Category Archives: Australia news

‘Critical’ lack of Covid vaccine supply in Melbourne forcing GPs to turn people away

Posted on by

Undersupply so severe amid outbreak clinic forced to turn away residents of two care facilities

Melbourne GPs say they are being forced to turn away huge numbers of vaccine-seeking locals, including busloads of vulnerable residents from care facilities, because the commonwealth’s supply of doses has not increased to match the explosion in demand.

The latest outbreak has caused a huge increase in demand for the Covid-19 vaccine in Victoria, and the state is now recording daily vaccination numbers of above 20,000 in primary care, up from the roughly 2,300 doses administered on 24 May.

Continue reading...

ABC reappearance at Senate hearing could reveal details of agreement with Christian Porter

Posted on by

Questions need to be answered after broadcaster refuted claims made by minister, Sarah Hanson-Young says

The ABC will be hauled back before Senate estimates to discuss details of its agreement with Christian Porter that led the industry minister to drop his defamation suit against the broadcaster.

The Senate communications committee will hold a hearing as early as next week at which the ABC managing director, David Anderson, will be asked who proposed the settlement and why the public broadcaster agreed to it.

Continue reading...

‘Hundreds’ of photos exist of Australian soldiers drinking from dead Afghan’s prosthetic leg, court told

Posted on by

Ben Roberts-Smith’s lawyers in his defamation action say they have been overwhelmed by new tranche of documents including the images

There are “hundreds” of photos of Australian soldiers drinking from a prosthetic leg – allegedly taken from a slain Afghan – at an unauthorised bar at Australia’s military base in Afghanistan, a court has heard.

The existence of some photographs was previously known, and a handful had been widely broadcast and published. But the full extent of the photos from the Australian soldiers’ underground bar, the Fat Ladies’ Arms, was revealed before the federal court on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

White House contacts Russia after hack of world’s largest meatpacking company

Posted on by

The ransomware attack on JBS, probably by a Russia-based group, has disrupted meat production in North America and Australia

A ransomware attack against the world’s largest meatpacking company that has disrupted meat production in North America and Australia originated from a criminal organization probably based in Russia, the White House was informed on Tuesday.

The attack on Brazil’s JBS caused its Australian operations to shut down on Monday and has stopped livestock slaughter at its plants in several US states.

Continue reading...

How the ‘good war’ went bad: elite soldiers from Australia, UK and US face a reckoning

Posted on by

As coalition troops prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan after 20 years, former soldiers, key officers and the public are asking what went wrong with some special forces

“Whatever we do … ,” one Australian special forces soldier said of his service in Afghanistan, “I can tell you the Brits and the US are far, far worse.

“I’ve watched our young guys stand by and hero worship what they were doing, salivating at how the US were torturing people. You just stand there and roll your eyes and wait for it to end.”

Continue reading...

‘When will you know?’: Richard Colbeck can’t say how many aged care workers are vaccinated – video

Posted on by

The aged care minister Richard Colbeck has not been able to tell Senate estimates how many workers in the aged care sector have been vaccinated. 

Continue reading...

Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records three more Covid cases amid speculation over lockdown extension

Posted on by

Minister Richard Colbeck comes under fire over aged care failures after outbreak in two Melbourne homes. Follow live updates

This has been an ongoing frustration for Mike Bowers and the visual reporters – some committees are throwing their weight around about where photographers and camera operators can stand to do their jobs – which means a lot of photos of the back of people’s heads.

The helpful people at the estimates Economic committee placed our photographic positions behind the heads of the Treasury Officials and Minister giving evidence, do I really have to explain again to members of the Aust senate why this will not work? #notTodayPlease @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/ysRVbOttpy

Katy Gallagher asks Richard Colbeck who is responsible for vaccinating aged care staff.

Three minutes later, Colbeck says it is a “combined” program.

Continue reading...

