CANBERRA, Australia — Former Defence and military officials are sounding the warning on national security risks posed by climate change, saying Australia is ill-prepared for the threat. The past leaders have united to set up the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, which is calling on the federal government to undertake a climate and security risk assessment for the nation. The group includes former Defence Force chief Chris Barrie, former deputy chief of the Royal Australian Air Force John Blackburn, former director of preparedness and mobilization for Defence Cheryl Durrant, and former army major Michael Thomas. Barrie says climate change is an…
Author: zenger.news
SYDNEY — Australia could face a major crisis if the “Cold War” diplomatic tensions between the United States and China erupt into a military conflict in Taiwan. That’s the view of Australian National University China expert Jane Golley, co-editor of China Story Yearbook 2020: Crisis, released on April 21. Golley will appear alongside China’s deputy head of mission Wang Xining at the National Press Club launch of the new free online book. In her speech, she noted a chapter from Taiwan scholar Wen-ti Tsung who writes the island’s strategy of staying close to America and on good terms with China is…
CANBERRA, Australia — Just one in eight Australians who could tap their superannuation during the Covid-19 pandemic stuck the money in their savings account. A survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found withdrawals of up to AUD 20,000 ($15,500) were used to pay the mortgage, the rent, or other household bills. The Morrison government allowed people who were suffering hardship due to the pandemic to access AUD 10,000 ($7,719.15) from their super account before June last year and a further AUD 10,000 ($7,719.15) the following months. The Australian Bureau of Statistics survey found 29 percent of people who accessed the scheme by…
PERTH, Australia — Western Australia’s government has said it would not ease coronavirus restrictions on Anzac Day services despite some local events being canceled. Several Returned and Services League branches have been forced to cancel their services because of the additional logistical requirements and costs associated with hosting crowds during the pandemic. Premier Mark McGowan says there is a need to keep some restrictions in place. “We are still in a world that has Covid-19, and we do need to follow the medical advice,” McGowan told reporters on April 20. “And that medical advice is clear; there need to be some…
BRISBANE, Australia — A 46-year-old Queensland man found with sex dolls depicting young girls has been sentenced to two years in jail but won’t spend any time in any bars. Terry John Dunnett was arrested after authorities found a child-like sex doll in a package from China in January last year. In the Australian city of west Brisbane, a search of his house in the suburb of Riverhills uncovered another two dolls and child exploitation material. Dunnett was sentenced after pleading guilty in the Brisbane District Court on April 21. He was the first person in Queensland to be charged with…
SYDNEY — Road rage incidents in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales are getting out of hand, with tail gaiting, abuse, confrontations, and assaults becoming far too familiar. A clear majority of National Road and Motorist Association members surveyed in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory say they’ve had an angry encounter with another driver at least once or twice in the past year. One-in-four drivers said children were present during the incidents. The National Roads and Motorists Association’s Road Rage and Courtesy Driving survey of 2,154 members released on April 21 found 71 percent of people had experienced…
BRISBANE, Australia — Almost every room and hallway of the Australian city of Brisbane hotel has been damaged after it was turned into a de facto immigration detention center for the federal government, the property owners claim. It’s been four days since the last group of asylum seekers was removed from the Kangaroo Point Central Hotel and Apartments after spending about a year living there under government-ordered detention. The group of 19 men brought to Australia for medical care were abruptly relocated on April 16, hours after the hotel’s owners reclaimed the site. They allege their tenant repurposed the hotel —…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Victorians can now sit their learner drivers test from the comfort of home, with 500 budding motorists from the state’s east selected as the first to try the new online assessment. The Victorian government, on April 21, launched its new online test in a bid to break down barriers faced by some prospective learner drivers, including transport, distance, and limited appointment times. The course, which features a mix of theory, interactive videos, and visual graphics, takes between four and six hours to complete. Prospective learners have 12 months from registration to sit it. To access it, customers must create…
SYDNEY — Only a fraction of Australians in disability care residences have had a coronavirus vaccination despite being in a priority group. A total of 1,640 doses have been delivered out of 25,000 people in disability residential care. Health department associate secretary Caroline Edwards conceded aged care residents had been prioritized. “Disability facilities has been a much slower start than we would have liked. We’re now turning our attention to that,” she told a Senate inquiry on April 20. Health department boss Brendan Murphy said he hoped to have all vulnerable Australians in phase 1a — including people at disability residential…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Three Victorian mass vaccination hubs will open to people over 70 as Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton prepares to get his Covid-19 jab. The Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Geelong’s former Ford factory from April 21 will provide shots for anyone over 70 with or without bookings as part of phase 1a and 1b of the rollout. “This is one way that we can expedite the vaccine rollout, as quickly as possible, particularly to our most vulnerable cohort,” Acting Premier James Merlino said on April 20. They will only be offered the AstraZeneca jab,…