Category Archives: Australia news

Alan Tudge quits politics sparking byelection in former Liberal minister’s Victorian seat

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The byelection will be an early test of the opposition leader Peter Dutton in a state where the Liberal party has under-performed

The Liberal party will face a high-stakes byelection in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs after the Victorian shadow frontbencher Alan Tudge confirmed he will quit politics.

Tudge, who holds the marginal seat of Aston, confirmed his departure after question time on Thursday, saying his resignation would be effective from next week.

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Greens and crossbench join Coalition to hand Labor first major defeat in parliament

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Senate blocks attempt to water down super funds’ transparency rules

The Greens and Senate crossbench have teamed up with the Coalition to hand the Albanese a major parliamentary defeat, disallowing its regulations watering down superannuation funds’ transparency.

The Greens joined the Senate revolt on Thursday, after warning earlier in the week it intended to help defeat Labor because the government backflipped on the unrelated issue of million-dollar fines for bankers.

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Albanese’s stance against public funding for yes and no voice campaigns backed by Birmingham

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Coalition frontbencher breaks ranks with Peter Dutton saying taxpayer funds should not be used for referendum campaigns

The Labor government is standing firm against calls for public funding for the yes and no campaigns for the voice to parliament referendum, even drawing backing from a Coalition frontbencher who appeared to break ranks with the Liberal leader’s stance.

Simon Birmingham said taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for campaign advertising, despite it being being a condition of opposition leader Peter Dutton’s support for the referendum bill.

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Dominic Perrottet defends appointment of Liberal donor brother of Angus Taylor to NSW body

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Exclusive: Party treasurer Charlie Taylor has attended fundraisers hosted by the minister who appointed him

Dominic Perrottet has defended his government’s appointment of a senior Liberal official – who made thousands of dollars in political donations to the party – as the chair of a New South Wales productivity council set up to provide independent advice on innovation.

In January the state’s innovation minister, Alistair Henskens, appointed Charlie Taylor to chair the state’s Innovation and Productivity Council (IPC).

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Chinese-made security cameras to be removed from Australian government buildings

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More than 900 products made by Hikvision and Dahua discovered at 250 federal premises

The federal government has committed to removing Chinese-made security cameras at government buildings across Australia, admitting there is a potential security problem that needs to be addressed.

An audit of surveillance equipment, conducted by the shadow cybersecurity minister, James Paterson, has confirmed that more than 900 products built by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua are installed at government locations.

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Richard Marles insists Aukus submarine deal will not erode Australia’s military sovereignty

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Defence minister to tell parliament agreement with US and UK will not limit Australia’s independence on deployment decisions

Richard Marles insists Australia will always make its own decisions on military deployments, hitting back at Malcolm Turnbull’s and Paul Keating’s claims the Aukus deal will erode the country’s sovereignty.

The defence minister will tell parliament on Thursday that acquiring at least eight nuclear-powered submarines will “dramatically enhance” Australia’s sovereignty, rather than undermine it.

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Greens’ First Nations conveners side with Lidia Thorpe and say they do not support voice to parliament

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Co-convener claims other members may follow Thorpe out the door and pushes back on party room decision to support referendum

The conveners of the Greens’ First Nations advisory group say they do not support the voice to parliament or a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition, publicly rebuking their federal party room and instead backing the departed senator Lidia Thorpe’s opposition to the move.

Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng, the national co-convener of the Greens’ First Nations Network, claimed other members may follow Thorpe out the door, and pushed back on the decision of federal MPs and senators to publicly campaign for the voice.

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Turkey and Syria earthquake: four Australians missing following disaster

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Prime minister Anthony Albanese announces team of 72 defence force personnel will assist local authorities

Four Australians are unaccounted for after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria as the federal government sends a search and rescue team to help recovery efforts.

The foreign affairs department is providing consular assistance to the families of the nationals who were where the catastrophe struck and to about 40 other Australians and their families who were also in the area.

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Peter Dutton warns Liberal moderates to vote against Labor’s safeguard mechanism overhaul

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After internal concerns were raised over Coalition position on crediting, opposition leader says he expects no one to break ranks

Peter Dutton has delivered a public warning to Liberal moderates, declaring he expects all MPs to toe the line and vote against the Albanese government’s planned overhaul of the safeguard mechanism.

After Guardian Australia revealed the opposition’s decision to reject the government proposal had triggered pushback both in the shadow cabinet and disquiet in the Coalition party room, Dutton told journalists on Wednesday he expected no one to break ranks.

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Man and woman drown on NSW Central Coast beach

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Emergency services were called to Frazer Beach on Wednesday afternoon, but neither could be revived

A man and a woman have died after being pulled from the water unconscious on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

Just before 4.20pm on Wednesday, emergency services were called to Frazer Beach, around 50km south of Newcastle, after reports two people had been pulled from the water unresponsive.

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Tanya Plibersek blocks Clive Palmer’s proposed coalmine – as it happened

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This blog is now closed

Complaints about telcos jumps 9.9% in last quarter of 2022

The number of complaints about telecommunications companies in the last three months of 2022 rose by 9.9% off the back of the Optus data breach.

