The party said it would save a typical family $3,500 a year, and cost nearly $1.3bn over four years
Victorians could pay just $2 for all-day public transport if the Liberal party wins the state election.
The opposition on Sunday announced it would slash the price of train, tram and bus travel in a bid to combat the cost of living.
Continue reading...Gig, disability and home care workers would also gain access to a portable entitlement scheme
Uber delivery drivers and casual employees will be able to claim compensation if injured at work and take entitlements from job to job if Labor wins the New South Wales election.
New entitlements would make gig workers more resilient and make the labour environment less precarious in general, the state opposition said on Sunday.
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Continue reading...Public opinion for repealing the package jumped 7% from the previous month as people become better informed about the consequences
Public support for the stage-three tax cuts continues to fall, with polling showing increased support for scrapping the $243bn plan.
The last stage of the Morrison government tax reform is not legislated to come into effect until July 2024, but a downturn in the economy has put increased pressure on the Labor government to make a decision on whether it will keep the cuts in place.
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Continue reading...Four defence force helicopters on standby as low-pressure system, forecast to persist until Sunday, brings flash flooding, landslides and damaging winds
Rivers in New South Wales are overflowing and emergency services have had to perform six flood rescues in 24 hours as another battering of heavy rain and thunderstorms descends on the east coast.
The third low-pressure system was forecast to persist until Sunday morning, bringing flash flooding, landslides and damaging winds strong enough to bring down powerlines and trees.
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Continue reading...Trough tracking over NSW towards the coast is bringing intense rainfall and the risk of flash flooding, Bureau of Meteorology says. This blog is now closed
Storey warned despite blue skies in some areas this morning, heavy rain will set in from the afternoon through to tomorrow.
That heavy rain coming on top of saturated soils and catchments and dams that are already full and overflowing [we] can really see that flooding risk escalate really, really quickly. Not only riverine flooding risk, which we’re monitoring closely, but that flash flooding risk, in particular. A lot of roads may see flash flooding affecting them very, very quickly and catching people unawares.
There is definitely a flood fatigue situation across many, many parts of the state. And in particular in the west and the south of the state as well, who have been experiencing major flooding now for what feels like the best part of a year. Many areas in the west and south are still subject to major flooding as we speak, and with the heavy rains continuing in those areas in the coming days, that’s going to exacerbate that risk.
Unfortunately, the bureau’s forecasting an above-average rainfall storm and flood season, so we’re probably gonna see many more events like this over the coming months.
With the expected heavy rainfall impacting the Hunter, Greater Sydney, and Illawarra over the next sort of 24 hours, so our key focus is on that flash flooding risk in those areas.
If you are in those affected areas or travelling through those affected areas, monitor those conditions and never drive through floodwaters. A lot of roads are already flooded in many parts of the state and will be flooded in the coming 24 hours. So, make those smart decisions for yourselves and your families. And the smartest decision you can make is to never drive through those floodwaters.
Continue reading...A 38-year-old man died after being shot in the chest at close range at a home in Oxley in the early hours of Tuesday morning
A third person has been arrested after a man was shot dead in the front yard of a home in south-west Brisbane as two male suspects remain on the run.
Officers from the Acacia Ridge criminal investigation branch and homicide unit arrested the 30-year-old east Brisbane man on Friday evening after he was intercepted in a vehicle at Riverview.
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Continue reading...Figures show there is one counsellor for every 650 students, despite inquiry recommending ratio of 1:500
A dire shortage of school counsellors means New South Wales students are going without disability assessments and early interventions as staff scramble to triage the most serious cases, including suicide risks, sexual assaults and teen pregnancies.
Department of Education figures obtained by Guardian Australia reveal there was one counsellor for every 650 students across the state in August, not accounting for staff on uncovered leave – meaning the reality was far worse.
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Continue reading...While sea mail takes a long time to deliver, people opt for this service because it is cheaper
Australia Post has put a temporary halt on all mail entering the country by sea as a growing number of prohibited items make their way to our shores.
According to its website, Australia Post temporarily suspended all incoming sea mail from 1 October. An Australia Post spokesperson confirmed this was due to an “increasing number of prohibited mail items coming into Australia by sea”.
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Continue reading...Heavy rainfall and rough surf has contributed to large numbers of stingers appearing along the NSW coast in the third, and biggest, bluebottle event of the year
Armadas of bluebottles have washed up on the shores of Australian beaches this week as heavy rainfall causes agitated surf conditions.
The jellyfish have been spotted on the shores of Sydney beaches, including Bronte and Manly, with sightings continuing up and down the east coast. Maroubra beach was closed on Friday due to dangerous conditions and “large numbers of bluebottles”.
Continue reading...Steven Hastings Barker is accused of murdering his wife, Christine Barker, at their Bronte home on Thursday evening
A civil engineer from Sydney’s eastern suburbs allegedly gave police a detailed account of killing his wife when they arrested him, a court has been told.
Steven Hastings Barker, 74, is accused of murdering his wife, Christine Barker, at their Bronte home on Thursday evening.
Continue reading...Volodymyr Zelenskiy calls on leaders to back next week’s UN vote condemning Russia’s purported annexation of four regions
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has urged world leaders not to give in to Russia’s “nuclear blackmail” and has appealed to Australia for help in a critical UN vote next week.
