Written by Taliban announce death of Australian ex-hostage who returned to Afghanistan Taliban authorities announced the death of Australian Jibra’il Omar, who returned to Afghanistan after being kidnapped and held hostage by the group for more than three years, AFP reports. Omar, originally named Timothy Weeks, was taken hostage in 2016 alongside an American academic as they […]
Brad Battin names former leader Matthew Guy in role responsible for ‘transition to government’ Benita Kolovos Another interesting new role goes to former opposition leader, Matthew Guy, who will be responsible for “transition to government”. Nationals upper house MP Melina Bath, who was promoted to the shadow cabinet last year, has also got new roles […]
Second earthquake hits Vanuatu Another earthquake has struck Vanuatu this morning, after a state of emergency was declared following a powerful earthquake that hit the Pacific island last night. The second earthquake was a magnitude 5.5 at a depth of 57 km, according to Earthquakes Geo Australia. Share Updated at 20.41 GMT Key events Show key […]
Peter Dutton says Bali Nine ‘aren’t national heroes’ Opposition leader Peter Dutton believes a message needs to be sent to young Australians about the danger of drug use and distribution, after the news that members of the Bali Nine drug smuggling group have returned to Australia. Dutton said Anthony Albanese should be transparent about whether […]
Tony Abbott says Moira Deeming should ‘swiftly be readmitted’ to party room Earlier this afternoon, former prime minister Tony Abbott weighed in on the outcome of the Pesutto-Deeming case, and wrote on X: Moira Deeming has been vindicated by the federal court. No Liberal should ever be in trouble for standing up for the rights […]
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature What we learned today, Tuesday 10 December That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here are the main stories: The Reserve Bank has kept its key interest rate unchanged at 4.35%, leaving stressed borrowers to wait until at least February for […]
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature It’s a mixed, if warm, bag in capital cities today, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting storms in Melbourne, sunny skies in Brisbane and Adelaide and showers across all other major cities. A maximum temperature of 30C is expected in Sydney […]
Tony Burke dismisses concerns about mass deportation of non-citizens under new laws Sarah Basford Canales Earlier this morning, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, dismissed concerns about a mass deportation of non-citizens after tough new laws were introduced as “bizarre speculation”. The migration law changes, which passed parliament late on Thursday night, allow Australia to […]
WA bushfires remain out of control, says emergency services commissioner Sticking with the bushfires north of Perth in WA’s wheatbelt: the state’s emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm, is addressing the media with an update. Bushfires in Western Australia’s wheatbelt region are threatening small coastal communities. Photograph: Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA He says […]
Government shelves electoral reform bill Karen Middleton As flagged just a moment ago, the government has been forced to defer its electoral reform bill after the Coalition refused to pass it without last-minute amendments. The manager of government business in the Senate, Katy Gallagher, just told ABC RN that the bill would now not proceed […]