Category Archives: Australia news

Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza

Posted on by

NSW police estimate 90,000 walked despite force and premier opposing rally, while Palestine Action Group claims up to 300,000 peacefully protested

At least 100,000 pro-Palestine marchers, including Julian Assange, the former foreign minister Bob Carr and the government MP Ed Husic, have marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in the rain to protest against Israel’s conduct in Gaza and to speak out about the children starving there.

The world-famous landmark was closed to traffic at 11.30am on Sunday, with protesters gathering in Lang Park in the city centre before enduring heavy rain as they walked across the bridge.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: huge crowds of pro-Palestine protesters, including Julian Assange, Bob Carr and Ed Husic, begin crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge

Posted on by

Follow today’s news live

As thousands of people make their way to Lang Park in Sydney for the start of a march in support of Palestinians in Gaza, the organisers the Palestine Action Group have asked people to arrive early for the 1pm start.

“Rain, hail, or shine, we will free Palestine!” the group said in a post on Facebook this morning. The weather forecast for the city is for rain.

Be patient and look out for each other.

We urge everyone to plan for a long day. Bring wet-weather gear, plenty of water and snacks.

The Palestine movement is an anti-racist movement. We will not tolerate any form of racism or bigotry, including antisemitism or Islamophobia.

Continue reading...

Woman swept away in flood waters in Hunter region as emergency services respond to more than 1,450 calls

Posted on by

Twenty-six-year-old Chinese engineer was trying to flee a vehicle in a swollen creek in Rothbury, near Cessnock

A search was under way after a woman was swept into a flooded creek in the Hunter region overnight, as heavy downpours continued to batter large parts of northern New South Wales.

Police said a Mini was being driven by a 27-year-old woman in Rothbury, near Cessnock, when it became stuck in a swollen creek on Old North Road just before 8pm on Saturday.

Continue reading...

Bad men problem: Gareth Ward and Mark Latham leave NSW parliament in unchartered territory

Posted on by

The two MPs’ cases are vastly different but the issue is the same: parliament’s rules to enforce standards of behaviour are hopelessly outdated and ineffectual

The New South Wales parliament has a problem with men behaving badly. But more to the point, it seems to have an inability to deal with it.

On Tuesday, the parliament will try to deal with two very different cases that share a common consequence: damage to its reputation as an institution.

Continue reading...

Online shoppers warned of ‘dangerous’ weight-loss scam as ‘ghost stores’ impersonate real people to sell Ozempic-like treatments

Posted on by

Dietitian Lyndi Cohen says her likeness is being ‘abused and misrepresented’ as websites posing as Australian businesses claim to offer GLP-1 substances

Online “ghost stores” masquerading as Australian businesses have expanded into advertising Ozempic-like weight loss treatments, and are impersonating real people, including a well-known dietitian, to recommend their products.

After uncovering more than 140 sites falsely claiming to be Australian fashion retailers that prompted a public warning from the consumer regulator, Guardian Australia has identified a new scam that targets people trying to lose weight.

Continue reading...

Sportsbet advertises multi-bets on AFL website after pulling TV ads due to ‘community sentiment’

Posted on by

Ads encouraging sport fans to ‘bet now’ do not breach any rules but gambling reform advocates say it shows industry attempts to self-regulate have failed

The gambling giant Sportsbet has splashed ads for its expanded same-game multi-bets on the AFL’s website, months after pulling them from free-to-air broadcasts due to “strong community sentiment”.

The ads, which reveal Sportsbet now accepts same-game multi-bets on how many possessions a player acquires during a match, encouraged people to “bet now” and surrounded the AFL homepage.

Continue reading...

Palestinian statehood vote at Victorian Labor conference heaps more pressure on PM

Posted on by

Labor Friends of Palestine’s motion also called on federal government to extend sanctions to all members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet

Victorian Labor members have voted to immediately recognise Palestine, heaping further pressure on the Albanese government to join Canada, France and the UK in their push for a sovereign state.

Rank and file members at Labor’s state conference on Saturday also carried an urgent resolution to review the Aukus submarine deal. However, the wording of the motion was watered down before the vote.

Continue reading...

Snow falls in Queensland as NSW SES report 100 vehicles stuck in heavily blanketed northern tablelands

Posted on by

Footage shows snow falling at Dalveen, between Stanthorpe and Warwick in south east Queensland, about 4pm on Saturday

Snow has fallen in southern Queensland as the New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) responds to reports of up to 100 vehicles stuck in heavy snow blanketing the northern tablelands.

Footage sent to Guardian Australia showed snow tumbling down at Dalveen, between Stanthorpe and Warwick in south east Queensland, about 4pm on Saturday.

Continue reading...

Snow falls in Queensland as NSW SES report 100 vehicles stuck in heavily blanketed northern tablelands

Posted on by

Footage shows snow falling at Dalveen, between Stanthorpe and Warwick in south east Queensland, about 4pm on Saturday

Snow has fallen in southern Queensland as the New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) responds to reports of up to 100 vehicles stuck in heavy snow blanketing the northern tablelands.

Footage sent to Guardian Australia showed snow tumbling down at Dalveen, between Stanthorpe and Warwick in south east Queensland, about 4pm on Saturday.

Continue reading...

Wong criticises Israel’s conduct in Gaza in closed-door meeting with Israeli ambassador

Posted on by

The foreign affairs minister’s meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources

In a private meeting with Israel’s ambassador to Australia, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, criticised Israel’s conduct in Gaza and called for it to urgently comply with international law and increase the supply of food to Palestinians.

Wong’s Thursday meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources, and took place inside Wong’s office at Parliament House in Canberra.

Continue reading...

