Significant Sights: Crossing Australia’s Nullarbor
SAMANTHA ELLEY reflects on one of Australia’s great journeys…
Australian retired bishop charged with child sex abuse
Sydney, Australia Reuters A retired Roman Catholic bishop appeared in court in remote Western Australia on Thursday on charges of sexual offences against children, including two counts of rape. The charges against Christopher Saunders were presented on Thursday morning in Broome Magistrates Court, said a court spokesperson, who declined to say whether Saunders had entered […]
Western Australia in “extreme” heat wave, raising bush fire risk
Sydney, Australia Reuters Parts of Western Australia were gripped on Saturday by an “extreme” heat-wave, raising the risk of bush fires in the vast state, the nation’s weather forecaster said. The Bureau of Meteorology had an “extreme heat-wave warning” in place on Saturday for the remote Pilbara and Gascoyne areas of Australia’s largest state, warning […]
Rio’s latest rock shelter damage highlights need for Aboriginal Voice, advocates say
Melbourne, Australia Reuters Damage caused to an Aboriginal rock shelter by mining giant Rio Tinto in August underscores the need for better heritage protection laws and a greater say for Indigenous groups promised in this month’s Voice referendum, advocates say. Rio admitted on 21st September to damaging a rock shelter on 6th August in Western […]
Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search
Sydney, Australia Reuters Australian authorities on Wednesday found a radioactive capsule smaller than a coin that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search involving around 100 people along a 1,400 kilometres stretch of highway, officials said. The Caesium-137 capsule lost in transit more than two weeks ago was discovered when a […]
Rio Tinto apologises after contractor loses radioactive capsule in Australia
Melbourne, Australia Reuters Rio Tinto Ltd’s iron ore division chief Simon Trott apologised on Monday after a contractor hired by the mining giant lost a radioactive capsule in transit in Western Australia, sparking a radiation alert across parts of the state. It is unclear how long the radioactive capsule, part of a gauge used to […]
Australia PM pledges aid on visit to flood-ravaged north-west
Reuters Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised help to repair homes, replace property and rebuild infrastructure as he toured remote flood-ravaged communities across the northwest after “one-in-100-year” floods. The crisis in the Kimberley – a sparsely populated area in Western Australia state about the size of the US state of California – was sparked last […]
“Once in a century” flood cuts off communities in north-western Australia
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Military helicopters airlifted hundreds of people from communities cut off by “once in a century” floods in Australia’s northwest, an official leading relief efforts said on Sunday, noting water covered some places “as far as the eye could see”. The crisis in the Kimberley – an sparsely populated area in Western Australia state […]
Western Australia in grip of ‘devastating’ flood emergency, Australia PM says
Sydney, Australia Reuters Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday his government was ready to provide whatever support was needed to residents of Western Australia state as record-breaking floods isolated far-flung communities there. The crisis in the Kimberley – an area almost three times the size of the United Kingdom – was sparked this […]
Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner calls for urgent change in mining sector
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner has called for urgent changes in the country’s mining industry after a state government report found that sexual harassment and assault were rife in the sector. The Western Australia parliamentary report on Thursday detailed what it said was horrifying behaviour against women in the mining industry, and recommended sweeping […]