Category Archives: Australia news

Australia faces prospect of pre-election rate rise as inflation and consumer prices soar

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Annual CPI rate rise to 5.1% was higher than expectations and reflects higher fuel and food costs, sparking fears of an interest rate rise

Australia faces the prospect of a pre-election rate rise by the Reserve Bank after underlying inflation pace soared to its highest in 13 years while the broader consumer price measure increased at the quickest pace since the GST was introduced in 2000.

The 5.1% annual consumer price index (CPI) reading for the March quarter easily topped the market expectation of 4.6% pace. The so-called trimmed mean inflation, which strips out volatile changes and is used by the central bank to set rates, rose 3.7%, or the most since March 2009.

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Clive Palmer’s proposed open-cut mine could have ‘far-reaching impact’ on Great Barrier Reef, study finds

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Study finds tidal currents could introduce pollution from coalmine into seagrass meadows and dugong sanctuary in marine park

Billionaire Clive Palmer’s proposal to build an open-cut coalmine 10km from the coast of the Great Barrier Reef would have a “far-reaching impact” on the world heritage area, say scientists, whose modelling shows concentrated pollution from the mine could reach sensitive marine ecosystems within weeks.

The Queensland government last year deemed the Central Queensland coal proposal by a subsidiary company of Palmer’s flagship entity, Mineralogy, “not suitable” and said it posed “a number of unacceptable risks” due to its location, the prospect of polluted water discharge and a lack of effective mitigation measures.

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Emily Seebohm condemns ‘horrific’ transphobic billboard that uses her image without permission

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Olympic swimmer says election message promoted by rightwing lobby group Advance ‘is just awful to me’

The Olympic gold medallist Emily Seebohm has slammed rightwing lobby group Advance for using her image without permission on a transphobic billboard.

The billboards display the words “women’s sport is not for men” alongside images of swimmers Dawn Fraser, Emma McKeon and Seebohm and were launched as part of an attack on the Warringah MP, Zali Steggall, who has been vocal in her support for trans women to compete in female sports.

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Thousands of shocking reports reveal extent of Australian aged care residents’ suffering due to understaffing

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More than 6,500 reports of distressed and neglected residents and unsafe conditions the ‘tip of the iceberg’, union says

More than 6,500 reports of understaffing and unsafe conditions in Australia’s aged care sector, including hundreds of reports of resident injuries, will be handed to the regulator on Wednesday.

The reports, from United Workers Union (UWU) whistleblower site Aged Care Watch, identified thousands of instances of aged care residents’ safety suffering due to unfilled shifts and understaffing.

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Former WA treasurer Troy Buswell given suspended sentence for ‘cowardly’ attacks on ex-wife

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Charges related to incidents in 2015 and 2016 in which Buswell assaulted Melissa Hankinson multiple times

Former West Australian treasurer Troy Buswell has been handed a suspended prison sentence for repeatedly attacking his ex-wife.

Buswell, 56, pleaded guilty in Perth magistrates court to two counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated assault causing bodily harm.

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Uncle Jack Charles makes history as first Indigenous elder to speak at Victorian truth-telling commission

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Yoorrook commission will establish official record of Indigenous experiences since colonisation

Victoria’s Indigenous truth-telling commission has opened public hearings, with respected actor and activist Uncle Jack Charles the first to share his story.

Born to a Wiradjuri father and a Bunurong mother, Charles was called as the first Indigenous elder to speak at the Yoorrook Justice Commission on Tuesday.

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Seven paid legal fees for witness in Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial until arrangement was revealed in court

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Request for reimbursement from Kerry Stokes’s private company not made until after court told of network’s legal financing

The Seven Network was paying the legal fees of several SAS witnesses for Ben Roberts-Smith in his defamation trial until one of them revealed the payments in the federal court, contradicting Seven’s claim last week that the former soldier’s evidence about the source of the payments was “not correct”.

