Melbourne, Australia – The vibrant streets of Melbourne are set to become a stage for international solidarity as the Kenyan community gears up for a significant protest against a controversial finance bill proposed by President William Ruto’s administration. Scheduled to take place across Melbourne this week, the rally is part […]
Government
The Australian Senate is set to pass a bill that will see the end of all vape sales – regardless of nicotine content – from general retailers. From July 1, non-nicotine vapes will no longer be permitted for sale outside of pharmacies. But late amendments to the bill, negotiated by the Greens, change […]
It is very difficult to take Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s nuclear announcement seriously. His proposal for seven nuclear power stations is, at present, legally impossible, technically improbable, economically irrational and environmentally irresponsible. Given the repeated community objections to much more modest nuclear proposals, such as storage of low-level radioactive waste, there is almost […]
New Zealand’s understaffed and underfunded midwifery sector is hoping to benefit from increased health funding announced in the 2024 budget. The government has promised NZ$8.15 billion in additional operating capital for the health system, with $3.44 billion earmarked for hospital and speciality services and $2.12 billion for primary care and public health. […]
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he and Chinese Premier Li Qiang discussed improving military-to-military communications to avoid future incidents involving their armed forces in their wide-ranging meeting on Monday. This follows an encounter last year in which Australian Navy divers were targeted with sonar and one this year when […]
As Australia kicks off Refugee Week (held from June 16 to June 22), it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the profound contributions refugees have made to the Australian community. During 2019-20 and 2020-21, Australia granted refugee status to 13,171 and 5,947 people respectively. This included people resettled from other […]
A national Newspoll, conducted June 3–7 from a sample of 1,232, had Labor and the Coalition tied at 50–50, a two-point gain for the Coalition since the post-budget Newspoll, three weeks ago. This is Labor’s worst position in Newspoll since last November, following the fallout from the defeat of the Voice referendum. […]
In a significant development for small island nations threatened by rising seas, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has found greenhouse gases constitute marine pollution. The tribunal handed down a unanimous advisory opinion this week in its first climate-related judgement. It declared countries must take measures to combat […]
A central focus of this week’s budget is the treasury’s forecast for inflation. By this time next year, inflation is projected to be back within the Reserve Bank’s 2-3% target range. Inflation has dropped dramatically from its peak of 7.8% just 18 months ago, but the last mile – getting from the present […]
The federal government’s push for tougher deportation laws is facing renewed criticism in the wake of a recent ruling by the High Court. The ruling, delivered last Friday, authorises the indefinite detention of non-citizens who resist deportation, stirring fresh opposition from political adversaries and community organisations. In March, the Government […]