From a forest in Papua New Guinea to a floor in Sydney: how China is getting rich off Pacific timber

Posted on by

China is the major buyer of wood from Pacific nations like PNG and Solomon Islands, which are implicated in illegal or unsustainable logging

  • Read more of our Pacific Plunder series here

An illegally logged tree, felled in the diminishing forests of Papua New Guinea, may well end up becoming floorboards in a Sydney living room, or a bookcase in a home in Seattle.

Illegal logging contributes between 15% and 30% of the global wood trade, according to Interpol. China is a major buyer of the world’s illegal timber, according to environmental groups, especially from Pacific nations like PNG and Solomon Islands, which are implicated in illegal or unsustainable logging.

Continue reading...

Romeo and Juliet remixed: how technology can change storytelling

Posted on by

With the touch of a button, a Sydney Opera House audience rewrites Shakespeare as it is performed in front of them

On Sunday, as part of the Sydney Opera House’s UnWrapped series, a group of dancers “remixed” Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by way of an Australian storytelling technology, Omelia. A product built to shuffle characters and events and generate narrative possibilities in real time, dancers using it brought a new version of the classic tragedy to life. The one-off production, R+J RMX, was filmed for the Opera House’s streaming platform.

The “remix” was interactive: audience members were sent to a website where they could restructure the play with the touch of a button, while on stage narrators and dancers ran through numerous renditions of the story.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria reports 11 new Covid cases and 4,200 close contacts as nearly 280 exposure sites listed

Posted on by

Three aged care workers and a nursing home resident confirmed to have coronavirus; tensions between state and federal government continue over financial support as Victoria enters its fourth day of lockdown

The Garma festival, one of the largest indigenous gatherings, has been cancelled for Covid reasons.

AAP has the story:

A school in Melbourne’s north has shut its doors, after confirming in a letter to parents that a student had tested positive.

Mercy College at Coburg sent out the letter, announcing the school was shut earlier this afternoon.

Although the student was absent for most of last week, following advice from the Department of Health and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), Mercy College Coburg has enacted a preliminary closure from this afternoon, as requested.

This closure will allow time for the school and the DH to work through any contact tracing that may be required.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: Japan mulls tests for Olympics fans; India posts lowest case numbers since April

Posted on by

Japan may require Games fans to test negative or show vaccine proof; India reports lowest case numbers since 11 April; signs UK is facing third wave

China today re-imposed anti-coronavirus travel controls on its southern province of Guangdong, announcing anyone leaving the populous region must be tested for the virus following a spike in infections that has alarmed authorities, the Associated Press reports. .

Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong, recorded 20 new confirmed cases, all contracted locally, in the 24 hours through to midnight yesterday.

Guangdong’s numbers are low compared with many places in the world, but the rise has rattled Chinese leaders who thought they had the disease under control.

Hello, this is Haroon Siddique. I’ll be updating the blog for the next few hours.

Burkina Faso, one of several countries in Africa that has yet to launch a Covid-19 vaccination campaign, received its first shipment under the global vaccine-sharing scheme Covax yesterday, Reuters reports, citing the country’s health ministry.

The 115,200 AstraZeneca doses were flown into the airport of the capital Ouagadougou and were welcomed by a local delegation led by health minister Charlemagne Ouedraogo.

“In a few weeks other vaccines will probably arrive to supplement what we have,” Ouedraogo said.

Continue reading...

Ardern and Morrison present united front on China, warning of ‘those who seek to divide us’

Posted on by

Australian and New Zealand prime ministers talk up closeness of ties as Ardern is forced to defend ‘soft’ stance on Beijing

The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has warned that “there are those far from here that would seek to divide us”, during a press conference with his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, that focused on how the two countries handle China.

The leaders emphasised unity in the face of Beijing’s increasing regional influence and Morrison said any forces trying to scupper the partnership would not succeed.

Continue reading...

