Category Archives: Australia news

Melissa Caddick’s severed foot could have floated to beach after 93 days under water, expert says

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Oceanographer tells inquest it was entirely possible Caddick’s body entered the water when she was last seen in November 2020

An ocean expert says the severed foot of missing alleged fraudster Melissa Caddick could have travelled from Sydney cliffs before washing up on the NSW South Coast months later.

An examination of goose barnacles found on the foot show it was likely floating off the NSW coastline for three to seven days before appearing on Bournda beach – 400km from Caddick’s Dover Heights mansion.

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AGL will close Victoria’s coal-fired power station Loy Yang A a decade early

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Energy company accelerates its exit from coal, although timeline for closure of Bayswater in the NSW Hunter Valley remains unchanged

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AGL Energy will shut down Australia’s biggest single carbon polluting power plant a decade earlier than planned, changing the closure date of its coal-fired Loy Yang A power station in Victoria from 2045 to 2035.

The company, Australia’s biggest electricity generator and polluter, is accelerating its exit from coal, according to plan released to the stock exchange on Thursday. . The strategy details its transition to renewable energy after opposition from its largest shareholder, billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, forced it in May to ditch plans to demerge.

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Australian taxpayers paid $110,000 for federal ministers’ legal bills in last financial year

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Documents reveal legal assistance was approved for former PM Scott Morrison in relation to a defamation claim made against him on 9 June 2020

Taxpayers have forked out $110,000 for federal ministers’ legal bills in the last financial year, including $4,000 to defend Scott Morrison against a 2020 defamation claim.

Documents tabled in parliament on Tuesday reveal taxpayers are on the hook for a pipeline of potential new cases, including former superannuation minister Jane Hume’s legal bills in a defamation stoush with Simon Holmes à Court.

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Man jailed over involvement in identity theft syndicate that laundered millions of dollars

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Detectives found Karthik Pappu’s fingerprints on a book containing information about 305 bank accounts and 68 compromised identities

A man who was part of a syndicate that stole identities before laundering millions of dollars through jewellers and a coffee shop has been sentenced to six years in jail.

Karthik Pappu, who pleaded guilty to one charge of money laundering, was identified by police investigating a cold calling scheme in which victims provided offenders with access to their computers before being tricked out of money, a Brisbane court was told on Wednesday.

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Australia news live: government asks Optus to pay for new passports after data breach; severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney

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Prime minister says Labor believes ‘Optus should pay, not taxpayers’ after customer data compromised. Follow the day’s news

Election wash-up

As we reported yesterday, the AEC will be appearing at the electoral matters parliamentary committee hearing this morning.

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Queensland government pledges to end reliance on coal-fired power by 2035

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Annastacia Palaszczuk says state is facing a ‘climate emergency’ while unveiling $62bn energy plan

Queensland will end its reliance on coal-fired power by 2035 under a 10-year $62bn energy plan to create a clean “super-grid” of solar, wind and hydroelectric power.

In a historic announcement for a state known for its coal mining, the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said Queensland was facing a “climate emergency” and a bold vision was needed.

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Queensland lab failed to identify DNA from nine semen samples in rape case, inquiry told

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Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing hears police demanded retesting, resulting in profile found to match offender

Fears crucial evidence was being missed by the government-run forensic lab prompted Queensland police to call for a thorough review of DNA thresholds.

A public hearing of the Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing heard on Wednesday the relationship between police and the facility deteriorated as serious questions arose over testing results.

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Restaurant Botanic in Adelaide named Australia’s restaurant of the year by Gourmet Traveller

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Chef Justin James combines native flavours and exotic botanics to create a 20-something-course menu

Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic has won restaurant of the year at Gourmet Traveller’s annual awards night, which were announced in-person at a gala event on Tuesday, after being cancelled in 2020 and held online last year.

The restaurant, headed by chef Justin James and located in the middle of the South Australian capital’s botanic gardens, opened just 14 months ago after the gardens’ previous restaurant underwent a transformation. James uses plants from the surrounds, combining native flavours and more exotic botanics to create a 20-something-course menu that unfolds over at least four hours.

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‘Confused’ Anthony Koletti excused from giving evidence at Melissa Caddick inquest

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Coroner tells husband of businesswoman who vanished in late 2020: ‘If you are unable to give truthful answers that is not going to assist me’

The husband of alleged fraudster Melissa Caddick was too distressed to continue giving evidence at his wife’s inquest on Wednesday after saying he couldn’t understand the “confusing” questions.

Anthony Koletti returned to the witness box at the New South Wales coroner’s court but the deputy state coroner, Elizabeth Ryan, asked him to step down about lunchtime as his answers were not helpful.

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Bowie’s handwritten Starman lyrics sell for stellar £200,000

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Price five times more than estimate as A4 sheet bought by Tasmanian museum official acting for private collector

David Bowie’s handwritten lyrics to his 1972 song Starman have sold for more than £200,000 at auction, five times their estimated sale price.

The song featured on his fifth album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which propelled the musician to international rock and pop stardom.

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‘Early signs get missed’: moves to support Australian families whose children refuse to go to school

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Expert says it’s vital to change how student absences are recorded to better track school refusal

Teachers across New South Wales will learn to deal with families struggling with school refusal, with about a third of students in years 1 to 10 missing more than 90% of classes over the course of a semester last year.

