The federal health minister cited data showing vape use among young Australians has significantly reduced meaning new laws are working. Follow today’s news live
Cyclone threat looms in northern Australia as drenched region braces for yet more rain
North Queensland is on cyclone watch with three tropical lows given a chance of developing in the coming days, bringing heavy rain that has flooded roads and homes.
Continue reading...The 40-year-old had a medical condition where people exhibit sexual behaviour during sleep, court heard
Jurors have acquitted a man diagnosed with “sexsomnia” of rape.
On Thursday, Timothy Malcolm Rowland, 40, was found not guilty of having non-consensual sex with a woman at his Sydney apartment on 26 August 2022, after the pair spent a night out together.
Continue reading...NSW police investigating after explosives found in Dural with premier Chris Minns warning incident could have led to ‘mass casualty event’
More than 100 counter-terrorism police are investigating after a caravan was found laden with explosives at a residential property in greater Sydney with indications the explosives would be used in an antisemitic attack.
Police said they had found the caravan on a property in Dural, on the outskirts of Sydney on 19 January after a report was made.
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Labor adds homelessness focus to disability strategy
Australians with disabilities experiencing homelessness will be prioritised as the government commits to disability reforms, months after a scathing royal commission into the sector, AAP reports.
For the first time, they also include a number of national actions that all governments will work on together, with the disability community, to ensure people with disability right across Australia experience the benefits.
Some students, especially those in our cities, can see a career in agriculture as something that’s only for those who live in the regions or for those whose family own land that can be used to operate an agribusiness.
AgConnections aims to break down these misconceptions and build on the diversity of the industry, by highlighting and encouraging women and Indigenous Australians wanting to pursue a career in agriculture.
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AFP warns parents over rise in AI-generated child abuse material
There has been an increase in the use of AI-generated child abuse material in the past year, including students creating material like deepfakes to harass or embarrass classmates, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation has said.
Children and young people are curious by nature, however, anything that depicts the abuse of someone under the age of 18 – whether that’s videos, images, drawings or stories – is child abuse material, irrespective of whether it is ‘real’ or not.
The AFP encourages all parents and guardians to have open and honest conversations with their child on this topic, particularly as AI technology continues to become increasingly accessible and integrated into platforms and products.
As a society, I think that it demonstrates the need for us to place a high value collectively on a civil political discourse, rather than an extreme one.
I wasn’t surprised to learn that of the 16 arrests, only one person was from South Australia and the rest were scattered from all over the country and for whatever reason, decided to convene in Adelaide.
Continue reading...Scientists unsure what prompted juvenile whale to leave icy southern waters for warmer shallows, but ‘it may be a case of mis-navigation’
A young Antarctic minke whale has treated ferry passengers to a rare spectacle after surfacing beside a wharf to the south of Sydney.
Christine Hack, the manager of Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises, which manages the Cronulla ferry, said the whale began following the vessel as it approached Bundeena wharf at about 10am on Monday.
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Continue reading...Hot, dry and windy weather for Australia’s south-east prompts bushfire and heatwave warnings
Multiple heatwave and bushfire warnings are in place for the Australia Day public holiday, with every Australian capital city expecting maximum temperatures above 30C and Melbourne forecast for a scorcher.
On Monday Melbourne was forecast to hit 41C before a late cool change. Sydney was due for 31C, Brisbane 30C, Adelaide 35C, Perth 32C and Hobart 32C.
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Continue reading...Heat moving east with temperatures over 40C expected in South Australia and Victoria
Light drizzle after a long dry spell is to blame for a series of fires that have cut power to tens of thousands of homes in Western Australia, while extreme heat is set to dominate the remainder of the long weekend in Victoria and South Australia.
A spokesperson from Western Power said dozens of pole top fires had left 38,000 homes in the Perth and midwest regions of WA without power on Saturday morning.
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Continue reading...Woman in intensive care as NSW Health urges community to only receive cosmetic injections from authorised practitioners
A Sydney woman is in intensive care and a further two people are being treated in hospital with suspected cases of botulism linked to unregulated home anti-wrinkle injections.
The case prompted New South Wales Health to issue an alert urging the community to only receive cosmetic anti-wrinkle injections from authorised practitioners or risk “serious harm and … death”.
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The anti-fracking group Lock the Gate Alliance has launched a legal challenge to a Northern Territory government decision to approve another gas exploration project in the Beetaloo basin.
The case in the territory’s civil and administrative tribunal is challenging the merits of the government’s approval of the environment management plan for Empire Energy’s “Larrimah” exploration project.
Our robust regulation of the onshore petroleum industry is informed by the best available science. As the project is before the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, it would be premature to make any further comment on the matter.
For too long, vice-chancellors and senior executives have escaped any real accountability for some of the terrible decisions that have damaged our public universities. An inquiry would be a golden opportunity to get to the bottom of what’s allowing the wage theft epidemic, rampant casualisation and a raft of other serious problems to flourish in our sector.
This is the path to lasting reform that will ensure staff can deliver the world-class teaching and research our students and community deserve.
