Immigration detainee charged over alleged drug ring operating from inside Villawood detention centre

Police allege the man used an encrypted messaging service to deal drugs and coordinate a network of runners outside the Sydney facility

An immigration detainee and another man have been charged over an alleged drug ring operating from inside a detention facility.

Police say the 49-year-old dealt large amounts of methylamphetamine using an encrypted messaging service from Villawood immigration detention centre in Sydney’s west.

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NSW boys home grounds to be explored after possible ‘clandestine’ human burial sites revealed

Government move to engage archaeological specialists comes after ‘suspicious’ locations identified at Kinchela Aboriginal institution

The New South Wales government will engage a specialist to explore the site of a notorious boys home where locations “consistent with clandestine human burials” have been found using ground-penetrating radar.

In September, Guardian Australia revealed there are at least nine “suspicious” sites of possible graves on the grounds of Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home, one of the most violent and abusive institutions of the stolen generations era.

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Jabiluka decision ends long-running battle and preserves ‘some of the oldest rock art in the world’

‘There will never be mining’ at Northern Territory site, Albanese says as area becomes part of Kakadu national park

It’s the decades-long fight over uranium mining that pitted Indigenous owners against the resources industry.

Now it seems the war is over, with the Australian government moving to expand the Kakadu national park to protect the Jabiluka site from mining for ever.

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Australia, Canada and New Zealand leaders urge ceasefire in Gaza to end ‘catastrophic’ situation

Prime ministers release joint statement saying they are ‘gravely concerned about the prospect of further escalation across the region’

The prime ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand have declared that a ceasefire in Gaza is “needed desperately” and urged Israel to “listen to the concerns of the international community”.

In a strongly worded joint statement issued on Friday, the three leaders said they were “gravely concerned about the prospect of further escalation across the region”, including between Hezbollah and Israel.

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‘Amazonification’ of Australian live music industry hurting artists and crew, inquiry told

Union tells inquiry consumer watchdog should investigate and accuses Live Nation and competitor TEG of anti-competitive behaviour

Australia’s union for performing artists has accused the world’s largest live entertainment company of anti-competitive behaviour and called for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate the industry.

US-based multinational Live Nation became the focus of a parliamentary inquiry into the struggling live music sector on Friday, after previous public hearings identified sluggish recovery from Covid-19, rising insurance costs and changing audience habits as the causes behind the cancellation of dozens of music festivals over the past two years.

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AMA warns surgeries may be cancelled due to ‘unprecedented’ shortage of IV fluids across Australia

Non-cancer electives could be delayed as early as next week as TGA issues shortage alert for multiple products used in surgery and critical care

Surgeries could be cancelled as soon as next week due to an “unprecedented” shortage of intravenous fluids in Australian hospitals, the peak doctors’ body has warned.

The medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), issued a shortage alert on Friday for multiple intravenous (IV) fluid products, which are used in surgery and critical care.

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Labor seeks to avoid controversy over Palestine at NSW conference amid grassroots pressure

Delegates expect event to pass only what insiders consider the ‘bare minimum’ on recognition motions

Senior Labor figures are attempting to prevent an outbreak of discontent at this weekend’s New South Wales state conference, with delegates expecting the event to pass only what insiders consider the “bare minimum” on recognition motions.

Despite strong pushes from Labor branches and grassroots members for a strong statement on the recognition of Palestine and sanctions on the Israeli government, sources say the party is focused on avoiding a show of disunity.

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NSW EPA investigates consultant accused of faking contamination reports on childcare centre sites

More than 30 councils relied on reports during development approval process for 135 sites but EPA says no immediate risks to public health identified

An environmental consultant has been accused of falsifying laboratory sampling results in environmental reports that councils used when assessing 135 sites for development across New South Wales – including 24 childcare centres and a school.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority said on Friday it was investigating the allegations about Noel Child of N G Child & Associates and had begun visiting the affected childcare centres to “discuss the issues with the operators”.

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Ceasefire ‘needed desperately’, PM says in joint statement – as it happened

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Q: Will Malarndirri McCarthy, the assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, replace you?

Linda Burney said that was “way above [her] pay grade” but that McCarthy was a dear friend:

The most important thing is for me to support whoever it is in the role and to give them the space to be able to chart their own path … Aboriginal affairs is every minister’s responsibility, not just the minister for Indigenous Australians.

My job is to support that person as much as I can.

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Gladys Berejiklian loses legal challenge against Icac serious corrupt conduct finding

Former NSW premier sought review of corruption watchdog decision that she failed to declare a personal conflict of interest regarding two government grants

The former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has lost her legal challenge against an anti-corruption watchdog finding that she engaged in “serious corrupt conduct”.

Berejiklian had argued the finding by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) was invalid because the commissioner was no longer at Icac when the findings were handed down.

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Albanese is only losing two ministers – but replacing them won’t be straightforward

Two out means two up and two in. Beyond that simple calculation, reconfiguring Labor’s frontbench becomes more complicated

As Anthony Albanese prepares to reveal changes to his ministry on Sunday, the basic calculations are straightforward: two out means two up and two in.

