MELBOURNE, Australia — The Victorian government has laid the blame for the latest coronavirus outbreak at the feet of the Commonwealth, as the state wakes to its fourth lockdown in 15 months. Victorian authorities are hopeful the seven-day shutdown will be a circuit-breaker after 11 new infections took Melbourne’s virus cluster to 26 on May 27. From midnight, masks became mandatory, and people were only able to leave home for five reasons. The outbreak, which has prompted all states to impose some form of travel restrictions, was sparked by a Victorian man who contracted the virus while in hotel quarantine in Adelaide. But Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino was…
Author: zenger.news
SYDNEY — Lawyers for Christian Porter and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation will enter mediation, amid a further delay in the federal minister’s defamation case. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which is defending its reporting of a rape allegation Porter denies, says the parties will be participating in mediation on May 28. “Mediations are very common in defamation matters, and it is important that all litigant parties seek to explore potential resolution options when they can, especially so for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a model litigant,” a spokeswoman said on May 27. Porter’s solicitor would not confirm the parties were mediating but…
BRISBANE, Australia — The days of writing a cheque would appear to be all but over, and even using cash to pay bills is becoming a bit of a novelty. A new analysis by the Australian Banking Association shows the use of cheques reduced by almost 40 percent in 2020 and equated for less than 0.3 percent of all payment transactions for the year. Instead, the impact of Covid-19 continues to influence payment trends across Australia, with debit cards the clear choice for payment, outweighing second-placed credit cards by almost three times. The use of cash has also significantly declined. Australia Banking Association chief executive…
MOUNT ISA, Australia — A Queensland government-backed gas and the solar project could lock in high electricity prices for the state’s northwest, Traeger Member of Parliament Robbie Katter warns. The AU$600 million ($463 million), 50-megawatt North West Queensland Hybrid Power Project (NWQHPP) is set to be built near Mount Isa by Vast Solar and government-owned Stanwell Corporation. The Katter’s Australian Party leader says the project is in direct competition with the proposed AU$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) CopperString 2.0, a high-voltage transmission line connecting the region to the national grid at Townsville. Katter warns the hybrid project can only be economically viable if the region remains disconnected from…
KAKADU, Australia — A Kakadu case about a contested walking track could have broader implications for sacred sites and Australian law. The Northern Territory Sites Authority is taking Parks Australia to court for desecration of a sacred site near Gunlom Falls within the Kakadu National Park caused by allegedly illegal works. The relationship between traditional local owners and the federal parks authority has been difficult for years. Parks Australia has claimed Crown immunity and also says the Territories Act is invalid in relation to federal laws on the protection of the environment and biodiversity. “So that’s become a constitutional matter,” said Patrick Dodson, Labor politician, at a…
QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand — New Zealand’s response to Melbourne’s Covid-19 outbreak has looped in Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison ahead of his visit in an embarrassing legal bungle. Morrison is scheduled to visit Queenstown, a town in South Island New Zealand, this weekend for the annual Australia-New Zealand leaders’ meeting, alongside Jacinda Ardern. The two governments want Morrison’s trip to go ahead, and they will either clarify or fix the law to ensure the visit takes place. But on May 27, the New Zealand Director of Health issued a legal order that casts doubt over Morrison’s eligibility to enter or travel around New Zealand. The directive asks…
ADELAIDE, Australia — Labor in South Australia will spend AU$1 million ($777,050) on new statues and monuments celebrating the state’s Aboriginal heritage and history if the party wins the next state election. Labor leader Peter Malinauskas says if elected next year, his government will consult with South Australians to identify the first six Aboriginal leaders to be commemorated in its first term in office. It will also work with local councils on co-funding the projects and finding prominent homes for the new pieces. The Labor leader said statues and monuments at the center of towns and cities were almost exclusively related to…
Kingsley Kabari is a successful entrepreneur and a happily married man living in Utica, New York. But he wasn’t always the head of a growing health and wellness company, or a chiropractor, or one of the most sought-after muscle-activation specialists in the northeast United States. In fact, when he came to America a quarter-century ago, he was a penniless 15-year-old refugee who didn’t speak a word of English. “Most of my childhood friends are dead,” said Kabari. “That changes your perspective. But it never caused me to doubt that God was watching over me, and it inspired me to work…
CANBERRA, Australia — Cryptocurrency traders who think they’re living in a faceless high-tech world will soon get a letter from the tax office. Australian Taxation Office data has captured a dramatic increase in trading since the beginning of 2020, with more than 600,000 taxpayers now dabbling in crypto assets. They’ll be slugged with penalties and audits if gains are not declared at tax time. “We are alarmed some taxpayers think the anonymity of cryptocurrencies provides a license to ignore their tax obligations,” said Tim Loh, Assistant Commissioner. The sign of an Australian Taxation Office in Canberra. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)Loh explained that gains from…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Dozens of Australia’s Victorian tourists aboard two outback train services have had their holiday plans disrupted after being ordered into Covid-19 quarantine. More than 50 passengers were off-loaded from the historic cross-country The Ghan train in South Australia and Northern Territory. Both jurisdictions have imposed travel restrictions for people from Greater Melbourne and Bendigo amid a growing coronavirus outbreak, which now stands at 30 cases. Thirty-two passengers who boarded The Ghan in Adelaide on May 26 bound for the Northern Territory were unloaded at Marla in South Australia, Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions says. Passengers walk past The Ghan in Alice Springs.…