Hot El Niño summer brings ‘elevated’ risk of power blackouts to eastern Australia, operator warns

Australian Energy Market Operator says ‘imminent and urgent investment’ in energy is needed

Eastern Australia requires “imminent and urgent investment” in energy to bolster the reliability of the electricity grid, the Australian Energy Market Operator says, as it warns of the risk of outages in Victoria and South Australia this summer.

The challenges are detailed in an Aemo report, released on Thursday, which says the grid may come under strain even with 3.4 gigawatts of new generation and storage capacity added to the national electricity market compared with last summer.

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Australia news live: ‘no downside, only upside’, PM says, confirming Indigenous voice to parliament referendum date as 14 October

The formal announcement of a voice referendum date triggers a campaign from both the yes and no camps, before Australians eventually head to the polls. Follow today’s live news updates

Report points to Snowy 2.0 project costs blowing out to $12bn

Nine’s Sydney Morning Herald and the Age are this morning reporting that the cost of Snowy Hydro’s 2.0 giant pumped hydro project has doubled in six months to $12bn.

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Protesters interrupt ANU event – as it happened

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Victoria bans Nazi salute, symbols and gestures in public

The Victorian government will today introduce legislation to parliament to ban the Nazi salute.

Victorians have zero tolerance for the glorification of hateful ideology. We’re making sure people who use these symbols and gestures to harass, intimidate and incite hate are held accountable for their cowardly behaviour. While we wish making these laws wasn’t necessary, we will always tackle antisemitism, hatred and racism head-on – because all Victorians deserve to feel accepted, safe and included.

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Voice referendum date to be revealed in Adelaide as South Australia emerges as swing state

Guardian Australia analysis shows yes and no campaign advertising is focused more on SA, Tasmania and WA, and less on east coast states

The date of the voice to parliament referendum will be announced in Adelaide due to its strategic importance for both the yes and no campaigns, with the potential for South Australia to be the swing state that decides the outcome of the vote.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed on Wednesday he would announce voting day for the voice referendum in Adelaide next week on the 30 August. Referendum day is widely expected to be 14 October.

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Australia news live: two teenagers charged over Sydney building fire

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Children’s mental health not improved since Covid, research shows

The pandemic may be behind us but its impacts are still prevalent in the mental health of young people, new research shows.

Now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, life has not necessarily gone back to how it was pre-pandemic. Wellbeing clearly dropped during Covid and has shown little signs of improvement since then.

The pandemic, sweeping changes in children’s lifestyles – from physical activity and screen time to sleep and diet – and the pervasive influence of social media aren’t regional anomalies. They’re global phenomena likely impacting children’s wellbeing worldwide.

Chief justice designate Gageler has earned a reputation as having an unequalled knowledge and understanding of constitutional law, an expertise that was sharpened before and during his term as solicitor general of Australia.

Justice Beech-Jones has provided extraordinary service to the law in NSW, commencing practice as a solicitor in Sydney for the firm now known as Freehills, before being called to the bar in 1992. His honour’s appointment to the high court of Australia, to replace the vacancy left by Justice Gageler’s elevation, will enhance Australia’s system of justice.

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Light aircraft crashes after hitting horse during takeoff in South Australia

Pilot flown to hospital with serious injuries following incident on the Yorke Peninsula

A light aircraft has crashed after hitting a horse on takeoff at South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, with the pilot taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Emergency services were called to the incident at Brentwood, west of Adelaide, about 9.20am on Sunday.

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Senator says treaty ‘the only way forward’ – as it happened

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Julian Leeser, the former shadow minister for Indigenous affairs and yes campaigner, has reassured ABC Radio that the voice to parliament is a “safe change” with cross-party support as the referendum draws nearer.

“Right from the beginning of my participation in this debate, I’ve called for a higher standard of debate and I’ve said that we should focus on issues of people,” he said.

I was proud to put my signature to the yes case. The yes case provides a positive reason for voting … It speaks to the practical results from change. It explains why recognition makes a difference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. But it’s a safe change. It’s a change supported by people from all sides of politics.

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News live updates: hundreds charged after NSW domestic violence operation; South Australia moves to ban no cause evictions

Four-day operation results in 1,107 domestic violence charges being laid against 592 people. Follow live

‘Textbook fiscal policy’ from Labor about getting economy ‘in nick’

Chalmers is asked whether it’s possible to control inflation without the unemployment rate growing further.

Remains to be seen.

We’ve got the budget in better nick, not the expense of the economy but in addition, and cost-of-living help is targeted in out-of-pocket health costs, electricity, rent and some particular pressure points. We found $40 billion of savings over two budgets compared to zero in savings in the last Liberal budget.

So all of those things are about get getting the economy in nick at the same time we provide help for people to get through through a difficult period.

The point that Michele Bullock was making in that speech, which, again, I think is relatively uncontroversial, is that as the Reserve Bank forecast and the treasury forecasts, have inflation moderating in coming months, they have a tick-up in unemployment. I’ve been upfront. The challenges in the economy are unsubstantial, globally and domestically, I think the slow-down is expected in the forecasts to be significant. That will have implications for the unemployment rate, which is the point that Michele Bullock was making.

