Australia

Photo Story: Crowd-free Sydney on New Year’s Eve celebrations

A composite image compares the crowd size at Sydney's Circular Quay on New Year's Eve of 31 December 2019 (L) and of 31 December 2020, in Sydney, New South Wales…

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Sydney told to watch its famous New Year’s Eve fireworks from home

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Sydney, one of the world's first major cities to welcome each New Year with a public countdown featuring a fireworks display over its well-known Opera House, has banned…

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Rain, COVID-19 keep beachgoers away from Sydney’s Bondi Beach

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Poor weather and the COVID-19 pandemic kept beachgoers away on Friday from Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, a traditional Christmas destination for thousands of people each year. With…

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Millions of Sydney residents asked to ‘limit’ Christmas festivities to fight COVID cluster

Millions of Sydney residents were asked to limit their mobility over the Christmas holidays, with some families in lockdown and festive gatherings limited to 10 visitors indoors, as officials try…

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Australia detects new UK strain

Australia said on Monday it had detected cases of the new virulent coronavirus strain identified in the United Kingdom, while Hong Kong said it would suspend Britain flights. Two travellers…

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Australia’s most populous state says COVID-19 cases at 3-day low

Australia's most populous state on Monday reported its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in three days, stoking cautious optimism that authorities have contained an outbreak in Sydney's northern…

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Sydney isolated from rest of Australia as COVID outbreak grows

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Sydney was isolated from the rest of Australia on Sunday after all of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on its residents as a coronavirus cluster…

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Christmas travel chaos, Australia imposes border curbs as Sydney virus cluster grows

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian states and territories on Friday begun imposing border restrictions after 28 COVID-19 cases were detected from a cluster on Sydney's northern beaches, with fears the number of…

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Kangaroos can learn to communicate with humans, researchers say

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Kangaroos can learn to communicate with humans similar to how domesticated dogs do, by using their gaze to "point" and ask for help, researchers said in a…

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Australia reports first local COVID-19 case in two weeks after airport worker tests positive

Australia’s most populous state on Wednesday reported its first coronavirus case in nearly two weeks after an airport worker tested positive prompting authorities to suggest international flight crews should also…

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Australia gets ready for floods

Just days after bushfires threatened an Australian World Heritage site, thousands were bracing for floods on the subtropical east coast on Sunday, with beaches closed and the authorities urging people…

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Australia says it will hit 2030 emissions target without counting old carbon credits

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia on Friday said it would achieve its 2030 carbon emissions pledge under the Paris climate agreement without counting carbon credits from overachieving on its previous climate targets, marking…

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The Blue Mountains World Heritage site has been downgraded, but it’s not too late to save it

Twenty years ago, UNESCO inscribed the greater Blue Mountains area on the World Heritage List for having “outstanding universal value”. If you’ve travelled to the Blue Mountains, with its rugged…

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Australia’s ‘black summer’ bushfires killed or harmed more than 60,000 koalas – WWF

SYDNEY (Reuters) - More than 60,000 koalas were killed, injured or displaced in Australian bushfires last summer, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has estimated, in what it called…

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Australian state eases restrictions for ‘COVID safe’ summer

MELBOURNE, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Australia's Victoria state eased COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday after the country's pandemic hotspot recorded 37 days without any new coronavirus infections, moving toward a "COVID-safe"…

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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef status lowered to critical and deteriorating

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The health of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the world's most extensive and spectacular coral reef ecosystem, is in a critical state and deteriorating as climate change warms…

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Photo Story: Unusual sculpture unveiled in Melbourne

General view of a large-scale sculpture of chimpanzee David Greybeard after it's unveiling in collaboration between Australian visual artist Lisa Roet and wildlife conservation organisation the Jane Goodall Institute Global,…

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Australia aims to complete review of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by Jan 2021

Australia's pharmaceutical regulator said on Thursday it is on course to review Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021, with the country sticking to a March timetable to start vaccinations. Britain…

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COVID-free for days, Australian state resumes singing, dancing, religious services

Australia's most populous state said that from Monday it would remove limits on the number of people at weddings, bars and religious services and end a ban on public venue…

