Category Archives: Australia news

Hunter Valley bus crash: driver due to face court; community mourns as it awaits official news of the dead

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A 58-year-old man from Maitland is due to appear in court in Cessnock charged with 10 counts of causing death by dangerous driving. Follow the day’s news live

After Sunday night’s tragic wedding bus crash in the Hunter Valley, stunned locals are still anxiously waiting for details of how the accident occurred and official confirmation of who was among the victims.

The driver of the bus, a 58-year-old man from Maitland, will appear in court in Cessnock this morning charged with 10 counts of causing death by dangerous driving. The Guardian will be in court and will have the details as they emerge.

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Labor guarantees minimum $500m each year for housing in bid to win Greens support

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Housing minister says work for social and affordable homes can begin as soon as future fund is established but Greens say it should begin now

Labor has guaranteed a minimum of $500m will be paid out of the Housing Australia Future Fund every year in a last-ditch bid to win Greens support for the bill to help build social and affordable housing.

The housing minister, Julie Collins, wrote to the crossbench on Monday offering a “guaranteed fixed disbursement” of $500m from 2024-25, with a new power for the treasurer and finance minister to increase the amount by regulation, making it a floor not a ceiling.

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Tony Abbott and John Howard join Jordan Peterson-led group looking at ‘meaning of life’

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Alliance for Responsible Citizenship includes prominent Brexit voices and Bjørn Lomborg, who has questioned the urgency of the climate crisis

The former prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard are among six Australians who have joined a global group fronted by Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and backed by a pro-Brexit hedge fund billionaire and a Dubai-based investment group.

The group – The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) – has been gathering high-profile figures from politics, industry, academia and thinktanks for an inaugural three-day conference in London in late October.

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Australians’ support for Indigenous voice steady with 60% in favour, Essential poll finds

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Guardian Essential poll finds high level of backing for voice to parliament, despite other polls showing support flagging

Public support for the Indigenous voice to parliament is holding steady and remains high, the latest Guardian Essential poll shows, in contrast with other recent polls suggesting that support is sliding.

The poll of 1,123 voters, published on Tuesday, found 60% of respondents were in favour of the voice, up one point on the previous survey, while 40% were opposed to it.

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Calls for restorative justice after ‘dehumanising’ incidents in Victoria’s mental health care system

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‘I chewed my way through the restraints in front of two security guards who were laughing at me’, says one woman

When Victoria’s mental health royal commission made landmark findings of systemic human rights breaches in 2021, there was little that surprised Anna*.

At the time of the inquiry’s hearings, Anna had numerous stints in the psychiatric wards of Victorian public hospitals. She said the experiences were “dehumanising” and often chipped away at her will to live.

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Coalition’s wounded feelings over Brittany Higgins will sink debate to new lows

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The opposition is out for vengeance over what it sees as ‘collusion’ and ‘weaponisation’ but Labor will no doubt push back

What an edifying spectacle parliament is going to be this week.

The Coalition’s two-year old wound caused by accusations it mishandled Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation has been reopened, and they’re out for vengeance.

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Hunter Valley bus crash: 10 killed after wedding party coach rolls, NSW premier confirms 21 in hospital – latest updates

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Chris Minns acknowledges ‘unimaginable despair’ after bus rolled on Wine Country Drive near Hunter Expressway offramp. Follow the latest updates

We are hearing reports that NSW Police are planning to hold a press conference in the next couple of hours to provide an update on the crash.

Plibersek sends condolences

A day of celebration ending in tragedy. Just terrible.

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Richmond AFL player Marlion Pickett involved in theft of more than $380,000, police allege

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Pickett granted bail after being held in custody in Perth overnight charged with 12 offences including stealing and criminal damage

Richmond player Marlion Pickett, who made his AFL debut in the Tigers’ 2019 premiership triumph, has been granted bail after being held in custody in Perth overnight charged over a series of alleged burglaries.

Police remanded Pickett on Sunday – a day after he played in the Tigers’ 15-point win over Fremantle at Optus Stadium – alleging he was involved in a number of commercial burglaries that happened between December and January.

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Queensland promises 500 new homes under $320m social housing commitment

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Annastacia Palaszczuk says the government is ‘pulling every lever possible’ amid a housing shortage

The Palaszczuk government will unveil more than $320m for 500 homes under a new social housing pledge when it hands down the Queensland budget on Tuesday.

As the state continues to grapple with a housing shortage the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the government was “pulling every lever possible” to ensure Queenslanders had a roof over their heads.

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Hunter Valley: driver arrested after wedding bus crash near Greta, NSW, kills 10 people in Australia

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Police say 25 others were taken to hospital by helicopter and road after the coach rolled on Wine Country Drive just after 11.30pm on Sunday

Ten people returning from a “fairytale” wedding in Australia’s Hunter Valley wine region in New South Wales have been killed in a devastating bus crash. More than 20 others have been taken to hospital with various injuries after the bus overturned late on Sunday night.

The 58-year-old driver has been arrested and charges are pending, while a crime scene has been declared at the site of the crash.

