Australia

Most Australians say cost of living rising

Voters think cost of living pressures, particularly energy prices, have increased over the past 12 months, and a majority of Australians earning below the average weekly wage believe their income is going backwards, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. The new poll, which maintains the 2017 trend of Labor in an election-winning position on the two-party preferred measure (54% to the Coalition’s ...

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Buyer’s remorse: Australia’s sorry record on defence hardware

Malcolm Turnbull has unveiled an “ambitious, positive plan” to make Australia one of the world’s largest weapons exporters. Unveiling the new “defence export strategy” on Monday, the prime minister said Australia would raise its profile in the international arms trading game by helping private firms sell weapons in “priority markets” such as the Middle East. Military budgets are increasing around the world, ...

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Australian mother accused of murdering adult children

An Australian woman has been accused of murdering two of her children and torturing a third, in alleged crimes that spanned at least five years. Maree Crabtree, 51, was arrested on Queensland’s Gold Coast on Wednesday. Police allege she killed her daughter, 18, in 2012, and her son, 26, last year. Both had disabilities. Authorities alleged Ms Crabtree was motivated ...

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Australia’s $46 million 2022 World Cup bid ‘never had a chance’, says former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter

These words were uttered by disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter late last year as he had lunch with former Football Federation Australia (FFA) executive Bonita Mersiades in Zurich. He was talking of course about Australia’s bid for the 2022 Football World Cup. The revelations are contained in Ms Mersiades’ new book, Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the ...

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Summer extremes: ‘Winter wonderland’ in Australia’s south-east and searing heat in Queensland

Australia’s extreme run of weather this summer continues, with parts of the south-east experiencing a ‘winter wonderland’ as temperatures soar further north. Victoria’s Mount Hotham woke to flurries of snow this morning as temperatures dipped below zero in the state’s high country overnight. Further south, a thick blanket of ice and hail lined the village of Orford, 73km from Hobart, ...

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Australia v England: Jason Roy hits record 180 in five-wicket victory

First ODI, Melbourne Australia 304-8 (50.0 overs): Finch 107, Stoinis 60, M Marsh 50; Plunkett 3-71 England 308-5 (48.5 overs): Roy 180, Root 91* England won by five wickets Scorecard Jason Roy hit the highest one-day international score by an England player with a sublime 180 to help the tourists beat Australia by five wickets in the first ODI at the MCG. ...

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New South Wales drops pledge to reform state’s racial vilification laws

Attorney general Mark Speakman says there ‘are no present plans’ to amend Anti-Discrimination Act    Christopher Knaus   The New South Wales government has quietly dropped plans to reform the state’s racial vilification laws, prompting anger from Jewish leaders, ethnic groups and the Labor opposition.   The state government had previously pledged to fix the laws, which are widely seen ...

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Australian fishermen rescued after sleeping on roof of stranded car ‘for days’ as crocodiles circled

two men stranded in the outback of Australia spent four days on top of their car after finding themselves surrounded by rising waters filled with circling crocodiles. The men were on a fishing trip in the remote Kimberley region in north-west Australia when their four-by-four became stuck in a tidal bog. Police said a close encounter with a crocodile prompted ...

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Melbourne consortium underwrites windfarm in Australian-first deal

Three Melbourne councils, two universities, Zoos Victoria, and half a dozen corporations have banded together to underwrite a windfarm in western Victoria that will power some of the city’s most recognisable buildings. The group of 14 organisations, led by the City of Melbourne, has agreed to purchase half the power produced by a new 39-turbine, 80MW windfarm near Ararat, about 200km west ...

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Australians decisively support same-sex marriage

Australians have overwhelmingly voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in a historic poll. The non-binding postal vote showed 61.6% of people favour allowing same-sex couples to wed, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. Jubilant supporters have been celebrating in public spaces, waving rainbow flags and singing and dancing. The issue only went to a voluntary postal vote after a ...

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