Category: Australia

Climate Change, The Voice Loses Public Support As Cost of Living Problems Bite: Poll

Australians are pessimistic about the future of the country as ongoing cost of living pressures continue to bite. SEC Newgate, the country’s largest strategic communications firm, released the findings of a survey of 2,207 Australians from Jun 23-28, which also found issues like climate change and The Voice lose public interest. The company found that…


Major Insurer Drops Cover for Doctors Providing Hormone Treatment for Gender Dysphoria

One of Australia’s biggest medical insurers has pulled insurance coverage for doctors in private practice prescribing hormonal treatment for children and adolescents. MDA National, which has 54,000 health professional members, has also dropped cover for private specialists who face court claims if they deem under 18-year-olds as “suitable for gender transition.” “We consider it appropriate…


First Woman to Lead Reserve Bank of Australia as Lowe Exit Locked In

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will get its first woman leader as Philip Lowe’s seven-year tenure comes to an end. Mr. Lowe will be replaced by Michele Bullock, the current deputy governor of the central bank, when his term finishes on Sept. 18. Ms. Bullock has served as deputy governor since April last year…


Australia’s Largest Bank Embroiled in Dispute for Asking Workers to Return to the Office

The financial services union has compelled Australia’s largest bank to face the workplace umpire after trying to change its work-from-home arrangements. The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) must front up to a Fair Work Commission hearing after the Finance Sector Union (FSU) filed its dispute on July 12. Management had notified their 49,000 employees that they needed…


Pricewaterhouse Coopers to Ban Political Donations in Australia

One of the Big Four accounting firms, PwC, will extend its ban on political donations to include bodies using indirect means to channel election funding. On Monday, PwC acting chief Kristin Stubbins announced that the consultant giant will scrap its political donation program. She said although the firm always took the utmost care to ensure political donations…


Australia’s Approval of MDMA and ‘Magic Mushrooms’ for Medical Use Premature Say Critics

The approval of MDMA and “magic mushrooms” for certain medical conditions by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has received a mixed response, with Australia’s peak psychiatric body saying further evidence is needed to determine the drugs’ long-term safety and efficacy. From July 1, MDMA (ecstasy) and psilocybin can be prescribed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)…


Consumer Watchdog Says Australians Paying Too Much for Electricity

As millions of Australians have been hit with electricity price surges since July, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has raised concerns that electricity bills are too high. In May, the Australian Energy Regulator released the new default market offer, which caps the maximum rate energy retailers can charge residential and small business customers…


Freed Democracy Activist Knew Family Would Not Give Up

Pro-democracy activist Chau Van Kham says he wasn’t afraid of dying in a Vietnamese jail, knowing his supporters in Australia would never give up on him. The joyous face of his most staunch advocate, wife Quynh Trang Truong, was the first he saw when he came through the arrival gates at Sydney Airport on Tuesday….


Australia Did Not Act in the ’Spirit of Friendship’ With Timor Leste

Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, has conceded that past government actions towards Timor Leste, particularly over the Greater Sunrise gas and oil project, were not accomplished“in the spirit of friendship.” Ms. Wong’s comments come days after former East Timor (Timor Leste) independence fighter Xanana Gusmao was sworn in as prime minister following his party’s election…


Is Paul Keating Stuck in a Time Warp ?

Commentary Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating has launched another extraordinary spray at the federal government’s foreign policies. In an apparently unsolicited written statement, Mr. Keating lambasted the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg while supporting President Emmanuel Macron’s opposition to the organisation expanding into Asia. Condemning the “militarism of Europe,”…