PERTH, Australia — West Australians aged 30 to 49 will be eligible to receive the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine from June 10, Premier Mark McGowan has announced. Bookings are now open for over-30s at state-run clinics, including Claremont Showgrounds, which will offer Pfizer jabs seven days a week. It comes after the national cabinet last week agreed to expand the vaccine rollout to people aged 40 and over. “Here in Western Australia, we are going one step further,” said McGowan. The rollout will also be expanded to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 16 and over. People aged 50 and over will continue to…
Author: zenger.news
SYDNEY — They’re young, impatient, ineligible — and now vaccinated. South-eastern Australian state of New South Wales’s under-40s is getting the Pfizer Covid-19 jab despite not meeting the state’s vaccination eligibility criteria. Several people have managed to book a vaccine appointment using hyperlinks circulated to frontline workers for their household contacts — despite not being eligible themselves. P, a 31-year-old Sydney resident, said he booked his jab using a hyperlink from a family member who works in a laboratory also used by hospital workers. Several people have managed to book a vaccine appointment using hyperlinks circulated to frontline workers for their household contacts…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s road to carbon neutrality has been made more challenging by revised carbon emissions, showing a vast emissions increase in 2019. However, according to Climate Change Commissioner Rod Carr, the mid-century zero carbon target remains achievable, speaking on the release of a proposed “emissions budget.” The Climate Change Commission’s (CCC) budget spells out how much greenhouse gas New Zealand can afford to emit to reach its 2050 goal of neutralizing carbon emissions. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the report “one of the most significant documents I’ll receive in my time as prime minister” and called it a milestone “in…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s South-eastern state of Victoria’s government mental health tax is set to become law. State Taxation and Mental Health Acts Amendment Bill 2021 passed the Legislative Council 24-14 and will now go to the Governor for royal assent. Eight of the state’s 11 crossbenchers voted with the Labor government to pass the bill. Under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy, businesses that pay more than AU$10 million ($7.75 million) in wages nationally will pay an additional 0.5 percent surcharge from Jan 1, 2022. Businesses with national payrolls above AU$ 100 million ($77.47 million) will pay one percent. Treasurer Tim Pallas has said the tax…
CANBERRA, Australia — Approval has been given for the first phase of the AU$500 million ($387 million) redevelopments of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The National Capital Authority has given the nod for early works including the demolition of Anzac Hall. The National Capital Authority is established under the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988. The authority performs a special role as the trustee of the National Capital and in this capacity serves the interests of the Australian Government, the nation, and its people. The authority had asked for further information on tree removal and replacement planting,…
SYDNEY — National Australia Bank and three casino operators may need to pay hefty fines or overhaul their operations after a blitz by the financial crimes watchdog. The bank, Crown Resorts, SkyCity and Star Entertainment on June 7 revealed watchdog the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre AUSTRAC had serious concerns about their efforts to prevent money laundering and the financing of criminal groups. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) is a government agency tasked with making sure criminals cannot exploit the financial system. Westpac recently fell foul of the watchdog after revelations its lax standards allowed child abuse…
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — New Zealand’s nurses have walked off the job and onto the streets in their thousands, protesting a pay offer from Jacinda Ardern’s government. For many, their next step may be to Australia — a common destination for Kiwi nurses seeking a better pay packet and work-life balance. On June 9, the New Zealand Nurses Organization union-led an eight-hour national strike, with dozens of coordinated actions across the country. In Wellington, they marched straight to parliament, where Health Minister, Andrew Little, heard their anguish at a heated lunchtime demonstration. “You are here because you care, and I hear you,” he said…
SYDNEY — Defense Minister Peter Dutton has defended overruling senior officials and allowing special forces troops to keep their meritorious unit citations from Afghanistan despite credible allegations of war crimes. Dutton was warned failing to strip the unit of its citation would harm the reputation of the Australian Defense Force at home and abroad. But he defied the briefing from his department and stepped in to stop members of the Special Operations Task Group from being stripped of the military honors. “The job of a minister is to look at the options presented, to look at the information provided to me,…
BRISBANE, Australia — A capacity crisis at the Australian state of Queensland’s public hospitals is the result of long-term under-investment, and a new funding model is needed, doctors claim. Surging demand for emergency department beds in recent months has led to a spike in ambulance ramping — when patients are treated in ambulances on hospital driveways until beds become available. More than 1.39 million people presented at hospital emergency departments between July 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2021, an 11.6 percent increase over the previous period. Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Omar Khorshid says ramping is an issue in every state and territory right…
CANBERRA, Australia — Most Australians would find “darkly humorous” a campaign pitting energy giant AGL‘s logo next to the tagline “Australia’s greatest liability”, a judge says. But Greenpeace will have to stick to satire after the Federal Court on June 8 ruled some social media posts using the logo lacked parody and therefore breached AGL’s copyright. Greenpeace launched a campaign in May that used the AGL logo alongside the tagline and a report detailing the energy giant’s responsibility for eight percent of Australia’s carbon emissions. The environmental organization also produced a report on AGL’s activities, accusing the company of falsely presenting…