Category Archives: Australia news

Storm Sanders and John Peers break Australia’s 21-year drought with mixed doubles title

Posted on by
  • Sanders & Peers defeat Flipkens & Roger-Vasselin 4-6 6-4 [10-7]
  • Old friends win Australia’s first US Open mixed doubles title in 21 years

John Peers and Storm Sanders have produced a memorable triumph at the US Open, becoming the first Australian pair to win the mixed doubles title in 21 years in their first grand slam together.

The new combination had to battle from a set down to defeat Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6 6-4 [10-7] in Saturday’s high-quality final in New York.

Continue reading...

‘Collector’s item’: Australians utilise quirk that entitles citizens to free portrait of the Queen

Posted on by

Under little-known nationhood obligation, MPs supply patriotic objects including flags, national anthem recordings and portraits of the monarch

When Helen Browne woke to the news of the Queen’s death, she rang her federal MP.

Browne was hoping to secure one of the last complimentary portraits of Elizabeth II on offer in Australia, part of a little-known entitlement to citizens under a nationhood obligation.

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

Continue reading...

Australian travel industry braces for ‘influx’ as royalists plan to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

Posted on by

Guardian Australia understands the few remaining Qantas seats from Australian capital cities to London have been quickly booked since the news of monarch’s death

Australia’s travel industry says it is bracing for an “influx” of Australians deciding to travel to London to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

Guardian Australia understands the very few remaining Qantas seats from Australian capital cities to London have been quickly booked since the news of the Queen’s death. Peter Hosper, the commercial director of Travel Authority Group, said his agency was preparing for more inquiries on Monday.

Continue reading...

King Charles’s ascension ignites debate over royals across Commonwealth

Posted on by

Head of state role in doubt in realms from Jamaica to New Zealand after death of Queen Elizabeth II

King Charles’s ascension to the throne has reignited a debate over whether the royal family deserves a global role in the 21st century, no more so than in the 14 Commonwealth realms where the British monarch remains the head of state.

A legacy of empire and slavery that was entwined with British royalty for centuries has raised tough questions about the place of a foreign king, and republican movements from the Pacific to North America to the Caribbean will be assessing whether they should seize the moment.

Continue reading...

PM hails monarch as ‘absolute inspiration’ as leaders lay wreaths at Parliament House – as it happened

Posted on by

Prime minister, opposition leader and governor general take part in ceremony. This blog is now closed

Prime minister Anthony Albanese and the governor general, David Hurley, are now walking towards the statue of the Queen, together with speaker of the house Milton Dick.

A crowd of parliamentarians and dignitaries are gathering at the Queen’s Terrace area of Canberra’s Parliament House, where a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at a statue of Queen Elizabeth.

Continue reading...

Australians in ‘acute crisis’ urge PM to ease welfare penalties for working more hours

Posted on by

People on disability pensions say they should be able to work more without having their financial support reduced

For Angela Finch, prime minister Anthony Albanese’s retelling of his story about growing up as the son of a single mother in Sydney’s public housing is wearing thin.

“His mum could not do what she did today, like she just couldn’t,” Finch told Guardian Australia, adding that soaring costs and restrictions on how much she can work before losing her welfare funding were terrifying her.

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

Continue reading...

‘Everything kicked into gear’: how Australia’s media covered the Queen’s death

Posted on by

Broadcasters launched well-rehearsed plans – including pre-planned outfits – when news broke in the early morning

The sombre black outfits have been ready for years, the studio rehearsals done many times and the obituaries and highlights packages were ready.

Like the BBC and ITV, Australian broadcasters had careful plans to launch on the death of the Queen.

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

Continue reading...

Condolences and condemnation: Indigenous people and people of colour react to the death of Queen Elizabeth II

Posted on by

While some have offered unflinching takes on the damage of British colonisation, others say the monarch held ‘a special place’ in their hearts

The reaction to the death of the Queen among Indigenous people and people of colour, including those from Commonwealth nations, has been swift and, at times, unflinching.

For many the Queen was the personification of British colonisation and the damage it has wreaked in their countries – and they were not afraid to say so. Yet others expressed their condolences for the monarch who has long held “a special place” in their hearts.

Continue reading...

Brisbane stun Melbourne with second-half comeback in dramatic AFL final

Posted on by
  • Lions beat reigning premier Demons 14.8 (92) to 11.13 (79)
  • Brisbane head back to MCG for preliminary final with Geelong

Eric Hipwood kicked four goals to help Brisbane bury their MCG hoodoo with a thrilling AFL semifinal comeback win over bogey side Melbourne. The Lions rallied from 28 points down late in the second quarter, kicking 11 goals to five after half-time to snatch a 14.8 (92) to 11.13 (79) victory in front of 62,162 fans.

The see-sawing affair continued a bumper finals series after a thrilling opening week. It was Brisbane’s first win at the MCG since 2014, ending an 11-match losing streak, and came after four straight defeats to the Demons by an average of 44 points over the last two years.

Continue reading...

AFL semi-finals 2022: Brisbane Lions defeat Melbourne by 13 points – as it happened

Posted on by
  • Brisbane knock out premiers in upset at the MCG
  • Melbourne 11.13 (79) defeated by Brisbane Lions 14.8 (92)

A busy start for Petracca. Three touches in the first three minutes. Remember that he’s playing tonight with a fracture in his leg; the fitness test will come in time.

