Category: World

Tens of thousands of Aussies have made their opinion clear on Welcome to Country ceremonies, with two thirds saying they want them to stop altogether. As controversy continues to swirl around the booing of Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown during Friday’s Anzac Day Dawn Service at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, both sides of politics have condemned the actions of neo-Nazis who led the heckling. But the Liberal Party has previously vowed to scale back the ceremonies, with frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price warning people are “sick if it”. A news.com.au poll on Saturday with nearly 50,000 responses found readers overwhelmingly agree. ... Read more

Five men have reportedly been rescued by the Australian Border Force from a remote beach after they were spotted by a commercial helicopter pilot. The possible illegal boat arrivals were picked up by authorities after a pilot observed SOS scrawled in the sand, according to The Australian. Footage posted by North Australian Helicopters on social media on Thursday shows the group on the “northern coast”. North Australian Helicopters said the men spoke no English and appeared to have been there for “quite a while”. In a statement, Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the government would not “confirm, or comment on, ... Read more

Australian nuclear submarines paint a giant target for China, retired Army Major General Michael Smith says. In an essay published this week, General Smith calls on the next government to review the secretive $368bn AUKUS nuclear subs deal, saying the mammoth expenditure denies the chance of dealing peacefully and diplomatically with China. Discussion of Australia’s massive economic commitment to purchase US-made nuclear submarines has been mostly absent from this election campaign, particularly since Donald Trump lobbed a grenade into the world economy with his tariffs. Australian National University national security expert David Andrews told NewsWire a lack of discussion about ... Read more

Peter Dutton’s office has been hit by vandals again while Anthony Albanese has denied plans to kill negative gearing, while defending his record on taking on far right extremists. Mr Dutton defended a controversial candidate in Qld against Labor’s attacks, and said they are fighting for every seat they can win as Anthony Albanese heads to Melbourne. FOLLOW UPDATES BELOW Meanwhile, Mr Albanese said it is not surprising that Russia would seek to expand its reach in the region after it reached out to Indonesia. Originally published as Howard’s rock star welcome as Dutton hit by vandals again Source link

Peter Dutton has just seven days left to convince voters he is the right man to be prime minister, but he leaves week four of the campaign behind on unsteady ground. Week four of the May 3 election campaign was always going to be a tough sell for the leaders, with Easter at one end, Anzac Day at the other and school holidays in between as early voting started. But the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday night threw both Mr Dutton’s and Anthony Albanese’s campaigning on Tuesday, with both leaders pausing for the day to pay respect to ... Read more

A young man has been rushed to hospital after being stabbed while jogging in Melbourne’s north following an Anzac Day Dawn Service. The 24-year old man went for a jog on Anzac Day before allegedly being ambushed by strangers, where he was struck in the abdomen, neck and chin. Police are now hunting for an unknown offender following the stabbing which occurred just before 8am on Friday. Police said in a statement the victim, a 24-year-old man, was transported to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. “The exact circumstances are yet to be determined, and the investigations remain ongoing,” Victoria ... Read more

As Australians prepare to cast their ballots and sausage sizzles fire up nationwide, a bigger debate could overshadow the election – do onions go over or under the democracy sausage? Surprisingly, one in three Aussies have voted in favour of a new sausage sizzle policy: onions first, sausage second, according to new research from Australian Onions. Before voters head to the polling booth, those lucky Melburnians among us will be given a chance to vote with their tastebuds first at a free sausage sizzle hosted at a location that is to be announced. In the meantime – some democracy sausage ... Read more

With just seven days until Australians cast their ballots, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is undeniably confident. Buoyed by positive polling and a struggling Coalition campaign marred by backflips and policy confusion, the Labor Party has clawed back crucial ground, with growing hopes of retaining a majority government. However, the party’s shock defeat just six years ago will dull any misplaced optimism, when Bill Shorten, as opposition leader, lost the so-called unlosable election against Scott Morrison. While Labor had consistently outperformed the Coalition in the polls, then prime minister Morrison won a total of 77 seats, while Labor lost a seat, ... Read more

When you get to know someone pretty well you could say you finish each other’s sentences. For identical twins Paula and Bridgette Powers, that really is the case. The 51-year-old Sunshine Coast sisters went viral online after they were captured speaking in perfect unison during an interview in the aftermath of a violent carjacking on Monday. Dressed in matching blue scrubs with a rabbit pattern, the pair described how their mother went to help a bloodied man only to be confronted with the gun-wielding car thief. “One guy, he was up there with our mum. He went up there and ... Read more

Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, has died by suicide. Her family informed NBC News of her death in a statement. She was 41 years old. “It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” her family said. “She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.” The statement continued: “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors. “In ... Read more