Addressing the Sydney-based Lowy Institute by video link on Thursday evening, Zelenskiy revealed Australia was offering heavy arms to Ukraine in its next package of military support to defend against Russia’s invasion.
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Continue reading...In recordings played in court, Sharon Graham says to co-accused ‘I don’t want to be in this house any more’
The message “thou shalt not kill” was left in a shaken Sharon Graham’s letterbox during a woodchipper death investigation, a Brisbane court has heard.
Graham, 61, and partner Gregory Lee Roser, 63, have pleaded not guilty to murder after Bruce Saunders died while working on a property north of Brisbane in November 2017.
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Continue reading...Boyle hopes he will be protected by public interest disclosure laws after he aired claims of aggressive tax office debt collection methods in 2018
The whistleblower Richard Boyle has told a court of his fears that the actions of the Australian Taxation Office would lead to “suicide and death in the community”.
Taking the stand in a hearing seen as a critical first test of whistleblower laws, Boyle alleged ATO employees were put under pressure to bypass normal negotiations with taxpayers who owed money and move quickly towards more aggressive tactics.
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Continue reading...The artistic director has resigned a year before his contract ends – within a week of former ACCC chair Rod Sims taking the beleaguered company’s helm
Within a week of former Australian Consumer and Competition Commission chair Rod Sims taking the helm at Opera Australia, the company’s creative leader has announced his resignation, more than 12 months before his contract expires.
Opera Australia announced on Thursday its artistic director of 13 years, Lyndon Terracini, would stand down from his position early, formally leaving the company next Friday 14 October.
Continue reading...Sydney Theatre Company’s announcement of the work, written by Joanna Murray-Smith, aligns with 10-year anniversary of former PM’s misogyny speech
A new one-woman play focusing on the life of Australia’s first and only female prime minister, Julia Gillard, will debut on stage next year.
The play Julia, written by Joanna Murray-Smith, one of the country’s most prominent playwrights, has been billed as a highlight of the Sydney Theatre Company’s (STC) 2023 season, and will feature actor and Play School presenter Justine Clarke in the eponymous role.
Continue reading...Coroner’s court also investigating allegations doctor was asked to backdate man’s death certificate
A palliative care patient may have been alive when he was transferred to a Perth morgue, according to claims being investigated by the coroner’s court.
The court has confirmed it is investigating the allegations, first reported by Business News, which include claims a doctor was asked to backdate the man’s death certificate in an apparent attempt to cover up the incident.
Continue reading...Anthony Albanese meets with Solomons Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare, who reiterates ‘no foreign military bases’ pledge. This blog is now closed
Skill shortages ‘an indictment on the failure to plan’: skills minister
The National Skills Commission’s annual update of the skills priority list is out today, showing the number of occupations facing skills shortages have almost doubled in past year.
Well, I wouldn’t say exactly that. I would say, though, it is very high that we have so many occupations where there are significant shortages.
I mean, the fact that it almost doubled in a year speaks to a labour market that is crying out for skills. But also, it is an indictment on the failure to plan, invest in education and training to have the skills our labour market, our economy and our employers need and our workforce need so that they can find good jobs.
We do need to make sure, 1) the investment in education and training is in the right places so that we supply the skills needed for our economy now and into the future. And, of course, 2) we need to have a much faster way of delivering on the skilled migration pathways for industries that are crying out for skills. And whether they be nurses or tech worker, baggage handlers. Wherever you look across the economy, there are shortages and it is a very significant priority of this government.
Conditions haven’t changed that significantly.
The government went to the last election saying again and again they would honour the legislated tax cuts.
In the time since we’ve seen in Australia interest rate rises yes ... but we’ve seen an Australian economy that continues to perform very strongly.
Continue reading...State’s police commissioner reveals she too suffered sexual assault and harassment early in her career
Senior Queensland police officers taught racist attitudes to academy recruits, including comments about Indigenous people that “you can smell them before you see them”, recordings obtained by an inquiry have revealed.
The “distressing” evidence given to the inquiry into Queensland police service (QPS) responses to domestic violence included revelations the police service failed to discipline officers in cases where they were found to have racially abused colleagues, or made racist remarks.
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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
Ruling based on psychologist’s opinion boy has mental capacity to form criminal intent
A 13-year-old Victorian boy is one of eight teenagers to have been committed to stand trial for the murder of Declan Cutler, after a magistrate decided that, despite his youth, he was capable of forming a criminal intent.
The magistrate ruled that she did not have to read an 1,100-page report on whether the 13-year-old, who cannot be named, could be found not to have that mental capacity, known as the doli incapax principle.
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Continue reading...Severe weather warning in place for state’s inland regions as ongoing deluge sees flooding on rivers in west of NSW
Sydney is officially experiencing its wettest year on record as widespread drenching rain puts many parts of western New South Wales on flood alert.
The previous annual record of 2,194mm of rain, which had stood since 1950, was broken at 12.30pm on Thursday after 27.2mm of rain fell at Sydney’s Observatory Hill Bureau of Meteorology station since 9am.
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