The month was also Australia’s third-warmest September on record as El Niño and the climate crisis combined
Australia has recorded its driest September since records began in 1900 with a national rainfall average of just 4.83mm.
The data from the Bureau of Meteorology on Monday came as fires burned out of control in Victoria and New South Wales amid warnings of potential flash flooding later in the week.
Continue reading...The two men in their 20s reportedly attended the Knockout music festival at Sydney Olympic Park. Follow the day’s news live
Reserve Bank not likely to move on interest rates
Australian borrowers are likely to be spared more interest rate pain this week, following the first Reserve Bank of Australia board meeting under its new governor.
Sydney: 594 auctions with a clearance rate of 71.7%
Melbourne: 159 auctions with a clearance rate of 66%
Brisbane: 82 auctions with a clearance rate of 70.7%
Adelaide: 58 auctions with a clearance rate of 79.3%
Canberra: 64 auctions with a clearance rate of 62.5%
Tasmania: No auctions held with two expected this weekend
Perth: Six of 13 auctions have been held
Continue reading...Ten children have recently been treated for scalding at Westmead hospital, with injuries to thighs or genital area the most common
School holidays have led to a spike in the number of children suffering scalding burns from instant noodles, prompting a warning from a major New South Wales hospital.
Five children have been referred to the children’s hospital at Westmead in the last week after sustaining scald burns from instant noodles. Another five were treated for the same mishap earlier in September.
Continue reading...At 2am on Sunday the clocks roll forward an hour in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT. So why aren’t Queensland, WA and the NT onboard?
Depending on who you ask, it’s either the most wonderful time of the year or the bane of their existence.
As most Australians sleep through Saturday night and into Sunday morning, time will skip ahead one hour – but only in some states and territories.
Continue reading...NSW water police respond after reports of the incident off Cape Banks at La Perouse
One man has died and another is in a stable condition in hospital after a boat capsized after it was reportedly struck by a whale in Sydney.
NSW water police responded to reports that two people were in the water off Cape Banks at La Perouse at about 6am on Saturday morning, after their unoccupied boat was found circling in the waters.
Continue reading...The foreign minister claims public interest immunity over Dfat advice. This blog is now closed
Rishworth won’t confirm adoption of any disability royal commission recommendations, ahead of report release
Families and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has refused to confirm if the government will be adopting any of the recommendations made in the disability royal commission report ahead of its public release today.
I’m not going to comment on any specific recommendations.
Obviously, we need to also make sure people with disability have choice and control.
You never change a country for the better through fear, you change it through hope and optimism and compassion and justice.
That’s what this referendum is about.
This is a body that won’t provide funds, that won’t run programs, that will just give advice to the government, and that experience of past bodies, and issues that have arisen has been factored in by Indigenous Australians when they’ve made this request.
Continue reading...NSW Environmental Protection Authority alleged company had exceeded standard concentration of solid particles under air pollution laws
Mining company Newcrest has pleaded guilty to breaching clean air regulations in the operation of the Cadia goldmine, near Orange in central west New South Wales.
The NSW Environmental Protection Authority began proceedings against the company in August, alleging that the operation of surface exhaust fans attached to the main ventilation shaft for the underground goldmine, dubbed vent rise 8, had caused it to exceed the standard concentration of solid particles under air pollution laws.
Continue reading...Sydney could reach 35C on Sunday for the NRL and NRLW grand finals and Melbourne 29C for Saturday’s big AFL clash
Temperatures are expected to soar more than 8C above average along Australia’s east coast this weekend.
On Sunday, Sydney – where the NRL and NRLW grand final clashes will take place – could reach a maximum of 35C, making it the hottest day that an NRL grand final match has been played in history. The last hottest conditions for an NRL grand final was in 2014 at 34.7C.
Continue reading...Labor heavyweight also warns of the danger of environment movement fading as he throws support behind new alliance
The former New South Wales premier Bob Carr has backed an alliance of conservation groups calling for tougher environmental protections and an overhaul of the state’s land-clearing laws.
A report from the new alliance – called the Stand Up for Nature alliance – calls for forests and native vegetation to be protected by “ending habitat destruction, run away land clearing and industrial native forest logging”.
Continue reading...NSW chief health officer says scheme particularly popular in regional areas, where fewer GPs are often available
Women in Queensland and New South Wales will now have easier access to the oral contraceptive pill as state governments expand trials to ease pressure on GPs.
Under the changes, women in NSW will be able to obtain a prescription for resupply of the pill from their pharmacist without having to see a doctor, unless it is the first time they have taken the medication.
Continue reading...Residents claim the agency in charge of recovery has backtracked after verbally assuring people they would get help
Mullumbimby residents who are still stuck in limbo 18 months after their town was devastated by floods say a change to the state’s recovery program means few of them will qualify for support to retrofit or raise their homes.
