ROCKHAMPTON, Australia — Australia is set to beef up its biosecurity controls in a bid to protect agriculture from devastating diseases and pests. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will on May 04 travel to Beef 2021 in Rockhampton to make a funding announcement one week ahead of the federal budget. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud confirmed the government’s focus for the sector would be on safeguarding against threats. “The Australian government is a strong supporter of the beef industry and is proud to continue to be a Principal Partner of Beef Australia, contributing AUD 3.9 million to the event,” said Littleproud. “This is…
Author: zenger.news
SYDNEY — Australians are divided on the continued closure of international borders for those vaccinated against Covid-19, new research shows. The Lowy Institute, Sydney, polled more than 2200 people in March on their attitudes towards the pandemic, with 41 percent of respondents saying only those with special exemptions should be allowed to leave Australia. Some 40 percent claimed that those vaccinated against Covid-19 should be free to depart, while 18 percent claimed all people should be free to jet off. Outbound travel without a special exemption from the Department of Home Affairs has been banned for more than 12 months. “Australia has handled the pandemic…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australian Member of Parliament Josh Frydenberg’s AUD 1.7 billion ($1.32 billion) injection into the childcare sector to be included in the May 11 budget may not be the only initiative designed to get women back into the workforce. The federal government has hinted at future measures to help women’s economic security unveil the childcare funding boost. The package is aimed at low and middle-income earners and provides more significant subsidies for families with two children under five and a greater incentive for parents to take on extra hours of work. “The government is very much focused on the needs of…
SYDNEY — Ramana Akula was planning to be home by now. But with the Australian government not only suspending flights from India but threatening jail or hefty fines for anyone who finds a way to return, he doesn’t know how long he’ll be separated from his wife and sons. He’s one of more than 9000 Australians in India who want to return. The Chief Financial Officer flew out to Chennai in January to address an urgent and serious issue with his company’s manufacturing operations. He planned to stay for three months, a requirement to get an exemption from the ban on outbound…
SYDNEY — The New South Wales government considers building Australia’s longest road tunnel under Sydney’s Blue Mountains. The ambitious 11-kilometer tunnel on the Great Western Highway would link Medlow Bath to Little Hartley west of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales. If built, it would be the final stage in the New South Wales government’s planned 130-kilometer upgrade of the highway between Katoomba and Lithgow. The New South Wales government has already committed AUD 2.5 billion ($1.93) to upgrade the Great Western Highway. Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the proposed tunnel would better connect the state’s Central West to the east coast. “We have…
SYDNEY — New house price figures will be closely monitored by new home buyers, existing owners, economists and the Reserve Bank of Australia. The latest CoreLogic home value index for April is released on May 3. Economists are expecting a further rise in the national index of around 1.75 percent in April after the 2.8 percent surge in March, the fastest pace in 32 years. The Reserve Bank, which will be holding its monthly board meeting on May 4, is closely monitoring activity in the housing market, but is more watchful about demand for loans. At this stage, riskier investor loan…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has apologized for using Twitter to source oxygen tanks for a critically ill worker at its High Commission in New Delhi. The official @NZInIndia Twitter account kicked off a puzzling exchange on the social media website on May 02. In a tweet since deleted, it appealed to the youth wing of an opposition political party for assistance finding the life-saving gas. India is currently suffering through a pronounced wave of Covid-19, with the New Zealand High Commission in lockdown. The twitter appeal led to local politician Srinivas BV responding, bringing oxygen tanks to the door…
PERTH, Australia — Western Australia is facing growing calls to stop locking up children as young as 10, with a new report laying bare the dire over-representation of Aboriginal youth in custody. More than 70 organizations have endorsed the report by Social Reinvestment Western Australia, which calls for the state to raise the age of criminal responsibility 14. Almost three-quarters of average daily juvenile detainees in Western Australia last year were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, despite comprising just five percent of the population, the report says. They were 21 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be under youth justice supervision. Among the case…
PERTH, Australia — West Australians face the prospect of an extended period of mask-wearing as the state seeks to avoid another coronavirus lockdown. West Australia Premier Mark McGowan on May 2 confirmed no new locally acquired cases had been detected, 24 hours after a hotel quarantine security guard and two of his housemates tested positive. Contact tracers are continuing to work through the movements of the three men but all 16 close contacts identified by Western Australia Health as “high risk” have returned negative tests. Results are pending for a further four close contacts, while another 136 contacts are deemed casual…
CANBERRA, Australia — Flights from India to Australia have been paused until May 15, as the coronavirus pandemic rages out of control in India. The pause makes use of biosecurity emergency powers currently in place in Australia. India has been reporting more than 300,000 new cases of Covid-19 every day for the past week. The total number of cases in India is now close to 19 million, and more than 200,000 people have died. “Our hearts go out to the people of India — and our Indian-Australian community. The friends and family of those in Australia are at extreme risk. Tragically,…