Category Archives: Australia news

Blow to Minns as turf club votes down plan to sell Sydney racecourse to NSW to build 25,000 homes

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Premier says he is ‘disappointed’ after Rosehill decision and ‘it feels like a golden opportunity has slipped through our fingers’

The Minns government has had a major hole punched in its strategy to boost housing in Sydney after the Australian Turf Club members voted not to sell Rosehill racecourse, earmarked for a major housing development.

The New South Wales government had offered $5bn for the site, and proposed it would accommodate 25,000 new homes and a proposed Metro stop.

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ABC doing ‘all the heavy lifting’ as commercial networks abandon local kids’ TV drama

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Just $1.75m spent on genre across free-to-air networks as advocates warn of ‘broader erosion’ of cultural investment

Australian commercial television networks have all but given up on creating local children’s drama, advocates say, with just $1.75m spent on the genre across all commercial free-to-air networks in 2023-24.

But that’s $1.75m more than the previous year, according to the latest report card by the communications regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma).

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Family of some Bondi Junction stabbing victims see ‘major issue’ in police handling of information after attack, court hears

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NSW police assistant commissioner tells inquest media guidelines ‘not always rigid’ and individuals might use discretion in ‘extraordinary circumstances’

The family of some victims of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack believe there is a “major issue” in the way New South Wales police officers treated confidential information after the incident, a court has heard.

Joel Cauchi, 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at the Sydney shopping centre on 13 April 2024 before he was shot and killed by police officer Amy Scott.

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Adelaide’s first skyscraper criticised as ‘profound mistake’ and ‘hugely questionable’ by opponents

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Critics say ‘phallic’ 38-storey commercial tower next to state parliament is ‘the wrong building in the wrong place’

Adelaide’s first skyscraper will be a “phallic” construction overshadowing the birthplace of women’s suffrage, critics say.

The Walker Corporation has begun work on a 38-storey commercial building next to Parliament House on North Terrace, which is known as the city’s cultural boulevard.

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Australian women lagging on use of IUDs due to education ‘failure’, experts say

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Exclusive: A majority of females currently want to avoid pregnancy but survey reveals very few use most effective birth control method

Most Australian women don’t know that intrauterine devices (IUDs) are the most effective form of contraception.

Experts say this nationwide “failure in public education” has contributed to low uptake and caused Australia to lag behind other western countries.

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Australian accused of smuggling cocaine into Bali faces ‘death penalty or life in jail’

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The 43-year-old from Sydney appears in prison jumpsuit after allegedly being in possession of 1.7kg of drugs

Authorities are providing consular assistance in Bali to an Australian man accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the Indonesian tourist island.

The 43-year-old from Sydney was arrested on Thursday after police raided his rented house near Kuta Beach.

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Security company at Westfield Bondi Junction scrambled to buy stab-resistant vests after attack, inquest told

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Glad Group CEO says the company’s security staff now wear stab-proof vests ‘as uniform’ at shopping centres

The head of the company providing security to Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney scrambled to buy stab-resistant vests after six people were fatally stabbed, including a member of the security team.

Joel Cauchi, 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at Bondi Junction Westfield on 13 April 2024 before he was shot and killed by police officer Amy Scott.

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Victoria fast-tracks machete ban as more arrests made over Northland shopping centre fight

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Police say further arrests ‘imminent’ after Sunday’s clash between alleged ‘rival youth gangs’

The sale of machetes will be banned in Victoria from Wednesday, after an alleged clash involving the weapon forced Northland shopping centre into lockdown at the weekend.

It comes as Victoria police made further arrests and said more were “imminent”, after the alleged fight between “rival youth gangs” on Sunday.

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Energy bills to rise by up to 9.7% as Australian regulators approve price increases

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Hundreds of thousands of households in line for electricity bill increases with NSW customers on standing offers facing steepest rise

Power bill increases of upwards of 9% have been locked in for some Australian households as energy regulators make a final call on safety net prices.

Caps on what retailers can charge households and businesses in NSW, South Australia, south-east Queensland and Victoria are designed to protect the hundreds of thousands of customers who tend to set-and-forget their power plans.

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UK employees work from home more than most global peers, study finds

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Exclusive: Staff in Britain now average 1.8 days a week of remote working, above global average of 1.3 days

UK workers continue to work from home more than nearly any of their global counterparts more than five years after the pandemic first disrupted traditional office life, a study has found.

UK employees now average 1.8 days a week of remote working, above the international average of 1.3 days, according to the Global Survey of Working Arrangements (G-SWA), a worldwide poll of more than 16,000 full-time, university-educated workers across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa that began in July 2021.

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Zoe Daniel requests recount in seat of Goldstein after Liberal Tim Wilson wins by 260 votes

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AEC says it is considering recount request while opponent Wilson says he hopes Daniel ‘finds peace’

Zoe Daniel has requested the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) conduct a recount in the seat of Goldstein after Liberal Tim Wilson emerged 260 votes ahead after the final distribution of preferences.

The AEC automatically recounts votes if the margin is less than 100, but candidates can also request one if they believe they have sufficient grounds to do so.

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Police search national park for Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop after ‘suspicious’ disappearance

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Good Night Scrub park, about an hour from where the 17-year-old was last seen, is ‘crucial’ to land, water and aerial search

The search of a national park is “crucial” to an investigation into a missing teenager in south Queensland as police continue a land, water and aerial search more than a week after her disappearance.

On Saturday, Queensland police said they were relying “heavily” on information from the public for leads, after expanding the search for Pheobe Bishop to include the Good Night Scrub national park.

