Australia’s responsibility to the Pacific is unique – besides our historical ties with the UK, it is the only relationship specifically mentioned in the constitution. And for 10 of the more than dozen island nations in the region, unquestionably their most important bilateral relationship is with our country. Two things we often forget. But for the last half decade or so ...

It was 100 years ago to the place, the year and the hour. The dawn service at Villers-Bretonneux on a landscape of peace was a foreign world to the bloodshed on the same site a century ago. Anzac Day 2018 commemor­ated the successful Australian ­counter-attack that saved the town, left an enduring Franco-Australian bond and elevated ­Villers-Bretonneux as the ultimate ...

PERTH, Australia — The Australian government said Monday that it would investigate the mistreatment of animals after video recently emerged showing thousands of sheep dying from heat stress on board a ship traveling to the Middle East. David Littleproud, the agriculture minister, said he was “shocked and gutted” by the footage and promised that those responsible would be punished. The ...

SYDNEY, Australia — Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia has accomplished a dubious feat: for the 30th straight time, an opinion poll placed his governing Liberal Party behind the opposition, intensifying pressure on the embattled leader as he confronts a tide of stubborn scandals. The Newspoll, one of the country’s most respected political polls, was the same survey that Mr. Turnbull ...

White South African farmers “deserve special attention” from Australia due to the “horrific circumstances” of land seizures and violence, Peter Dutton has said. The home affairs minister told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday his department was examining a range of methods to fast-track their path to Australia on humanitarian or other visa programs. South Africa’s new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is ...

On 6 March 2018, the Australian Embassy in Beirut celebrated International Women’s Day at Nawfal Palace in Tripoli. More than 120 Australian-Lebanese women from all walks of life attended the event. Also present were Kazem Kheir MP, former MP Misbah Ahdab, and representatives of municipalities and political leaders. HE Australian Ambassador Glenn Miles highlighted Australia’s leading position on gender equality, ...

The number of homeless people in Australia jumped by more than 14,000 — or 14 per cent — in the five years to 2016, according to census data which also reveals a “significant” increase in older women on the streets and a growing group living in overcrowded accommodation. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said 116,000 people were homeless on ...

Labor leader rejects calls to water down plan to abolish rebates, branding the status quo ‘millionaires’ welfare’ Bill Shorten has doubled down on his plan to abolish franking credit cash rebates for retiree investors, branding the status quo “millionaires’ welfare” bankrolled by ordinary Australian taxpayers. Speaking to reporters in Brisbane, the Labor leader rejected calls to water down his policy ...

HONG KONG — A top Australian official said this week that white farmers from South Africa should be granted emergency visas, saying they needed protection in a “civilized country” amid a debate over redistribution of their lands to black citizens. On Thursday, South Africa’s Foreign Ministry fired back, characterizing the remarks made by Peter Dutton, Australia’s home affairs minister, as ...

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has indicated his support for Australia to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ahead of a special summit in Sydney. “I think it’s a good idea,” he told Fairfax Media in an interview published on Friday. The president said it would be better for “stability, economic stability, and also political stability. Sure, it will be ...