Australia

Ship carrying 16,000 sheep and cattle stranded off Australia

By Peter Hobson CANBERRA, Jan 31 (Reuters) - A ship carrying around 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle is marooned off the coast of Australia in sweltering heat after it was…

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Australia launches competition, pricing review into supermarket sector

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Australia on Thursday launched a wide-ranging review into pricing and competition in its supermarket sector as the government unveils a series of…

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Australia sweats in heatwave, lifting bushfire risk amid El Nino

SYDNEY, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia sweltered again on Sunday through a widening heatwave, which the national weather forecaster said raised the bushfire risk in an already…

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Australia jobs engine slows as labour market loosens

By Stella Qiu SYDNEY, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Australian employment fell sharply in December after two months of surprisingly strong growth, while the jobless rate stayed at a 1-1/2 year…

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Residents in Western Australia urged to flee as wildfire rages

SYDNEY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Residents in the state of Western Australia were urged to evacuate their homes on Saturday, as a bushfire burned out of control near the state's…

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Australia PM considers extra inflation relief as families struggle

By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday his centre-left government would consider new cost-of-living relief measures ahead of the May budget…

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Thunderstorms batter Australia’s east, heatwave grips north

SYDNEY, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Severe thunderstorms battered parts of eastern Australia on Saturday, bringing heavy rain, giant hail and strong winds, days after another storm hit the region over…

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Australian police investigate beach cocaine finds

Australian police said Wednesday they were searching beaches in the eastern state of New South Wales (NSW) after packages believed to contain more than 120 kilograms (260 pounds) of cocaine washed…

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Nine dead in Australia after thunderstorms

By Renju Jose and Lucy Craymer SYDNEY, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Nine people were killed in Australia after severe thunderstorms battered the country's east over the Christmas holidays, authorities said…

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Large parts of Australia endure heat wave, lifting bushfire risk

SYDNEY, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia on Sunday sweated through heat wave conditions as authorities warned of a high bushfire risk in many parts of the country's…

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Australian court fines Airbnb over misleading accommodation pricing

Airbnb to pay penalties and compensation Company received more than 2,000 claims Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Australian Federal Court has ordered Airbnb to pay A$15 million ($10.1 million) in…

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Australia swelters through heat wave as firefighters battle bushfires

SYDNEY, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Large parts of Australia on Saturday sweltered under heat wave conditions that prompted the nation's weather forecaster to issue bush fire warnings in several states.…

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Australia plans to halve migrant intake, tighten student visa rules

By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Australia on Monday said it would tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers that could halve its migrant intake over…

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Australia’s economy slows to a crawl, consumer spending surprisingly weak

By Stella Qiu SYDNEY, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Australia's economy barely grew in the third quarter as exports flagged and households - reeling from a surge in mortgage payments -…

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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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China, Australia agree to turn the page as tensions ease

By Ryan Woo BEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that a "healthy and stable" relationship with Australia served each country's interests, and that it…

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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 wants better EU offer on meat and sugar to clinch trade deal – minister

CANBERRA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The European Union must offer greater market access for Australian beef, lamb and sugar if it wants Canberra to agree a trade deal, Australia's Trade…

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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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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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Australians vote in Indigenous Voice referendum on Oct 14

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, (Reuters) - Australians will vote on Saturday in the first referendum to alter the national constitution in almost a quarter century. The referendum asks whether to…

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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, EU to resume talks on free trade deal on Thursday

By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Australia and the European Union will resume free trade talks on Thursday with a teleconference between Australia's Trade Minister Don Farrell and…

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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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‘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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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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Gold Coast offers to host 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria withdrawal

(Reuters) - Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said the city could step in to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria placed the future of the quadrennial multi-sport event in…

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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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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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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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Australia job vacancies fall 2% in May qtr, still historically high

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - Job vacancies in Australia fell in the three months to May, the fourth straight quarter of decline, but were still far above pre-pandemic levels as…

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