withdraw tens of thousands of fines after they were found to have been issued unlawfully because they did not provide enough detail about the offence.
Continue reading...Commonwealth warned lack of counselling would weaken its case as advocates say those still in immigration detention cannot access similar programs
The Rohingya refugee who overturned indefinite detention in the high court was given 52 counselling sessions for sex offenders, but only after a judge warned failure to provide it would weaken the commonwealth’s case against him.
One advocate labelled it a “very special deal”, complaining that those still in immigration detention, as well as the 92 other people released as a result of the high court’s decision, do not have access to similar programs.
Continue reading...Statistical dashboard with up-to-date figures on victims is ‘crucial’ in helping police and policymakers tackle domestic violence, minister for women says
A new intimate partner homicide dashboard offering more up-to-date figures will soon be available after the deaths of four South Australian women in one week.
The government will introduce the federal statistical dashboard by mid-2024 to provide more timely reporting on intimate partner homicide. The new dashboard will enable police, governments, policymakers and all those who are working to end violence against women and children, to better understand what is happening and when. It will initially provide quarterly updates but is expected to provide more up-to-date figures as the initiative develops.
Continue reading...Reduced kangaroo populations and urban sprawl prompt proposal to end commercial culling in 10 council areas
Hunters would be banned from killing kangaroos in all Melbourne metropolitan areas from 2025, under a proposed overhaul of Victoria’s commercial culling program.
A plan by the state’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action for kangaroo harvesting between 2024 and 2028 proposes excluding 10 council areas across the urban ring of Melbourne due to reduced kangaroo populations and urban sprawl. The proposal was first reported by the Herald Sun.
Continue reading...Authorities say it will take at least another three to four days to bring blaze in city’s north-east under control
The number of homes an out-of-control bushfire has destroyed in metropolitan Perth has been revised up to 18, as firefighters prepare for a weekend of scorching temperatures.
The Western Australian premier, Roger Cook, returned from a trade mission to China on Friday and toured the fire grounds.
Continue reading...Retailers say online sales on Friday were 10-25% up on last year, with the shopping event becoming bigger than Boxing Day
Retailers say Black Friday has gotten off to a strong start, with Australians tipped to spend a record amount as they seek savings during the cost-of-living crisis.
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has predicted shoppers will spend $6.36bn across the four days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, up 3% from last year, according to their research in partnership with Roy Morgan.
Continue reading...At defamation trial against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, Lehrmann says two later emails he sent Higgins failed to mention evening because it was ‘uneventful’
Bruce Lehrmann has denied during his defamation trial having sexual intercourse with Brittany Higgins while she was “semi-conscious or passed out” on a couch in Parliament House.
At Lehrmann’s civil case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, Matt Collins KC for Ten put a series of propositions to him about what happened between 1.48am and 2.30am on 23 March 2019.
Continue reading...Incident comes after maritime altercation between Toowoomba and Chinese warship last week off Japan’s coast that injured navy divers
Taiwan says an Australian warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the sensitive and narrow waterway that separates the democratically governed island from China.
The ship, which it did not name, entered the strait on Thursday and sailed in a southerly direction, the defence ministry said on Friday.
Continue reading...Former Liberal staffer’s defamation trial against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson continues in the federal court. Follow the day’s news live
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, has said the government is yet to decide how to best consult with First Nations people after the loss of the Indigenous voice referendum.
Burney was on RN Breakfast earlier and said today’s Closing the Gap meeting, the first since the referendum, would focus on the silver linings from the loss.
What we have seen is a group of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people get involved in the political process.
We had 6 million Australians say yes. And the thing that really excited me about the outcome in places like the Tiwi Islands, where … Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people wanted this change. And those votes are really important.
Education is the most powerful cause for good in this world, that is where you learn.
If you want to protest, do it on the weekend. School is on, we expect them to be there.
Continue reading...Restraints weren’t up to standard at time Eugene Mahauariki, 6, fell from ride at the 2017 Rye Easter Carnival
Eugene Mahauariki’s death after falling from his favourite ride at an Easter carnival six years ago was preventable and the restraints did not meet Australian standards, a coroner has found.
The six-year-old boy died in hospital four days after falling from his seat on the Cha Cha at Rye Easter Carnival in Victoria on 17 April 2017.
Continue reading...Consumer groups have long lobbied for institutions to crack down on scams by rejecting transfers if name and bank details of recipient don’t match
Australian banks have buckled under pressure and will do more to fight scams by introducing technology that will block customers from transferring money to some fraudulent accounts.
The banks had initially resisted calls – including from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Consumer Action Law Centre (Calc) – to block transfers if the name and bank details of the recipient did not match.
Continue reading...Lisa McManus says it is ‘ignorant’ to think all those affected by drug are included in 146 people registered to closed scheme
Thalidomide survivors have asked the government to reopen a lifetime support program to new entrants ahead of next week’s national apology.
Survivors left with significant birth defects and other health issues have welcomed the apology but hope the government will use the occasion to pledge more help.
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