Category Archives: Australia news

Exclusive gun club linked to Andrew Hastie awarded almost $20,000 in government grants

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Liberal MP has declared conflict of interest with Port Bouvard Pistol and Small Bore Rifle Club, of which he is a patron

An exclusive gun club with links to the Liberal MP Andrew Hastie was awarded three government grants worth a total of almost $20,000 after being nominated by his office.

Hastie has declared a conflict of interest with the Port Bouvard Pistol and Small Bore Rifle Club. He is a patron, and has competed there at least twice.

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Bondi Junction stabbings: ‘10 seconds warning’ from security could have saved lives, inquest hears

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Families of those killed ‘angered’ that Scentre Group and Glad security did not accept control room operator was not competent to be in the position she was that day

Had new mother Ashlee Good been given “even 1o seconds’ warning” when Joel Cauchi began his stabbing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction, she might have been able to take evasive action to save her life, a court has heard.

Schizophrenic man Cauchi, 40, killed Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at Westfield Bondi Junction before he was shot and killed by police inspector Amy Scott.

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Police sergeant found guilty of causing death of 16-year-old Indigenous teenager Jai Wright

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Benedict Bryant convicted of dangerous driving occasioning death after placing police car in path of 16-year-old’s trail bike in Sydney in 2022

A police sergeant who was told not to pursue a teenager riding a trail bike has been told he caused the death of the young man when he placed his unmarked car in his path.

Benedict Bryant, 47, was found guilty on Friday of dangerous driving occasioning the death of Indigenous teenager Jai Kalani Wright in February 2022 in an inner Sydney suburb.

For information and support in Australia call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for a crisis support line for Indigenous Australians; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 and Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

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Victorian man jailed after homemade gun misfires and kills his pregnant partner

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Kiara Ferguson died after Adam Winmar’s daughter, four, found loaded weapon in family’s couch in 2023

Six months’ pregnant with two children at home, a young regional Victorian woman was understandably upset when her four-year-old found a gun inside their couch.

Kiara Ferguson, 27, took the homemade firearm from the girl and marched to the back of the family home, where her partner of 10 years was in the toilet.

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Man dead and two under arrest after daylight shooting on suburban Sydney street

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Police say a man in his early 20s was found in Blacktown with gunshot wounds to his neck, chest and leg

A man has died and two others are in custody after a daylight shooting on a suburban street in Sydney.

Police were called to Carinya Street, Blacktown, at about 11.50am on Friday after reports of a public place shooting.

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Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claims her employer gave her immunity from complaints by pro-choice campaigners

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University of Adelaide, who employs Howe as a law professor, states that it ‘considers each matter on its merits’

A prominent anti-abortion campaigner who was banned from the South Australian parliament and accused of bullying, claims her employer has granted her immunity from complaints from anyone who is pro-choice.

Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe, who has pledged to make abortion “unthinkable”, says the University of Adelaide, who employs her as a law professor, has agreed that those with ideologically opposed viewpoints to hers will be deemed “vexatious”, and any complaints they make about her will not be acted upon.

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State Library of Victoria faces job cuts as staff accuse management of pursuing ‘digital vanity projects’

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Under the plan, 39 jobs would be lost and the public-facing workforce of reference librarians would be cut from 25 staff to 10

State Library of Victoria staff have accused management of undermining the 171-year-old institution’s core purposes in favour of flashy tourist-oriented “digital vanity projects” in a proposed restructure.

Under the plan, 39 jobs would be lost and the public-facing workforce of reference librarians would be cut from 25 staff to 10, while many publicly accessible computers would be removed.

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Australian diet set to worsen as national food policy is drawn up by profit-driven industry, experts warn

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Exclusive: Many industries on new council are ‘associated with significant health harms’, one academic says

Cheap and unhealthy foods are set to become further entrenched in the Australian diet, according to health experts, who warn the federal government is developing a national food policy with heavy influence from profit-driven food and agriculture industries.

Dr Matt Fisher from the University of Adelaide’s Stretton Institute’s health equity department said the policy could “compromise crucial public health considerations”.

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Guardian Australia wins Walkley award for Indigenous affairs for The Descendants series

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Christopher Hopkins also named the Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year for work published in Al Jazeera, The Age, and the Guardian

Guardian Australia has won a Walkley award for excellence in journalism for a series on Australians facing the truth of their family’s involvement in frontier violence.

Guardian Australia won the Walkley Indigenous affairs at Thursday night’s ceremony for the The Descendants series, which built on Guardian Australia’s 2019 Walkley award-winning series The Killing Times. The series explored the deeply personal process of truth-telling about some of the most horrific incidents in Australia’s past, from both sides of the frontier.

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John Kerry urges Australia to take ‘hard-nosed’ approach with world’s biggest fossil fuel-producing countries at Cop31

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Exclusive: Former US secretary of state calls for more demanding steps from Australia as it takes over presidency of next year’s UN climate summit

Australia’s government, which will preside over the next UN climate summit, should gather the world’s 25 biggest greenhouse gas emitting countries and push them to draw up a roadmap to end the era of fossil fuels, former US secretary of state John Kerry has said.

Only by “hard-nosed” confrontation with fossil fuel producers, and reducing their consumption in major economies, would the world be able to tackle the climate crisis, he said.

