Oceania

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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Photo Story: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government sworn in

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (4-L, front), New Zealand Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy (5-L, front) and the Government's new executive pose for an official photograph at Government House in Wellington,…

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New Zealand’s Ardern increases parliamentary majority after final vote tally

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's centre-left government has increased its parliamentary majority after the results of postal and other special circumstance votes bolstered her already decisive Oct. 17 election…

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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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New Zealand’s Ardern forms government with Greens

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party on Sunday signed an agreement with the Green Party to form government in the Pacific nation of nearly five million. Ardern earlier…

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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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New Zealand approves euthanasia, set to reject recreational marijuana

New Zealand has provisionally voted to legalise euthanasia but is on course to reject law changes that would allow recreational marijuana use, the country’s Electoral Commission said on Friday. New…

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New Zealand business mood brightens as COVID contained

New Zealand business sentiment brightened in October as success in containing the COVID-19 outbreak in the country allowed the economy to re-open and activity to pick up from very depressed…

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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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New Zealand’s next parliament is set to be the most diverse ever

New Zealand’s next parliament is set to be the most inclusive ever, with several people of colour, members from the rainbow communities and a high number of women. The ruling…

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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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New Zealand’s Ardern says will form government in 2-3 weeks

New Zealand’s ruling Labour party leader Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday that she would form a government within two to three weeks but did not comment on a possible coalition…

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Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party registers landslide victory in New Zealand’s Covid19 election – Update

Update 1121 New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's centre-left Labour Party won a landslide victory in New Zealand's general election on Saturday as voters rewarded her for a decisive response…

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Jacinda Ardern set to strengthen hold as New Zealand votes

New Zealanders went to the polls on Saturday in a general election that could see Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern strengthen her left-of-centre hold on government or a challenge from conservatives…

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New Zealand to vote on legalizing marijuana and euthanasia

New Zealanders are poised to decide on two landmark social issues during an election Saturday: whether to legalize recreational marijuana and whether to legalize euthanasia. A “yes” vote on both…

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New Zealand Ardern’s party support slips but enough to govern alone

Support for New Zealand’s ruling Labour Party dropped in the latest poll on Friday, but it would still be enough for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to govern alone. The Newshub-Reid…

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New Australia and New Zealand trans-Tasman travel bubble opens

On Friday, Australia's border rules have been relaxed as the country established a trans-Tasman travel bubble with New Zealand. Hundreds of New Zealand plane passengers started arriving in Sydney on…

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Facebook shuts NZ party’s page before polls over COVID-19 misinformation

Facebook shut down the page of a fringe New Zealand political party on Thursday, days before a general election, for sharing what the company called misinformation about the novel coronavirus…

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New Zealand’s Ardern’s party support slips a point in latest poll

Support for New Zealand's ruling Labour Party slipped by one percentage point on Thursday with less than two days to the general election, an opinion poll showed on Thursday. The…

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Coronavirus can survive on banknotes and glass for up to 28 days – Australian researchers say

The virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on banknotes, glass and stainless steel for up to 28 days, much longer than the flu virus, Australian researchers said on Monday, highlighting…

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Australian state of New South Wales to ease Covid-19 restrictions

Australia’s most populous state announced that it will ease restrictions despite reporting the biggest one-day jump in new Covid-19 cases in six weeks. New South Wales said that from this…

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NSW’s Premier held secret close relationship with investigated Chinese politician

The premier of Australia's most populous state told a corruption inquiry on Monday that she had had a secret "close personal relationship" with a politician under investigation for monetising his…

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New Zealand PM Ardern rides on success in tackling pandemic in poll push

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday burnished her leadership credentials on the back of her successful response to the coronavirus pandemic at a campaign rally six days ahead…

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Australia Victoria’s State of Emergency and Disaster extend by four weeks

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that he has extended the State of Emergency and the State of Disaster by another four weeks. "I've just signed paperwork to extend the…

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Australia reports no COVID-19 deaths for third day

Australia recorded no coronavirus deaths for a third straight day on Saturday, but it’s hotspot city of Melbourne faced a prolonged lockdown as new infections stayed stubbornly above the target…

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Australia records second day without Covid-19 death for first time in three months

Australia reported its second straight day without any Covid-19 deaths on Friday, the longest stretch without any fatalities from the virus in three months.Australian states and territories reported 16 cases…

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Female vote key but policies lacking in New Zealand election

New Zealand’s upcoming general election has the rare distinction of providing a choice of two female candidates as the country’s next leader in a poll that could be decided by…

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Australia immigration law ‘to require English test’

Australia will require foreign partners of existing residents to pass an English language test before gaining a permanent visa, its government says. The controversial immigration requirement, if approved by parliament,…

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Poll indicates NZ PM Jacinda Ardern poised for big win in election

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's party is projected to be one seat short of a being able to govern alone, and has a double-digit lead over its rival, with…

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US and Australia discuss China’s malign activity in region

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Australian counterpart, Marise Payne, discussed on Tuesday shared concern over China's "malign activity" in the region, a state department official said. Pompeo…

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Britain open to Aussie-style EU trade deal but Australia wants more

As Britain's negotiations with the European Union on a post-Brexit trade deal go down to the wire, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his country could trade with the bloc on…

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NZ PM says will lift Auckland coronavirus restrictions from Wednesday midnight

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said all coronavirus restrictions in the country's largest city Auckland will be lifted at 11.59 pm on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Auckland will move to…

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Australia’s Bondi beach closed due to crowds

Sydney’s Bondi Beach was closed on Monday afternoon after as thousands of Sydneysiders flocked to the seaside to enjoy warm public holiday weather. The decision to close the beach came…

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Australia to spend more on jobs in budget based on COVID-19 vaccine

The Australian government said on Sunday it will earmark an additional A$1.2 billion ($859 million) in wage subsidies in the 2020/21 budget and that its frameworks assume that there will…

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