Wong criticises Israel’s conduct in Gaza in closed-door meeting with Israeli ambassador

Posted on by

The foreign affairs minister’s meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources

In a private meeting with Israel’s ambassador to Australia, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, criticised Israel’s conduct in Gaza and called for it to urgently comply with international law and increase the supply of food to Palestinians.

Wong’s Thursday meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources, and took place inside Wong’s office at Parliament House in Canberra.

Continue reading...

NSW supreme court rules in favour of pro-Palestine march across Sydney Harbour Bridge

Posted on by

Palestine Action Group claims up to 50,000 people will take part in the march which is scheduled to take place on Sunday

Pro-Palestine protesters will be legally protected while marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday after a New South Wales supreme court decision.

In her judgment, Justice Belinda Rigg said “the march at this location is motivated by the belief that the horror and urgency of the situation in Gaza demands an urgent and extraordinary response from the people of the world”.

Continue reading...

NSW supreme court rules in favour of pro-Palestine march across Sydney Harbour Bridge

Posted on by

Palestine Action Group claims up to 50,000 people will take part in the march which is scheduled to take place on Sunday

Pro-Palestine protesters will be legally protected while marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday after a New South Wales supreme court decision.

In her judgment, Justice Belinda Rigg said “the march at this location is motivated by the belief that the horror and urgency of the situation in Gaza demands an urgent and extraordinary response from the people of the world”.

Continue reading...

Victorians could soon have the right to work from home two days a week under Australian-first laws

Posted on by

Premier Jacinta Allan to announce proposal that if legislated would make Victoria the first state to enshrine in law the right to work remotely

Victorians could soon have a legal right to work from home two days a week, under proposed Australian-first laws to be introduced to parliament by the state Labor government in 2026.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, will use Labor’s state conference on Saturday to announce the proposal, which, if passed by parliament, would make the state the first in the country to legislate the right to work remotely.

Continue reading...

Victorians could soon have the right to work from home two days a week under Australian-first laws

Posted on by

Premier Jacinta Allan to announce proposal that if legislated would make Victoria the first state to enshrine in law the right to work remotely

Victorians could soon have a legal right to work from home two days a week, under proposed Australian-first laws to be introduced to parliament by the state Labor government in 2026.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, will use Labor’s state conference on Saturday to announce the proposal, which, if passed by parliament, would make the state the first in the country to legislate the right to work remotely.

Continue reading...

Adani promised Australia billions from its Carmichael mine but it hasn’t paid a cent in tax. How did we get here?

Posted on by

The coalmine generated millions in revenue in its early days but recorded an operating loss – a pattern that would repeat at scale

It was entirely foreseeable, and has resulted in billions of dollars in forgone revenue for Australia.

But just how did policymakers fail to extract a single cent in company tax from Adani’s Carmichael coalmine, even though it opened during the start of a commodity price boom?

Continue reading...

Wet and wintry weekend in store for NSW, with warnings of heavy rainfall and damaging winds

Posted on by

Weather bureau says bulk of the rain forecast to hit on weekend as a low-pressure system deepens off the coast

New South Wales is heading for a sodden Saturday, with the wet and wintry weather that has been plaguing the east coast expected to ramp up over the weekend.

After a week of intermittent showers, the bulk of the rain was forecast to hit on the weekend as a low-pressure system deepened off the coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Sydney: Rain. Saturday max 18C. Sunday max 19C.

Melbourne: Mostly cloudy on Saturday, max 15C. Sunday, mostly sunny, max 18C.

Brisbane: Shower or two. Saturday max 19C. Sunday max 21C.

Adelaide: Partly cloudy on Saturday, max 14C. Sunday, max 17C.

Perth: Rain. Saturday, max 18C. Sunday, mostly sunny, max 29C.

Canberra: Shower or two on Saturday, top 13C. Sunday, cloudy, max 15C.

Hobart: Mostly sunny. Saturday 14C. Sunday max 15C.

Darwin: Sunny. Saturday and Sunday max 31C.

Continue reading...

Decision delayed for pro-Palestine protest on Sydney Harbour Bridge as police warn of possible crowd crush

Posted on by

Group’s lawyers say demonstration ‘cannot be stopped’ as Christian-led group protesting antisemitism plans rally for same day

Pro-Palestine protesters will have to wait until Saturday to find out if they can legally march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge this weekend, but organisers are vowing to go ahead regardless of the court decision.

However, the court heard the protest organisers are willing to postpone the march if police agree to work with them.

Continue reading...

On issues from Aukus to recognising Palestine, Victorian Labor’s base is determined to be heard

Posted on by

At the party’s state conference this weekend, members and unions will have their say. The question then becomes whether governments – federal and state – will listen

Scrap Aukus. Recognise Palestine. Save public housing. Overhaul childcare. On paper, the urgency resolutions up for debate at Victorian Labor’s state conference this weekend lay out a roadmap for progressive, nation-shaping reform.

But how much sway do grassroots members and unions really have on the increasingly cautious federal and state Labor governments?

Continue reading...

Archibald prize 2025: finger-painted portrait of musician William Barton wins people’s choice award

Posted on by

Loribelle Spirovski’s painting of didgeridoo/yidaki player wins the $5,000 prize decided by the public, with more than 40,000 votes cast

Artist Loribelle Spirovski has won the 2025 Archibald prize people’s choice category for her portrait of didgeridoo player William Barton, painted entirely with her fingers.

Spirovski, a four-time finalist at the Archibald prize, Australia’s most prestigious portraiture award, won the $5,000 people’s choice category, picked from the Archibald prize finalists each year by the public. This year 40,842 votes were cast for the people’s choice category, the highest number of votes ever received.

Continue reading...