The federal government says the opposition’s pledge to repeal any legislation for the so-called Gonski reforms means a commitment to keeping a “broken” school funding system. Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne on Thursday said if Labor did anything to undermine non-government school funding “we will dismantle (it)”. Mr Pyne wants the government to extend the […]
Posts Tagged ‘australian news’
Police find major cannabis crop in Qld
A crop containing thousands of cannabis plants has been discovered in far north Queensland. After being tipped off, police found around 2900 cannabis plants growing in a field at Mount Amos, south of Cooktown, earlier this week. A 33-year-old man was detained and charged with drugs offences, while another man fled the scene, Detective Ed […]
Unusual seed pods in hair, WA court told
Unusual seed pods found in Corryn Rayney’s hair were not likely to have come from anywhere near her grave site, a Perth court has been told. Prominent barrister Lloyd Rayney has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court of Western Australia to the wilful murder of his 44-year-old wife. The former Supreme Court registrar went […]
Wilkie demands trawler quota answers
Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie says the process that determined the fishing quota for controversial super-trawler the Margiris may have been unlawful. Mr Wilkie says minutes are missing from a teleconference of an Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) committee that determined the quota. He says Seafish Tasmania’s Gerry Geen, the director of the company planning […]
Coles needs to debate with truckies: TWU
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has attacked Coles for putting truck drivers’ safety at risk, saying it wants the supermarket giant to take part in a public debate on the issue. TWU secretary Tony Sheldon was speaking in Sydney on Thursday, a day after about 20 union members gathered outside a Coles store on Sydney’s […]
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 Mr O’Callaghan intervened and postponed […]
Customs cuts ‘could leave ports exposed’
Job cuts in the nation’s Customs and Border Protection Service could leave some ports open to drug and gun smugglers, unions warn. Thirty-seven frontline Customs staff will lose their jobs across 14 district offices by the end of the year, the border protection agency has confirmed. A further seven Customs officers from these districts will […]
Qld wants private sector to fund Fanfare
The popular Queensland school band competition Fanfare may continue with funding from the private sector. The government axed the biennial competition, which cost $88,000, last week after 30 years of financial backing. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said he would work hard to bring it back with private funding. “If we can get the festival sponsored […]
Leaked figure sparks Tas forestry fears
Tasmania’s opposition is warning that forestry will be turned into a “cottage industry” if leaked figures from the state’s forest peace talks are correct. The Australian newspaper has reported negotiators are set to agree on 525,000 hectares of native forest being protected, the largest such allocation in the state’s history. “This deal represents an almost […]
PM refuses to comment on spy reports
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has refused to comment on reports that an alleged Canadian spy may have compromised Australian intelligence. Jeffrey Paul Delisle is facing two charges of selling highly classified intelligence gathered by the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia to Russian agents. Documents released under Australian freedom of information laws reportedly […]
Woman’s body found in western Sydney
The body of a woman has been found in a nature reserve in Sydney’s west. Police say the woman, believed to be aged between 30 and 35, was discovered at Bradfield Crescent, Bonnyrigg, just before 2pm (AEST). A crime scene has been set up and specialist police are investigating. Views: 0
Suspected bomb at bikie massacre site
Police are examining a suspected bomb found in a western Sydney hotel infamous for the Milperra bikie massacre. The suspicious device was discovered at the Mill Hotel, in Beaconsfield Street, Milperra, just before 7.30am on Wednesday. The hotel, previously known as the Viking Tavern, was where seven people died in a shootout between rival bikie […]
Phase one of Kings Cross audit done
The first stage of an audit of Kings Cross is complete, but the NSW government doesn’t know when the information will be available to help stamp out violence in the nightclub district. NSW Hospitality Minister George Souris announced the audit earlier this month in response to the death of Thomas Kelly, 18, who was king […]
Big states can’t agree on NDIS trials
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she’s disappointed the biggest states did not agree to trial the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) but believes it can still succeed. Labor governments in South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT agreed to part-fund trials of the NDIS starting in 2013 or 2014, following talks at the Council of Australian […]
Vic govt sacking public transport staff
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is slashing frontline staff positions in a massive breach of an election campaign promise, a union says. Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) assistant branch secretary Jim Walton says 215 out of the 665 staff will be axed as the Baillieu government moves to save money. “The staff actually at risk […]
Abbott reckless on o/s investment:Carr
Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s suggestion of limiting foreign state-owned firms buying Australian companies is reckless for the national interest. In the main speech of his three-day visit to China, Mr Abbott said on Tuesday that as prime minister he would welcome Chinese investment on the same basis as he would […]
Carr takes swipe at Fitzgibbon on leader
Foreign Minister Bob Carr has taken a swipe at federal government chief whip Joel Fitzgibbon for recently renewing leadership tension within the Australian Labor Party. Last week Mr Fitzgibbon, a supporter of former prime minister Kevin Rudd, told ABC Television that if leaders stayed unpopular for long enough, they would inevitably stop leading the party. […]
Spy review urged after Canada arrest
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Funeral for farmer after alleged punch from NRL star
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Seven charged over $2 million Holden theft
SEVEN people have been charged over a $2 million theft of engines from Holden’s Adelaide operations, prompting the car maker to beef up security. Police say 140 V8 engines and 175 heavy-duty transmissions are believed to have been stolen from the Elizabeth plant over a two-year period. They have arrested six South Australians and a […]