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Fears of bushfires in Sydney as city swelters through hottest November night on record

Sydney has sweltered through its hottest November night since records began more than 160 years ago, as temperatures climbed to 40C in the city for a second consecutive day. The…

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Once Australia’s COVID-19 hotspot, Victoria goes 28 days without an infection

Australia's second-largest state, Victoria, once the country's COVID-19 hotspot, said on Friday it has gone 28 days without detecting any new infections, a benchmark widely cited as eliminating the virus…

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Photo Story: More stranded Australians repatriated

An Australian woman and her baby exit a bus as they arrive for mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine at the Pacific Hotel in Canberra, Australia, 26 November 2020. Around 150 Australians…

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Photo Story: Flights between Victoria and New South Wales resume

Passengers disembark the first Qantas flight from Melbourne following the lifting of border restrictions at Sydney Airport, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 23 November 2020. Border restrictions were lifted between…

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Australia moves towards ‘normality’

Australia moved a step closer to normal life on Sunday, opening some internal borders and easing restrictions in regions affected by COVID-19, as the vast majority of the country has…

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Australia defence chief pledges changes after damning Afghanistan war-crimes report

Australia's top military official said on Sunday the country's defence force must 'own' a recent report on soldiers committing crimes in Afghanistan and pledged changes to ensure that atrocities do…

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South Australia orders six-day statewide lockdown against fresh virus outbreak

South Australia announced a six-day lockdown of the state on Wednesday to stamp out a fresh coronavirus outbreak that has now expanded to 22 cases, warning the strain of virus…

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Judge considers dismissing charges in Australian media trial over Pell conviction

An Australian judge on Tuesday adjourned a trial of Australian journalists and media to consider whether to dismiss charges they breached a court suppression order on reporting of ex-Vatican treasurer…

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Australia’s Qantas celebrates subdued 100th birthday

Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd, the world's third-oldest airline, on Monday marked its 100th birthday during its toughest year yet due to the coronavirus pandemic but is looking to the future…

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Australia’s economy on a ‘road to recovery’, says RBA’s Lowe

Australia's success in controlling the coronavirus has put the economy on a "road to recovery", the country's central bank governor said on Monday even as a new outbreak of COVID-19…

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Australia back on outbreak alert as state reports jump in virus cases

The Australian state of South Australia reported 14 new coronavirus cases on Monday, a dramatic increase from the previous day, prompting the country's other states to tighten internal borders and…

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Australia forecasts prolonged wildfire seasons, more droughts from climate change

Australia’s climate will continue to warm, resulting in prolonged wildfire seasons and less rain in the southeast and southwest that will lead to more frequent droughts, the country’s weather bureau…

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Australia may see first week of no local COVID-19 transmissions

Australia’s three most populous states on Saturday recorded at least a week with no local transmissions of the new coronavirus, boding well for the country’s recovery from the pandemic after…

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Australia scraps plans to allow foreign students back

Australia will not allow foreign students to return as Canberra prioritises the return of locals stuck overseas, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.Australia has since March closed its borders…

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Australian COVID-19 vaccine candidate produces antibody response in early tests

Early testing of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by an Australian university and CSL Ltd has shown it to be safe and produce an antibody response, Minister for Health Greg…

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Contempt charges dropped against three editors in Pell conviction reporting trial

Charges against three News Corp online editors were dropped on day four of a trial on allegations that media firms broke an Australia-wide court suppression order on reporting ex-Vatican treasurer…

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Australian police arrests 14 men on child abuse charges

Fourteen men including a former childcare worker have been charged with producing and sharing child-abuse material through an online network across Australia and overseas, Australian police said on Wednesday. The…

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‘One and Free’: prominent Australian lawmaker urges change to national anthem

Australia should change the lyrics of its national anthem to honour its indigenous people, the leader of the country's most populous state said on Wednesday, becoming one of the most…

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Australian media face trial over Cardinal Pell’s child sex abuse case reporting

A trial began on Monday alleging dozens of journalists, editors and media companies breached an Australia-wide court suppression order in reporting on ex-Vatican treasurer George Pell's child sex abuse conviction…

