Category Archives: New South Wales

Clare O’Neil suggests Labor may legislate fines after Optus data breach – as it happened

Posted on by

The Nationals want to get back to their roots – the regions.

The country party are launching a “regional listening tour” to find out what is affecting people in the country.

Migration is not the only solution to the challenges our regions are up against,” Littleproud said.

We need to look at what can be done now to help those Australians that are already in town.

We know distance is one of the greatest barriers to opportunity. So we’re coming to your town to create this opportunity to share your concerns and help us come up with the solutions.

For example, would a Regional University Centre stop our children from leaving town? Or could paying their HELP debts be the incentive they need to stay where we need them?

Continue reading...

Australian surfer Chris Davidson dies after punch outside pub

Posted on by

Man charged after 45 year-old former champion found unconscious on ground on NSW mid north coast

A man has faced court over the death of the former surfing champion Chris Davidson who died after being punched outside a pub on the NSW mid north coast.

Police said they were called to Sportsmans Way at South West Rocks just after 11pm on Saturday following reports a man had been punched in the face, fallen and hit his head on the pavement.

Continue reading...

Northern NSW towns likely to be isolated for days as floods continue – follow live

Posted on by

NSW premier reports more than 60 flood rescues and says BoM and SES working around the clock

The Tasmanian government is scaling down its operation at the site where hundreds of whales were stranded on the state’s west coast.

In a statement last night, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said its staff will continue to monitor a “small number of whales” in Macquarie Harbour following the mass stranding this week.

Through extensive aerial and vessel surveillance of Macquarie Harbour we have identified a small number of whales within the harbour precinct.

A number of those are still free swimming. However, we do have a couple that are stranded in shallower waters. We currently have crews responding to those animals and we aim to free them and get them swimming out of the harbour throughout the course of the afternoon.

Given the current flooding, saturated catchments and full dams, this forecast front will likely exacerbate the current riverine flooding with multiple systems anticipated to see prolonged or renewed minor to major flooding.

With catchments wet and many dams at capacity, waterways are very sensitive to rainfall, and further river rises and renewed flooding are likely for the inland catchments.

Continue reading...

Cycling Road World Championships favourite Mathieu van der Poel charged with assault in Sydney

Posted on by

Dutch cyclist retires early from Wollongong race following alleged night-time altercation with teenagers at hotel

Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel, who was the favourite going into the UCI Road World Championships elite men’s road race in Wollongong, was arrested and charged with common assault on Saturday night following an incident at his hotel.

He started the race on Sunday morning but retired after less than an hour of racing.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Time is running out on the Murray-Darling plan. Should Tanya Plibersek reach for the big guns?

Posted on by

NSW and Victoria have dragged their heels and now risk the federal government taking over Australia’s most important river system

State governments which have dragged their heels on delivering on their commitments under the Murray-Darling Basin plan are now risking a federal government takeover of water policy after June 2024.

They must judge whether the federal water minister, Tanya Plibersek, will be prepared to reach for the cudgels that are built into the Murray-Darling Basin plan and take over administration of Australia’s most important river system.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

PM speaks out against discrimination; Penny Wong calls on China to rein in Putin – as it happened

Posted on by

Dozens of flood warnings across NSW after state lashed by heavy rainfall overnight. This blog is now closed

Wong highlights decline in the UN’s Human Development Index

Despite inheriting the biggest debt in our nation’s history, the new Australian Government is determined to play its part in supporting the development of other nations, particularly in our region.

We are alarmed that, for the first time, the UN’s Human Development Index has declined for two consecutive years – in 2020 and 2021 – and the impact of this decline has been most severe on women and girls, with nearly half a billion women and girls now living in extreme poverty. And the global food security crisis is increasingly grave.

The Australian parliament I serve in is ever more reflective of our modern nation, both enriched by their diversity. And this follows the collective decision of the Australian people to turn the page and write a new future for themselves. Newly elected parliamentarians have origins from across the world and Indigenous Australians have been elected in record numbers and serve in the ministry in record numbers.

