Category Archives: Australia news

‘Bigger and better than ever’: Australia’s rural shows bounce back after tough years

Posted on by

Sponsorship and community engagement are surging after two years of pandemic cancellations

Australia’s rural agricultural shows are making a comeback, with sponsorship and community engagement surging after two years of pandemic cancellations.

According to Agricultural Shows Australia (ASA) executive officer, Katie Stanley, of the more than 580 shows nationwide, 430 were cancelled due to Covid in 2020, and 273 in 2021.

Continue reading...

Labor urged to axe $1.9bn in ‘zombie’ fossil fuel subsidies promised by the Coalition

Posted on by

Exclusive: Morrison government announced support for coal and gas projects in ‘gas-fired recovery’ but didn’t formalise contracts, PBO analysis reveals

Labor is being urged to axe nearly $2bn in handouts to fossil fuel developments that the Parliamentary Budget Office found were promised under the Coalition but have not been contracted.

The PBO analysis, commissioned by the Greens, found the Morrison government announced $1.93bn in support for coal and gas developments that had not been formally committed.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Guardian Essential poll: Australians divided on whether King Charles should be head of state

Posted on by

Survey respondents split 50-50 but women, older voters and Coalition supporters more likely to back new monarch, poll suggests

Australians are divided over whether King Charles III should be the country’s head of state, with the latest Guardian Essential poll suggesting a 50-50 split between those who support the new UK monarch and those who do not.

The survey of 1,075 people, taken after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, gives little hope to the republican cause with fewer than half of the respondents (43%) supporting Australia becoming a republic – a figure that has barely moved over the past five years.

Continue reading...

‘Chicken or chicken?’ Qantas ditches vegetarian meals on some domestic flights

Posted on by

Airline says it changed menu during Covid but critics say ‘one size fits all’ alienates passengers and is a sign of decline

Qantas has stopped offering vegetarian meals on some domestic flights, leaving one irate traveller to suggest it is a further sign that the airline is in decline.

Environmentalist Jon Dee was flying from Adelaide to Sydney on Sunday night when he was told there was only chicken pie on the menu.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

‘End of an era’: how the Queen’s funeral was seen around the world

Posted on by

From Melbourne to Paris, New York to Delhi, the solemn events in London resonated around the globe

As the doors to Westminster Abbey opened to allow guests to take their seats, across the other side of the world, Australians sat down in front of their TVs to watch the historic event.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: former senator Rex Patrick demands explanation for freedom of information delays

Posted on by

Patrick will use the federal court to demand the information commissioner explain the lawfulness of her office’s delays in reviewing freedom of information decisions. Follow the day’s news live

The NSW government and the transport union will be meeting this afternoon behind closed doors after the union announced yesterday they’ll be withdrawing their plans to shut down the Opal card system.

Last week the union announced their plans to shut down the Opal card system indefinitely as part of their ongoing dispute with the state government.

[W]e know that higher interest rates will tend to depress residential and commercial property prices but there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude and even the timing.

Not only can declining property prices have implications for economic activity, but also for financial stability as we outlined in the April financial stability review.

Continue reading...

Burning world’s fossil fuel reserves could emit 3.5bn tons of greenhouse gas

Posted on by

The world will have released more planet-heating emissions than have occurred since the industrial revolution, analysis found

Burning the world’s proven reserves of fossil fuels would emit more planet-heating emissions than have occurred since the industrial revolution, easily blowing the remaining carbon budget before societies are subjected to catastrophic global heating, a new analysis has found.

An enormous 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be emitted if governments allow identified reserves of coal, oil and gas to be extracted and used, according to what has been described as the first public database of fossil fuel production.

Continue reading...

Backlash grows over decision to scrap Victorian hospital’s Indigenous name in favour of Queen Elizabeth II

Posted on by

Daniel Andrews defends plan to change name of Maroondah hospital from Woiwurrung word that celebrates the natural environment

Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly has accused the Andrews government of making a hospital in Melbourne’s east “culturally unsafe” for Indigenous Australians after it vowed to rename the site in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, dumping its Indigenous name.

In a pre-election pledge on Sunday, Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, promised to rebuild the Maroondah hospital, in East Ringwood, at a cost of $1bn and rename it to pay tribute to the Queen.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Origin Energy to quit Beetaloo gas project but green groups warn environmental threat remains

Posted on by

Sale will come at a loss but distance company from both environmental controversy and Russian oligarch

Origin Energy will sell its stake in its Beetaloo Basin gas project at a loss and review all its other exploration permits in a move that will distance it from an environmental controversy and end its association with sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

Chief executive Frank Calabria said gas remained “a core part of our business” but getting out of gas exploration would free up money to “grow cleaner energy and customer solutions, and deliver reliable energy through the transition”.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Farmers prepare to be cut off by flooding in north-west NSW

Posted on by

Homes in Gunnedah inundated and residents in Wee Waa region warned to move livestock and machinery to high ground

Farmers in north-west New South Wales are preparing to be cut off after the Namoi River broke its banks, inundating rural towns and sparking several flood rescues.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued flood warnings for the river, including major flooding at Wee Waa and Gunnedah after the river peaked early on Sunday.

Continue reading...

Public servant Amy Brown sacked over hiring process that led to John Barilaro’s New York trade role

Posted on by

Former head of Investment NSW set to receive 12 months’ salary after being terminated from high-profile job

The department secretary responsible for handing John Barilaro a lucrative $500,000 New York trade job has been sacked.

