Category Archives: Australia news

Geelong edge out Collingwood as week one of AFL finals delivers another classic

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  • Cats beat Magpies 11.12 (78) to 10.12 (72) in pulsating match
  • Geelong kick four of the last five goals to earn a week off

Geelong exorcised their first-week AFL finals demons with an epic six-point win over Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday. The Cats were behind at every change in a pulsating qualifying final, but kicked four of the last five goals to win 11.12 (78) to 10.12 (72) in front of 91,525 fans.

It continues a bumper start to the finals series, following Brisbane’s last-gasp win over Richmond and Sydney’s upset of reigning premiers Melbourne.

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More than 30 people died due to triple-zero delays in Victoria; Qantas boss warns against IR reforms – as it happened

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Alan Joyce says multi-employer bargaining could create problems; western NSW braces for flooding. This blog is now closed

And if you want a more expansive read on where the dispute between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and the NSW government is at, Michael McGowan’s great analysis is a must-read:

NSW industrial relations minister calls out Labor’s ‘brazen intervention’ in rail dispute

The brazen intervention of Labor into the Fair Work Commission to support the rail unions and their political campaign of rolling strikes is a disgrace.

For Tony Burke to be asking the Fair Work Commission to ­implement his agenda while the summit is still sitting, let alone any consultation occurring on his planed legislation, shows the depth of arrogance and entitlement that the union movement and Labor bring to government.

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Australia stunned by Zimbabwe in final ODI as David Warner denied century again

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  • Australia rolled for 141 in three-wicket defeat to Zimbabwe
  • Warner falls for 94 to make it 54 innings without a ton

Zimbabwe have recorded their first ODI victory in Australia to stun the hosts by three wickets in the final match of their bi-lateral series, as leg-spinner Ryan Burl took 5-10 early for Zimbabwe to roll Australia for just 141.

Zimbabwe won the toss and put Australia in to bat for the first time this series, nabbing three crucial wickets inside the first 10 overs. Left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava got skipper Aaron Finch for the third time in three ODIs.

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More than 30 deaths linked to delays at Victoria’s overloaded triple-zero service

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Emergency services ‘simply did not have sufficient ambulance call-takers’, with one caller waiting more than 76 minutes, review finds

More than 30 people died after the pandemic overloaded Victoria’s triple-zero call service and caused delays, an independent review has found.

In one case, someone waited for more than 76 minutes for their emergency call to be answered, as the pandemic placed “unprecedented demand” on the system.

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Nick Kyrgios sideshow rolls on with straight-sets defeat of JJ Wolf

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  • Kyrgios defeats Wolf 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to move into last 16
  • Australian next faces world No 1 Daniil Medvedev

Nick Kyrgios continued his stirring progression in New York in an off-Broadway setting at Flushing Meadows on Friday night. As Serena Williams, the 23-time grand slam champion, was sent into retirement by fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, Kyrgios was blitzing JJ Wolf by 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in 1hr 55m on nearby Louis Armstrong Stadium.

In a normal US Open, a Friday night outing on Armstrong would scarcely be a sideshow, such is the electric vibe that can be felt on a court that is grand in its own right. Kyrgios is the best supporting actor to start the US Open and the Wimbledon finalist was never seriously challenged by Wolf, a hard-working wildcard entry.

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Sydney stun reigning premiers Melbourne in AFL finals upset

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  • Swans beat Demons 14.7 (91) to 10.9 (69) at MCG
  • Sydney earn week off before hosting preliminary final

The Sydney Swans surged through to their first AFL preliminary final since 2016 after shocking reigning premiers Melbourne by 22 points. In the first final at the MCG since the 2019 decider, the Swans ruined Melbourne’s coming home party with some scintillating run-and-gun football to dismantle the Demons’ much-vaunted defence.

Melbourne entered the qualifying final as hot favourites after humiliating the Brisbane Lions in the final round of the home-and-away season but the Swans completely outclassed the Demons after half-time in front of 78,377 fans. Sydney’s 14.7 (91) to 10.9 (69) win means they now have a week off and will host a preliminary final at the SCG on 14 or 15 September to be in reach of their first flag since 2012.

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Weekend weather: northern NSW braces for heavy rain as wet spring looms

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About 100mm of rain predicted to drench parts of the NSW mid-north coast, including Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie

Intense rainfall is expected in parts of eastern Australia over the coming days in a precursor to what is set to be a wetter-than-average spring.

A large cloudband was shifting east on Friday, expected to cause widespread rain over southern and central Queensland and northern New South Wales until Sunday.

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Disability royal commission hears of abuse, neglect and fraud in supported residential system

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Victorian facility did not breach legislation for failing to afford woman dignity by declaring she was no longer technically a resident because she had died

A Victorian regulator elected not to punish a disability home for failing to afford a 65-year-old woman dignity because her death meant she was “no longer” legally a “resident”, an inquiry has been told.

The disability royal commission, which is examining housing and homelessness issues this week, has spent the past two days investigating the troubled supported residential services (SRS) system.

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Increased migration must come with planning and expanded services, councils say

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Fairfield mayor says ‘people are suffering’ due to lack of affordable housing in migrant communities as PM pledges $575m investment

Increasing Australia’s migration intake without improving key services will increase the strain on housing, hospitals and schools as well as inflation, councils in migrant communities have said.

The Albanese government on Friday announced at its jobs and skills summit it would lifting the migrant intake to 195,000 in 2022-23, from the current 160,000 cap, addressing calls from businesses for more skilled workers to be brought in to Australia to meet shortages. A review planned for next February would set intake levels for coming years.