The new Australian government is determined to make real progress on the national journey of healing with Indigenous Australians, the First Peoples of our continent. And as foreign minister, I am determined to see First Nations perspective at the heart of Australian foreign policy, and this week I have been encouraged by discussions with other countries on their own journeys. I am humbled to be guided in these efforts by First Nations colleagues.

Continue reading...

Five-year-old boy dies after car washed away in flood waters in NSW’s central west

Posted on by

Emergency services rescued four people clinging to trees after two vehicles became trapped in floods

A five-year-old boy has died after the vehicle he was travelling in was washed away in flood waters in New South Wales’ central west.

Two vehicles became trapped in flood waters on the McGrane Way at Tullamore, north-west of Parkes on Friday night.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Cycling journalist believes governing body blocked him from world championships for critical reporting

Posted on by

Iain Treloar says Union Cycliste International blacklisted him after he examined its links to a Turkmen autocrat and a Russian billionaire

A respected cycling journalist who was twice blocked from attending the Wollongong world cycling championships believes he has been blacklisted for reporting on the governing body’s links to a notoriously repressive regime and a Russian billionaire under sanctions.

Investigative journalist Iain Treloar’s recent reporting has posed uncomfortable questions for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – the powerful governing body for world cycling.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Queensland and NSW brace for flash flooding as more than 20cm of rain falls in three hours

Posted on by

Weather experts predict already soaked river catchments will remain flooded over coming months

Communities on the Queensland-New South Wales border are on high alert for flash flooding after more than 20cm of rain fell in three hours in some areas.

An intense weather system moved east overnight across the Gold Coast and the already soaked NSW’s northern rivers, prompting emergency text messages to be sent to some residents.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

NSW levy on ride-hailing and taxi passengers extended until 2029

Posted on by

Levy to compensate taxi licence holders for disruption of the industry by Uber forms part of $645m in payments as industry faces complete deregulation

NSW ride-hailing and taxi passengers will pay levies for another two years – until June 2029 – as taxi licence owners move a step closer to securing further compensation.

The government has outlined its plan to deliver a further $500m to licence holders, on top of $145m already doled out, as part of plans for the complete deregulation of the industry.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Thorpe leads protest in Melbourne – as it happened

Posted on by

Q: Is an external review now the precedent for anyone at other clubs who may come forward with similar allegations?

McLachlan:

Our integrity team is investigating many things concurrently. I think it depends on the nature of the allegation and the particular circumstance. But that’s certainly what we felt was warranted here. And I hope that history says that all allegations will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially.

And that’s the challenging part about this, that these courageous people have come forward and now there’s a huge spotlight on them. And I hope it doesn’t deter them to lean in on this and have that conviction to tell their stories to this independent panel so that we can get to the bottom of this.

I spoke to our senior Indigenous players last night. Eddie was on the call. Shaun Burgoyne was there, and Shane Edwards and Steven May and Neville Jetta and others.

And what was confronting for them – and I think they’d be happy for me to talk about this – Burgoyne was there right through this period, and was confronted and challenged he didn’t see any sign of this. I know that was weighing heavily on him.

Continue reading...

Implement pre-court diversion for drug users now, author of NSW ice inquiry urges

Posted on by

Prof Dan Howard says he’s ‘puzzled’ it took the government nearly three years to agree to such modest changes in policing

The author of a landmark inquiry into crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) addiction in New South Wales has warned the government’s commitment to expand pre-court diversion for drug users in the state could be pushed into “the never-never” if it is not implemented by the March election.

On Wednesday the NSW government released its long-awaited response to Prof Dan Howard’s 14-month inquiry into drug addiction in NSW, committing to spending $500m on expanded treatment services and justice initiatives.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Murray-Darling Basin plan on the brink after NSW says it cannot meet water savings deadline

Posted on by

Failure infuriates other states and may force Tanya Plibersek to impose highly controversial buybacks

New South Wales will seek an exemption from its obligations to deliver the final stage of the Murray-Darling Basin plan, a move that could leave the environment short-changed millions of litres of water.

