Category Archives: Australia news

End to Covid leave payment and RAT subsidy ‘disincentives’ for casuals to be tested

Posted on by

Australian Council of Social Services says end of supports amid new wave of virus leaves insecure workers more exposed

Lilly Hallett has become accustomed to regular lentil meals amid recent spiralling costs of living as a way to curb everyday expenses.

But the Melbourne-based casual call centre employee is also now trying to stash away part of her income in case she becomes reinfected with Covid, amid a surge in cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

Continue reading...

NSW poker machine laws may increase risk of money laundering, says crime commission

Posted on by

NSW Crime Commission issues paper also asks whether poker machine credit limits should be lowered

The New South Wales Crime Commission has suggested some of the state’s gambling laws have increased the risk of money laundering through poker machines, while raising the prospect of “significantly” reducing their credit limits in clubs.

This comes as anti-gambling advocates dismissed an “utterly cynical” proposal from lobby group Clubs NSW for a new “code of practice” that would allow family members of gambling addicts to request they be banned from venues.

Continue reading...

CSIRO joins deep-sea mining project in Pacific as islands call for industry halt

Posted on by

Agency to lead consortium in scheme targeting battery materials while conservationists say Australia on ‘wrong side of debate’

Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, has agreed to work with a controversial deep-sea mining project in the Pacific as a fourth island nation joins a call for a moratorium on the industry.

CSIRO will lead a consortium of scientists from Australia and New Zealand to help the Metals Company (TMC) develop an environmental management plan for its project, which is backed by the Nauru government.

Continue reading...

Cop27 summit must focus on how world will adapt to climate change, says UN envoy

Posted on by

Mahmoud Mohieldin tells Sydney audience Egypt talks will need to get from ‘summits to solutions’ amid increasing wild weather

Mahmoud Mohieldin, the United Nations climate change high-level champion for Egypt, says November’s Cop27 summit must focus on adapting to life in a changing climate and grapple with finance for loss and damage given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

Mohieldin told the Sydney Energy Forum on Wednesday adaptation had been “forgotten for many years” at UN climate conferences “because of a generous assumption that we are going to be doing fantastically well on mitigation, so nobody should worry about adaptation”.

Continue reading...

More than 700 aged care Covid outbreaks – as it happened

Posted on by

Cockroach alert at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane

As the Maroons and Blues prepare to face off in the State of Origin final decider tonight, another showdown is occurring between the SES and the “influx” of cockroaches in the stadium where the final will take place.

To be very clear, my government has not made this decision, this is a decision that was inherited from the former government and state governments.

I’d encourage concession cardholders to go and get the 10 free rapid antigen tests that they’re eligible for by the end of this month. There’s still a lot of time to go and do that. Of course, on top of that, there are free rapid antigen tests available in aged care facilities, across a range of areas as well in addition to that.

Continue reading...

‘Too ugly to be raped’: Queensland inquiry hears police were dismissive of domestic violence victims

Posted on by

Officer gives evidence of colleagues describing rapes in intimate relationships as ‘surprise sex’, and saying they ‘deserved to be raped’

A Queensland police officer broke into tears as he told a commission of inquiry that he witnessed domestic violence victims being turned away and colleagues claiming some victims “deserved to be raped”.

The officer, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, gave evidence that he had heard colleagues make offensive remarks about victims who were raped in intimate relationships, claiming it was “surprise sex” or they “deserved to be raped”.

Continue reading...

Byron Bay becomes winter wonderland after freak hail storm

Posted on by

Seaside town left covered in ‘snow’ after warm trough collides with frigid air mass

A severe hail storm in northern New South Wales has left the seaside town of Byron Bay looking like a winter wonderland.

Locals from around the northern rivers region took to social media to share images of the usually sun-kissed town covered in a snow-like layer of ice after the extreme weather event late on Tuesday.

Continue reading...

‘We are family’: Anthony Albanese meets Solomon Islands PM amid tension over China deal

Posted on by

Manasseh Sogavare says relationship with Australia is ‘strong’ despite his recent security pact with Beijing

Anthony Albanese has met with the Solomon Islands prime minister in Suva to discuss their common interests of climate change and regional security issues, despite recent tensions between the two nations over China.

It is the first time that Albanese has met Manasseh Sogavare. The relationship between the countries has become increasingly tense since the signing of the controversial security pact with China earlier this year, but ahead of the meeting Albanese reiterated the importance of the relationship and said it “will be even better after this afternoon”.

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

Continue reading...

‘Millions’ of Australians will be infected with Covid in coming weeks, health minister says

Posted on by

Mark Butler is urging Australians to get their booster jabs as case numbers rise and pandemic supports are scaled back

The Australian health minister, Mark Butler, has warned “millions” of people will be infected by Covid in coming weeks, urging Australians to take boosters even as the government winds down other Covid supports.

On Wednesday, Anthony Albanese, doubled down on the federal government’s decision not to extend free rapid antigen tests for concession card holders beyond 31 July.

Continue reading...

‘Exceptionally rare’: Australian scientists find 17 dinosaur teeth in Queensland

Posted on by

Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum in Winton first discovered 12 sauropod teeth in 2019, with a further five uncovered

Scientists have unearthed 17 teeth from a giant herbivorous dinosaur that roamed Queensland millions of years ago in an “exceptionally rare” Australian find.

