Australia Day: The ‘quiet rebranding’ of a controversial national holiday

On 26 January every year – which marks the 1788 landing of Britain’s First Fleet in Sydney Cove – two competing stories about Australia are told.

One is of nation-building and achievement; the other is of the displacement and dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait…[Read more]

Captain Cook’s statue vandalised in Melbourne on the eve of Australia Day

A century-old Captain James Cook statue has been cut down and a Queen Victoria monument covered in red paint in an apparent protest in Australia.

The late-night vandalism occurred in Melbourne on the eve of Australia Day and is under police investigation.

The holiday on…[Read more]

Jim Chalmers defends Albanese government’s revised stage three tax cuts

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has defended the Albanese government’s revised stage three tax cuts, which critics say do not address the issue of bracket creep.

Treasury modelling shows that over the next 10 years, the extra bracket creep will result in the government raking in an…[Read more]

Cricket Australia ends up mentioning Australia Day at the Gabba Test on Friday against the West Indies

Cricket Australia opted for mentioning Australia Day at the Gabba on Friday after a couple of days of tossing up the idea, though Indigenous culture was the main focal point in the pre-match welcome.

After a tense interview on 2GB with Ben…[Read more]

‘Show some respect’: Warren Mundine clashes with Indigenous activist during heated Australia Day debate

Two prominent Indigenous leaders have become embroiled in a tense debate on Australia Day, disagreeing on Woolworth’s controversial move to drop patriotic merchandise from its shelves.

Indigenous activist Jay Walton appeared alongside former…[Read more]

Thousands of flood damage victims still waiting on claims as insurers face ‘perfect storm’

After two years of floods inundating the east coast of Australia, thousands of customers are still waiting for claims to be processed.

Figures from the Insurance Council of Australia show that of 160,000 building insurance claims made across four major…[Read more]

Rio Tinto to buy all electricity from European Energy’s planned solar project near Gladstone

Australia’s largest solar project has reached a major milestone — agreeing to sell all its electricity to mining company Rio Tinto.

European Energy plans to build its Upper Calliope Solar Farm about 50 kilometres south-west of Gladstone in central Q…[Read more]

BOM declares Cyclone Kirrily with impacts expected on Queensland’s coast and islands

Cyclone Kirrily has been declared and is expected to be felt on Queensland’s coast and islands into Thursday morning.

The cyclone is currently a category one but is expected to cross the coast as a category two system on Thursday night, according to the Bureau…[Read more]

Booming renewable energy generation halves wholesale power prices across the national grid

Rapid growth in renewable generation slashed the wholesale cost of power in the national energy grid late last year, and dramatically reduced reliance on coal-fired power.

Prices more than halved in the final three months of 2023 compared to the same…[Read more]

Most taxpayers to get $804, but high-end tax cut halved as the government rewrites stage 3

he government will halve the stage 3 tax cuts for the highest earners and use the money to deliver an $804 tax cut across the board.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to confirm the details of the biggest policy shift in his government’s first…[Read more]

Mandurah teenagers charged with allegedly abducting three kids, abandoning them on remote beach

Three teenagers have been arrested after allegedly abducting three boys and abandoning them in remote bushland at night near Mandurah, south of Perth.

The three boys – 11, 12, and 14-years-old – were walking to a service station in the suburb of Ers…[Read more]

Emergency services search for man missing in waters near Sleaford, south-west of Port Lincoln

Emergency services are searching for a man missing in waters near Sleaford off South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.

SA Police said seven people became caught in a rip-off Mary Ellis Beach at 4:11pm on Friday.

Six children were rescued from the water…[Read more]

Live export ship MV Bahijah caught in Red Sea route limbo on its way from Australia to Middle East

A live export ship carrying thousands of sheep and cattle from Australia is in limbo after being diverted from travelling through the Red Sea due to the region’s deteriorating security situation.

The MV Bahijah left Fremantle in Western Australia…[Read more]

WA Alcoa refinery closure could wipe out $650m from economy, expert says

The closure of a major mining giant’s refinery employing the “lion’s share” of workers will cost one state’s economy about $650m per year, an economic expert has warned as the company prepares to cut worker numbers down to just 50 over a year.

US-based Alcoa Corporati…[Read more]