Australia News

The Strait of Hormuz could reopen this week, after bringing almost a fifth of the world’s oil shipments to a standstill for more than three months.  At the G7 summit overnight, US President Donald Trump repeated assurances that the globally significant passage will be “completely opened” by Friday, when the ceasefire agreement with Iran is…

A Melbourne childcare centre has been warned over a safety breach that potentially put children at risk of accessing a 12th floor balcony. The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) issued an emergency action notice to Woodlands St Kilda Road after spotting the fault during an inspection. VECRA said children were “at risk of serious…

The ACT’s former attorney-general Gordon Ramsay is facing a raft of new charges after he was arrested last year for grooming a young person. Sexual assault support lines: The arrest sent shock waves through Canberra when Mr Ramsay was initially charged in October. He was to have been committed to trial in the ACT Supreme Court…

For more than 25 years, astronauts have been staring back in awe at the world from the International Space Station. But on January 12, 2020, Luca Parmitano was devastated by what he saw staring back. Luca Parmitano captured the Black Summer bushfires from space. (Supplied: Luca Parmitano) “I was watching those billowing clouds from 400…

When Julie was born, her dad was 51 and her mum was 40. It was the 70s and Julie says her parents were “extremely old” compared to those of her peers. “I would go out with my dad to the shops and people would say, ‘Oh you’re spending the day with grandad today,’” says Julie,…

The new prime minister of Solomon Islands has floated the idea of a Pacific-wide security pact during a visit to Canberra, in a move that could have significant strategic implications for the region. The ABC has been told that Matthew Wale, who is also the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), raised the proposal…

A Queensland court has heard shocking details about how a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) support worker abused his position of trust to prey on two female clients.  Trevor Noel Mutch appeared before the Maroochydore District Court for sentencing on Monday afternoon. Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse. The court heard the 51-year-old…

South Australia’s Electoral Commissioner Mick Sherry has resigned amid a review into the scandal-plagued state and Voice elections. The March elections were beset with problems, including misplaced ballots, inadequate polling booth staff and computer glitches. First Nations voters also alleged they experienced discrimination at polling booths. Mr Sherry had been on personal leave since the…

Queensland’s container exchange operator has shut down 21 depots run by a company accused of work conditions likened to modern slavery.  Container Exchange (COEX), which runs the Containers for Change scheme around the state, directed all refund points operated by U Can Recycle to close on Tuesday morning, effective immediately. The operator is embroiled in…

Slain Tasmanian police officer Constable Keith Smith will have a laneway in Ulverstone named after him, a memorial service marking the first anniversary since his death has heard. Constable Smith, 57, was fatally shot on June 16 last year, when he attempted to serve a repossession notice at a property at North Motton, in Tasmania’s…