Continue reading...Randwick mayor says vandalism does ‘disservice to reconciliation’ but Greens councillor says statue marks ‘devastating impacts of colonisation’
A statue of Captain Cook in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been damaged and doused in red paint for a second year in a row.
New South Wales police were investigating after the damage to the sandstone statue of the explorer and naval captain was discovered on Friday morning before the Australia Day long weekend.
Continue reading...One psychiatrist raises concerns about proposed back-up arrangements as health officials rush to fill staffing gaps
More than 60 mental health beds in public hospitals are temporarily closing in New South Wales as some hospitals are being given directives to limit psychiatric assessments because of mass resignations.
A senior psychiatrist told Guardian Australia that the emergency plans to manage psychiatric patients will mean decisions on discharge or the need for further care will be delayed, causing bed blockages across the health system. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Asked about the future of the weekly pro-Palestinian protests across Australia, Malarndirri McCarthy said as long as they are respectful and peaceful, “they are part of our democratic way”.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? I mean, we are a democracy. Whatever the rally or protest is, we enable that. We allow that so long as it’s peaceful and respectful.
Police across every jurisdiction in the country know they have to be prepared. Rally organisers, whoever they may be, also know they need to consult to be able to have access to those streets. Come on, let’s be mindful that these rallies, so long as they are held in a respectful manner, in a peaceful manner, they are part of our democratic way.
I think when I look at the polls, Karl – and I think I’ve talked to you about this over the years, you know, when we went into the 2019 election – every poll said we were going to win. The reality is, you have to work every single day right up – and the only poll that does really count, and I believe that especially after that loss, is the one on election day.
Continue reading...Prospect of further public transport disruption remains despite unions’ commitment to halt work bans
Hopes of an end to industrial action that has thrown Sydney’s train system into chaos may be dashed as the NSW government faces the prospect of pay negotiations with unions breaking down.
The Minns government had been optimistic that negotiations could deter further train disruptions, after six combined rail unions on Wednesday morning committed to halt work bans that have wrought havoc across Sydney’s transport network in recent months.
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Continue reading...Adam Edward Moule is ninth person charged under Strike Force Pearl investigation into spate of antisemitic attacks across Sydney
The arrest of a man who allegedly attempted to set a synagogue on fire in Sydney’s inner west this month is a “big breakthrough”, the New South Wales premier has said, as investigations continue into a spate of antisemitic vandalism in the city.
Adam Edward Moule, 33, had his case briefly mentioned at Downing Centre local court on Wednesday and was scheduled to appear again on Thursday before the same court.
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Watt defends government response to antisemitism as ‘very strong’
Asked if the federal government has been going enough to combat antisemitism, Murray Watt said it had responded “very strongly here”.
Unfortunately, there are some people in the community who are engaging is disgusting behaviour and the AFP and state police have demonstrated they will be caught and go to jail, which is where they belong.
I [will] leave it to the AFP to confirm some of the details about this, but I think this demonstrates exactly how far our police authorities are going to try to crack down on the shocking behaviour …
[The number of arrests made] sends a really clear message from the whole community that there is no tolerance that this kind of hate, and you will be caught if you do these kind of disgusting attacks.
Continue reading...Cost of fixing ‘forever chemical’ pollution should be borne by manufacturers and polluters, not governments and consumers, expert tells Senate inquiry
A water quality expert says the Australian government should expand a planned ban of PFAS as a New South Wales indigenous community called for funding for blood tests for people living on “poisoned” land.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a group of several thousand synthetic compounds, are found in a wide variety of products including waterproof fabrics, food packaging, hygiene products and firefighting foam. They are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals” because they are slow to break down and persist in the environment for extended periods.
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Continue reading...Doctor calls situation ‘an absolute disaster’ for public mental health system and vulnerable patients
Mental health wards have begun to close in New South Wales as negotiations to avert the mass resignations of psychiatrists continue.
At Cumberland psychiatric hospital, the largest mental health facility in NSW and the oldest in Australia, the acute and rehabilitation wards have closed, and the NSW branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) predicts more will follow.
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The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says it was a “privilege and honour” to be the first Australian foreign minister to “be invited and to attend an inauguration on behalf of our country”.
She spoke with the Today show from Washington DC, where she attended Donald Trump’s inauguration.
My message here in Washington to those I meet is to point out the reality of the economic relationship between Australia and the United States, that there is a surplus in America’s favour. There has been for decades. In fact, it’s about two to one. And of those exports from Australia that come here, about half of them go into the US production.
As we know, the Wall Street Journal is obviously reporting, now [Trump is] going to review the trade situation and then look at what sort of tariff changes need to be made.
We need to make sure that our foreign affairs ministry, our trade minister and our ambassador are deeply engaged in that review process to make sure our national interest is upheld.
Continue reading...As Northern Beaches mayor awaits confirmation of pollution source, water expert says: ‘We know it’s sewage’
Testing of the debris balls that closed nine Sydney beaches last week has revealed they contained faecal matter, E coli bacteria and saturated fatty acids.
The Northern Beaches council said on Tuesday it had received the results of further analysis of balls it sent to the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for testing.
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