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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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Australia increasing police patrols

Police in Australia's coronavirus hotspot state of Victoria stepped up patrolling on Saturday as hundreds of people in the city of Melbourne breached stringent lockdown restrictions and flocked to beaches…

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Early voting underway in New Zealand

Early voting began in New Zealand on Friday with Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern seen securing a second term in office on the back of her success…

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Six months after shutting its borders, Australia’s to allow New Zealanders to enter

Australia will within weeks allow residents of New Zealand to enter the country without having to quarantine, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said on Friday, as Canberra seeks to revive…

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Australian job vacancies surge in the three months to August

Australian job vacancies surged in the three months to August, official data showed on Thursday, as the easing of coronavirus restrictions across much of the country spurred demand for labour.…

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Expatriate New Zealanders seen boosting Ardern’s election bid

When recently returned New Zealander Lara Barclay talked to fellow Kiwi expatriates in Australia, it was her country's success in tackling coronavirus that came up again and again and the…

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Fifth consecutive day in New Zealand with no new Covid-19 cases

New Zealand on Wednesday reported a fifth consecutive day of no new Covid-19 cases spread in the community.There was one new diagnosis of the virus in the government-run isolation facilities…

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Australian firm says its nasal spray reduced coronavirus growth in animal study

Australian biotech company Ena Respiratory said on Monday that a nasal spray it is developing to improve the human immune system to fight common cold and flu significantly reduced the…

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Support for NZ Ardern’s party drops in latest poll, but still seen winning

New Zealand's ruling Labour Party will need help from coalition partners to form a government after an Oct.17 general election, the latest opinion polls showed on Monday, after it was…

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New Zealanders may be able to travel to some Australian states before Christmas, Ardern says

Travel between New Zealand and some states of Australia is possible before the end of the year, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday. Plans for a travel…

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Australia’s virus hotspot sees 5 new cases, on track for Christmas opening

Australia's coronavirus hotspot Victoria recorded a single digit rise in new cases for the first time in three months on Monday and lifted some of the state's tough restrictions, as…

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Reports Cardinal Pell returning to Vatican

Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ former finance minister, will soon return to the Vatican during an extraordinary economic scandal for the first time since he was cleared of child abuse…

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Victoria, Australia set to accelerate easing of restrictions

Victoria, Australia's second most populous state and the epicentre of the country's COVID-19 outbreak, will accelerate the easing of social distancing restrictions as infections slow to fewer than 20 cases…

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Australia says world needs to know origins of COVID-19

The world’s nations must do all they can to understand the origins of COVID-19, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday, comments that could worsen tensions with China. Addressing…

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Photo Story: Snowfall in Victoria, Australia

Residents sled in the snow near Greendale, Victoria, Australia, 25 September 2020. A cold front from Antarctica brought hail, thunderstorms, snowfall to New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. Snow…

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Australia to overhaul bankruptcy laws to help firms over COVID-19

Australia on Thursday unveiled its biggest shakeup in bankruptcy laws in nearly three decades, allowing small businesses to trade while insolvent and take more control over debt restructuring, in a…

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Australia plans disposal of hundreds of stranded whale carcasses

Australian officials on Thursday began planning the grim task of disposing of almost 400 whale carcasses as hopes faded there would be many more survivors of one of the world’s…

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Photo Story: Photographic exhibition praises Victoria’s health workers

A man wearing a face mask walks past an outdoor photography exhibition on healthcare workers in Melbourne, Australia. The photographic project by Phoebe Powell aims to acknowledge the people working…

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Australia counts record 470 stranded whales as rescue continues

Rescuers were racing against the tide on Wednesday to free whales beached off the Australian coast, with more than half the estimated 470 mammals in the country’s biggest stranding on…

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Australia’s virus hotspot may speed up lifting curbs as cases fall

Australia's coronavirus hot spot of Victoria is considering easing curbs sooner than previously flagged, the state's premier said on Wednesday, as the two-week average of new infections in the city…

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Australian PM Morrison’s approval rating rises, poll shows

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s approval rating has risen slightly, a poll showed on Monday, as measures by the conservative government to tackle the coronavirus pandemic helped to maintain his…

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Australia’s COVID-19 hotspot reports lowest daily rise in infections since June

Australia's coronavirus hotspot of Victoria reported on Monday its lowest daily rise in infections in three months, although state Premier Daniel Andrews said there were no plans yet to ease…

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New Zealand to ease coronavirus restrictions as it reports zero cases