1st quarter (18:50 remaining) Melbourne 0.1 (1) vs Brisbane 0.0 (0) Luke Jackson deep into the AFL Members pocket gets a left boot on a snap and it snaked around like a Damien Fleming outswinger all the way to the goal mouth but is touched on the line. That would have been a brilliant goal from the big man to start this final.

Continue reading...

Republic debate flares as Australia mourns its longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II

Posted on by

Governor general says Queen ‘a symbol of stability, inspiration and servant leadership’ as PM calls 1954 visit ‘a defining moment in our nation’s history’

The death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the ascension of King Charles III as sovereign, has reanimated republican debate in Australia, as the country formally pays tribute to its longest-serving monarch, “a symbol of stability, inspiration and servant leadership”.

Australia’s governor general, David Hurley, described the late monarch as an “example of selfless service, devotion to duty and compassion”.

Continue reading...

‘Constant and reassuring’: global media pay tribute after death of the Queen

Posted on by

New York Times says Elizabeth II ‘projected stability’; Japan’s Asahi Shimbun says she ‘cared about post-war reconciliation’

Newspapers in the Commonwealth and beyond have led with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with many paying tribute to her accomplishments during seven decades on the throne. Some speculated on how the monarchy might change under King Charles III.

The Washington Post’s Twitter account followed the sober format preferred by newspapers in the UK, its front page showing a black-and-white portrait of a smiling Queen against a black background.

Continue reading...

Australia reacts to monarch’s passing – as it happened

Posted on by

The prime minister Anthony Albanese is addressing the nation about the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

He said it is a loss that is “felt deeply in Australia”. The Queen was a rare and reassuring constant in a period of massive change, he said, and was the only monarch to visit Australia, which she did 16 separate times.

There is comfort to be found in Her Majesty’s own words. “Grief is the price we pay for love.”

This is a loss we feel deeply in Australia. Queen Elizabeth II is the only reigning monarch most of us have known, and the only one to ever visit Australia. Over the course of a remarkable seven decades, Her Majesty was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change. Through the noise and turbulence of the years, she embodies and exhibited a timeless decency and enduring calm. Her

Continue reading...

Melbourne Tinder swindler sentenced to 22 months in a Victorian prison

Posted on by

Christopher Collins pleaded guilty to 24 charges including financial deception offences, fraud and theft

Within hours of meeting Christopher Collins on Tinder, a Melbourne woman had been swindled of thousands of dollars, a court has heard.

But that was just the beginning of her nightmare. As the court was told, weeks of manipulation followed, including threats of blackmail.

Continue reading...

Sydney train strikes: NSW government and rail unions to seek conciliation next week

Posted on by

The union is seeking a 3.5% annual wage rise, with an additional cost-of-living supplement

The New South Wales government and rail unions will seek to resolve a long-running dispute by conciliation before the Fair Work Commission next week.

The commission’s deputy president, Bryce Cross, had initially rejected a bid by Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink applying to enter conciliation during a hearing on Friday.

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

Continue reading...

Guardian Essential poll: 64% of young voters would consider backing independents in NSW and Victorian elections

Posted on by

After success of federal ‘teals’, about half of all respondents are thinking about a shift away from major parties

About half of voters – and more than two-thirds of young people – are considering backing independents at the upcoming Victorian and New South Wales state elections, in a trend described as the “Uberisation” of politics.

The latest Guardian Essential poll shows 48% of 1,100 respondents in Victoria and NSW are considering voting for an independent if one were to run in their electorate.

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

Continue reading...

Apparent rise in use of fire in domestic violence attacks must be investigated, expert says

Posted on by

Research into cases of arson and burn injuries suggests links between use or threat of fire, and domestic and family violence

The apparent increase in the use of fire, petrol “dousing” or related threats by perpetrators of domestic and family violence requires greater attention from researchers and authorities, one of Australia’s leading legal experts on domestic violence says.

Domestic violence support services in Queensland have previously expressed concern that the volume of domestic cases involving fire had increased since reporting on the killing of Hannah Clarke and her children, in early 2020.

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

Continue reading...

Labor concerned about apparent national security committee ‘leak’ in book on Morrison government

Posted on by

Plagued, which revealed Scott Morrison’s multiple ministries, also details secret discussions on China, defence and border closures

The government’s new chair of the intelligence and security committee, Peter Khalil, says he is “absolutely concerned” about what appear to be leaks from the national security committee of cabinet contained in a recently published book.

Plagued, which was written by Simon Benson and Geoff Chambers and revealed how Scott Morrison appointed himself to multiple ministries in his government, also contained details of previously secret deliberations of Australia’s national security committee (NSC) of cabinet.

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

Continue reading...

‘Controversial’ proposal would see young NSW men banned from driving until they turn 21

Posted on by

Road safety experts say more needs to be done to reduce fatalities by focusing on young men

Men would be banned from getting a driver’s licence until they are 21 under a “controversial” proposal being made to the New South Wales government.

The proposal is one of several being made by road safety experts, who say more needs to be done to reduce road fatalities by focusing on young drivers – and particularly young men.

Continue reading...

Australia defeat New Zealand by 113 runs in second one-day international – as it happened

Posted on by

4th over: Australia 14-2 (Smith 6, Labuschagne 3) Marnus joins his mentor at the crease with green and gold backs against the wall. He’s away straight off with a pretty on-drive for three. Smith then repeats the shot bit gets a bit more oomph on it and it goes to the rope.

I’ve not had time to slurp my Kenco with this rapid start, it’s now tepid at best. Tough gig eh. It’s creeping up to 6am here in London, if you are out there then do drop me a line with your thoughts and/or theories.

Continue reading...