MPs’ electorate offices have been removing Chinese-made surveillance cameras over fears of spyware. The Department of Finance officials confirmed that Hikvision and Dahua security gear had been installed in the offices of 88 parliamentarians, with 65 of them having CCTV systems, while all 88 had both security cameras and intercom systems installed. The department had...
Category: National
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Property crime in Alice Springs at all-time high
Property crime in Alice Springs is at an all-time high and domestic violence offences in the town have almost doubled in the past three years, according to a report by the Central Australian Regional Controller. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chief Minister Natasha Fyles tasked Dorrelle Anderson with compiling a report on alcohol-related harm in...
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Radioactive capsule goes missing on a highway in Western Australia
A tiny ceramic capsule containing a highly radioactive substance was lost during a truck journey in Western Australia. The capsule, which measures 8mm by 6mm, fell off the truck during its 1,400km drive from Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri iron ore mine in the Pilbara region to Perth. The capsule contained caesium-137, a radioactive isotope that emits...
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PM Morrison to declare floods a national emergency
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...
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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,...