NSW will not meet a June 2024 deadline to deliver the last 25% of water savings of the plan, to be achieved through water-saving projects.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Gunnedah residents criticise flood response as region braces for more rain

Posted on by

Families in NSW Liverpool Plains say authorities did not warn everyone before recent flooding

Residents of Gunnedah on the New South Wales Liverpool Plains are appalled by the lack of preparation, warnings and response from authorities to Sunday’s Namoi River flood, as they brace for another deluge.

Julie Shields, who lives on the north-west end of Bloomfield Street, started the Gunnedah Flood Information and Support Facebook group last December, after being disappointed in the response to Gunnedah’s November 2021 flood.

Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter

Continue reading...

Vales Point coal-fired power station in NSW could be polluting in breach of clean air laws

Posted on by

Environment groups question whether ageing station’s exemptions from some pollution standards are valid

Environment groups say an ageing coal-fired power station in New South Wales that sold for hundreds of millions of dollars may be operating in breach of the state’s clean air laws.

This week Delta Electricity announced it sold the 1,320-megawatt Vales Point power station, located in the state’s Hunter region, to Sev.en Global Investments, owned by Czech billionaire Pavel Tykač.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Greens urge Labor to redirect fossil fuel subsidies to renewables in budget – as it happened

Posted on by

Victorian government commits $1bn to emergency departments in Melbourne’s north

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has vowed to expand two of the state’s busiest emergency departments in Melbourne’s north, in a pre-election $1bn health pledge.

We know there is pressure in the system.

This means more emergency department space, more emergency department patients being treated and a stronger and better health system for millions more.

Continue reading...

‘Bigger and better than ever’: Australia’s rural shows bounce back after tough years

Posted on by

Sponsorship and community engagement are surging after two years of pandemic cancellations

Australia’s rural agricultural shows are making a comeback, with sponsorship and community engagement surging after two years of pandemic cancellations.

According to Agricultural Shows Australia (ASA) executive officer, Katie Stanley, of the more than 580 shows nationwide, 430 were cancelled due to Covid in 2020, and 273 in 2021.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: former senator Rex Patrick demands explanation for freedom of information delays

Posted on by

Patrick will use the federal court to demand the information commissioner explain the lawfulness of her office’s delays in reviewing freedom of information decisions. Follow the day’s news live

The NSW government and the transport union will be meeting this afternoon behind closed doors after the union announced yesterday they’ll be withdrawing their plans to shut down the Opal card system.

Last week the union announced their plans to shut down the Opal card system indefinitely as part of their ongoing dispute with the state government.

[W]e know that higher interest rates will tend to depress residential and commercial property prices but there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude and even the timing.

Not only can declining property prices have implications for economic activity, but also for financial stability as we outlined in the April financial stability review.

Continue reading...

Farmers prepare to be cut off by flooding in north-west NSW

Posted on by

Homes in Gunnedah inundated and residents in Wee Waa region warned to move livestock and machinery to high ground

Farmers in north-west New South Wales are preparing to be cut off after the Namoi River broke its banks, inundating rural towns and sparking several flood rescues.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued flood warnings for the river, including major flooding at Wee Waa and Gunnedah after the river peaked early on Sunday.

Continue reading...

Public servant Amy Brown sacked over hiring process that led to John Barilaro’s New York trade role

Posted on by

Former head of Investment NSW set to receive 12 months’ salary after being terminated from high-profile job

The department secretary responsible for handing John Barilaro a lucrative $500,000 New York trade job has been sacked.

After weeks of speculation about Amy Brown’s future amid a long-running controversy over the now-abandoned appointment, the state’s senior public servant Michael Coutts-Trotter confirmed on Monday that Brown’s employment had been terminated.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...