Category Archives: Australia news

Queensland officers investigated colleagues from same police station over ‘failure of duty’ allegations

Posted on by

Over five weeks of hearings, inquiry has heard allegations of police failures toward domestic violence victims

One in five allegations about Queensland police failures in responding to domestic violence complaints were investigated by officers working at the same station or work group, a commission of inquiry has heard.

The inquiry was told of 126 “failure of duty” allegations against the Queensland police service (QPS) recorded in the year to 30 May. Of those, 26 were investigated by an officer in the same station or work group, while 20 allegations were examined by someone of the same or lesser rank, the inquiry heard.

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

Continue reading...

John Barilaro-linked developer met with then NSW minister Eleni Petinos weeks before work ban lifted

Posted on by

Barilaro was not present at 2 June meeting and Petinos says she ‘did not take any action in relation to the matters’ raised by company

Sacked New South Wales minister Eleni Petinos held two meetings with a property developer linked to the former deputy premier John Barilaro weeks prior to the lifting of a stop-work order at a $500m development in Sydney’s west.

New ministerial diaries published on Tuesday show Petinos held two meetings with Coronation Property in June relating to “fair trading building related matters”.

Continue reading...

Australia calls for ‘return to calm’ amid Taiwan drills as Beijing demands Canberra ‘respect China’s core interests’

Posted on by

China’s foreign ministry said Australia should ‘respect China’s core interests’ and ‘avoid creating new obstacles for China-Australia ties’

Australia has again called for an end to China’s military drills near Taiwan, and a “return to calm”, as China has demanded that Australia stop interfering in its affairs.

China has been conducting live-fire drills near Taiwan in the wake of a visit from the US house speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Australia does not recognise Taiwan as a country under the One China policy, but maintains unofficial ties. The US recognises the One China policy without agreeing with it.

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

Continue reading...

Flood inquiry finds serious failures by agencies and calls for Resilience NSW to be scrapped

Posted on by

NSW upper house inquiry identifies problems with the SES and says grant processes were ‘confusing’

A scathing report into the devastating 2022 New South Wales floods has found government agencies including the SES “failed” in the “greatest time of need” and has recommended the lead recovery agency, Resilience NSW, be abolished.

The upper house inquiry into the deadly flooding events made 21 findings and 37 recommendations, including a call for the state government to finalise long-term housing plans for flood-affected residents in places like Lismore.

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

Continue reading...

SES and Resilience NSW ‘failed’ to lead flood response, inquiry finds – as it happened

Posted on by

New threatened species listings include south-eastern glossy black-cockatoo

Two Australian species that were badly affected by the 2019-20 black summer bushfires have been officially listed as threatened.

The damage caused by the black summer bushfires is still being felt today and can be seen reflected in these listings today.

The fires had an immense impact on our environment, from a small reptile found in the mountains to a bird that is at home on the coast. There is still a lot of work to do.

It seems as though these positions are being offered around almost like lolly bags to senior members of the New South Wales government rather than what they’re intended to be, which is senior positions funded by the taxpayer. We shouldn’t operate like that in New South Wales. We’re slowly but surely finding out the contours of what is an absolute scandal.

There’s many questions to be asked. At the end of the day we’re expected to believe of the 8 million people who live in New South Wales, John Barilaro was independently chosen to represent our interests. I think that ... stretches credibility.

Continue reading...

Australia’s highest and lowest income suburbs: how does your postcode compare?

Posted on by

Western Australia’s Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove the top-earning area while five of the lowest are in regional NSW

Australia’s highest and lowest income suburbs have been revealed in new data released by the Australian Taxation Office.

The data, based on nearly 15m tax returns from 2019-20, reveals the median income and super balances of Australians in each postcode across the country.

Continue reading...

‘Inhumane detention’: doctors for Australian jailed in Iraq warn Albanese government of his dire health

Posted on by

‘I fear that Australia will in short time be repatriated with the corpse of Mr [Robert] Pether’, say doctors of imprisoned engineer

Doctors for an Australian engineer jailed in Iraq have privately warned the Australian government of fears that Australia will be repatriating “a corpse” if his condition continues to rapidly deteriorate.