We began to see the impact of the Optus data breach on our mobile complaint issues at the end of the previous quarter, but the complaints from this period of October to December really highlight the problems people are experiencing because of the breach.

Privacy and the unauthorised disclosure of personal information are not the only issues for consumers. We’re also handling an increased number of complaints from Optus customers about disputed termination fees, customer service problems, and failing to cancel a mobile service.

We’re continuing to work closely with Optus to ensure consistent approaches are being taken to resolving complaints so that people can get a fair and reasonable outcome, and we have adapted how we work to handle the higher volume of complaints we received.

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Labor must meet ‘fundamental test’ of character on poker machine reform, Andrew Wilkie says

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Party is under pressure on gambling measures after NSW Coalition announced cashless gaming scheme

The federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie has declared gambling reform as a “fundamental test” of character for Labor as pressure mounts on the party at the state and federal level to follow the New South Wales Coalition in committing to action on poker machines.

This came after the Perrottet government unveiled a $344m plan to switch the state to cashless poker machines over the next five years – a move that has been resisted by the state’s Labor leader, Chris Minns, who has only committed to a limited trial.

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Queensland magistrate grants bail to teenage girl after raising concerns over adult watch houses

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Eoin Mac Giolla Ri in a separate case last month said children could be exposed to ‘drunk, abusive, psychotic’ detainees

A Queensland magistrate who previously raised concerns about children being held in “harsh” conditions in adult watch houses has granted bail to a teenage girl after saying he was “conscious” that she may otherwise end up in one.

Mount Isa magistrate Eoin Mac Giolla Ri last week said the 15-year-old girl would probably be held for an “extended” period in a watch house if bail was refused, as all three of the state’s youth detention centres were at capacity. Bail was initially refused for the girl on Friday, and the matter adjourned until Monday, in the hope that the parties could find a solution as to her placement. She was subsequently granted bail on Monday.”

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Hospitality giant Iris Capital’s Alice Springs alcohol licence under investigation by NT government

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Action comes after police suspended trading twice in two weeks over ‘threats to public safety’ at two of its venues

Hospitality giant Iris Capital’s licence to sell alcohol in Alice Springs is under investigation by the Northern Territory government after police suspended trading twice in two weeks over “threats to public safety” at two of its venues.

The suspensions come after the NT Liquor Commission warned the company in early January that any further breaches “will be sternly dealt with”.

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Penny Wong overruled department by sending observer to anti-nuclear treaty meeting

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Exclusive: FOI documents reveal officials were nervous that going to Vienna gathering would be a sign of Australia wanted to join the treaty

Penny Wong overruled her department and insisted on sending an observer to the first meeting of countries that support a landmark United Nations treaty banning nuclear weapons, new documents reveal.

A trove of documents obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws shows nervous officials warned the foreign minister of “significant” risks if Australia went to the gathering in Vienna shortly after last year’s election.

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Fifth Covid vaccine for Australian adults to roll out later this month

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Omicron-specific dose will be available for over-18s who have not had a booster or a confirmed coronavirus case in past six months

A fifth Covid vaccine dose will be made available to Australian adults from later this month.

The health minister, Mark Butler, has announced all adults who have not had a booster or a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the past six months will be eligible for another dose from 20 February, after the government accepted the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi).

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Bruce Lehrmann starts legal action against Network Ten and News

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The former Coalition staffer accused of raping Brittany Higgins has taken steps against the media outlets but exact nature of case remains unclear

Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, has started legal action against two media companies in the federal court.

Lawyers for Lehrmann, a former Coalition staffer, sent legal letters to media companies about possible defamation action in December, but the exact nature of the case filed on Tuesday was unclear.

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Prescribing MDMA and psilocybin: who will get the drugs and how will they help?

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Explainer: doctors say the drugs can help patients work through psychotherapy for PTSD – a condition that will affect one in five people in their lifetimes

From July, psychiatrists will be able to prescribe MDMA (ecstasy) and psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) for mental health disorders.

There have long been predictions that psychedelics could “transform” psychiatry, and many clinical trials around the world have had promising results.

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Pilots survive Boeing 737 water bomber crash while fighting bushfire in Western Australia

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Investigators to examine wreckage and interview two pilots who were responding to a bushfire in the Fitzgerald River national park

Two pilots battling a blaze on Western Australia’s southern coast have managed to free themselves after their Boeing 737 firebomber aircraft crashed.

The national large air tanker crashed at 4.15pm on Monday afternoon while responding to a bushfire in the Fitzgerald River national park, Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (Dfes) said.

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Dating apps must share information about threatening behaviour, says Australia’s eSafety watchdog

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Rise in online abuse a concern for regulator, who says investigators will be on the lookout for racist behaviour during voice to parliament referendum

Dating apps must cooperate to share information about “bad actors” using their services to abuse and harass other users, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said, as new data shows three-quarters of Australian adults reported at least one negative online experience in the last year.

Julie Inman Grant said her agency may soon issue legal notices to online dating services, compelling them to report on how they are responding to violence and threats – and also said the agency’s investigators would be actively looking out for misinformation and abuse of First Nations people during the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum.

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