Oceania

New Zealand’s new government sworn in, parliament expected to open next week

LINGTON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - New Zealand’s new right-of-centre government was sworn in on Monday, with parliament expected to sit next week and begin working on new policies including a…

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Plague of rats hits Australia

Rats are destroying cars, clambering onto boats and washing up dead on beaches in northern Australia after a plague of the rodents hit the region. The vermin have swarmed through…

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Australian warship sails through Taiwan Strait

TAIPEI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Taiwan said on Friday that an Australian warship had sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the sensitive and narrow waterway that separates the democratically governed island…

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Australia says ports operator cyber incident ‘serious’

SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The Australian government on Sunday described as "serious and ongoing" a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports…

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Australia in a new COVID wave. What can it expect this time?

Australia is now into its next COVID wave. We’ve seen hints of this for a while. Case numbers and indicators of severe disease began rising in Victoria in August. But…

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UPDATED: Australia signs climate, migration and security pact with Pacific’s Tuvalu

By Alasdair Pal and Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday signed a bilateral agreement with Tuvalu, aimed at countering China's influence in…

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Optus outage causes chaos in Australia

By Renju Jose and Byron Kaye SYDNEY, Nov 8 (Reuters) - An outage at No.2 Australian telco Optus left nearly half the population without internet or phone on Wednesday, throwing…

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Australia records driest October since 2002 due to El Nino

CANBERRA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Australia recorded the driest October in more than 20 years due to an El Nino weather pattern which has seen hot, dry conditions hit crop…

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Five killed in Australia after car ploughs into pub patrons

SYDNEY, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Five people, including two children, were killed and several injured at a popular tourist town in rural Australia after a car crashed into a crowd…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Birdsville, Australia

An aerial view of the Big Red dune in the Simpson desert near Birdsville, Queensland, Australia. The tiny outback town, situated on the edge of the Simpson Desert, about 1,600km…

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Residents in Australian state urged to flee as wildfires blaze

By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Residents in three areas in Australia's northern Queensland state were ordered to evacuate their homes on Wednesday, as bushfires burned out of…

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Australia, EU say trade deal likely years away after rejecting terms

Australia has rejected European Union proposals for a free trade agreement, and a deal is now unlikely to be reached for several years, Australian government ministers said. Australia's agriculture minister, Murray…

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Australia says EU trade deal is likely years away after rejecting terms

CANBERRA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Australia has rejected European Union proposals for a free trade agreement, and a deal is now unlikely to be reached for several years, Australian government…

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Australia set for hot, dry weather for next three months

SYDNEY, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Large swathes of Australia are set for below average rainfall and a greater chance of record temperatures over the next three months, the Bureau of…

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Australia deploys more aircraft, personnel to Middle East

By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Australia said on Wednesday it had deployed two more military aircraft and a "significant number" of defence personnel to the Middle East…

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Sydney Opera House celebrates 50th birthday with light show and free tours

By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Sydney Opera House celebrated its 50th birthday on Friday, with a laser show planned to illuminate the iconic building. Officially opened by…

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New Zealand Prime Minister-elect Luxon to get cracking on building coalition relationships

New Zealand's prime minister-elect, Christopher Luxon, said on Monday while his party was waiting for special votes to be counted, they were working on building relationships with both ACT New…

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Reconciliation is dead’: Indigenous Australians vow silence after referendum fails

By Praveen Meno SYDNEY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Australian Indigenous leaders called on Sunday for a week of silence and reflection after a referendum to recognise First Peoples in the…

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New Zealand PM-elect Luxon, National leaders to start planning coalition

By Lucy Craymer and Renju Jose WELLINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Senior members of New Zealand's National Party will meet on Sunday to plan forming a coalition government after the…

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Australia police weigh special powers ahead of pro-Palestinian protest

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Australian police are considering applying special stop-and-search powers for the first time in almost two decades for people attending a pro-Palestinian rally…

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New Zealand election campaign winds down with Labour facing defeat

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Friday urged voters to get out and re-elect Labour in Saturday's national election, as polls…

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Australians to reject Indigenous Voice in referendum – final YouGov poll

SYDNEY, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Australians are set to overwhelmingly say 'No' to a proposal to constitutionally recognise the country's Indigenous people in a referendum on Saturday, one of the…

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Australia PM votes in struggling referendum on Indigenous rights

SYDNEY, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voted on Saturday in a referendum to recognise the country's Indigenous people in the constitution, a week from a national…

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Photo Story: New Australian currency featuring King Charles III

A prototype of the new coin is seen at an event for the release of new Australian currency featuring the effigy of King Charles III, at The Royal Australian Mint…

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Driest September on record worsens Australia’s rain shortfall

CANBERRA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Australia's weather bureau said on Friday that areas of severe rainfall deficiency had expanded after the driest September on record, putting farm production in one…

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New Zealand poll shows comfortable lead for centre-right National Party

By Alasdair Pal Oct 4 (Reuters) - New Zealand's National Party is likely to emerge as the leader in next month's general election, an opinion poll released on Wednesday showed,…

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Australia to crack down on ‘significant abuse’ of immigration system

By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Australia will address significant abuses of its visa system, the government said on Thursday, in a bid to crack down on human…

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New Zealanders start voting in Oct. 14 general election

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - New Zealanders on Monday started voting for a new government as advance in-person balloting opened ahead of the Oct. 14 general election.…

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Australia PM rallies support for Indigenous referendum as early voting starts

SYDNEY, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he would focus on having one-on-one conversations with Australians to rally support for the Indigenous referendum, as…

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Australia swelters through ‘scorching’ heat lifting bushfire risk