After weeks of speculation about Amy Brown’s future amid a long-running controversy over the now-abandoned appointment, the state’s senior public servant Michael Coutts-Trotter confirmed on Monday that Brown’s employment had been terminated.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Moses Kibet wins Sydney marathon in record time on Australian soil

Posted on by
  • Cosmas Matolo and Chalu Deso Gelmisa come second and third
  • All three better previous fastest time in Australian races

Kenyan Moses Kibet has claimed a historic victory in the Sydney marathon as the top three finishers all bettered the previous fastest time on Australian soil.

Kibet clocked a winning time of two hours, seven minutes and three seconds on Sunday, crossing the line just two seconds ahead of countryman Cosmas Matolo.

Continue reading...

Victorian government pledges $1bn to rebuild hospital to be renamed in honour of Queen Elizabeth

Posted on by

Maroondah hospital could lose Aboriginal name in change Daniel Andrews says is a mark of respect to Queen’s ‘unwavering commitment to healthcare’

The Victorian government has promised to rebuild a hospital in Melbourne’s east at a cost of more than $1bn and rename it in honour of the Queen if Labor is re-elected in November.

The premier, Daniel Andrews, said on Sunday his government would redevelop and expand Maroondah hospital in East Ringwood to accommodate an extra 9,000 inpatients a year.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Beachfront homeowners push to extend Collaroy seawall to protect property from erosion

Posted on by

Northern Beaches council considers plan to add 80 metres of controversial concrete wall as massive swells batter coastal properties in Sydney

What some consider the ugliest wall in Australia could soon be bigger, with residents pushing to extend the Collaroy seawall on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Northern Beaches council has received a new application by five local property owners to build two new sections of the wall in front of their properties to protect the homes from coastal erosion and massive swells.

Continue reading...

Ellen van Dijk pips Grace Brown to win Road World Championships opener

Posted on by
  • Dutchwoman defends time trial crown in Wollongong
  • Australia’s Brown set blistering early pace on first day of cycling

The sun was shining, the waves were rolling in and a Dutch woman was winning the opening race of 2022 UCI Road World Championships. It was seemingly the natural way of things – a predictable result in a flawless setting on the beachside streets of Wollongong, as Ellen van Dijk defended her women’s individual time trial crown and the Dutch national team won the sixth edition of the race over the past decade.

But if the 35-year-old’s victory on Sunday seemed predestined – her third world title since first winning the discipline in 2013, alongside four European time trial titles – it almost wasn’t to be. Australia’s Grace Brown sat in the hot-seat all day, after starting in the opening wave of riders and setting a blistering pace over a technical, undulating 34.2-kilometre course.

Continue reading...

Australia won’t ban Russian tourists but is considering reopening embassy in Kyiv

Posted on by

Acting prime minister Richard Marles also flags further military aid after Ukraine’s ambassador requests Hawkei four-wheel drive vehicles

Australia won’t ban Russian tourists from entering the country as requested by Ukraine’s ambassador but is “assessing” whether to reopen the Australian embassy in Kyiv.

The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, also said on Sunday that Australia was considering sending further military aid to Ukraine to bolster existing commitments.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Australia live news update: Albanese meets King and UK PM ahead of Queen’s funeral; Grace Brown wins silver at Wollongong cycling worlds

Posted on by

Downing Street frames conversation between Australian PM and the British leader as chat rather than formal bilateral talks. This blog is now closed

China is watching world’s response to Ukraine crisis, Marles says

Marles is asked about what the situation in Ukraine and the relationship between China and Russia may mean for the situation regarding Taiwan. Specifically, Marles is asked what will happen if China moved to reunify Taiwan with the mainland using military force.

The way in which the world has reacted to Russia … has been very impressive, but so, too, has the incredible resistance of the Ukrainian people. People fight for the homeland. It has been remarkable and more than expected.

China will be watching this, as I guess we all are.

I think it says something about where the whole conflict is at. There is a degree of humiliation for Russia in relation to this.

I didn’t imagine when the invasion first occurred that Ukraine would be able to provide the resistance that it has.

Continue reading...

Sydney Swans ready for ‘team of the year’ Geelong in AFL grand final

Posted on by
  • Swans book place in decider with thrilling win over Collingwood
  • Cats await in Saturday’s premiership decider at MCG

John Longmire always expected his Sydney side to surge back into contention, but the Swans’ coach concedes they will be facing “the best team for the year” in the AFL grand final.

The Swans’ blend of battle-hardened veterans and electrifying young guns have set up a first-ever decider against Geelong just two years after back-to-back bottom-four finishes.

Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese describes ‘very warm’ meeting with King Charles ahead of Queen’s funeral

Posted on by

Australian prime minister also held informal talks with UK prime minister Liz Truss

Anthony Albanese has described his one-on-one meeting with King Charles ahead of the funeral for Queen Elizabeth as a “great honour”.

“I extended my personal condolences to King Charles but also the condolences of the Australian people,” the prime minister said from London on Sunday morning Australian time.

Continue reading...

Vested interests can’t be allowed to dictate Queensland’s response to the housing crisis

Posted on by

Developers are being touted as saviours to the state’s housing woes but greenfield development won’t affect affordability

About six years ago, the Brisbane city council sought to forcibly remove a growing number of homeless people staying underneath the Go Between and Kurilpa bridges in South Brisbane.

A few years later, the Queensland government placed a series of large boulders under the Kurilpa Bridge to prevent rough sleepers from returning.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...