Category Archives: Australia news

Regional Australia property market dips as prestige areas give up pandemic gains

Posted on by

Big beneficiaries of regional migration during Covid such as Byron Bay have been hit hardest by increasing interest rates, experts say

Regional Australia’s housing market has taken another hit with prestige areas such as Byron Bay continuing to reverse pandemic gains.

Richmond-Tweed (-24.2%), the southern highlands and Shoalhaven (-16.0%) and Illawarra (-13.7%) in New South Wales recorded the largest annual declines in house values.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

NSW taxpayers to fund indemnity for 47 organisations against child abuse claims

Posted on by

Exclusive: State government steps in as private insurers refuse to provide coverage to organisations working with vulnerable children

The New South Wales government has been forced to provide taxpayer-funded indemnity to 47 non-government organisations, including church bodies, to cover child abuse claims, as states and territories scramble to respond to the widespread withdrawal of cover by the private insurance market.

Private insurers are now widely refusing to provide coverage for physical and sexual abuse to organisations working with vulnerable children in out-of-home care and youth homelessness services.

Continue reading...

Joe Biden to address Australian parliament as Richard Marles warns of Aukus ‘barriers’

Posted on by

Anthony Albanese pleased Biden has taken up invitation, an honour also afforded to Barack Obama in 2014

Joe Biden will address the Australian parliament next week, the first US president in nearly 10 years to speak to a joint session of MPs and senators in Canberra.

Officials have confirmed that Biden will make the speech on Tuesday 23 May, the day before he attends the Quad summit in Sydney with the prime ministers of Australia, Japan and India.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Dutton condemns ‘scumbags’ and ‘sick individuals’ after weekend Nazi display in Melbourne

Posted on by

Ahead of Reserve Bank releasing board meeting minutes, opposition leader continues to accuse budget of being inflationary. Follow the day’s news live

Dutton also brushed off the idea that he needs to be careful with his language around migration.

Now in terms of the dog whistling comments and the rest of it. They are comments made by former Labor staffers who now masquerade as journalists. So I don’t take that as authoritative sort of assessment of my view which I think is quite valid.

The best thing we can do for Australian families at the moment is reduce their mortgage payments.

Continue reading...

Rogue NSW taxi drivers still refusing to use meters despite crackdown, commissioner warns

Posted on by

Exclusive: Opposition calls for greater penalties as data reveals 59 fines issued this year, down from 96 between late November and end of December

Rogue taxi drivers are still being caught refusing to use meters and demanding upfront and excessive payments from customers across Sydney, with calls for the New South Wales government to increase penalties for those fined for the illegal behaviour.

A crackdown on taxi drivers attempting to negotiate fares with customers has so far resulted in compliance officers issuing 155 fines to cabbies, after the former Perrottet government passed laws to give the state’s point to point transport commission stronger powers in November.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Do you know more? Contact elias.visontay@theguardian.com

Continue reading...

Guardian Essential poll: Labor maintains large lead over Coalition despite budget failing to impress voters

Posted on by

Anthony Albanese records strong approval of his performance, but only about one-third of voters thought the budget would help families

The Albanese government has a commanding lead over the Coalition, 53% to 42% in two-party-preferred terms, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.

Taken after the release of Labor’s first full-year budget on 9 May, the poll also found that less than one quarter of respondents (24%) think the budget will be good for them personally, although that is up eight points since the same question was asked in November, after the October budget.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Anglicare asked to review procedures after royal commission finds it failed to report sexual assault

Posted on by

Organisation found to have ‘lacked a trauma-informed approach’ and failed to support disabled woman appropriately

Anglicare has been urged to immediately review its response to allegations of sexual abuse after a royal commission found it failed to report a woman’s assault to police and did not undertake a proper investigation.

The disability royal commission heard last April that Niky* – who lives with a developmental disability – was sexually assaulted by another person with a disability at an Anglicare respite centre in Queensland in 2018.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Continue reading...

Australian banks announce new anti-fraud platform to help quickly freeze scam payments

Posted on by

Move adds to ‘arsenal of anti-scam initiatives’ as consumer rights groups call for laws to see banks reimburse victims

Australian banks have announced a platform that will help them act quickly to freeze money being sent to scammers by allowing the reporting of bank-to-bank scam payments in close to real time.

On Tuesday the Australian Banking Association announced the new Fraud Reporting Exchange (FRX) platform, which will facilitate the quick reporting of fraudulent payments as they are transferred to another bank. The move will boost “the likelihood that funds can be frozen and returned to customers”, the association said in a statement.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

BHP worker found guilty of raping colleague at WA mining camp

Posted on by

His victim said she woke up to find Ryan John Zabaznow raping her after she passed out after drinking heavily, a court heard

A BHP worker has been found guilty of raping a colleague at a mining camp after a night of heavy drinking.

Ryan John Zabaznow, 37, was convicted on Monday of sexual penetration without consent in the town of Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in 2020.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

PM questions migration attacks – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed.

Plibersek says new coalmine approved ‘in accordance with the facts’ and law

Circling back to the environment minister’s interview with ABC Radio:

I need to make decisions in accordance with the facts and the National Environmental Law. That’s what I do with every project. That’s what’s happened here.

