Category Archives: Australia news

‘Like waking up in a nightmare’: Hunter Valley bus crash survivor tells court of grief over wife and daughter’s deaths

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Bus driver Brett Button faces lengthy jail term as ‘accountability, deterrence and punishment’, NSW judge says

A wedding guest on a Hunter Valley bus which crashed, killing 10 people, has told how he woke in hospital five days later with a gut feeling his wife and daughter had died.

Graham McBride, who lost his wife, Nadene, and their only daughter Kyah, 22, in the crash, addressed the Newcastle district court on Monday during an expected three-day sentence hearing for bus driver Brett Button.

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Helen Garner, Virginia Woolf and Max Porter headline Belvoir St theatre’s 2025 program

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‘Electrifying’ Judy Davis will star in adaptation of The Spare Room, with Colin Friels as King Lear later in the season

An adaptation of Helen Garner’s award-winning novel The Spare Room will debut at Sydney’s Belvoir St theatre in 2025, starring Judy Davis as a fictionalised version of the author in her first on stage role in almost 15 years.

The announcement caps a banner year for Garner’s work on stage, with an operatic adaptation of The Spare Room in development with the Melbourne company Monstrous Theatre, as well as a remount of the 2008 opera The Children’s Bach.

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Australian pregnancy drugs shortage sparks call to include pregnant women in clinical trials

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Experts call for more research into ‘off-label’ medications, and supply chain alternatives not driven by profit motive

Several crucial medicines for pregnant women are in shortage in Australia because of a “perfect storm”, experts warn, whereby the only drugs registered as safe for pregnancy are old and less profitable to pharmaceutical companies discontinuing their distribution amid manufacturing disruptions since the pandemic.

An editorial published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday called on the government to create a body responsible for registering, importing and manufacturing critical medications for use during pregnancy, independent of the need to obtain a profit.

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Julia Gillard urges Labor to retain 50% female quota, warning women still at risk of being dragged back

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Australia’s only female prime minister marks 30th anniversary of ALP’s affirmative action rule by advocating for its adoption across federal parliament

Julia Gillard is urging the Labor party never to remove its 50% female quota for parliamentary candidates despite surpassing it federally, warning there are forces – especially in the “toxic sewer” of social media – which can still drag women back.

In an interview to mark this month’s 30th anniversary of Labor’s controversial affirmative action rule, Australia’s first and, so far, only female prime minister reflected on the hope she expressed the day she left office in 2013, that it would be easier for the next woman who runs the country.

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Company linked to Angus Taylor offered ‘generous’ offset calculation after illegal land clearing, FoI letters reveal

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Exclusive: Experts say legislation is ‘broken’ when it’s cheaper for landholders to break the law than it is to apply for permits

A company connected to former federal energy minister Angus Taylor that was ordered to restore critically endangered grasslands was asked to do less than would have been required if it had sought approval before it poisoned them.

The federal environment department’s efforts to reach an agreement with Jam Land to compensate for the 28.5 hectares of clearing on a property in the New South Wales Monaro region are revealed in new documents released to Guardian Australia after a four-year freedom of information battle.

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Almost 68% of Australia’s tourism sites at major risk if climate crisis continues, report says

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Uluru, the Daintree and Bondi beach among iconic Australian locations that could be impacted if planet hits even 2C of warming by 2050

South Australia’s wine regions shrouded in bushfire smoke, the Daintree rainforest cut off by flooding and tourists marooned at major airports because of violent storms. This snapshot is the potential chaotic future for Australia’s tourism industry, a new report has warned.

At least half of 178 tourism assets around the country – from national parks to city attractions and airports – are already facing major climate risks, the analysis showed. And as the heat rises, so do the disruptions. Many of the country’s 620,000 tourism jobs will be under threat, according to the report from insurance group Zurich and economic analysts Mandala.

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Tanya Plibersek accuses Peter Dutton of intent to ignore Indigenous heritage for mining projects

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Environment minister lambasts opposition leader over vow to overturn her rejection of tailings dam at McPhillamys goldmine

Tanya Plibersek has accused Peter Dutton of planning to ignore evidence of historical Indigenous cultural practice and trash heritage protection laws to greenlight certain mining projects and companies based on “the vibe”.

The environment minister told Guardian Australia that Dutton’s vow to overturn her determination rejecting the proposed site of a tailings dam at the $900m McPhillamys goldmine development in central-western New South Wales showed he had no respect for research or official advice.

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Thousands of anti-war activists to disrupt weapons expo as Melbourne braces for biggest protest in decades

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Victoria police erect ring of steel around event, which is expected to attract up to 25,000 activists

As many as 25,000 protesters are set to cause chaos ahead of a weapons expo to be held in Melbourne on Wednesday, with some already vandalising hotels and blocking traffic.

Interstate police have been called in to bolster law and order ahead of what could be Victoria’s biggest protest since the chaos surrounding the World Economic Forum in 2000.

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News live: Australia’s ability to fight off deadly bird flu to be put to test in series of exercises

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Julie Collins describes avian flu situation as ‘dynamic’ as she highlights concerns about the impact to wildlife and agriculture

Census to include questions on gender and sexuality

Speers finishes up by asking Chalmers about the ongoing census questions palaver.

We have listened to the community. We worked very closely with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. LGBTIQ+ Australians matter. They have been heard and they will count in the 2026 census.

Really the message that we want to ensure that Australians hear from us today is that we understand the feedback that we got, we listened to that, we took it very seriously, we listened very genuinely.

