DARWIN, Australia — Kakadu National Park management has asked the Northern Territory government to drop court action over an allegedly illegally disturbed Aboriginal sacred site. Parks Australia — which is part of the federal government’s environment department — says it’s immune from prosecution and would prefer to work with traditional owners and the Northern Territory government to protect the World Heritage-listed park that’s 171 km (106 miles) southeast of Darwin. It is accused of building a walking track in Kakadu at Gunlom — a cascading waterfall that appeared in the movie Crocodile Dundee — without permission from the Indigenous custodians. The Northern Territory…
Author: zenger.news
NEWTOWN, Australia — Wellington Zoo is without lions after keepers euthanized their two elderly lionesses on April 8, one due to ill health and the other to avoid living alone. Sisters Djane and Zahra arrived at Wellington Zoo in April 2002 and were put down a few months shy of their 20th birthday. Djembe, the third sister of three, was euthanized two years ago. The staff made the painful decision to euthanize the pair after a sharp decline in Djane’s health, which surgery failed to arrest. “The team had observed dramatic changes to Djane’s demeanor, and she had become disinterested in…
BRISBANE, Australia — The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is demanding an end to baffling inconsistencies in animal cruelty laws, which are up for review for the first time in 20 years, in Queensland, a northeastern Australian state. The animal welfare group wants maximum jail terms for two offenses bumped up to ensure the worst offenders don’t get off lightly. It’s a bizarre fact that under the existing animal protection act organizers of dogfighting rings, which can cause gruesome injuries to multiple animals over long periods of time, face a maximum of one year in jail. Similarly,…
SYDNEY — Johnson and Johnson wants the High Court to overturn a landmark ruling on medical implants set to cost it millions in compensation to Australian women. Three of the medical device manufacturer’s subsidiaries this week applied for special leave to appeal a judgment from March that reiterated the companies were liable for harm caused to patients receiving its pelvic mesh implants. The Federal Court in 2019 found the pharmaceutical giant acted negligently and concealed the true extent of complications from the pelvic implants. The papers filed to the High Court on April 6, lawyers for the Johnson & Johnson companies…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s main share market index climbed to rarely-visited heights — 7000 points — not seen since the days before the coronavirus crash on April 8. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 70.6 points, or 1.01 percent, to 6998.6. The market was lower and most sectors down, a day after its highest close since the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 9, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 26.4 points, or 0.37 percent, to 6972.4 at 1200 AEST. On April 8, the main share market index rose as high as 7012.4 just after 1130 Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) before easing.…
BRISBANE, Australia — A bodybuilder who turned her wonderful life “into a mangled wreck of an existence” has walked free after pleading guilty to drug charges. Samantha Jane Heron was a high achiever who excelled in athletics before competing overseas in world champion body-sculpting events. At least until the age of 25, Heron was — as described by her mother — “always on top of everything”. But while living on the Gold Coast, the now 32-year-old started using drugs recreationally, not knowing what was in the pills, and got hooked on meth, defense barrister Martin Longhurst told the Brisbane Supreme Court on April…
CANBERRA, Australia — A team of five Australian Federal Police officers were assembled to investigate rape allegations raised by Brittany Higgins. But deputy commissioner Neil Gaughan will not say whether the alleged perpetrator has been interviewed. “Natural justice has to be held here in relation to this particular issue,” he told on April 7. “Of course, this person that has allegedly undertaken any crime is not obliged to be actually subjected to an interview; they have the right to remain silent.” “It’s up to them; it’s a matter for them. That’s the way our democracy is and the way our laws have been crafted,”…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australian brewers want the federal government to slash the beer tax for pubs and clubs to help lift the hospitality sector out of its Covid-19 hangover. In a submission for next month’s federal budget, the Brewers Association of Australia pleads its case for a 50 percent reduction in the excise rate on drought beer. The industry body said small to medium pubs that buy about 15 kegs a week would save AUD 465 ($355) a week in beer tax under the proposal, allowing businesses to pour more money into promotions or pay down debt. John Preston, chief executive of the…
CANBERRA, Australia — Due to take effect in less than 90 days, superannuation laws are an AUD 3 trillion concern for the superannuation industry and consumer advocates in Australia. Martin Fahy, chief executive of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, wants to introduce the laws delayed until July 2022. He also wants the proposed performance test watered down into a two-year “trial run”. Super Consumers Australia director Xavier O’Halloran agrees the proposed bill needs work but warns delay will hurt consumers. “For too long trustees have been left alone in the dark with our money,” O’Halloran told a parliamentary inquiry April…
WHYALLA, Australia — Thousands of jobs hang in the balance as South Australia’s Whyalla Steelworks’ billionaire owner has been taken to court. Citibank has launched legal action on behalf of Credit Suisse in an attempt to wind up two of Sanjeev Gupta’s operations — OneSteel Manufacturing and Tahmoor Coal. If successful, the move could trigger the appointment of liquidators to the Whyalla steelworks and its associated mines, which employ more than 1,800 South Australians, and to the Tahmoor coal mine in New South Wales. “It is the latest setback for Gupta’s global business after the collapse of one of its major lenders, Greensill, last month,” said an…