Lifting age eligibility rules would help attract a wider range of skilled workers and professionals, Tourism and Transport Forum boss says
Australia’s peak tourism body wants the working holiday visa age cut-off to be lifted to provide a wider range of skilled workers and professionals.
The federal government is conducting a migration review to find ways of addressing worker shortages across Australia.
Continue reading...One of the protesters, Drew Pavlou, says they want to ‘make trouble’ for Tennis Australia over its links to China
Activists plan to reprise their controversial “Where is Peng Shuai?” protest at next month’s grand slam, with the support of three-time Australian Open winner Martina Navratilova.
At this year’s Open in January, Tennis Australia was criticised for initially confiscating the shirts, citing a ban on “commercial or political” material. The decision was later reversed.
Continue reading...Trio were surfing at Cumberland River beach just south of Lorne on Victoria’s Surf Coast on Sunday evening when one ran into trouble
A teenager has drowned and two other men taken to hospital after running into trouble surfing.
The trio were surfing at Cumberland River beach, just south of Lorne on Victoria’s Surf Coast, when one got into difficulty just before 6pm on Sunday night.
Continue reading...It comes as another Qantas flight leaving Sydney for London on Christmas Day was delayed from taking off due to a technical issue
A Qantas plane that was sent to Azerbaijan to recover passengers stranded after an emergency landing has finally arrived in London on Christmas morning, but a string of challenges has frustrated holiday plans for those onboard.
As relieved passengers queued at Baku airport to board what would be a six-hour flight to London on Sunday morning, the original Qantas plane that flew them to Baku remained on the ground, as engineers continue to be puzzled by the cause behind smoke detection alarms that forced the plane to make an emergency landing.
Continue reading...The man was charged with the shooting of Omar Zahed, 39, and Tarek Zahed, 41, at a gym in Auburn, Sydney in May. Omar Zahed died at the scene
A man has been arrested at Sydney airport and charged over the fatal shooting at a gym of Omar Zahed and the wounding of his brother, Comanchero boss Tarek Zahed.
Emergency services were called to the Bodyfit Fitness Centre on Parramatta Road, Auburn in Sydney’s southwest just after 8pm on 10 May after reports of a shooting.
Continue reading...PM spends Christmas morning at Ashfield Uniting Church in Sydney’s inner west along with NSW Labor leader Chris Minns
Anthony Albanese has joined volunteers to serve a Christmas meal to vulnerable Sydneysiders and has acknowledged Australians who are doing it tough at what should be a joyful time of year.
Albanese spent the morning the same way he does every year, at the Ashfield Uniting Church in his inner-western Sydney electorate with the Rev Bill Crews.
Continue reading...With three-time winner Ichi Ban not competing and a favourable weather forecast, a crowd of challengers is likely for what is shaping up to be a fast race
Australia’s recent domination of Sydney to Hobart overall honours is under threat from a high-quality contingent of overseas boats in this year’s race.
With handicap colossus Ichi Ban not racing this year, Australia’s recent ironclad grip on overall Sydney to Hobart honours could be loosened, with a number of high-quality overseas boats competing.
Continue reading...Victoria police have charged a Melbourne woman with theft after the dog was allegedly taken from outside a supermarket
Police have reunited a Melbourne woman with her therapy dog after it was allegedly stolen on Christmas Eve, in what its owner described as the best Christmas present she had ever received.
Kyron the dog was returned to its owner in the early hours of Christmas morning, hours after it went missing from a supermarket in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon.
Continue reading...Boxing Day Test hero Scott Boland has retained his spot in Australia’s star bowling attack and will line up at the MCG against South Africa.
The Victorian quick will return to the scene of his famous Test debut last December, with Australia selectors opting for Boland over Josh Hazlewood, who continues his recovery from a side strain.
Continue reading...Paramedics treated the two-year-old boy but he died at the scene. A man was taken for mandatory testing and is assisting with the police investigation
A child has died after being hit by a 4WD at a Sydney property on Christmas Eve.