Neil Finn on the return of Crowded House: ‘I am ultimately very optimistic about the world’

Posted on by

As the band release their first record in a decade, the New Zealand songwriter reflects on their influences – from Fleetwood Mac to Donald Trump

Neil Finn, New Zealand music’s jovial elder statesman, is remembering his best friend and bandmate Paul Hester.

He recalls the Crowded House drummer holding Finn’s baby son Liam up to the heavens, recreating a scene from the 70s TV show Roots; how Hester taught Liam’s younger brother, Elroy, to play the drums. But Hester’s gone now – he took his own life in 2005.

Continue reading...

Alarm at secret court scheme in UK-Australia trade deal

Posted on by

Campaigners concerned by controversial plans for tribunals where firms can seek compensation for effect of government policies

A free trade deal between the UK and Australia is on course to include a controversial system of secret courts that will allow businesses to seek compensation if their profits are hit by government policies.

In a move that has alarmed trade unions and anti-poverty campaigners, trade minister Greg Hands said UK negotiators were in talks with Australian officials over proposals to include a scheme that will arbitrate on disputes behind closed doors.

Continue reading...

Victoria takes aim at ‘disgraceful’ lack of federal financial support during lockdown

Posted on by

James Merlino announces $250m support package for hard-hit businesses and says Canberra’s lack of help is beyond disappointing

Every Victorian business owner should be angry that the federal government rejected calls to provide additional financial support during the state’s fourth lockdown, the state’s acting premier says, as the cost to the economy was estimated to hit $700m.

The acting premier, James Merlino, announced a $250m package on Sunday that included grants of up to $3,500 for as many as 900,000 businesses and specific support for event organisers.

Continue reading...

Covid-19 vaccine rollout Australia: vaccination progress state-by-state, daily doses tracker, numbers and live data

Posted on by

How does Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout compare with other countries and when will you be eligible to get vaccinated? We bring together the latest numbers on daily new Covid-19 cases, as well as stats and live data on total vaccination figures in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and other states.

Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout began in late February. Here we bring together the latest figures to track the progress of the rollout, as well as presenting an interactive tool to show when you might be eligible to receive the vaccine.

Continue reading...

Australian scientist discovers ‘chocolate frog’ in New Guinea swamps

Posted on by

Litoria mira has been declared a new species, despite looking very similar to the Australian green tree frog

An Australian scientist has discovered a new species of frog, the “chocolate frog”, in rainforest swamps of New Guinea.

Steve Richards, a frog specialist at the South Australian Museum, first found the spotted the cocoa-coloured creature in 2016 in incredibly challenging habitat.

Continue reading...

Taliban threaten Afghan security guards who work for Australian embassy in Kabul

Posted on by

Guards say their work for Australia has made them and their families targets for retribution

The Taliban have publicly threatened Afghan security guards who have worked for the soon-to-be-shut Australian embassy, circulating pictures of them online and warning they would be targeted for cooperating with a foreign government.

The Australian government announced this week that it was shutting its embassy in Kabul, citing “an increasingly uncertain security environment” and saying its diplomats would not be safe “in light of the imminent international military withdrawal from Afghanistan”.

Continue reading...

Hollywood and homelessness: the two sides of Byron Bay

Posted on by

Known for its beaches, surf breaks and social influencers, the holiday town on Australia’s east coast has recently earned a more sinister distinction

In Byron Bay, a coastal town at the easternmost point of mainland Australia, there are rainbow lorikeets everywhere. They fly between postcard palm trees: small blurs of yellow, red, orange, blue and green against a backdrop of cloudless skies.

It is almost too much – the colourful birds, the warm weather, the rolling hills, and of course, the Hollywood stars. Chris Hemsworth, Zac Efron and Matt Damon own property close to the town. Byron’s social media influencers – the murfers or “mum surfers”, in particular – are world famous, thanks to a profile in Vanity Fair. So potent are its charms that 2.2 million tourists visit Byron shire each year.

Continue reading...