Robert Pether’s family have repeatedly raised fears about the 47-year-old’s health since he was jailed over a business dispute relating to the construction of a new headquarters for Iraq’s central bank, which Pether’s firm was working on.

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

Continue reading...

Child left ‘stateless’ after estranged Australian father couldn’t be reached for DNA test, court hears

Posted on by

In decision quashed by federal court, citizenship application was rejected despite father’s name on birth certificate and Medicare card

The Department of Home Affairs rejected an Australian-born child’s citizenship application after her estranged Australian father couldn’t be reached to provide a DNA test, which her lawyer says rendered her “stateless”.

In a decision quashed by the federal court, the overseas-born mother of the child was told the department did not have proof of a biological link to the father – despite his name being listed on the girl’s birth certificate and Medicare card, his payment of child support and photos of the pair together.

Continue reading...

CSIRO researchers identify 139 new species, including an ant that ‘babysits’ caterpillars

Posted on by

Other discoveries formally named and described include 131 insects and other invertebrates, four fish, three plants and a frog

A blind cave-dwelling weevil, an ant that protects the caterpillars of one of Australia’s rarest butterflies, and the first millipede to actually have more than 1000 legs were among 139 new species described by scientists at CSIRO in the past year.

Other discoveries formally named and described in scientific journals include 131 insects and other invertebrates, four fish, three plants and a frog.

Continue reading...

State government ‘disappointed’ as Queensland real estate peak body urges skirting of new eviction laws

Posted on by

Property managers are being advised to provide notices to leave when issuing fixed-term leases

Queensland’s housing department says “best practice” advice given by the state’s peak real estate body that would see every renter issued with notice to leave at the start of their lease is “disappointing” and “not in the spirit” of rent reforms.

But the tenants’ union is calling for the state government to go further, urging them to restrict the issuing of “Form 12s” and make it harder for renters to be removed without reason.

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

Continue reading...

Bushfire recovery groups blindsided by reports Resilience NSW might be axed

Posted on by

Community organisations in Cobargo say the agency, which has faced criticism, has done some good in protecting against fires

Community groups from a bushfire-ravaged village in the hinterland of the New South Wales south coast fear they will be abandoned amid reports the new government agency established to coordinate disaster recovery might be axed.

But critics of the organisation, created in response to the Black Summer bushfires in May 2020, say Resilience NSW is an ineffectual layer of bureaucracy whose funds would be better spent on frontline services.

Continue reading...

Blackmores subsidiary kept selling pregnancy vitamins despite hundreds of complaints, ex-employee alleges

Posted on by

Whistleblower says he was instructed to tell customers the products were safe to consume, despite lack of testing evidence

A subsidiary of the supplements company Blackmores left a pregnancy multivitamin on shelves for nearly a year despite hundreds of complaints that it was contaminated with mould-like black spots, a former staff member has alleged.

In a complaint to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Peter Ellis alleged FIT-BioCeuticals brushed aside concerns about its products, including pregnancy vitamins and vitamin D drops being used by a children’s hospital, in potential breach of quality regulations.

Continue reading...

‘Shitshow’ over John Barilaro’s NYC appointment keeps sucking the NSW government in

Posted on by

Analysis: Former deputy premier’s appearance at inquiry was always going to generate plenty of headlines

About 55m light years from Earth, a colossal black hole about 1,000 times larger than the sun known as M87 is slowly consuming the universe.

In New South Wales, there is John Barilaro, whose appointment to a New York trade role appears to be getting the job done much faster.

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

Continue reading...

Australia news live: no colleagues raised concerns about job application, John Barilaro tells inquiry

Posted on by

The former NSW deputy premier is appearing this morning at a parliamentary inquiry into his appointment to a US trade job

Queensland commits $22m for livestock biosecurity taskforce

Queensland will set up a taskforce to help protect the state’s livestock from “unprecedented biosecurity risks” amid the threat of foot and mouth disease on Australia’s doorstep, AAP reports.