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John Kerry urges Australia to take ‘hard-nosed’ approach with world’s biggest fossil fuel-producing countries at Cop31

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Exclusive: Former US secretary of state calls for more demanding steps from Australia as it takes over presidency of next year’s UN climate summit

Australia’s government, which will preside over the next UN climate summit, should gather the world’s 25 biggest greenhouse gas emitting countries and push them to draw up a roadmap to end the era of fossil fuels, former US secretary of state John Kerry has said.

Only by “hard-nosed” confrontation with fossil fuel producers, and reducing their consumption in major economies, would the world be able to tackle the climate crisis, he said.

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Second teenage boy charged with murder after alleged stabbing behind Sydney school played ‘active role’, police say

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Another boy, 15, charged on Monday after 17-year-old boy died from wounds to thigh in Rouse Hill

A second teenage boy arrested in his home over his alleged “active role” in the stabbing murder of a 17-year-old in a suburban park will spend months in custody.

The alleged victim died from a knife wound to his thigh after a confrontation at a park behind a school in north-west Sydney on Monday afternoon.

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All-male lineup take top slots at ABC Sydney after Chris Bath’s shock departure

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Director of audio concedes ‘there is always more to do’ on diversity as station staff express dismay at dearth of female presenters

ABC radio’s chief, Ben Latimer, says “there is always more to do” on diversity after Chris Bath was replaced with a male presenter on ABC Sydney, leaving the station with an all-male lineup from Breakfast through to Drive in 2026.

Bath, who announced her resignation after only one year on Monday, will be replaced by Thomas Oriti in the key Drive slot, which was vacated by the veteran broadcaster Richard Glover after 26 years.

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Sydney restaurant Cairo Takeaway counter-sues pro-Israel activist, claiming he trespassed to ‘ambush’ staff

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The Newtown eatery is counter-suing Ofir Birenbaum, who launched defamation action against the popular restaurant

An Egyptian restaurant in Sydney is counter-suing a pro-Israel activist over a News Corp stunt, alleging he trespassed on the popular eatery in a bid to get a “negative reaction” from staff.

Ofir Birenbaum went to Cairo Takeaway, a popular restaurant in Sydney’s Newtown, in February wearing a Star of David cap and necklace alongside reporters from the Daily Telegraph. The undercover operation, later revealed to be dubbed “undercover Jew” internally by the paper, made international headlines after it backfired.

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Criminal charges against Australian debt collection company Panthera Finance dismissed

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Consumer Affairs Victoria ordered to pay costs after firm successfully argues it is not technically engaged in debt collection owed to another person

Criminal charges against one of Australia’s biggest debt collection firms have been dismissed after the company successfully argued it was not technically engaged in debt collection.

In a committal hearing at the Melbourne magistrates’ court on Tuesday, magistrate Michelle Hodgson dismissed the charges against Panthera Finance and ordered that Consumer Affairs Victoria pay costs.

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Teenager charged with murder after 17-year-old boy stabbed to death in Sydney’s north-west

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The victim was treated by NSW paramedics for wounds to his thigh but died at the scene

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder after a teenager was allegedly stabbed to death behind a high school.

Police said a 17-year-old boy died from stab wounds to his thigh following a confrontation at a park in Sydney’s north-west about 4.20pm on Monday.

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Not-for-profit disability services are closing due to untenably low price caps, NDIS architect warns

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Providers report a median operating loss of nearly 4% in the last financial year – with losses totalling about 12% over five years

Not-for-profit disability services that support some of the most vulnerable Australians are being forced to close and exit the national disability insurance scheme because of untenably low price caps for NDIS services, one of the architects of the scheme has warned.

“For some years, many of us in the sector have been telling the National Disability Insurance Agency that flaws in their pricing are contributing to not-for-profit registered providers of disability services going broke,” warned Martin Laverty, who is now the CEO of not-for-profit disability provider Aruma.

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Australian federal MPs warned to turn off phones when Chinese delegation visits Parliament House

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Liberal party senator calls Department of Parliamentary Services email ‘incredibly concerning’

Politicians and staff in parts of Parliament House have been urged to turn off their phones, laptops and internet during a visit by Chinese officials, with parliament administrators warning building occupants about interruptions to wifi service.

The shadow cybersecurity minister, Claire Chandler, called the warning “incredibly concerning”, saying the parliament advisory raised worries about threats to sensitive data.

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‘Culture cringe’: experts dismiss Coalition claims Chris Bowen cannot remain minister while leading Cop31 negotiations

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Opposition claims key diplomatic role at next year’s conference in Turkey would make Bowen a ‘part-time minister’ while Australians face inflated energy prices

Experts have dismissed claims Chris Bowen cannot remain a senior minister while playing a leading role in international climate negotiations, with one describing the argument as evidence of an Australian “culture cringe”.

Australia failed in its long-running bid to co-host the Cop31 climate summit with Pacific nations next year after Turkey refused to withdraw from the consensus process despite limited support.

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‘Now is the hour’: Labor urged to speed up fossil fuel phase-out to justify Cop30 pledge

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Despite Australia signing the Belém declaration, Albanese rejected suggestion Labor shouldn’t develop new gas fields

The Albanese government is being urged to explain how it will drive a fossil fuel phase-out, after it joined dozens of countries at a UN climate summit to back a declaration that the world should quickly wean off coal, gas and oil.

Australia signed up to the declaration on a just transition away from fossil fuels at a side event at the Cop30 conference in the Brazilian city of Belém, which finished on Saturday night local time, more than 24 hours after the scheduled close.

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