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the coronavirus restrictions in its biggest city Auckland will be eased, while all restrictions will be lifted in the rest of the country.…

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Australia virus epicentre state says new cases drop to 3-month low

The Australian state at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak on Sunday reported a sharp daily decline in new cases, raising the chances that it will be released from…

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Australia COVID-19 hotspot records fewest cases since June

The Australian state at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak on Saturday reported its lowest daily increase of infections in three months, putting it on course to relax a…

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Australia’s jobless rate slips, but youth face tough times

Australia's jobless rate unexpectedly slipped from a 22-year high in August as employment surged past expectations helped by part-time work, but the economic toll from the pandemic has hit young…

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Australia says daily COVID-19 cases fall to 3-month low

Australia on Thursday reported its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in nearly three months, as states said restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the virus will be…

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New Zealand officially in recession

New Zealand fell into its deepest economic slump on record in the second quarter as its battle against the coronavirus pandemic paralysed business activity, official data showed on Thursday. Gross…

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Australia’s COVID-19 hotspot on track for easing lockdown

Australia's Victoria state on Wednesday said the daily rise in infections in its coronavirus hot spot of Melbourne has eased further, putting it on course to relax an extended hard…

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New Zealand sees second consecutive day with no new cases

New Zealand reported a second consecutive day of no new cases of Covid-19 spread in the community on Wednesday.A single new case diagnosed in the country on Wednesday, health officials…

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Australia records first day without a Covid-19 death in two months

Australia on Tuesday recorded its first day without a COVID-19 death in two months, as states began to lift restrictions amid growing confidence that a second wave of infections has been…

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New Zealand to lift coronavirus curbs in most of country on September 21

New Zealand will lift coronavirus restrictions across the country on Sept. 21, except in its biggest city, Auckland, which is the epicentre of a second wave of infections, Prime Minister…

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Australia coronavirus deaths pass 800 but new daily infections fall

Deaths related to the novel coronavirus in Australia reached 803 on Saturday, but new daily infections in the country's largest hot spot continued to fall. Victoria state, the epicentre of…

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Virgin Australia to cull a third of its Boeing 737 fleet under new ownership

Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd said on Wednesday it is returning a third of its fleet of Boeing Co 737 planes to lessors and financiers as part of a turnaround plan…

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Australia says not worried about AstraZeneca’s suspension of COVID vaccine trials

AstraZeneca Plc's suspension of its COVID-19 vaccine trials after a participant's unexplained illness did not mean the vaccine had been scrapped and showed safety standards were being adhered to, Australia's…

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Australia evacuates journalists from China amid ‘national security’ probe

China correspondents for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Australian Financial Review (AFR) sought shelter in Australia's embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai as diplomats negotiated with Chinese officials to allow them…

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Australia expects to receive AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine within months

Australia expects to receive its first batches of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in January, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as the number of new daily infections in the…

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Australia’s COVID-19 epicentre Melbourne extends hard lockdown

Australia's coronavirus hot spot state of Victoria on Sunday extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne by two weeks to the end of September as infection rates have declined…

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New Zealand election campaign starts, Ardern seeks mandate

New Zealand's general election campaign began on Sunday, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern seeks to ride popularity for the nation's COVID-19 response and compassionate handling of a massacre at two…

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Former Australian PM Tony Abbot named as UK trade adviser

Britain named former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott as a trade adviser on Friday, rejecting criticism that his conservative views on gender, same sex marriage and climate change made him…

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Australian PM wants internal borders open by Christmas, protests at virus restrictions grow

Australia's prime minister pressed states on Friday to reopen their borders by December and ease restrictions, as businesses and locked down households vented their frustration over deepening revenue and job…

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Australia’s coronavirus death toll surges

An Australian state reported a record 59 deaths on Friday, the highest ever daily total for the country, including previously unrecorded fatalities in aged care homes over the past several…

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New Zealand to retain current restrictions, reports first death in 3 months

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday retained the restrictions put in place to beat the spread of the coronavirus until at least mid-September, as the country reported a…

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Australia’s COVID-19 hotspot reports triple digit new cases for first time in 4 days

Australia's Victoria state on Thursday reported a triple digit rise in new COVID-19 infections for the first time in four days, denting optimism that a second wave of cases has…

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Photo Story: Australia’s Navy ship built in Spain departs towards Australia

The first of two Supply-class auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR), designed and built by Spanish company Navantia for Australia's Navy, departs from Navantia's shipyard in Ferrol city, north-western Spain, towards Garden…

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