Greg Lynn’s lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, says reporting on interview contents could prejudice future proceedings against his client
Lawyers for a man accused of murdering two campers want details of “explosive” interviews he gave to police suppressed.
Greg Lynn, a former airline pilot, is charged with murdering Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who went missing in March 2020 while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley, north-east of Melbourne.
Continue reading...Northern Territory police minister warns businesses to self-regulate or authorities will toughen laws to help curb rising street crime and family violence
The Northern Territory government has told alcohol retailers in the troubled central Australian town of Alice Springs they need to limit grog sales to help put a lid on spiralling harms, street crime and family violence, or it will step in and toughen up the laws.
The NT police minister, Kate Worden, issued the ultimatum after meeting with the town’s social order response team (SORT), made up of police, local council, business and community leaders, on Friday.
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Continue reading...Spectators at the Australian Open were in the spotlight on Thursday after separate incidents sparked player anger on the court at Melbourne Park and the crowd stayed until 4am watching Thanasi Kokkinakis play Andy Murray.
In his second-round match against France’s Enzo Couacaud on Rod Laver Arena, Novak Djokovic complained to the umpire after appearing to be barracked by a supporter, one of several dressed in a Where’s Wally? costume.
Continue reading...The state’s EPA is unveiling what it calls Australia’s ‘most comprehensive plan’ to cut carbon emissions
New South Wales’s environmental watchdog has released what it calls Australia’s “most comprehensive plan” to regulate carbon emissions, requiring firms to show how they will hit net zero by 2050 and nudging them to improve resilience in a warming world.
The Climate Change Policy and Action Plan 2023-26, released on Friday by the Environment Protection Authority, will identify what progress is already under way by companies now covered by pollution licences and encourage them to improve.
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Continue reading...Expert says difference in nations’ advice reflects contrasting risk appetite rather than failure to keep up with evidence
Australian health authorities are unlikely to change current alcohol consumption guidelines from 10 standard drinks a week, despite Canadian officials now recommending just two tipples over the same period.
Canada released new guidelines this week recommending its citizens drink no more than two standard drinks a week to prevent the risk of illness and disease, such as cancer.
Continue reading...A National win in New Zealand could bring minor changes to the relationship but the neighbours are expected to remain close no matter who the prime ministers are
Jacinda Ardern is a “sister” of Australia and her resignation as prime minister is being lamented by the Albanese government, but her stepping down is unlikely to materially affect New Zealand’s relationship with its trans-Tasman neighbour.
But experts believe there could be minor changes in the relationship later this year, when Ardern’s Labour could lose to the centre-right National party in New Zealand’s national election.
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Continue reading...Corrections minister Enver Erdogan to confirm transition to public services, in move welcomed by Indigenous advocates
The Victorian government will take over health care across women’s prisons across the state, in a move described as “a prioritisation of people before profits” by a respected Aboriginal leader.
The state’s corrections minister, Enver Erdogan, will on Friday confirm the contract for providing primary health services at Tarrengower Prison and the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre will transition from private firm Correct Care Australasia (CCA) to Dhelkaya (Castlemaine) Health and Western Health, respectively, on 1 July.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Peak medical body claims Australia could collect $814m annually through a sugar tax, which it says 85 other countries have already implemented
The federal government is at risk of being the “odd one out” internationally if it resists implementing a tax on sugary soft drinks, the Australian Medical Association says, reigniting its calls for a 16 cent levy for every can in an attempt to slash obesity cases and raise funds for public health campaigns.
The AMA said Australia could collect $814m annually by implementing a sugar tax on fizzy drinks, a move it says 85 jurisdictions around the world have already taken.
Continue reading...Officials move towards virtual chat as Don Farrell pursues removal of hefty tariffs on Australian produce
Australia and China are in discussions about arranging a virtual meeting between the trade minister, Don Farrell, and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, in the coming weeks.
This would be the first conversation between an Australian trade minister and a Chinese commerce minister in more than three years, in the latest sign of efforts to “stabilise” the turbulent relationship with Australia’s largest trading partner.
Continue reading...Student debt cut for teachers who go rural; WA to ban display and possession of Nazi symbols. Follow the day’s news live
Growing impact of climate disasters on mental health revealed
In case you missed it, a new poll commissioned by the Climate Council shows that four in five Australians have experienced some form of natural disaster at least once since 2019.
This coal cap scheme will see NSW doing our part at the request of the Albanese government to contribute to the national solution of this national problem.
