Australia

Reason Aussies should fill up now and avoid more pain at the pump

A recent Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report found prices had declined steadily since June. But the end of a government cost-of-living measure could inch prices closer to the $2 mark overnight. In March, the government halved the fuel tax by 22.1 cents, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and production cuts, sent oil prices skyrocketing. But cutting the fuel ...

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Australian government reveals $2.5 million spend at Myanmar military-linked hotels in bloody aftermath of coup

The Australian government has spent more than $2.5 million in taxpayer funds on luxury accommodation linked to Myanmar’s military junta since it overthrew the country’s democratically elected government in a coup last year. Australia has repeatedly condemned the actions of the junta, which has killed more than 2,273 people and arrested more than 15,500 since the power grab on February ...

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Australia faces two tougher choices on migrant income and residency

The federal government’s decision to lift Australia’s permanent migrant intake from 160,000 to 195,000 this financial year, which it announced at the jobs summit, has been applauded by business leaders and premiers. But by itself, lifting migration will do little to fill widespread skills shortages, partly because three in every four migrants granted permanent visas are already in Australia. Even ...

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Wickham Street, Arncliffe: 10-storey building, 24 units planned

Plans for a 10-storey apartment building worth $11 million have been revealed, after they were submitted to Bayside Council. Loucas Architects has proposed to create the residential building at 6 and 8A Wickham Street, which will include 24 units, three levels of basement parking, landscaping and communal open space. The site is located close to Arncliffe Railway Station and provides ...

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National cabinet confirms Covid isolation period reduces to five days

Australians will soon only have to isolate for five days after national cabinet agreed to slash the quarantine period from seven days. The changed settings will not apply for people in “vulnerable settings”, meaning aged care workers may still need to stay at home for seven days. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said change would only apply to people who were ...

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Tertiary education union protesters block off Sydney University

Sydney University teachers and staff are blocking off all entrances to the campus, refusing student entry and causing traffic disruption. Protesters from the NSW National Tertiary Education Union have created a blockade at the entrance to the University, causing traffic build-up and headaches for commuters on Parramatta Rd. The Sydney University branch of the National Tertiary Education Union has created ...

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Sydney mayor wants Bondi Beach shark nets removed

A Sydney mayor whose council takes in Bondi Beach wants shark nets removed this summer despite just one fatal attack occurring on a pro­tected beach since nets were introduced in NSW almost 100 years ago. Several NSW councils and a few MPs have recently been lobbying the regime to travel without shark nets within the summer for the primary time ...

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Defiant Morrison resists pressure to resign as the governor says he thought powers would be made public

Scott Morrison says he won’t resign from federal parliament after his five secret ministry self-appointments were revealed, defending his decision to stay those ministries concealed because he says he never exercised the powers he had. At a conference in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon, Morrison struck a defiant tone and said he would remain because the member of Cook, despite growing ...

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Xiao Qian condemns U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

Xiao Qian addressed National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, where he spoke about the long-term of the Australian-Chinese relationship. Mr. Xiao, who was appointed to his diplomatic post in January, delivered his speech against the backdrop of escalating tensions within the Taiwan Strait. Beijing launched unprecedented military drills within the Taiwan Strait within the South China Sea following Ms. ...

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