The teeth were discovered near the western Queensland town of Winton, which palaeontologists believe was at the edge of an inland ocean around 96 million years ago.

Continue reading...

Police remove two Chinese defence attaches from Pacific Islands Forum meeting

Posted on by

Fijian police escort the men from media space where US vice-president Kamala Harris was making virtual address

Two Chinese defence attaches have been kicked out by Fijian police from a Pacific Islands Forum meeting at which the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, was giving a virtual address.

The men were sitting in on a session of the forum’s fisheries agency at which Harris announced the step-up of US engagement in the region, believed to be in response to China’s growing influence.

Continue reading...

‘Have you recently had an abortion?’ Australian transiting through US questioned then deported

Posted on by

Madolline Gourley says she was on her way to Canada for a holiday when US immigration officials intervened

An Australian woman who planned to house-sit in Canada during a holiday has said she was detained, fingerprinted, interrogated about her abortion history and quickly deported during a stopover in the US.

Madolline Gourley, a Brisbane resident, says she was treated like a criminal during her transit through Los Angeles on 30 June, where she was detained at the border due to suspicions about her intention to house- and cat-sit in exchange for accommodation while holidaying in Canada.

Continue reading...

Power struggle with China and regional rift in focus as Anthony Albanese heads to Pacific Islands forum

Posted on by

Absence of Kiribati from the meeting is ‘really devastating’ to the body’s long-term strategy, security expert says

When Anthony Albanese touches down in Suva on Wednesday to attend his first Pacific Islands Forum, he will be walking in to a regional meeting that is putting on a brave face.

While it had been thought that the forum would be focused on the growing influence of China and as an opportunity for Australia to showcase its new climate credentials, Albanese will arrive to a group wrestling with other problems.

Continue reading...

Origin site of oldest Martian meteorite ‘Black Beauty’ named after WA mining town

Posted on by

Researchers used AI to pinpoint the meteorite’s crater on Mars’ southern hemisphere, naming it Karratha, a city close to the Pilbara region

Artificial intelligence has helped pinpoint the exact origin site of the oldest Martian meteorite, in a discovery researchers say provides clues about the planet’s early history.

The meteorite, commonly known as “Black Beauty” and officially called Northwest Africa 7034, contains the oldest known Martian igneous material, which is approximately 4.5bn years old. It was found in the Sahara Desert in 2011.

Continue reading...

US announces new embassies in major Pacific push as it jostles with China for influence in region

Posted on by

Vice-president Kamala Harris has announced postings in Kiribati and Tonga as leaders gather in Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum

The US has announced a major step-up in its engagement with the Pacific region, including the establishment of new embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, in moves that will be seen as attempts to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, made the announcement on Tuesday, as Pacific leaders gathered in Suva, Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum, the most significant regional meeting.

Continue reading...

Parents forced to spend hundreds to chaperone teenagers at Splendour in the Grass after late rule change

Posted on by

Under-18s who can’t find adult supervision for music festival scramble to resell tickets

Splendour in the Grass, one of Australia’s largest outdoor music festivals, has been thrown into chaos, with changes to terms and conditions of entry made less than two weeks out from the event.

Young ticket holders for the 2022 festival – the first held in three years due to Covid-19 – learned on Monday that if they are under the age of 18, they must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

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

Continue reading...

Sydney’s North Cronulla beach almost vanishes after wild weather causes severe erosion

Posted on by

A lifeguard tower was left teetering on a cliff edge and had to be relocated, after constant huge swells battered the shoreline

Part of Cronulla beach has been closed to the public for safety reasons after a lifeguard tower was left teetering on a cliff edge and had to be relocated, after constant huge swells eroded the beach.

Weeks of rain and wild weather have severely eroded beaches in some coastal regions of New South Wales.

Continue reading...

Breaking from China’s clean energy dominance ‘imperative’, US and Australia say after new climate tech deal

Posted on by

New agreement to fast-track climate solutions signed as countries underscore need for diversified supply chains

The US and Australia have stressed the importance of breaking the near-complete reliance on China for zero emissions technology supplies while signing a new agreement that promises to accelerate the development of climate solutions.

In a joint press conference in Sydney, the US energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, and the Australian climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, announced a “net zero technology acceleration partnership”, including an initial focus on long-duration energy storage and digitising power grids.

Continue reading...

Privacy watchdog to investigate Bunnings and Kmart over use of facial recognition technology

Posted on by

Information commissioner will look into the personal information handling practices of the retail giants

Australia’s privacy watchdog has launched an investigation into retail giants Bunnings and Kmart over their use of facial recognition technology in some stores.

Consumer group Choice last month revealed Bunnings and Kmart were using the technology – which captures images of people’s faces from video cameras as a unique faceprint that is then stored and can be compared with other faceprints – in what the companies say is a move to protect customers and staff and reduce theft in select stores.

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

Continue reading...

Queensland woman who tried to smother father in aged care says he begged her to ‘please just kill me’

Posted on by

Rebecca Louise Burden pleads guilty to attempted murder but tells court she believes ‘I am a good person who made a grave mistake’

The first time Rebecca Louise Burden was allowed to visit her father after Covid restrictions lifted at his aged care home, she tried to smother him with a cushion.

Burden has told a court her “lapse of judgment” came after her 68-year-old father – who had a brain injury and severe dementia – asked her to “please just kill me”.

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

Continue reading...