NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte talks to Anthony Albanese at the summit. Photo: NATO Australia and the European Union are to start talks on a new defence and security pact separate to any free trade agreement. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa agreed to the…
File photo …. Children in a refugee camp in Idlib, Syria. Photo: Ahmed Akacha /pexels.com The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, says it is cutting global staffing numbers by 30% forced upon it by severe funding cuts. A UNCHR announcement says the cuts amount to letting go of almost half of all senior staff at its…
A 2023 marine heatwave in the North Atlantic was the equivalent of 20 years of warming, the study says. Photo: CSIRO A record-breaking marine heatwave in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2023 could very well prove to be a glimpse of the future, University of NSW scientists say. In a UNSW-led Nature study (see link…
Neither the US nor Australia have enough welders, says Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden. Photo: Giomar Arango/www.pixabay.com A steadily deepening shortage of welders in Australia could very well sink the AUKUS submarine program – and not in the intended manner. The warning comes from Weld Australia, the national body for the welding industry. The AUKUS…
Footage of strikes this year have been released by Queensland Rail. To watch the video, click on the button at the bottom. Image: supplied For the second time this year, Qld Rail has gone public with a message to tall vehicle drivers to avoid striking rail bridges and protection beams. A new campaign is now…
Gig economy workers and content creators will be targeted this tax season, says the CPA. Stock photo: Anna Nekrashevich/www.pexels.com If you work a side-hustle in the gig economy and don’t pay tax, expect to get a tax bill this reporting season. That’s the word from Australia’s largest professional accounting body, CPA Australia, who say the…
More than half of Australians in the new survey took a second job just to make ends meet. Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko/www.pexels.com Job growth in 2024 has failed to translate into job security with 52% of Australian workers in a new survey saying they are living payday to payday. A new ADP Research report surveyed nearly…
The new airport will be at the heart of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Core. Photo: WSI Airport The NSW Government is to spend $835 million on Western Sydney’s new airport city, the Aerotropolis, under the new state budget. The funding deal for the 11,200-hectare aerotropolis is in addition to $1 billion also spent on the…
WA is spending more to attract more skilled tradies from interstate and overseas. Photo: ANDREW KACIMAIWAI The WA Government will spend an extra $37.5 million to train more trade apprentices as well as attract more skilled tradies, including from overseas. The government says the decision to spend more is built on the success of its…
Qantas and Singaporean aircraft at Brisbane International Airport. Photo: ANDREW KACIMAIWAI Qantas is to close its Jetstar Asia operations as it ramps up its seasonal capacity across the Tasman to New Zealand. Qantas says closing its Singapore-based Asian subsidiary will allow it to ‘recycle’ up to $500 million in capital and redeploy 13 Airbus A320s…