When the former SAS soldier, known as Person 5, told the court last week that his solicitor and barrister are being paid for by Seven, the network said another arm of the empire owned by Seven West Media chair, Kerry Stokes, was footing the bill.

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Veronica Nelson made repeated calls for help before her death in custody, inquest hears

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Melbourne coroner’s court hears audio of the 37-year-old Yorta Yorta woman screaming in pain in her prison cell

Yorta Yorta woman Veronica Marie Nelson made repeated calls for assistance in the hours before she was found dead in a maximum security prison cell, a coronial inquest has heard.

The 37-year-old, who also has Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung and Wiradjuri heritage, died at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre on 2 January 2020, four days after being arrested because she had failed to attend a sentencing hearing for a shoplifting offence.

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Matt Canavan declares net zero by 2050 is ‘all over bar the shouting’ after PM tries to quell divisions

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Labor earlier jumped on climate crisis split between Liberals and Nationals after Colin Boyce said emissions target had ‘wiggle room’

Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan has declared net zero by 2050 “all over bar the shouting” only hours after Scott Morrison attempted to hose down internal divisions – insisting the mid-century target was “absolutely” Coalition policy.

Labor criticised the “spectacular” split between inner-city Liberals and rural Nationals on the policy, criticising the Coalition for running a “fear campaign” on the opposition’s policy around coal jobs.

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Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial: former patrol commander denies ordering execution of elderly prisoner

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Ex-soldier known as Person 5 denies allegation put by lawyers acting for newspapers

Ben Roberts-Smith’s former patrol commander has denied in court accusations he ordered the execution of an elderly Afghan prisoner discovered hiding in a tunnel – in an alleged “blooding” of a junior soldier.

The retired soldier, anonymised before the court as Person 5, was directly challenged on Tuesday by lawyers for three newspapers being sued by Roberts-Smith: “You told [soldier] Person 4 to murder the old man.”

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Payne says China military base in Solomons would be a ‘red line’ – as it happened

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Queensland senator Matt Canavan adds to uncertainty about Coalition climate commitments; foreign minister accuses Labor of ‘playing politics’ on national security after Penny Wong criticises Scott Morrison for ‘refusing to take responsibility in Pacific’; at least 50 Covid deaths as WA to ease mask mandate in some settings. This blog is now closed

Scott Morrison is in Townsville (north Queensland) today where he will be making announcements on energy.

Given what we just heard from Scott Morrison there, it’s worth your time having a listen to climate and environment editor Adam Morton on today’s Full Story podcast examining if the policy differences between the Coalition and Labor and ultimately asking: is either party preparing enough for the transformational change ahead?

Economic modelling should be used as a guide. Both sides of politics lean on it more as a forecast that will be fact ... I don’t think anybody can tell us exactly what our power bills will be in 2025, 2030, 2050 but no one disagrees that more solar and wind is good in terms of lowering prices because it is much, much cheaper to generate what’s in place.

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Queensland police update manual after signalling reforms to how officers accused of domestic violence are handled

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Manual amended to require additional paperwork, with reviews on a case-by-case basis

The Queensland police service appears to have balked at substantial reform to the way it handles officers who are accused of domestic violence, after promising to act on a “concerning increase” in the volume of complaints.

Last May the assistant commissioner Brian Codd told Guardian Australia that police were “grappling” with how to respond to the increase officer-involved domestic violence, and that reforms were “very much” on the agenda.

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Richard Marles’ contentious China trip was praised by Coalition MP

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Deputy Labor leader was joined in Beijing in 2019 by Ted O’Brien who wrote a positive testimonial of the study tour

A Coalition MP praised a now contentious trip to China featuring Labor’s deputy leader, Richard Marles, as “an invaluable opportunity to have open and candid dialogue”.

The Morrison government has attempted to discredit the opposition’s claim that the major parties are united on China policy by highlighting Marles’ trip to China in 2019 and his speech to a Beijing university. Marles said at the time it would be a “profound mistake” to define China as an enemy.