I know those currently providing coal for the local market will appreciate that companies enjoying super profits on the back of the war in Ukraine will now do their part for the domestic market.
Continue reading...Four teenagers in custody after reports of shots fired in centre of Queensland town
Residents of Tara, in Queensland’s western downs, say a shooting incident on Wednesday afternoon has stoked trauma after last month’s murder of two police officers and a neighbour in nearby Wieambilla.
Four teenagers have been taken into custody after reports of shots being fired in the area at 3.30pm. Police declared an exclusion zone covering several blocks in the centre of town at 5.30pm.
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Continue reading...Exclusive: Three men charged with damage offences, with the state government yet to outlaw the display of hate symbols
Queensland counter-terrorism police have charged three men in relation to the displaying of neo-Nazi material, after conducting raids on three separate addresses across south-east Queensland.
Police told Guardian Australia that officers had discovered a number of offensive banners, stickers and flyers after executing search warrants on residential addresses in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong, and Gold Coast suburbs of Pimpama and Oxenford.
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Continue reading...Attorney general has clarified solicitor general is being consulted on voice to parliament after Anthony Albanese said otherwise
The prime minister’s office and department published a transcript of a radio interview which omitted a key part of an incorrect answer about legal advice on the voice referendum.
In an interview on 2GB radio on Wednesday – which the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, described as a “train wreck” – Anthony Albanese replied “no, no” when asked if the government had consulted the solicitor general on the referendum – but these words were omitted from the transcript.
Continue reading...Miners to be required to set aside up to 10% of production for domestic users, state energy minister Matt Kean says
New South Wales will require thermal coalminers reserve as much as 10% of their output for domestic coal-fired power stations and other users in a bid to share the burden more fairly among producers.
The move, announced on Thursday, is the latest government intervention in energy markets in a bid to limit price increases and avoid a repeat of last June’s supply shortages that helped trigger a suspension of the national electricity market.
Continue reading...Police had declared an exclusion zone in the centre of Tara, 40km south of Wieambilla which saw a deadly ambush of police in December
Four teenagers have been taken into custody in a small town in south-east Queensland after reports of shots being fired in the area.
Police were called to reports of a shooting in Tara about 3.30pm on Wednesday and declared an exclusion zone covering several blocks in the centre of town at 5.30pm.
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Continue reading...Observatory Hill recorded the city’s hottest temperature in 331 days on Wednesday
Sydney marked its hottest temperature in 331 days on Wednesday as the mercury in many parts of the city soared past 30C.
Maximum temperatures had stayed below 30C since 21 February last year – the longest cool streak since a 339-day record set in 1883.
Continue reading...Labor and the Coalition promise to ease penalties for ‘low-level’ offences if they win the state election
Election promises by the New South Wales government and the Labor opposition to reward “safe” drivers have been met with scepticism by industry experts, with one accusing both sides of buying votes and failing to advance road safety.
The Coalition on Wednesday promised that drivers with a three-year clean driving record would be able to avoid fines for low-level offending, including low-range speeding, disobeying some signs and driving in a bus lane, if re-elected.
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Australian Open disrupted by weather
Extreme heat and late night rain has left 22 first-round singles matches cancelled or postponed into day three of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
The Black Hawk capability will be a crucial element for us to protect Australia’s sovereignty, and deliver foreign policy objectives, including providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The Black Hawk will support the deployment of our troops and their equipment where they are needed in times of crisis. The Black Hawk is a reliable, proven and mature platform supported by a robust global supply chain.
This will not only support the capability, but also maximise Australian industry participation, laying a foundation for future helicopter industry growth across the service life of the helicopter.
Delivery of the Black Hawk helicopters will commence this year.
Continue reading...Second distress signal in a month for airline after Singapore to London flight made emergency landing in Azerbaijan in late December
A Qantas flight from Auckland has landed safely in Sydney after issuing a mayday call mid-flight due to an “extremely rare” engine failure that meant the pilot had to land with one engine.
Qantas flight 144 landed at Sydney airport about 3.30pm on Wednesday. The Boeing 737 had left Auckland an hour late about 2.30pm local time.
Continue reading...Lynn has been charged with murdering the pair, who went missing in March 2020 while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley
Two campers may have been killed after a fight over a drone before their alleged murderer left a hotel room covered in blood, court documents show.
Greg Lynn, a former airline pilot, is charged with murdering Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who went missing in March 2020 while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley, east of Melbourne.
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