As the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, prepares to fly into Lismore on Tuesday to talk up his Labor government’s $100m investment into flood recovery, a sense of “hopelessness” has set in for residents in the neighbouring Byron shire.
Continue reading...An AI model used to analyse more than half a million domestic violence reports found 57% included coercive control
Domestic violence assaults have risen 13.5% over the past five years, according to the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (Bocsar), which also found coercive control behaviours were present in more than half of police domestic violence reports.
Using an artificial intelligence model to analyse more than half a million domestic violence police reports made from Janurary 2009 until March 2020, Bocsar researchers found 57% of domestic violence events included at least one coercive control behaviour.
Continue reading...Advice from prosecutors about the boy’s high-profile disappearance will be provided by the end of January
Advice from prosecutors regarding possible charges over the 2014 disappearance of three-year-old William Tyrrell will be given to New South Wales police in the coming months, a coroner has heard.
A coroner heard on Friday that police are seeking the advice from the office of the director of public prosecutions about the case, with that opinion due to be delivered by the end of January.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Force considering alternatives to Pacer program that has seen 48% reduction in people detained by police under Mental Health Act
New South Wales police are looking to replace a program designed to provide “person-centred, trauma-informed care” to people with severe mental health challenges despite the police minister describing it as “so successful”.
Under the Police, Ambulance, Clinical, Early, Response (Pacer) program, mental health clinicians employed by NSW Health are stationed with police to ensure police powers are only used when necessary in responding to mental health crises.
Continue reading...‘It’s not my fight, it is everyone’s fight and everyone has to work together so this doesn’t happen again’, says Judy Deacon
Judy Deacon didn’t shut herself away after her son, Jesse, was shot and killed by New South Wales police two months ago.
Instead, the 79-year-old harnessed her anger. She started lobbying politicians, health professionals and the force itself.
Continue reading...Reserve bank considered a 25 basis point hike before deciding to hold benchmark cash rate unchanged at 4.1%, minutes reveal. Follow the day’s news live
O’Neil: government response on cybercrime will not take away responsibilities of corporations to secure data
Clare O’Neil is asked whether the government is considering implementing a “safe harbour rule” like other countries have that would enable businesses to report what’s happened but then be saved from prosecution.
What’s really important to understand … is the way in which a cyber attack unfolds is quite different than other types of crime. So if you get something stolen from your house, the police can come in and you can identify the items that are gone usually pretty much immediately. Cybercrime is not like that. Often what is taken is invisible and it will take sometimes months to understand exactly what has happened.
So what what we are thinking about at the moment is how to make sure we’ve got as open disclosure as possible at the crisis point of the attack. So when we know there is an intruder on the system … we need to help companies [eject] them from the system as quickly as possible. That doesn’t take away from any responsibilities that corporations will have ultimately around the transparency of what has happened, and reporting that to government and to regulators.
We’ve got really good reason to believe that the cybersecurity environment is actually going to worsen. And I say that not to scare people, but to help them understand that we can see what is coming at us and that is why the government is so fiercely active on this issue.
What I mean by that is that cybercrime is a relatively new form of criminal activity. And I think what we’re seeing is countries around the world start to build and develop responses that will actually help us bring perpetrators to account …
Continue reading...Acting commissioner says use of bean bag rounds suspended in state after Krista Kach Tasered and shot by officers in Newcastle last week
Bean bag rounds fired at Krista Kach during a siege in Newcastle last week penetrated her chest and hit her heart, killing the 47-year-old, the New South Wales police acting commissioner says.
Kach died in John Hunter hospital on Thursday night after officers forced their way into her apartment after a nine-hour standoff. Police claim Kach had earlier threatened officers with an axe.
Continue reading...Police allege Stanley Turvey fired a shot in the air during attempted arrest near Shepparton
An alleged gunman remains at large after evading police and kidnapping a Victorian resident before crossing the border into New South Wales.
The alleged gunman has been identified as Stanley Turvey, with police releasing an image of his tattooed face as part of a public appeal to track him down.
Continue reading...Stretch of hot weather enters fourth day as temperatures climb significantly above average in NSW, Victoria and South Australia
A vast swathe of Australia entered its fourth consecutive day of well above average heat on Monday, delivering elevated fire dangers and an early start to an unusually hot and dry warm season.
Northern Victoria, inland New South Wales and inland South Australia were all forecast to record temperatures from 10C to 16C above average on Monday. Port Augusta in SA was predicted to reach 39C, Penrith in NSW was set to reach 37C and Sydney was forecast to hit 31C.
Continue reading...A $7bn shortfall has been forecast this financial year, but Daniel Mookhey says any cuts to be made will be in areas that ‘don’t affect people’
The New South Wales, treasurer Daniel Mookhey, says Labor’s first budget for the state in more than a decade will lay the groundwork for future reform, make cuts “in areas that don’t affect people” and provide support for a “once in a generation” cost-of-living crisis.
“We are looking for every available opportunity we can to provide practical assistance to people,” he said.
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