Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will declare a national emergency over flooding in two states. The disaster in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland has killed 20 people and inundated thousands of homes in the past two weeks, after record rains. Federal and state governments have faced anger for not acting faster to help...
Category: National
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Lismore flood emergency sees people stranded on roofs, evacuation warning issued
NSW’s Northern Rivers region is being battered by a “natural disaster of unprecedented proportions” as floodwaters in Lismore hit record levels, emergency services minister Steph Cooke says. There are now 17 evacuation orders and 21 warnings in place, affecting 62,000 people, with residents in Lismore working to rescue stranded neighbours. Ms Cooke said emergency services...
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Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast houses selling at record speed according to new data
For those looking to buy a house on the Gold Coast, 16 days may be all the time you have to close a deal. New data from CoreLogic has revealed houses on the Gold Coast are among the fastest-selling in the country’s 25 largest regions. Houses on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts and Toowoomba are...
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Federal government pledges A$1bn for Great Barrier Reef but draws renewed climate criticism
Australia will spend A$1bn (£520m; $700m) over nine years on improving the water quality and other aspects of the ailing Great Barrier Reef, its PM says. Scientists have welcomed the money but warn it does not tackle the reef’s overriding threat of climate change. A climate laggard among rich nations, Australia is often criticised for...
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Anti-vax protesters take to Sydney streets as state records nearly 50,000 new cases, 20 deaths
Parents and children who oppose the COVID-19 vaccination for kids have taken to Sydney streets alongside Novak Djokovic supporters. The busy crowd gathered in Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park as the state recorded 48,768 new COVID cases and 20 deaths. Hospitalisations for the virus reached 2576 with 193 in ICU. Alongside opposing the vaccine, protesters were...
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Australia equals hottest day on record at 50.7C
Australia has equalled its hottest day on record after a remote coastal town reported temperatures of 50.7C (123.26F). The temperature in Onslow, Western Australia, on Thursday matched a record set in 1962 in South Australia. Onslow and the surrounding areas could see records broken again with temperatures set to rise slightly on Friday. It comes...
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New Year festivities muted, but with glimpses of hope
Sydney was among the first to welcome 2022 and while most of the world was forced to scale back New Year’s celebrations, Australia’s most populous city went full swagger with a spectacular fireworks show that lit up the harbor. It was a rare site, as splashy displays were called off at Paris’s Arc de Triomphe,...
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The eye-watering amount Aussies are expected to spend on Boxing Day
Record online sales are expected on Boxing Day as coronavirus-conscious shoppers buy with their browsers rather than join the crowds. Shoppers have been tipped to spend $4 billion – more than last year – in stores and online, based on Commonwealth Bank data. Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra predicted the online record. “The...
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5 Children Die in Fall from Inflatable Castle Swept Up by Wind in Tasmania
Aparty celebrating the end of classes for the year took a deadly turn after winds in Australia lifted an inflatable castle more than 30 feet into the air, with several primary school students still inside. The freak accident unfolded on Thursday around 10 a.m. outside Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, located on the island of...
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One in three workers in Parliament are sexually harassed, says report
A third of employees in Australia’s federal parliament have been sexually harassed, a landmark report has found. The report was commissioned after a former staffer, Brittany Higgins, said she had been raped by a colleague in a minister’s office. Her story earlier this year triggered a wave of wide-ranging allegations of misconduct in Canberra. The...