A national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) should be funded from general revenue, not a new levy, federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says. State and territory leaders on Tuesday suggested to Prime Minister Julia Gillard that longer-term funding for the $15 billion-a-year scheme be provided through a Medicare-style levy. But Ms Gillard insists a new tax […]
Posts Tagged ‘australian news’
Abbott maintains US has defence concerns
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says officials in the US really are concerned Australia’s defence spending is too low. But he declined to say exactly what officials told him during his recent visit to north America. “It’s my rule, a very firm rule, not to spill my guts on the contents of private conversations,” Mr Abbott […]
Vic man jailed for 10 years over crash
A speeding drunk driver who killed a 16-year-old girl after crashing a stolen car, despite repeated pleas from his passengers to slow down, has been jailed for 10 years and three months. Timothy Watson, 24, pleaded guilty to culpable driving over the crash that killed Ebony Dunsworth at Nar Nar Goon in October last year. […]
Melbourne woman runs 397km for charity
A Melbourne woman has become the youngest Australian to run non-stop across the Simpson Desert, battling sleep deprivation and dingo “swarms” in the name of charity. Graduate lawyer Samantha Gash left from a remote area of the Northern Territory on Monday morning, crossing 397km to finish at Birdsville in Queensland’s far-west late on Thursday night. […]
Albino humpback returns to FNQ
An extremely rare albino humpback whale has made a welcome return to the waters off far north Queensland. The whale, dubbed Migaloo by locals, and his calf are the only two known albino humpbacks in the world. They were spotted off the tourist haven of Port Douglas, north of Cairns, on Thursday. Tourism Port Douglas […]
Suspicious death of baby in Alice Springs
The death of a five-month-old boy in Alice Springs is being treated as suspicious, police say. The boy died in the Alice Springs Hospital on Thursday afternoon is being treated as suspicious. “The cause of the death is currently unknown and investigations are continuing,” Detective Senior Sergeant Wurst said. A report will be prepared for […]
Gillard to move out of The Lodge shortly
Prime Minister Julia Gillard will move out of The Lodge within months as it undergoes repairs and renovations. Seven News has reported extra security measures have been put in place at the prime minister’s Melbourne home, where she is expected to spend more time over the four-month renovation period. A spokesman for the Prime Minister […]
Artillery shell found in Vic backyard
The discovery of an artillery shell in a Melbourne backyard has led to police calling in the army, closing a residential street and evacuating residents from their homes. Army explosive specialists are examining what appears to be an artillery shell, after police were called to a house in Bennett Street, Alphington at around 4.30pm (AEST) […]
Aust gives $500k for Auschwitz-Birkenau
Australia will contribute $500,000 to help preserve the World War II concentration camp sites, Auschwitz and Birkenau, in southern Poland. Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the camps continue to serve as a solemn reminder of the terrible crimes perpetrated against millions of people during the war. The ongoing preservation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site was […]
Jenkins not pushed from Speaker’s chair
Retiring MP Harry Jenkins says he stepped down from the speaker’s chair because he was concerned about Labor’s tenuous hold on government, not because he was pushed out in a backroom deal. Mr Jenkins announced on Thursday he would retire from the Victorian seat of Scullin at the next election. He was Speaker of the […]
WA police rotation policy postponed
A controversial new rotation policy for West Australian police has been deferred for a month amid threats of industrial action by the union. The policy caps tenure in the metropolitan, regional and specialist crime portfolios at five years, and has angered the union. The union had threatened industrial action unless Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan intervened […]
Driver banned for 30 years burns out
A man already disqualified from driving for the next 30 years has been charged after doing burnouts in front of police in Sydney’s west. The 19-year-old driver was nabbed after police allegedly saw him smoking-up the wheels of his grey Honda on Caulfield Street in Claremont Meadows at about 2.15pm (AEST) on Thursday. Police allege […]
Man killed as car hits pole in Melbourne
A man in his mid-twenties has died after his car came off a suburban road and struck a pole in Melbourne’s east. The man was driving east on a 60km/h stretch of Whitehorse Road in Mont Albert when his car hit a pole about 9pm (AEST) on Thursday, police said. He died at the scene. […]
Govt must stop illegal logging: opposition
The O’Farrell government must crack down on illegal logging and protect forests in NSW, the opposition says. A sharp spike in illegal logging had occurred while Environment Minister Robyn Parker had been in office, opposition environment spokesman Luke Foley said on Friday. “Minister Parker is presiding over a substantial increase in illegal forestry activity in […]
Coalition to target senior Labor MPs
The coalition is reportedly aiming to defeat all potential Labor leaders at the next federal election by employing what it’s calling a “decapitating strategy”. Plans have been made by the coalition to run heavily-resourced strong candidates in NSW seats held by Greg Combet, Jason Clare and Chris Bowen and in Kevin Rudd’s seat in Queensland. […]
Building cost review to go to panel: PM
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu says an independent review of construction costs is needed if the states are to avoid being priced out of infrastructure. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has refused to appoint the Productivity Commission to the task, saying they have a full book. Instead she will appoint a three-person panel of experts with building […]
PM disability deadline ‘political’: NSW
NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has accused Prime Minister Julia Gillard of imposing a political deadline on trial sites for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Coalition governments in NSW and Victoria have refused to set aside funds to set up trials for the scheme, beginning in July 2013. Speaking after COAG talks in Canberra on […]
Taxi disability subsidy no-go: Newman
Queenslanders with disabilities will go without an additional form of support after the Newman government axed a planned taxi subsidy. The state has missed out on a National Disability Insurance Scheme trial, with Premier Campbell Newman insisting at Wednesday’s Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting it would have to be federally funded. Endeavour Foundation chief […]
Sydney man hides $15k in oven, wife cooks it
A Sydney man who hid $15,000 in cash in his oven was left with a colourful melted mess after his wife turned it on. The Merrylands father-of-two, who did not want to be identified out of embarrassment, sold his beloved Toyota Supra sports car for $15,000 on Saturday afternoon and stashed the wads of notes […]
Former Speaker Jenkins to retire
Retiring veteran MP Harry Jenkins says too many Labor members are looking for an “easy option” to win the next election, but they should instead draw strength from the party’s history. Mr Jenkins, who was Speaker of the parliament from 2007 until November 2011, on Thursday announced he planned to retire from the Victorian seat […]