BRISBANE, Australia — The pets of domestic violence victims in New South Wales, a southeastern Australian state, will also be legally protected when an apprehended domestic violence order is granted. Attorney-General Mark Speakman says the protection of animals will be automatically included in a standard Apprehended Domestic Violence Order after reforms passed in parliament last November. “Perpetrators often use animals to coerce or control victims, threatening to hurt or kill pets to keep them in a relationship or as punishment for leaving,” said Speakman. “This cruelty and manipulation can leave victims terrified of the consequences for their beloved animals and can, therefore, delay…
Author: zenger.news
DARWIN, Australia — Kakadu National Park management is set to ask the Commonwealth Attorney-General to intervene after it was sued for allegedly illegally disturbing an Aboriginal sacred site. Parks Australia — which is part of the federal government’s environment department — is accused of building a walking track in the World Heritage-listed park at Gunlom, a cascading waterfall that appeared in the movie “Crocodile Dundee.” The Northern Territory Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority says the track was constructed close to a restricted ceremonial feature without an Authority Certificate, which is issued after Traditional Owners are consulted. It filed a charge against Parks Australia in…
CANBERRA, Australia — Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) transmission in New South Wales, a southeastern Australian state, will be virtually eliminated in five years if a new government strategy is effective. The plan, announced by New South Wales Health on March 29, will target priority populations, with additional efforts to prevent, test, and treat the virus. “The elimination of the virus is possible,” said Brad Hazzard, Health Minister, Australia. “These innovations mean that the virtual elimination of HIV transmission in New South Wales, once inconceivable, is now a realistic and achievable goal.” Some 206 New South Wales residents were diagnosed with HIV…
CANBERRA, Australia — When hardships pile up, Jaydyn Coggins from South Australia’s cosmopolitan coastal capital Adelaide gets stacking. The teenager, who has jumped over many hurdles in life, is traveling the world with a unique “superpower” Coggins can stack and unstack 12 cups in just over five seconds. The pros call it sport stacking, and he is the national champion you’ve probably never heard of — until now. Born at 24 weeks and given a 25 percent chance of survival, the speedster was innately drawn to the pursuit before he even knew it was a sport. “I started randomly,” the now 18-year-old told as…
CANBERRA, Australia — Clean energy and battery technology can provide grid security that has traditionally been the role of fossil fuels, a new study has said. The Australia Institute’s research has “surprised” energy policy lead Dan Cass who says it proves coal power is not the linchpin as it was once argued to be. “Clearly, batteries will be the most important technology keeping the grid secure as coal-fired power stations retire,” Cass said. “The last refuge of the coal lobby has been that coal power is vital to keep the grid secure, and this study shows that is not the case.” For an…
GOLD COAST, Australia — A woman from Gold Coast, a metropolitan region south of Brisbane on Australia’s east coast, accused of murdering her two adult children with disabilities for insurance payouts, has been committed to stand trial. Maree Mavis Crabtree (54) faces a string of charges, including counts of murdering her daughter Erin, 18, in 2012, and son Jonathan, 26, five years later. “Both siblings had disabilities. They died from being forced to take prescription medication,” the police said. It is alleged that Crabtree claimed disability and insurance payouts relating to the siblings. The 54-year-old is also charged with attempting to…
SYDNEY — More than seven years after Kulwinder Singh’s wife died in a petrol-fuelled blaze, Singh was acquitted of her murder. Kulwinder Singh, 42, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Parwinder Kaur on December 2, 2013, at their Rouse Hill home in Sydney’s north-west. The Crown’s case was that he poured petrol over his 32-year-old wife and set her alight after arguing about finances, including his requests, to contribute to the mortgage. The defense says she set herself on fire to create a “drama,” confident that Singh would put out the blaze. The New South Wales Supreme Court jury earlier watched video footage evidence…
ADELAIDE, Australia — A protest has marked the opening of the new Chinese consulate in Adelaide, South Australia’s cosmopolitan coastal capital, which has previously prompted questions over its size and staffing levels. Premier Steven Marshall attended the opening on March 30 as about 100 people gathered outside the suburban Joslin facility. The protestors held placards expressing concern over China’s treatment of its Uighur people and suggesting the country had an involvement in the military coup in Myanmar. Uigurs, alternatively spelled Uyghurs or Uygurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Chinese government…
DUBBO, Australia — A 74-year-old woman whose body was found at her New South Wales, Australia (central west), home alongside her 54-year-old son on March 9, 2015, checked herself out of the hospital against doctors’ advice months earlier. “The pair had no close relatives, and the son was his mother’s carer — a “challenging task” because of her high needs,” said Elizabeth Raper SC, counsel assisting the inquest in her opening submissions. The bodies were severely decomposed when they were discovered, making it impossible to tell a cause or exact date of death, an inquest into the pair’s deaths heard on March…
CANBERRA, Australia — A potential parliament house hack is under investigation by Australia’s lead agency for cybersecurity. The Australian government shut down the department of parliamentary services (DPS) email network over the weekend due to an IT system issue. “The fault was linked to an external provider, with the connection to government systems severed immediately as a precaution,” said Andrew Hastie, assistant Defense Minister. “The government acted quickly, and we have the best minds in the world working to ensure Australia remains the most secure place to operate online,” he said in a statement on March 28. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is in…