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Labor to relax work tests for pensioners following jobs and skills summit – as it happened

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the policy change will cost around $55m, and the government will do further costs. This blog is now closed

Tasmanian Tafe needs to be fit for purpose before additional places can make a difference, Lambie says

The government yesterday kicked off the jobs and skills summit with the announcement of 180,000 more free Tafe places.

We certainly would like to do more, but some of these issues, of course, are within the budget constraints, which are there … we have inherited $1tn of debt. Yes, it is a worthy idea and worthy of consideration.

No, that’s not on the agenda. But it is a good thing that people are able to put forward ideas.

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‘Where is the evidence?’: critics take aim at NT judge who says antiracism is becoming ‘a religion’

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Opponents say it is ‘surprising’ for Judith Kelly to claim that ‘on the whole, modern Australian society is not racist’, in speech on Indigenous domestic violence

Lawyers and academics have criticised comments by a Northern Territory supreme court judge that antiracism was becoming a “religion” preventing honest discussions about the “epidemic of extreme domestic violence” against Aboriginal women.

In the 26 August speech to a gathering of women lawyers, Justice Judith Kelly said there was a “cultural component” to the violence inflicted on Aboriginal women by Aboriginal men in the territory.

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More Australians worried about climate change than ever before, but conservatives less so

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Rightwing voters in Australia less concerned about climate than those in most other comparable nations, Pew survey finds

Rightwing voters in Australia are less likely to consider climate change a major threat compared to rightwing voters in most other comparable nations, according to a major international survey.

The latest Pew Research Centre survey, however, showed that overall more Australians are worried about climate change than ever before.

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Federal government seeks to change law that has become central to Sydney train strike dispute

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NSW government had threatened to terminate existing enterprise agreement with rail workers over ongoing industrial action

The federal government has put the Fair Work Commission on notice that it plans to restrict the power of employers to terminate enterprise agreements, something the state Coalition in New South Wales this week threatened to do in its ongoing dispute with rail workers.

After months of bargaining and Sydney train strikes, the NSW government announced on Thursday it would seek to terminate its existing agreement covering thousands of rail workers in the state if the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) failed to cease industrial action.

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Father who survived crash caused by black ice killed moments later when another vehicle hit same patch

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Scott Roderick Glanville was waiting for help after his van rolled in 2019 when struck and killed by ute, Tasmanian coroner rules

A Tasmanian father of three who walked away from a car crash caused by black ice was killed moments later when he was struck by a ute that lost control on the same section of road, a coroner has ruled.

Scott Roderick Glanville, 46, died on the side of a road in the state’s north on the morning of 25 June 2019.

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‘Million megawatt smile’: Friends pay tribute to Victorian MP Jane Garrett at state memorial service

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Former Labor minister celebrated as one of the state’s ‘most respected daughters’

Victorian Labor MP Jane Garrett has been remembered as a courageous and principled politician and a doting mother of three during a memorial service in Melbourne.

Family, friends and state and federal parliamentarians from across the political divide gathered at a state memorial at the Brunswick town hall – in the MP’s former electorate – on Friday morning to pay tribute to Garrett.

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Victoria lifts work from home recommendation but public transport mask mandate to stay

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State government cites falling Covid case numbers and the end of winter as it announces decision

The Victorian government has lifted its recommendation that people work from home but has vowed to maintain its public transport mask mandate, despite the requirement due to be dropped on domestic flights from next week.

Citing falling Covid case numbers and the end of winter, the state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, said Victorians were now encouraged to cease working from home.

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Casino regulator launches investigation into Crown Resorts for providing credit to gamble

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Royal commission found bank and blank cheques had been exchanged for chips at Crown in Melbourne in breach of restrictions

Victoria’s casino regulator has taken action against Crown Resorts for the third time this year, launching an investigation into the use of bank and blank cheques by gamblers that could result in a fine of up to $100m.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) is investigating Crown after findings by a royal commission that it provided credit to gamble at its Melbourne casino, which is against the law in Victoria.

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Close of business: NSW government gives rail union deadline to end industrial action

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Government to seek termination of enterprise agreement unless further action is ruled out before weekend

The New South Wales government will seek to terminate the enterprise agreement of thousands of rail workers and scrap a deal to modify a multi-billion dollar fleet of trains unless the union agrees to end all industrial action by 5pm Friday.

In a dramatic step that could set the stage for a prolonged court battle, the government wrote to the head of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU), Alex Claassens, and threatened to file an application with the Fair Work Commission to terminate the agreement.

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Concern ‘culture of fear’ will remain within NSW Health after new watchdog ruled out

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Creation of new ombudsman was recommended by damning inquiry into regional health services

Experts worry that a “culture of fear” within the New South Wales health system will not be stamped out and patients will be at risk, after the state government ruled out the creation of a new independent watchdog as recommended by a recent inquiry.

Handing down its response to the damning parliamentary inquiry into regional health on Thursday, the government said it supported in part, or in full, 41 of 44 recommendations, and “noted” the remaining three.

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Labor pledges ‘immediate’ workplace changes at jobs summit – as it happened

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The first day of the jobs and skills summit is under way in Canberra. This blog is now closed

Every Australian ‘holds a stake’ in outcome of jobs and skills summit, PM says

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, finishes his opening address at the jobs and skills summit on a note of wanting to promote unity. He says:

Australians have conflict fatigue.

Every Australian holds a stake in the outcome of our discussion.

The work of building a stronger economy should include everyone, should lift everyone up.

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