Emergency services were called to Dural in Sydney’s north-west about 6pm on Saturday where they found a two-year-old boy who was critically injured.
Continue reading...SES evacuates Walker Flat, east of Adelaide, after it was cut off by the deluge on Christmas morning
Dozens of homes and two caravan parks have been evacuated in South Australia as the flood levees continue to fail along the Murray River.
The State Emergency Service has evacuated the island village of Walker Flat, east of Adelaide, after it was cut off by the deluge on Christmas morning.
Continue reading...Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal government has no real idea about agricultural chemicals’ impact on environment
Serious shortfalls in Australia’s monitoring of pesticide residues in food, particularly food destined for the domestic market, were identified by the federal agriculture department nearly a decade ago, documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal.
Bureaucrats in the department expressed concern about Australia’s food monitoring as early as 2014, the documents, obtained under freedom of information laws, show.
Continue reading...More than 100 countries stress ‘the urgency and importance’ of filling appeal judge positions as US continues years-long disruption started by Trump
Australia has teamed up with China and more than 100 countries to protest longstanding blockages at the World Trade Organization as the United States vetoes appeal judge appointments.
Australia and China remain at odds over specific trade disputes between them – such as Beijing’s tariffs on Australian wine and barley – but are united in concern about the years-long disruption to a key appeal body.
Continue reading...All state and territory capital cities besides Hobart are expecting temperatures from the high-20s to the low-30s
After an unseasonably cold start to summer, Christmas Day is set to be a hot one across most of Australia, with above average temperatures in southern Australia heralding a heatwave.
All state and territory capital cities besides Hobart are expecting temperatures from the high-20s to the low-30s on 25 December.
Continue reading...WA police allege the man, 19, who was an employee at the facility south-east of Perth, strangled the woman to death
A teenage worker has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of a 70-year-old aged care resident in Western Australia.
Police allege the 19-year-old from Orana was an employee at an aged-care facility in Albany in the great southern region, south-east of Perth, where the victim lived.
Continue reading...The PM, an election winner in 2022, starts his festive address noting Christmas is ‘such a special time of year’
When George V decided to broadcast a Christmas message to his British subjects in 1932 he started a tradition that leaders across the world continue to embrace. Some more successfully than others.
The recipe for the Christmas message is fairly simple – one part reflection on challenges from the past year, one part acknowledgment of current events and one part hopeful throw forward (with a dash of unity).
Continue reading...Airline apologises to passengers and promises to get them to Heathrow airport ‘early on Christmas morning’
Qantas passengers stranded in Azerbaijan after an emergency landing are expected to make it to London by Christmas morning, after the airline deployed a recovery flight from Australia.
The recovery flight left Sydney at 11.40am on Saturday and was expected to pick up the stranded passengers from Baku airport and continue on to London arriving “early on Christmas morning”, according to a statement Qantas released on Saturday afternoon.
Continue reading...Murray River forecast to peak in coming days as 241mm of rain falls on Timber Creek in the Northern Territory in 24 hours
Thousands of residents in South Australia’s Riverland region are on high alert, with the rising Murray River forecast to peak in the coming days and thousands of properties expected to be inundated in coming weeks.
Meanwhile, a one-in-50-year flood has hit a remote town in the Northern Territory as authorities warn more rain is on the way for the rest of the territory.
Continue reading...Qantas has apologised to passengers and thanked them for their patience after a Singapore to London flight was forced to land at Baku airport – This blog is now closed
Job agencies join calls to scrap elements of ParentsNext program
Job agencies running the contentious ParentsNext program have called on the Albanese government to scrap compliance from the scheme, with one suggesting the current system is “morally questionable”.
Continue reading...Report, which also recommends linking Sydney to Wollongong and ranks Canberra route as a lower priority, cost taxpayers $390,000
A secret review of high-speed rail options for New South Wales is understood to prioritise lines to Newcastle and Wollongong at speeds of up to 250km/h, but ranks the much-vaunted Sydney to Canberra route as a lower priority.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the findings today but said it had not seen the report.
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