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Police search national park for Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop after ‘suspicious’ disappearance

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Good Night Scrub park, about an hour from where the 17-year-old was last seen, is ‘crucial’ to land, water and aerial search

The search of a national park is “crucial” to an investigation into a missing teenager in south Queensland as police continue a land, water and aerial search more than a week after her disappearance.

On Saturday, Queensland police said they were relying “heavily” on information from the public for leads, after expanding the search for Pheobe Bishop to include the Good Night Scrub national park.

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Police search national park for Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop after ‘suspicious’ disappearance

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Good Night Scrub park, about an hour from where the 17-year-old was last seen, is ‘crucial’ to land, water and aerial search

The search of a national park is “crucial” to an investigation into a missing teenager in south Queensland as police continue a land, water and aerial search more than a week after her disappearance.

On Saturday, Queensland police said they were relying “heavily” on information from the public for leads, after expanding the search for Pheobe Bishop to include the Good Night Scrub national park.

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NSW floods: recovery effort begins with 50,000 stranded people urged ‘be patient’

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After fatal flooding and disruption, rain moves south and SES aims to resupply isolated communities. But strong winds will pose new threat

Over 50,000 people remain isolated on the NSW mid-north coast with recovery efforts expected begin on Saturday after the heavy rainfall that has battered the region moved south out of the state.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said on Friday that 50,000 people in 15 communities, including Kempsey and Taree, remain isolated by flood waters with 160 active warnings, 39 of which were at emergency warning and 76 at watch and act.

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NSW government admits it is vicariously liable for prison guard’s sexual abuse of female inmate

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Court hears both parties in class action against state of NSW over conduct of Wayne Astill ‘keen to explore the possibility of settlement’

The New South Wales government has admitted in an ongoing class action that it is vicariously liable for former notorious prison guard Wayne Astill’s sexual abuse of a female inmate.

Court documents filed in the NSW supreme court earlier this month also reveal the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) admits that “from time to time” some guards knew about “some inappropriate conduct” by Astill towards inmates.

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Award judges resign after Queensland state library strips writer’s prize over Hamas tweet

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One resignation letter expresses ‘disgust’ over library’s decision to rescind First Nations author’s $15,000 award after arts minister weighs in

At least four judges for the Queensland literary awards have resigned over the past 24 hours, protesting against the State Library of Queensland’s decision to withdraw a prestigious $15,000 fellowship from First Nations writer Karen Wyld over comment she made last year about the Gaza conflict.

The 2022 Stella award winning poet Evelyn Araluen, Wiradjuri academic and writer Dr Jeanine Leane, writer and reviewer Nigel Featherstone and Gamilaroi poet Luke Patterson all confirmed to Guardian Australia on Friday they have resigned from the awards’ judging panels. It is believed several other judges have also resigned, but wish to remain anonymous.

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Australia news live: new analysis links NSW floods to climate change; count in Bradfield narrows teal’s lead over Liberal to a handful of votes

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BoM says heavy rainfall will extend south through NSW today with some areas set to receive up to 160mm. Follow Australia news and NSW floods live updates today.

Darren Chester says focus on Coalition split ‘frustrating’

Nationals MP Darren Chester says “there are bigger issues” than the makeup of the coalition.

It’s been frustrating to be talking about ourselves at a time when, you know, much of the mid coast, the central coast and north coast of New South Wales is facing devastating floods including loss of life. And in close to home in Victoria central and western Victoria and northern Victoria right through South Australia there’s a devastating drought.

We need to resolve our issues as quickly as we can, because there are bigger issues facing rural and regional Australians than the make-up of the coalition. We need to make sure we get back being a strong and incredible opposition as quickly as possible and I’m hoping that these negotiations can consider – can continue now in a positive and constructive way.

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Malcolm Turnbull accuses ‘stupid’ Nationals of ‘holding a gun’ to Liberal party’s head with Coalition split

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MPs pushing behind the scenes for parties to mend the rift acknowledge ‘really messy’ week as regional areas battle floods and drought

The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused the Nationals of “holding a gun to the Liberal party’s head” over the threat to split the Coalition this week, claiming the rural party been “stupid” in its actions.

The Nationals MP Darren Chester, who was among a band of MPs pushing behind the scenes for the Coalition to mend its rift, acknowledged it was “frustrating” for the opposition to be bickering among themselves as regional and rural areas battled floods and droughts, and urged colleagues to get on with the job.

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Littleproud says discussions about reuniting Coalition a ‘positive move’ – as it happened

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Liberals will attend a virtual party room meeting this afternoon after Ley and Littleproud attempt to broker agreement two days after dramatic split. Follow today’s news live

Minns says community ‘no doubt bracing’ for more bad news after flooding death

The NSW premier is “bracing for more tough news” following news of a death in the state’s inundated mid-north coast.

It’s devastating for that man and his family and his friends. [It’s] a tight-knit community on the mid-north coast, and to lose anyone in these natural disasters is obviously horrifying. So I’m very sorry for that man’s passing.

We should be bracing for more tough news over the next 24 hours. We’re very grateful we got enormous amount of expertise, emergency service personnel and thousands of volunteers who are on site, but when you have major natural disasters, obviously, you get terrible news as a result, and that community no doubt will be bracing in the next 24 hours.

I’m sorry about that. That would be incredibly anxious period, waiting that period of time for a rescue.

I can assure the public that we have got a massive emergency service contingent on the Mid North Coast. There’s 2,500 emergency service workers including 2,200 SES volunteers and professionals that are on site. Over 500 vehicles and boasts, 13 helicopters, hundreds of drones, so this is a major operation.

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