In the middle of Islamic State’s chaotic last stand in Syria, a 26-year-old Australian man made a desperate call to his father in Melbourne. Should he stay in the besieged enclave of Baghouz, or surrender with other members of the extremist group? “He said, ‘the truck is here, what should I do?’,” said Jahangir Alam. As the caliphate crumbled around Mahir ...

Australia could quickly solve the problem of Indonesia and other countries rejecting its waste if governments invested in recycling manufacturing as promised and required the use of recycled material in public projects, industry and environmental groups say. Jakarta announced on Tuesday it would return 210 tonnes of Australian household rubbish – the latest demonstration of opposition in south-east Asia to receiving exported waste. Indonesia, ...

Polar winds, blizzards, floods and one of the worst storms this season are poised to sweep across south-eastern Australia on Wednesday, affecting parts of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. A cold front will bring rain, hail and snow, with severe weather and flood warnings issued for all three states. Damaging winds – from 80km/h to 120km/h – will also ...

Scott Morrison has told the opening session of the Hillsong annual conference that Australia needs more prayer, and more love. Praying for Australia at the evangelical Christian event with his wife, Jenny, Morrison addressed the government’s growing internal debate about religious freedom by arguing that culture was more important than laws. The prime minister told the conference the government would “do what we ...

SYDNEY, Australia — The Australian federal police obtained from Qantas Airways the personal travel records of a journalist, a revelation that alarmed the media industry on Monday after police raids on journalists last month raised questions about press freedoms in the country. A document obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald showed that the police approached the airline in March seeking travel records ...

Australia is responsible for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and could be contributing as much as 17% by 2030 if the pollution from its fossil fuel exports is factored in, research says. Under climate accounting rules that record carbon dioxide released within a country, Australia is responsible for about 1.4% of global emissions. The analysis by science and policy ...

The number of fully immunised Australian children has hit a record level, with close to 95% vaccinated against deadly diseases. New data for the March quarter showed immunisation rates for all five-year-olds was 94.78%, up from 94.67% in the December quarter. The coverage rate for five-year-old Indigenous children was 96.66%, outstripping the national figure. The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, ...

An Irish family facing deportation because their Australian-born son was considered a “burden” on the health system have been offered a last-minute reprieve. Anthony and Christine Hyde, and their son Darragh, 3, who has cystic fibrosis, were granted a ministerial intervention on Friday, after their pending deportation caused outrage across the country. The family moved to Australia in 2009 and ...

Canberra, Australia – Australia’s government has tabled in parliament amendments to repeal a key medical bill for refugees held in its offshore detention centres, despite concerns the move would put lives in danger. The so-called Medevac Bill, which allows the transfer of refugees to mainland Australia for medical treatment, was passed despite government opposition in March. Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton warned that the ...

A Federal Court judge has raised concerns that the Australian Government is putting good relations with Nauru ahead of the health of refugees on the island. In a ruling on Friday about a refugee known to the court as CEU 19, Judge Debra Mortimer noted the Australian Government had failed to comply with a court order on June 14 to ...