But an expert on the problem said it is vital that all states and territories change how student absences are recorded to better track school refusal.

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Australia urged to adopt 75% emissions reduction target by 2035 if it is to reach net zero

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Investor Group on Climate Change says clear price on carbon needed and removal of all fossil fuel subsidies by 2050

Australia needs an ambitious 75% emissions reduction target by 2035, a clear price on carbon, and to remove all fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 in order to unlock the investment needed to reach net zero by 2050, according to a new report.

The Investor Group on Climate Change has released its policy priorities report for 2022-2025, outlining key areas for reform that would align Australia’s emissions target to the Paris goal of limiting warming to 1.5C and ensure the country was able to manage an “orderly” retreat from coal.

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Canola field selfies: Australian farmers warn tourists against ‘dangerous’ social media trend

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In spring, Instagram is awash with people posing in yellow fields, but farmers say the fad is a risk to biosecurity and people’s safety

A social media trend where eager tourists drive out to flowering canola fields, jump fences and seek out the perfect selfie is becoming “dangerous” and a growing biosecurity risk for farmers.

Two weeks ago, Tim Condon was driving over the crest of a hill at about 90km/h near Harden–Murrumburrah in southern New South Wales when he had to slam on the brakes. He said two cars of families with little kids were spread out across the road taking photos of the canola.

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Australia’s Covid vaccine review recommends expansion of Novavax eligibility amid fears of Moderna shortfall

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Prof Jane Halton says country has not reached ‘Covid stable’ and suggests vaccination advertising campaigns continue to 2024

Australia’s vaccination advisory body is investigating whether to expand the availability of the Novavax Covid jab, amid concerns tens of millions of doses could be wasted due to recommendations it not be used as a general booster shot.

It comes as a review of Australia’s Covid vaccine procurement found the former Coalition government’s actions were “consistent with other high-income countries”, but warned of a potential shortfall in Moderna unless the Labor government orders more supply.

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NSW convenes first meeting of disaster taskforce ahead of more wet weather

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Task Force Hawk formed to address issues raised in an independent inquiry into floods earlier this year

Emergency agencies will brief a New South Wales government taskforce set up to improve the state’s response to disasters on Wednesday as residents brace for more wet weather in the third consecutive La Niña.

The meeting will be the first for Task Force Hawk – the newly formed permanent crisis committee of cabinet ministers and officials from the state’s emergency management agencies to learn from mistakes made during the February and March floods.

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Australia politics live: Labor amends Greens’ censure motion against Pauline Hanson; AEC to appear at electoral inquiry

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Shorten: ‘Optus hasn’t done enough’

Over on the Nine network Bill Shorten had a chat about Optus and the robodebt royal commission (Shorten has found his media niche in commercial tv, particularly breakfast shows).

Well, first of all, we want Optus to look after its customers. Based on what I’ve been told, Optus hasn’t done enough. They have done not enough to protect its customers and their follow up needs to be much more diligent. Clare O’Neil, our Minister for Home Affairs, is coordinating our response. I think it’s time for a giant overhaul- or not a giant overhaul, but a big overhaul of how data’s kept by our large corporations. So we’re doing everything we can to try and apprehend the hackers. But there’s no doubt that the defences of the company were, as I’ve been informed, inadequate, and they’ve got to reach out and support their customers. That’s what we want to do.

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Labor’s national anti-corruption commission to hold ‘most’ hearings in private

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Attorney general Mark Dreyfus also confirms integrity commission will be able to investigate conduct retrospectively

Labor is facing a backlash from the crossbench over its decision for the national anti-corruption commission to hold “most” of its hearings in private with public hearings limited to “exceptional circumstances”.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday the high bar for public hearings was the “right setting” to avoid “reputational harm”, but did not rule out that it was included at the Liberal opposition’s request.

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Three Sydney ferries taken out of service after steering problems

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Fleet review ordered after two Emerald-class vessels developed steering issues in as many days

Three second-generation Emerald-class Sydney ferries have been pulled from service on the harbour and a review of the fleet ordered, after two vessels developed steering issues in recent days.

The immediate review of the second generation Emerald-class fleet has been ordered by the New South Wales transport minister, David Elliott, who said Transport For NSW would provide him with a report within two weeks.

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Climate activist avoids jail over Sydney tunnel protest after court hears of flood trauma

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Mali Cooper discharged into psychologist’s care after locking themself to steering wheel of a car to block traffic

A climate activist who disrupted peak-hour traffic in central Sydney has avoided conviction after a court was told of the trauma they suffered during the Lismore floods.

Mali Poppy Cooper, who uses they pronouns, locked themself onto the steering wheel of a car on the eastern approach to the Sydney Harbour tunnel in June.

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Australia’s financial sector will pay customers $7.2bn for wrongdoing, regulator says

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Australian Securities and Investments Commission issues guide for paying compensation and tells companies to pay up quickly

The compensation banks and other financial institutions will pay as a result of their wrongdoing towards customers will reach $7.2bn, the corporate regulator says.

The deputy chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Karen Chester, said the regulator wanted to stop its hands-on involvement in remediation schemes – a program that’s been under way since the mid-2010s, when widespread misconduct in the sector was first uncovered.

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