CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian Labor Party continues to apply pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to explain why hundreds of millions of dollars were spent building car parks in coalition seats, which is being described as an industrial scale rort. A scathing auditor-general’s report has found the AU$660 million ($491.3 million) coalition scheme was not effective or merit-based. Not one of the 47 commuter car park sites promised by the coalition at the 2019 election was selected by the infrastructure department, the report released by Australian National Audit Office on June 28 revealed. Another major finding put the proportion of…
Author: zenger.news
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australians will be able to post packages featuring Indigenous place names as part of a new initiative to mark NAIDOC week. NAIDOC week is the annual celebration and acknowledgment of the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that is observed from the first Sunday of July through the following Sunday. The acronym NAIDOC stands for “National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Australia Post on July 5 launched newly designed satchels with a line below the recipient’s name to include a traditional place name. An acknowledgment of the country is also printed on the package. The…
CANBERRA, Australia — An army lawyer and former major has offered to help process visa applications from Afghan translators wanting to come to Australia. As the Taliban regains territory in Afghanistan, time is running out to bring hundreds of locals employed by Australian troops to safety. The federal government is being urged to fast-track applications from Afghan interpreters, contractors and security guards who fear for their lives. Glenn Kolomeitz, a former army officer who served in Afghanistan, wants to help with the paperwork. He represents more than 100 Afghans trying to secure Australian visas and says the threat to his clients…
CANBERRA, Australia — The head of the nation’s mental health commission has encouraged Australians to watch out for “pandemic fatigue” and prioritize their mental health. The National Mental Health Commission monitors and reports on investment in mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, provides evidence-based policy advice to the government, disseminates information on improving Australia’s mental health and suicide prevention systems continuously, and acts as a catalyst for change to achieve those improvements. National Mental Health Commission chief executive Christine Morgan said 2021 was not the “fresh start” people had expected after the challenges of 2020. “We found the courage to support…
Velma Scantlebury, who became the nation’s first black female transplant surgeon in 1989, believes there are more issues to overcome even after 30 years of achieving equity in organ allocation. In a field dominated by white men and white surgeons, Scantlebury has had a tough time making her way in the realm of specialized surgery. But given her determination strong will and drive to achieve her goal, she only saw possibilities. “My parents taught us that education is important and that we can be anything we want to be. I did not grow up seeing obstacles. I saw possibilities,” she…
NEW DELHI — In a career span of nearly six decades, actor Dilip Kumar, who passed away yesterday after a prolonged illness, acted in several unforgettable movies. A philanthropist and former politician, Kumar has given us films that will be remembered both for his stellar performances and the genre-defying narratives. Known as the “Tragedy King” and the “First Khan,” he is credited for bringing realism into Hindi cinema. Veteran Bollywood actors Dharmendra and Jeetendra shared screen space with the legend and paid him tributes and extended condolences to the late star’s wife and actress Saira Banu. “What can I say about this legend, Dilip Kumar Sahab,…
SYDNEY — Ticket reseller Viagogo is being investigated by New South Wale’s consumer watchdog again, having received a spike in complaints as events resume across the state. Viagogo is a London-based ticket exchange and resale company. It was founded in 2006 by Eric Baker, who was the co-founder of the similar U.S.-based service StubHub. New South Wales Fair Trading has received 36 complaints about Viagogo in 2021 so far, for everything from ticket scalping, refusing to refund tickets of canceled events, failing to deliver tickets and not advertising age restriction advice. New South Wales Fair Trading is a division of the…
HOBART, Australia — For the second time in six weeks, the Australian state of Tasmania’s Labor opposition will consider their options for a leader. The Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch), commonly known as Tasmanian Labor, is the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party. It has been one of the most successful state Labor parties in Australia in terms of electoral success. The state party held a caucus meeting on July 7 after David O’Byrne recently announced his intention to resign from the role in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. David O’Byrne is an Australian trade unionist and politician. A…
SYDNEY — As Sydney’s iconic Sirius building is transformed from social housing into multi-million dollar apartments, the New South Wales government has revealed where money from the sale of the harborside icon is going. The building, at the edge of Sydney Harbor, was sold to private developers in 2019 for AU$150 million ($111.3 million) in the face of a public campaign against removing existing residents. State Housing Minister Melinda Pavey said on July 3 that 19 regional and suburban areas around New South Wales would benefit from new social housing development approvals. “The proceeds of the sale of the Sirius Building…
SYDNEY — Sydney’s hospitality, entertainment, and travel businesses are “devastated” as the city’s lockdown is extended by another week with estimates the stay-at-home restrictions on five million people is costing AU$1 billion ($743.8 million) a week. But the federal government has rebuffed the New South Wales government’s plea to revive the JobKeeper subsidy scheme for the city’s lockdown-stricken businesses. Under the JobKeeper Payment scheme, eligible businesses and not-for-profits severely impacted by Covid-19 were supported with payments of AU$ 1500 ($1306) on average (before tax) per fortnight from the end of March to Sept 27, 2020. Later during the extension period from…