SYDNEY, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Australia's southeast on Sunday sweltered in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and led authorities to issue fire bans for large swathes…

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Record numbers of Australians enrol for referendum on Indigenous recognition

SYDNEY, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A record number of Australians have enrolled to vote next month in a referendum to recognise the country's Indigenous people in the constitution, according to…

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Strong winds fan bushfires as Australia battles spring heatwave

By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Strong winds and a rare, intense heatwave in early spring fanned dozens of bushfires across Australia's southeast, prompting extreme fire danger warnings…

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New Zealand hit by magnitude 6.0 quake, no serious damage reported

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Geraldine in the centre of New Zealand’s South Island on Thursday, government seismic monitor Geonet said…

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Australia swelters in spring heat wave, temperatures set to break records

By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Sept 18 (Reuters) - A spring heat wave across large parts of Australia's southeast, including Sydney, will intensify on Monday, the weather bureau said, with temperatures…

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Island states seek climate protection from Law of the Sea

The prime ministers of two small island nations that face ongoing impacts from rising sea levels appeared at legal hearings at an international court in Germany on Monday, and seek…

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Three rescued after sharks attack yacht off Australian coast

SYDNEY, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Three people on board a catamaran in the Coral Sea off the northeast coast of Australia have been rescued after the hulls of the vessel…

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More than half of Australians oppose Indigenous panel in constitution, poll shows

By Renju Jose SYDNEY (Reuters) - More than half of Australians would reject the inclusion of an Indigenous advisory panel in the constitution, a newspaper poll showed, as the government…

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Australia to make it a criminal offence to deliberately underpay workers

By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Australia's Labor government will introduce legislation to close "loopholes" in workplace law, a move opposed by employer groups fearing higher costs, when…

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Australia notches warmest winter on record

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia recorded its warmest winter on record, its weather bureau said ahead of a widely anticipated decision over whether to declare El Nino conditions, which typically bring…

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Australia PM Albanese sets Oct 14 date for Indigenous referendum

Australians will vote on October 14 on whether they want to change the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait island people, a defining moment in the struggle for Indigenous…

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New Zealand plans digital services tax for multinationals from 2025

New Zealand said on Tuesday it would introduce legislation for a digital services tax on large multinational companies from 2025 after talks for a global rollout did not reach consensus…

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‘Tragic’ crash injures 23 US Marines in Australia exercises

SYDNEY, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Twenty-three U.S. Marines were injured during military exercises in northern Australia on Sunday, officials said, in a helicopter crash that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called…

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Point of no return: Australians fight for the right to work from home permanently

By Byron Kaye Australian federal workers have world's strongest WFH rights Employees globally want more WFH than their bosses - survey Office attendance remains far below 2019 levels - JLL…

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Australian prime minister raises prospect of early election over housing impasse

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, July 31 (Reuters) - Australia could go to an election more than a year ahead of schedule as opposition parties threaten to block a flagship housing…

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Australia’s Foreign Minister says Julian Assange case has ‘dragged on for too long’

SYDNEY, July 29 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday the long-running case of imprisoned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange had gone on too long and needs to…

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Photo Story: At least 50 pilot whales dead in mass stranding, in Australia

A handout photo made available by Western Australia's state Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions shows a pod of whales swimming off the West Australian coast before stranding themselves on…

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Largest ever Australia-U.S. joint military exercise gets underway

SYDNEY, July 21 (Reuters) - Australia and the U.S. began two weeks of war games involving more than 30,000 troops and participants from 11 other countries on Friday, in a…

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Australia launches ‘national wellbeing’ dashboard to measure prosperity beyond GDP

By Wayne Cole and Alasdair Pal SYDNEY, July 21 (Reuters) - Australia on Friday launched a "national wellbeing" dashboard of indicators to measure progress on issues like health, education and…

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Two people, shooter dead in shooting in Auckland, New Zealand

SYDNEY, July 20 (Reuters) - New Zealand police said on Thursday that two people and the gunman were killed in a shooting at a construction site in Auckland, the country's largest city,…

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Deep-sea mining could impact tuna fisheries, study says

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Deep-sea mining could interfere with migration of tuna that is expected to be driven by climate change to areas of the Pacific Ocean currently slated for mining…

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Australia PM Albanese to push to overcome EU trade obstacles with Macron

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was important for exporters to gain access to European markets under any EU free trade deal, and he would raise obstacles to an agreement in talks…

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New Zealand, EU ink historic trade deal

New Zealand and the European Union signed a free trade agreement overnight Sunday after negotiations were completed in 2022, with expectations it will come into force in the first half of…

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Australia PM’s Germany, NATO trip to focus on trade, security

SYDNEY, July 9 (Reuters) - Trade and security will be priorities for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on a trip this week to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and attend a NATO…

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Hotter, drier weather likely across Australia for winter and early spring

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - Dry and warm weather is forecast across large chunks of Australia through the southern hemisphere winter and into spring, the Bureau of Meteorology said on…

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Australia urged to ban online gambling ads to curb growing addiction

SYDNEY, June 28 (Reuters) - Australia should phase out advertising for online gambling in three years, a parliamentary committee of inquiry recommended on Wednesday as it looked to limit the…

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Australia to provide more armoured vehicles to Ukraine

By Alasdair Pal and Renju Jose SYDNEY, June 26 (Reuters) - The Australian government will provide a new A$110 million ($73.5 million) package to Ukraine including 70 military vehicles to…

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Australia says no threat from squatting Russian diplomat

By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY, June 23 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday the contested site of a proposed Russian embassy was secure, after it emerged a…

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