Continue reading...

Inquiry into Menindee ‘catastrophic fish deaths’ to consider ways to prevent future ecological disasters

Posted on by

Terms of reference include water monitoring data, environmental conditions and whether community consultation was sufficient

An independent inquiry into the deaths of millions of fish in the Darling-Baaka River at Menindee in March will look at whether local management interventions could prevent future fish kills.

The terms of reference for the inquiry, which was announced last month, were released on Monday. They include an investigation of the environmental conditions and water monitoring data in the lead up to the fish kill, the success of the emergency management framework which saw New South Wales Police as the lead agency responding to an ecological and public health disaster and whether there was sufficient community consultation, particularly with First Nations people.

Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter

Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter

Join the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community

Continue reading...

GPs aiding international student agents to exploit Australian visa ‘loophole’, inquiry hears

Posted on by

Agents earn extra commission by shuffling foreign students between providers in what Labor calls an unethical ‘shadow economy’

Labor has vowed to crack down on the unregulated world of international education agents after revelations that general practitioners may be involved in student recruitment schemes.

Foreign agents have been used by Australian universities for decades to drive enrolments and assist students offshore with application processes and accommodation.

Continue reading...

Labor’s cashless welfare bill criticised as disproportionately affecting First Nations people

Posted on by

Critics claim the bill could see government further expand income management policies

Indigenous organisations and welfare advocates have blasted a government bill they say cements controversial cashless welfare policies that disproportionately affect First Nations people.

Labor abolished the cashless debit card that operated in several trial sites but has kept income management in the Northern Territory, where about 20,000 mostly Indigenous welfare recipients are forced on to the “basics card”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Risk assessments used to justify Australia’s post-sentence terrorism detentions need urgent research, report finds

Posted on by

The Australian Institute of Criminology reviewed several tools designed to gauge the threat posed by radicalised offenders

A new report has warned risk assessment tools being used to justify extraordinary post-sentence terror detention powers require urgent, independent research and validation.

The Australian Institute of Criminology on Friday released a report prepared for the department of home affairs on the use of four risk assessment tools, which are designed to gauge the threat posed by radicalised offenders and, in some cases, justify them being held behind bars or closely supervised after their sentences have been served.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Mem Fox book Guess What? banned in Florida county under Ron DeSantis bill

Posted on by

Agent for bestselling Australian children’s author says she has ‘nothing to say’ about the ban and Duval county ‘is not important’

Bestselling Australian author Mem Fox has become the latest victim of ultra-conservative Florida governor Ron DeSantis, with the writer’s 1988 children’s book Guess What? being banned in the Jacksonville county of Duval.

The book, about a witch called Daisy O’Grady, appears to have fallen foul of Florida’s parental rights in education bill, widely referred to as the “don’t say gay” law, championed by DeSantis, the Republican widely considered to be Donald Trump’s closest rival for the 2024 presidential race.

Continue reading...

Albanese expresses personal dislike for gambling ads during sporting events as pressure builds for ban

Posted on by

Peter Dutton has proposed betting advertising be restricted but prime minister says review into the issue is under way

Anthony Albanese has declared he finds the barrage of betting advertisements during sporting matches “annoying” after opposition leader Peter Dutton proposed a ban because “footy time is family time”.

In an interview with Guardian Australian, the prime minister said he would not directly comment on any plans to ban this advertising, saying there was a review under way.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Labor accuses Coalition of playing politics over changes to secretive intelligence committee

Posted on by

Opposition says plan to include crossbenchers in committee is ‘part of a grubby back room political deal’

The Albanese government has accused the Coalition of playing politics with national security, amid a political brawl over changes that could see crossbenchers join the secretive bipartisan intelligence committee.

There is speculation that the independent MP Andrew Wilkie could be in contention to be appointed to the committee – which only has major party members – but the government has not confirmed any potential choices.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Breaking the cycle: protesters demand solutions for youth detainees of Banksia Hill

Posted on by

Advocates say system is broken and government needs to work with local community to support young people

They came to call for change.

Among the 700 protestors outside Western Australia’s Banksia Hill Juvenile detention centre on Sunday afternoon was Lee-Anne Mason.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

UK ministers urged to intervene if Australian bank takes 100% of gas business

Posted on by

Macquarie has option for all of National Grid gas transmission and metering despite tainted history of owning utilities

Ministers have been urged to intervene if the Australian banking powerhouse Macquarie pushes the button on a mooted £3bn deal to take full control of a vital part of the UK’s gas grid.

A consortium made up of Macquarie Asset Management and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation completed the acquisition of 60% of the equity in National Grid’s gas transmission and meter business in January, in a deal which valued the business at £7.5bn.

Continue reading...

Australia’s road death toll jumps with fatalities still higher than pre-pandemic

Posted on by

National automotive body says poor data collection is limiting authorities’ ability to formulate an evidence-based response

Australian roads are becoming deadlier, with an almost 6% jump in road deaths in the past year as fatalities remain significantly higher than before the Covid pandemic and worse than long-term safety targets.

The latest road fatality figures, which cover the 12 months to 31 March, reveal 1,204 deaths on Australian roads – an annual increase of 5.9%.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...