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Australia’s coronavirus hotspot relaxes curbs

Australia's second most populous state, the epicentre of the country's COVID-19 outbreak, will relax restrictions after recording its ninth consecutive day with no infections, state Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said…

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Australia’s Victoria completes full week with no COVID-19 cases

Australia's Victoria state reported its seventh consecutive day of zero locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Friday, suggesting a three-month strict lockdown in the city of Melbourne has successfully contained a…

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Australian bookmaker pays out $17 million on Biden victory ahead of official result

An Australian bookmaker said on Thursday it has paid out A$23 million ($16.5 million) to people that had bet on Joe Biden becoming the next U.S. president though the official…

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Australia orders more COVID-19 vaccines for total of 135 mln doses

The Australian government has agreed to purchase two more COVID-19 vaccines in development, beefing up the country's prospective arsenal against the pandemic to 135 million doses as it aims to…

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Australia’s Victoria reports no COVID-19 cases for fifth straight day

Australia’s coronavirus hot spot of Victoria state on Wednesday reported zero COVID-19 cases for the fifth straight day as states began easing regional border restrictions, raising prospects of a faster…

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Australia Post boss resigns over luxury watches scandal

The boss of Australia Post has resigned after authorising a A$20,000 (£10,500; $14,000) gift of luxury watches to four employees as a work reward. Christine Holgate, chief executive of the…

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Australia’s central bank launches digital currency project

Australia’s central bank on Monday said it was launching a project to explore the potential use and implications of a wholesale form of central bank digital currency (CBDC) using distributed…

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Australian banks complain they have too much money, more may be on the way

Australia's banking system has more money than it can use, a challenge that will likely grow next week with the central bank widely expected to trim interest rates to near…

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Photo Story: Eating out in Melbourne in times of the Coronavirus

People enjoy outdoor dining at a Shopping mall in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Further coronavirus restrictions were eased in metropolitan Melbourne with restaurants and hotels reopening for business as cases of…

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Australia has no local case 1st time in five months

Australia recorded no new daily coronavirus community infections on Sunday for the first time in nearly five months, health officials said, paving the way for further easing of social distancing…

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Australia’s Labor Party on track to win Queensland vote

The Labor Party in Australia's Queensland state was on track on Saturday to retain power in an election overshadowed by COVID-19, with voters approving the strict measures that put the…

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Melbourne opens dining, shopping as coronavirus lockdown lifted

Melbourne's shops, restaurants and hotels opened for business on Wednesday after a four month coronavirus lockdown, with happy customers enjoying alfresco eating in the spring sunshine and shopkeepers hoping for…

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Victoria registers no new cases of coronavirus for first time in seven months

The Australian State of Victoria has recorded another day of no new coronavirus cases for the first time in more than seven months. This figure reflects a downward trend, particularly…

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Australia’s Victoria state reports zero daily cases of Covid-19 for first time in four months

Australia’s Victoria state said on Monday it had gone 24 hours without detecting any new COVID-19 cases, a milestone last achieved four months ago, raising hopes that a stringent lockdown…

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59-year-old critical after shark attack in Great Barrier Reef

A 59-year-old man is in critical condition after a shark attacked him on Sunday at Australia's Great Barrier Reef, near the north Queensland city of Townsville, rescuers said. Paramedics airlifted…

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Australia’s Victoria State delays easing of lockdown

Victoria state, Australia's COVID-19 epicentre, on Sunday delayed an expected announcement on the easing of lockdown restrictions due to an outbreak in Melbourne, prompting warnings that residents were at a…

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Australia may have recorded first case of Covid-19 re-infection

A case of Covid-19 in Victoria is being treated as a rare case of reinfection, the first case classified as such in Australia. Reinfection with Covid-19 is rare, with only…

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Child in Melbourne hospital test positive for coronavirus

A child receiving treatment in the oncology ward at the Royal Children’s hospital in Melbourne has tested positive for coronavirus. The Australian state of Victoria, which has been under one…

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Melbourne to ease coronavirus restrictions

Signage directing people to wear fitted face masks is seen outside of the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia, 18 October 2020. According to media reports, restrictions in place to…

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