David Elliott was never promised a job outside of politics. That is deeply offensive and wrong. People will always say from time to time, discussions will be had in relation to when someone retires what they would like to do, that is normal.

From time to time, members of parliament – when they’re seeking to leave politics – will talk to colleagues in relation to what they might want to do next.

At that time, minister Elliott did not want to recontest the next election, but was interested in being part of the team going forward.

Continue reading...

Tahlia McGrath plays amid Covid drama as Australia win Games cricket gold

Posted on by
  • All-rounder McGrath tests positive on morning of Edgbaston final
  • Australia win by nine runs to claim first women’s cricket gold

Australia’s all-conquering women’s cricket team continued their dominance of the sport after edging out India in the Commonwealth Games final at Edgbaston, but not before Covid-19 has served up a dose of drama.

Meg Lanning’s side secured a nine-run win to claim the first Commonwealth gold awarded to women in a tight match in which India threatened to pull off a remarkable run chase right to the death.

Continue reading...

Nick Kyrgios ends title drought with Citi Open victory in build-up to US Open

Posted on by
  • Australian wins first ATP Tour title in three years
  • Kyrgios beats Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-3 in Washington final

Nick Kyrgios’ career-best season has continued with the Australian securing his first ATP Tour title in three years with a straight-sets win in the final of the Citi Open in Washington.

Kyrgios took just 81 minutes to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-3, completing a tournament where he held serve 64 times without being broken. It is Kyrgios’s seventh ATP title and first since he won in Washington in 2019.

Continue reading...

Netballers win Australia’s 1,000th Commonwealth Games gold medal

Posted on by
  • Diamonds beat Jamaica 55-51 to claim gold after 2018 silver
  • Australia’s women beat India in T20 cricket final by nine runs

Another rush of gold in Birmingham saw Australia reach a major milestone as the Diamonds netball team claimed the nation’s 1,000th Commonwealth Games gold medal. It followed success – and another slice of history – for the women’s T20 cricketers at Edgbaston after they edged India by nine runs to win the first Commonwealth gold medal awarded to women.

Chef de Mission Petria Thomas said it was an honour to have led the team towards such a momentous occasion. “Australia has a long and proud sporting history, with this 1,000th gold medal cementing our spot at the top of the Commonwealth table,” said Thomas. “On behalf of the whole team, I congratulate the Diamonds in bringing home this significant medal in our amazing history and all those who have stood atop the podium at this year’s Games and all the Games, dating back to Hamilton in 1930.”

Continue reading...

Man charged with murder after girl fatally struck by car in Mount Isa

Posted on by

Police allege man drove directly into crowd of people in north-west Queensland city

A man has been charged with murder after a 13-year-old girl was fatally struck by a car in north-west Queensland.

Police say multiple people were allegedly involved in a large disturbance on a Mount Isa street about 2am on Saturday.

Continue reading...

‘I will continue killing foreigners’: soldier who shot dead unarmed Australians treated as ‘returning hero’ by Taliban

Posted on by

Exclusive: Hekmatullah, who killed three Australian soldiers, is living in a heavily protected luxury Kabul home after being freed from prison

Hekmatullah, the rogue Afghan soldier who killed three unarmed Australian diggers in Afghanistan a decade ago, is living in a luxury home in the capital Kabul, treated as a “returning hero” by the Taliban who released him from prison.

He has said he does not regret killing Australian soldiers, and has vowed he would again kill Australians, or anyone who opposes the Taliban.

Continue reading...

NSW premier denies promising David Elliott a job outside politics

Posted on by

Dominic Perrottet said he did discuss other potential roles with the NSW transport minister, but there was nothing guaranteed

The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has told a Sydney radio station he and David Elliott talked about potential jobs the transport minister could do after retiring from politics, but denies any promises were made.

It is the first time the under-pressure premier has directly responded to weekend reports he offered to create an overseas trade job for Elliott or make him the agent-general in London.

Continue reading...