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Sailor rescued from rough seas in Great Australian Bight during solo circumnavigation attempt

Xavier Doerr was winched to safety after spending the night battling giant waves and severe winds west of Kangaroo Island

A solo sailor has been rescued having spent the night battling giant waves and severe winds in the Great Australian Bight after running into trouble hundreds of kilometres from help.

Xavier Doerr, 22, was winched to safety late on Saturday after he was forced to trigger an emergency beacon shortly before 5pm the previous day while attempting to complete a nonstop and unassisted circumnavigation of Australia.

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Daughter charged with parents’ murders allegedly poisoned them with her own insulin, Adelaide court told

Raelene Polymiadis allegedly deliberately overdosed Brenda Anderson and Lynton Anderson, both aged 94, court hears

The daughter of an elderly Adelaide couple has appeared in court charged with their murders with allegations the victims were deliberately overdosed with prescription medication.

Raelene Polymiadis appeared in Adelaide magistrates court on Wednesday. Prosecutors alleged the 62-year-old had administered her own insulin to Brenda Anderson and Lynton Anderson, both aged 94.

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Babysitter charged with murder over Adelaide toddler’s death

Ronan Davies, who was 17 months old, died in June after being taken to hospital with severe head injuries

A man who was babysitting an Adelaide toddler has been charged with the boy’s murder.

Ronan Davies was taken to hospital with severe head and other internal injuries on 7 June and died on 9 June.

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Lawyer claims she wasn’t told for months that Aboriginal teen tried to take her life in youth detention

Incident at South Australia’s Kurlana Tapa centre was downplayed, lawyer claims, but government says safety and wellbeing of children is ‘highest priority’

A lawyer representing children detained at South Australia’s only juvenile justice centre claims she was not informed for almost two months when an Aboriginal teenager attempted to take her own life in custody.

The Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM) lawyer who represents the girl in her early teens said the seriousness of the incident in early 2023 at Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre was not conveyed until eight weeks later.

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Federal budget on track to smash surplus forecasts as cash balance hits $19bn – as it happened

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Melbourne hit by magnitude 4.6 earthquake

Melburnians were shaken by a magnitude 4.6 earthquake at 1.32am.

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Children locked in cells for up to 23 hours at South Australia’s youth detention centre

Child protection watchdog says distress at Kurlana Tapa caused by prolonged detention is leading to self-harm

Children are being locked in their cells for up to 23 consecutive hours partly due to staffing shortages at South Australia’s youth detention centre, with the system in crisis amid a spate of “shocking” self-harm incidents, the state’s guardian for young people says.

Shona Reid, the guardian and youth detention inspector, said children were becoming so distressed due to prolonged detention that they were harming themselves at the Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre.

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Police launch murder investigation into death of Adelaide toddler

The 17-month-old boy identified as Ronan died of head injuries from a suspected assault earlier this month

A toddler has died of head injuries from a suspected assault in Adelaide earlier this month, with police launching a murder investigation.

No one has been charged over the death of the 17-month-old boy identified as Ronan.

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‘Unseasonable’ cloud band could double monthly average rainfall in areas of central Australia

BoM forecasts show system to move from northern WA toward eastern states while alps in south-east could receive more snow

A large cloud band is set to bring unseasonable wet weather to parts of Australia as it moves eastwards across the country this week.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s forecasts suggest a rain band developing over northern Western Australia on Sunday into Monday will move towards the eastern states over the first half of the week.

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South Australian cabernet sauvignon selling for $40 named best in world

The 2021 Riddoch Pastoralist beats wines from more than 20 other countries at the International Wine Challenge

A South Australian cabernet sauvignon that sells for $40 (£21) has been named the best in the world at the International Wine Challenge.

The 2021 Riddoch Pastoralist beat wines from more than 20 other countries to win the International Cabernet Sauvignon trophy.

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Cold snap with damaging winds, hail and snow forecast for Australia’s south-east

Severe weather warnings for wind gusts of up 100km/h issued for Tasmania, Victoria and NSW, BoM says

A cold front is set to sweep across Australia’s south-east in the coming days, bringing icy winds and steep drops in temperature.

The front is brushing the southern tip of Western Australia and is expected to strengthen and intensify as it approaches south-eastern Australia.

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Richard Boyle claims judge wrong to deny him whistleblower protections

Former ATO worker lodges appeal against a South Australian district court decision not to grant him protection

Richard Boyle claims a judge was wrong to deny him whistleblower protections, and says Australia’s laws should have shielded him from alleged acts done in preparation to expose the conduct of the Australian Taxation Office, court documents show.

Boyle has lodged an appeal against a key decision in the South Australian district court, denying him the protections of the nation’s Public Interest Disclosure Act, which left him facing criminal trial on 24 charges – including the alleged use of his mobile phone to take photographs of taxpayer information and covertly record conversations with colleagues.

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Man, 46, missing and believed dead after shark attack in South Australia

The search for the surfer continues after paramedics were called to Walkers Rock Beach near Elliston on Saturday morning

A man is missing and believed to have died after being bitten by a shark on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

South Australia Police have confirmed that a 46-year old man was surfing when he was attacked by a shark, and is now missing.

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