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Labor pledges more foreign aid to Pacific with plan ‘to restore Australia’s place as first partner of choice’

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Seven-point plan also includes funding boosts for regional broadcasting and fight against illegal fishing

Labor will vow to increase foreign aid to Pacific island countries and ramp up patrols to fight illegal fishing, as it makes an election pledge to “restore Australia’s place as first partner of choice for our Pacific family”.

A boost to regional broadcasting is also part of the package, with Labor seeking to intensify political pressure on the prime minister, Scott Morrison, in the wake of China signing a security agreement with Solomon Islands.

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AOC and Swimming Australia threaten legal action over billboards claiming ‘women’s sport is not for men’

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Conservative lobby group uses images of elite swimmers in ads targeting ‘woke politicians’ but Emily Seebohm says Advance acted ‘without my consent’

The Australian Olympic Committee and Swimming Australia are threatening a conservative lobby group with legal action for featuring images of elite female swimmers on billboards it is using to campaign against trans women’s participation in sport.

The AOC will send a legal letter to the conservative group Advance on Tuesday alleging the billboards are using its intellectual property without permission, a spokesperson said on Monday night.

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MCG comes alive on Anzac Day as Collingwood edge Essendon

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  • Collingwood 15.3 (93) beat Essendon 12.10 (82)
  • Jack Ginnivan wins Anzac Day medal in front of 84,205 fans

Teenage sensation Jack Ginnivan has slotted a career-best five goals to help lift Collingwood to an 11-point win over Essendon in an enthralling Anzac Day encounter. In front of 84,205 fans at the MCG – the largest crowd since the 2019 grand final because of the global pandemic – small forward Ginnivan starred in his side’s 15.3 (93) to 12.10 (82) victory.

The 19-year-old had just 12 disposals but was awarded the Anzac Day medal as best afield for his match-winning haul in the traditional blockbuster. The result squared the Magpies’ season record at 3-3 and left Essendon reeling at 1-5, with their finals hopes just about shot.

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Dragons hold on to stun Roosters in NRL Anzac Day upset

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  • St George Illawara win 14-12 at SCG
  • Ben Hunt wins Ashton Collier Spirit of Anzac medal

A battered and bruised St George Illawarra pulled off an Anzac Day boilover, with a courageous Ben Hunt helping them stun the Sydney Roosters 14-12.

On a brutal afternoon at the SCG, the Dragons lost Jack Bird to suspected broken arm and Jaydn Su’A due to a leg injury after the second-rower had been among their best.

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Replacing NSW coal plant with renewables would create thousands more jobs than gas, report says

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Solar and wind could bring ‘jobs boom’ to regions that have previously depended on coal, Australian Conservation Foundation says

Replacing Australia’s largest coal-fired power station with renewable energy would create tens of thousands more construction jobs than replacing it with gas, a new analysis has found.

The Eraring coal-fired power station in the Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales is scheduled to close in 2025.

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Veterans praise number of young people at Melbourne’s Anzac Day services

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Estimated crowd of 50,000 listen to Last Post at Shrine of Remembrance after Covid restrictions lifted

For Vietnam veteran Peter Liefman, seeing the crowd’s smiling faces made leading the Anzac Day march through Melbourne even more special.

The 74-year-old, who was a national serviceman in 1971, was chosen to lead Monday’s march along St Kilda Road through to the Shrine of Remembrance with fellow Vietnam veterans Gary Taylor and David Grierson.

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‘We have not seen the preparation’: Labor attacks Coalition after Dutton’s declaration on war

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Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles says Coalition ‘is a government which beats its chest’ but does not deliver

Labor has hit back at Peter Dutton’s claim that the only way to “preserve peace is to prepare for war”, suggesting the Coalition’s actions fall short of its words.

The defence minister made the comments on Anzac Day morning, warning that “people like Hitler” are not “consigned to history” and Australia must do more to stand up to China’s aggression in the region.

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