The two confirmed ministerial resignations, from Linda Burney and Brendan O’Connor, create vacancies for two more from the left faction. If Albanese sticks strictly to the formula, it should be one from New South Wales, in place of Burney, and a Victorian in for O’Connor.

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Linda Burney hailed for ‘courage’ and ‘dedication’ amid departure as minister for Indigenous Australians

Burney, a Wiradjuri woman and the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the federal House of Representatives, has ‘a record of profound firsts’, PM says

Kindness, grace, resilience and integrity are the values Linda Burney says have driven her 21-year political career, and they were on display as she announced her departure as minister for Indigenous Australians on Thursday.

Burney is relinquishing the ministry but will stay on as the member for Barton until the next election. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he would announce her successor on Sunday.

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Elizabeth Struhs’ accused killers ‘felt at peace’ after deciding to stop her diabetes medication, court hears

Police recorded mother Kerrie Struhs saying child’s insulin was withheld after her father ‘experienced the power of God’, Queensland trial hears

A mother accused of killing her daughter told police she “did a lot of praying” when the eight-year-old stopped breathing after six days without her diabetes medication, a judge has heard.

Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, refused to enter a plea to the charge of manslaughter over the death of her daughter Elizabeth Rose Struhs on 7 January 2022.

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NSW Greens office targeted with Islamophobic and white supremacist graffiti

Police say they are searching for a male who allegedly vandalised the inner-west Sydney office in what is the latest political graffiti attack

Police are investigating after the New South Wales Greens’ office was graffitied with Islamophobic and white supremacist messages.

The graffiti, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning at the office in inner west Sydney, called an Islamic prophet a white supremacist.

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The bombshell legal ruling that made it impossible for Australia to delay sanctions against Israeli settlers

Labor is ‘carefully considering’ the ICJ findings on the occupied Palestinian territories – and soon it will have to give its view

It’s the bombshell legal ruling that made it politically impossible for the Australian government to continue to delay imposing sanctions on Israeli settlers.

While much of the Australian media were focused on the latest twists in the US presidential election, the international court of justice delivered sweeping findings against Israel’s conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories, ratcheting up pressure on all governments to take a firmer line.

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Nine newspapers staff vote for five-day strike on eve of Paris Olympics

Editorial staff from the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review, the Brisbane Times and WAtoday reject improved pay offer

Journalists employed by Nine Entertainment’s publishing division have voted overwhelmingly to strike over pay from Friday for five days, hampering the company’s coverage of the Paris Olympic Games.

Nine is the official broadcaster of the 2024 games, paying $100m for the broadcast rights for this year alone.

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Man dies after trying to drive truck on to NSW ferry; global sea ice levels hit record low – as it happened

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Q: Why target the individuals when it’s state policy?

Penny Wong said the Australian government has been “clear in terms of state-to-state relations about our view on settlements”.

They are unlawful under international law. We’ve been clear about that … We have also said that we want to continue to take steps towards a two-state solution.

That may not be the view of some people in the Israeli government, but that is the view of the Australian government.

These individuals have been involved in violent attacks on Palestinians, including things such as beating, sexual assault and torture, resulting in serious injury and in some cases death.

We have imposed these after careful consideration and we would expect that all Australians would recognise the weight of these.

Settlements are unlawful under international law. We are continuing to act in ways that we can to look to how we protect a pathway to a two-state solution, and part of that is to ensure we also impose penalties who perpetrate violence against Palestinians.

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Ex-coalminer awarded $3.2m for black lung in Australian first

A judge accepts Craig Keogh will never work again after developing pneumoconiosis from working in NSW and Queensland mines

A coalminer who developed black lung due to his employers’ negligence has been awarded a landmark legal victory and a multimillion-dollar payout.

Craig Keogh, a machine operator at New South Wales and Queensland mines, became the first Australian to win a black lung case at trial, paving the way for other sufferers to make successful compensation claims.

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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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Australian judge dismisses class action claiming Roundup causes cancer

Justice Michael Lee rules there is not enough evidence the popular weedkiller caused cancer in more than 800 non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients

There is not enough evidence to prove an ingredient used in a popular weedkiller causes cancer, an Australian federal court judge has found.

Justice Michael Lee handed down his judgment in the class action against widely used herbicide Roundup on Thursday afternoon.

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Discovery of poliovirus in Gaza ‘incredibly alarming’, Unicef executive director says

Exclusive: Territory is ‘one of the most, if not the most dangerous place to be a child right now’, Catherine Russell says, and ‘we desperately need this conflict to end’

The “incredibly alarming” discovery of the poliovirus in Gaza only adds to the besieged territory’s status as one of “the most dangerous places to be a child right now”, the head of the UN children’s agency has warned.

The executive director of Unicef, Catherine Russell, said during a visit to Australia that Gaza was increasingly lawless.

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