We said we would find the best way to do this and I believe that we have and we will and the ABS will continue to refine the actual wording of the questions now that this additional topic has been add.

We want to make sure that we are maximising this really important economic relationship with our key trading partner. It’s a relationship which is full of complexity, but also full of opportunity and I want to help the government maximise that opportunity for the Australian people, workers, businesses, employers, investors.

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Serco must be punished for ‘oppressive’ treatment of prisoners at Australia’s largest jail, legal experts say

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Potential class action against private prison operator raised after 175 inmates at Clarence correctional centre locked in their cells for days after assault by a single prisoner

Private prison operator Serco should face sanctions for punishing nearly 200 inmates at Australia’s largest jail in an “unreasonable and oppressive” manner after a guard was assaulted by a single prisoner, legal experts say.

Lawyers are investigating a potential class action against Serco on behalf of affected inmates at Clarence correctional centre after the New South Wales ombudsman determined the company’s conduct was contrary to law.

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How Australian conservationists’ tunnel vision lets turtles swim to freedom

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Creating a fox-proof haven for endangered eastern quolls required a high, encircling fence. But what about the other wildlife?

Eastern long-necked turtles are known for their “ridiculously cute grin”, says Nick Dexter, and a much less charming ability to release a pungent stink to ward of predators.

But what they’re not good at, unsurprisingly, is climbing fences.

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Despite all the doom and gloom on Australia’s economy, could the worst be behind us?

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We hear about the ‘weakest growth in decades’ and being ‘smashed’ by the RBA, but positive tidings abound – if you want to look for them

In a week dominated by headlines declaring the “weakest growth in decades” (excluding Covid) with an economy being “smashed” by the Reserve Bank, it might seem Australia teeters on the edge on an abyss.

For some households and businesses, the challenge of paying stratospheric housing costs amid 13-year-high interest rates will alas be overwhelming.

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David Pocock calls for election ban on AI deepfakes with fake videos of Albanese and Dutton

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Spokesperson says government ‘considering the advice’ of Australian Electoral Commission on regulating AI use

David Pocock has raised the alarm on the risk posed to democracy by generative AI by using it to play a trick: fabricating a video of Anthony Albanese announcing a complete ban on gambling advertising.

The independent senator for Canberra posted two AI-generative videos to social media – of the prime minister and of the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, supporting a complete ban on advertising – to show how AI can be used to mimic and confuse.

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Warm, wet spring could bring severe storms to Australia’s south-east

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Bureau of Meteorology says higher-than-average temperatures and moisture levels could spell more wild weather

Emergency services are preparing for a stormy spring as the clean-up continues after wild winds swept across south-east Australia.

Higher-than-average temperatures and moisture levels could spell more wild weather ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

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Two hundred sheep killed in truck fire in remote NSW

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Driver, a 32-year-old man, escaped blaze in the early hours of Saturday unharmed

Two hundred sheep have been killed in a truck fire near a remote town in western New South Wales.

A truck fire broke out on the Mitchell Highway at Girilambone, north of Nyngan and 610km north-west of Sydney, about 12.50am on Saturday.

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‘Earthquake swarm’ no cause for concern, experts say after magnitude 4.5 quake in NSW Hunter region

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Quake near Liddell power station, one of the Coalition’s seven proposed nuclear sites, felt in Sydney, Wollongong and Dubbo

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has hit the Hunter region of New South Wales early Saturday morning, two weeks after an earthquake of a similar size struck the region.

Geoscience Australia told Guardian Australia the earthquake was part of an “earthquake swarm” in the region: a series of moderate to large earthquakes with their own aftershock sequences.

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Teacher at Sydney’s Knox Grammar school charged with alleged grooming of a child

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Headmaster says alleged online incident occurred outside school hours and premises, and staff member has been sacked

A senior teacher at Sydney’s prestigious Knox Grammar school has been charged with an alleged child grooming offence.

The teacher, 27-year-old William Gulson, was arrested in Wahroonga on Friday after an investigation into allegations he had groomed a child online.

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Central Land Council CEO launches defamation case against Jacinta Price

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Lesley Turner says July media release from shadow minister for Indigenous Australians injured his ‘personal and professional reputation’

The chief executive officer of the Central Land Council has launched a federal case against Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price over allegations she defamed him in a media release in July.

The CEO, Lesley Turner, said the release, which has now been taken offline but was mentioned in two NT News articles, incorrectly reported that a no-confidence motion had been moved by members of the council against him.

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This article was amended on 7 September 2024 to correct the name of the land council staff member quoted by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in her press release.

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NSW’s cashless gaming trial has just 32 participants as one in two venues drop out

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Gaming minister insists trial providing ‘a really good picture’, despite low takeup

More than $8bn is funnelled into NSW’s 85,000 poker machines each year, casting doubt on the insight to be gained from a cashless gaming trial involving 32 participants.

The tiny number of players involved in the state’s signature gaming pilot was revealed on Friday, along with news that one in every two venues have tapped out since March.

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Former Channel Seven reporter Robert Ovadia drops legal case against network

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Sacked journalist steps away from high-profile legal proceedings for ‘personal reasons’, lawyer tells media

The Seven Network has confirmed its former reporter Robert Ovadia has dropped an unfair dismissal case, only days after it claimed in court that more than 13 women had come forward with complaints about his conduct.

Ovadia had dismissed the claims, saying Seven’s “propaganda unit” was seeking to destroy his reputation, but walked away from the case on Friday afternoon without receiving any payment from the network, it said.

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