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Murder charges to be laid over death of Perth police officer dragged under car during arrest

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Constable Anthony Woods, 28, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday night, three days after he was run over by a car allegedly bearing stolen plates

Murder charges will be laid against the accused driver of a car that ran over and killed a West Australian police officer.

Constable Anthony Woods, 28, was in an induced coma at Royal Perth hospital after the incident on Thursday but WA police on Sunday night confirmed that he had succumbed to his injuries.

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Barry Humphries honoured in king’s birthday list as prizes achieve gender parity in 50-year first

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The late performer was remembered for ‘eminent service to the arts’ and is one of six Australians to be made a Companion of the Order of Australia

The late Barry Humphries has been awarded the highest accolade in the king’s birthday honours list, as the prizes achieve gender parity for the first time in their five-decade history.

Humphries was one of six Australians to be made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), alongside the former premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett, Parkinson’s researcher Glenda Margaret Halliday and the former Labor minister Jenny Macklin.

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Michaelia Cash accuses Labor of ‘weaponising’ Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation

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Shadow attorney general says Katy Gallagher has questions to answer about her knowledge of the claim before it became public

The shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, has accused Labor of “weaponising” Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation, insisting finance minister Katy Gallagher still has questions to answer about her knowledge of the claim before it was aired publicly.

Cash’s comments on Sunday came after Gallagher sought to explain her claim that she did not mislead parliament about the allegation. The continued attack on Gallagher is likely to dominate Coalition questioning in parliament when it resumes this week.

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Australian universities to offer ‘microcredentials’ in key areas to address skills crisis

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The 28 short courses are designed to provide qualifications to up to 4000 students by 2026

Australian universities will offer almost 30 short courses in the key areas of IT, engineering, science, health and education in an attempt to curtail Australia’s skilled worker shortage.

The 28 courses, or microcredentials, from 18 universities are designed to teach targeted skills that are more relevant for employers.

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Labor talks up possible aged care levy as minister says Australians willing to pay for more ‘choice’

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Anika Wells says taskforce will include consideration of levies but government ‘still not advocating any particular proposal’

The aged care minister, Anika Wells, says Australians want more “choice” on aged care and would be prepared to pay for it, as the government mulls the introduction of a user-pays system.

Wells told ABC’s Insiders the Albanese government’s position on aged care was consistent, playing down calls for a levy before the election because it was “still not advocating any particular proposal”, merely establishing a taskforce which will consider how to make aged care sustainable.

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‘The modern day gay icon’: Jennifer Coolidge delivers camp and delight to fans at Sydney’s Vivid festival

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The White Lotus star and showrunner Mike White sat down to discuss her career renaissance at 61 and why she’s in a constant state of ‘pure denial’

When Garth Saville heard that Jennifer Coolidge was coming to Sydney: “I think all of our camp little juices sort of overflowed. It was very exciting.”

Saville, along with his fellow Coolidge drag queens and lookalikes in blond wigs and pink sparkles, were among the sold-out crowd of 9,000 at Sydney’s Aware Super Theatre stadium Saturday night.

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Home affairs asked Labor to extend support for asylum seekers as housing market worsens

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Exclusive: Refugee advocates say nothing yet done to improve supports and they fear for people who end up with none

The home affairs department asked the Albanese government to consider extending supports for asylum seekers and people on bridging visas to respond to a worsening housing market and the complex needs of more people exiting immigration detention.

That revelation is contained in freedom of information documents, which also include a direction from the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, to the department to streamline reviews to increase releases from immigration detention.

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Allegations of abuse at centre accused of ‘extreme religious practices’ raised in WA before Coalition’s $4m grant

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Exclusive: State officials heard claims about Esther Foundation in 2018 before Scott Morrison announced funding in 2019, inquiry told

Health authorities in Western Australia heard allegations of abuse at the Esther Foundation in 2018 – well before the Morrison government awarded the foundation a $4m grant.

The grant to the religious rehabilitation centre, which has been accused of exorcisms and gay conversion practices, was part of the $2bn Community Health and Hospitals Program (CHHP). The national audit office this week accused the former government of deliberately breaching the CHHP guidelines, giving out grants likely to be unlawful, and falling short of “ethical requirements”.

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Katy Gallagher denies misleading parliament over knowledge of Brittany Higgins rape allegation

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Finance minister says she was in contact with David Sharaz but did not know the full allegations or decide ‘to weaponise’ them

The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, has insisted she did not mislead parliament over her knowledge of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation.

On Saturday she said that while she had been in contact with Higgins’ partner, David Sharaz, and was aware of some details of the story before it broke, she had not known the full allegations nor had she “made a decision to weaponise it”.

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Lisa Wilkinson apologises to Jacinta Nampijinpa Price over leaked audio recording

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Former The Project host says the conversation was ‘out of context’ and was about the need for change within the Liberal party

Lisa Wilkinson has apologised to senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price after she made disparaging comments about the Indigenous senator in a leaked audio recording.

In the audio, the former The Project host appeared to mock the Coalition by raising questions regarding the validity of Price’s preselection to the National party and struggled to pronounce the senator’s name.

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