CANBERRA, Australia — Imagine Australia fighting the coronavirus pandemic without electricity. That is the dire scenario Home Affairs boss Michael Pezzullo has warned politicians about unless security agencies are given more powers to fight cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. A bill to give national security agencies powers to intervene in some companies’ networks to block significant risks is before federal parliament. Pezzullo said the situation was perilous, describing the risk level as deeply concerning, “Covid’s been dreadful. Covid’s been terrible given the deaths. Imagine trying to do Covid without electricity,” he told a Senate committee in Canberra. “It is as immediate, it is as…
Author: zenger.news
SYDNEY — Australian Palestinians are preparing to rally in the country’s two biggest cities demanding the Morrison government finally act against Israel for decades of “ethnic cleansing”. A fragile ceasefire is holding in Gaza after Israel and Hamas agreed to pause 11 days of bloodshed that’s so far killed about 250 Palestinians, including 66 children, and 12 Israeli civilians and a soldier. Hundreds have also been wounded on both sides after Israeli forces tried to forcibly evict Palestinians from their homes in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and stormed the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. The military forces of Israel Israel Defense Forces tweeted…
CANBERRA, Australia — If Ned Kelly was still around he’d probably be an anti-vaxxer, yet no doubt find himself in the minority. That’s the view of Monash University‘s Professor Graeme Davison, one of Australia’s leading experts on the elusive notion of national identity. However, it’s not a conclusion that will sit well with everyone, especially those who believe the infamous bushranger was a misunderstood protagonist in the face of an unjust establishment. Or those who see Australia’s exceptional response to Covid-19 as a mark of the nation’s independent character. “We often tend to think that Australians are anti-authoritarian, that we’re all kind…
SYDNEY — The vaccine rollout, quarantining and the opening of international borders are likely to be high on the agenda of debate when federal parliament sits this week in the run-up to national cabinet on May 21. Australia reached 500,000 Covid-19 vaccinations in a week for the first time as the rollout topped 3.6 million, still shy of the four million that had been initially promised by the end of March by the Morrison government. Still, the government continues to press the case for people to get the jab as soon as they are eligible. Over 50s have been able to get…
PERTH, Australia — The traditional owners of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters are marking the one-year anniversary of the sacred site’s destruction. Mining giant Rio Tinto blew up the 46,000-year-old rock shelters in Western Australia’s Pilbara region on May 24 last year to extract AU$188 million ($145.2 million) worth of high-grade iron ore. The incident devastated the traditional owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, and prompted a global backlash. Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation spokesman Burchell Hayes last week said traditional owners felt robbed of the opportunity to share their heritage with future generations and are devastated…
ADELAIDE, Australia — A late autumn burst of warm and windy weather across South Australia has prompted warnings of high fire danger. Country Fire Service Commander Brett Loughlin says that while the forecast conditions on Monday don’t warrant total fire bans, the community still needs to remain vigilant. “Parts of the state are extremely dry. The dry fuels and wind will be enough to see a fire quickly catch and take off,” he said. Adelaide is forecast to have a top temperature of 25 Celsius, with the mercury pushing into the low 30s in the north of the state. Windy conditions will…
PERTH, Australia — Health unions in Western Australia are yet to decide how many doctors and nurses will be allowed to walk off the job for a planned Perth hospital rally. The Australian Medical Association and Australian Nurses Federation have called for the rally outside Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) on May 25 to address “systemic problems”. Health Minister Roger Cook has been formally invited to hear the concerns of doctors and nurses about the state’s public health system. “We’re not getting him in there to boo him off the stage,” Australian Nurses Federation state secretary Mark Olson told reporters on May 23. The planned…
SYDNEY — The New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she will continue to advocate for general practitioners when it comes to the supply of the Covid-19 vaccine, but admits it hasn’t been smooth sailing for them. The premier on Monday also called for targets for the number of people getting vaccinated to be increased. “The process hasn’t been smooth sailing for the general practitioners, it has been quite frustrating, but we know the doses are available, we know our general physicians are keen to make sure they get those jabs in arms,” Berejiklian informed reporters. “Until at least the end…
CANBERRA, Australia — Single mothers on low incomes and older women at risk of homelessness were overlooked in the federal budget. The coalition spent 30 times more on tax cuts than it did on women’s economic security. The Australian Council of Social Service has found the budget provided a boost for women’s safety but fell short of what was needed for women to achieve economic security. Australian Council Of Social Service said the budget locked in gender inequality by failing to address the fact tax, employment, and superannuation systems were stacked in favor of men. “It does nothing to specifically support single…
CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian economy is expected to have returned to its pre-pandemic level in the first three months of this year, an impressive recovery from the deep recession in mid-2020. In the second half of last year, and for the first time in at least sixty years, the economy grew by more than three percent in two consecutive quarters. The March quarter national accounts, which will provide the latest economic growth readings, are due on June 2. In the build-up to that data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release a number of reports to gauge the speed of…