Australia

Australia PM, trailing in election polls, announces housing policy

May 15 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a housing policy on Sunday aimed at boosting home ownership and curbing high prices, as his government lags the opposition Labor Party…

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Analysis: Hero to hindrance: Australia PM Morrison hurts party’s election hopes

SYDNEY(Reuters) - Three years ago, Scott Morrison's ebullient personality as the little known and newly installed leader of Australia's Liberal Party was a big factor in its unexpected election victory.…

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Australia’s Morrison vows more empathy if re-elected PM

SYDNEY, May 14 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised on Saturday to be more empathetic if he wins re-election, as his government continues to trail the opposition Labor Party a…

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Australian defence minister says Chinese spy ship in waters ‘an act of aggression’

SYDNEY, May 13 (Reuters) - Australia's defence minister, Peter Dutton, said a Chinese intelligence ship had been tracked off the West Australian coast, describing it as an "act of aggression" by Beijing.…

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Early voting begins in Australia election with opposition ahead in polls

Early voting began in Australia on Monday two weeks ahead of election day, with surveys showing the opposition centre-left Labor Party extending its lead and Prime Minister Scott Morrison suffering…

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Opposition leader offers Australia ‘a better future’ in campaign launch

SYDNEY, May 1 (Reuters) - Australian opposition leader Anthony Albanese on Sunday promised the country a "better future" in a campaign launch that was light on controversial reforms but drenched in unity…

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Australia targets Putin’s daughters, Russian senators in fresh sanctions

SYDNEY, April 22 (Reuters) - The Australian government has imposed sanctions and travel bans on two daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's daughter, it said…

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New Zealand welcomes Australian visitors as border restrictions ease

WELLINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Australians started arriving in New Zealand on Wednesday after it opened its borders to travellers from its neighbouring nation for the first time since mid-2021. New Zealand…

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Australian election campaign kicks off with opposition ahead in polls

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government could lose the federal election to be held on May 21, according to polls on Monday, even as they showed him consolidating his position as the country's…

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Australian prime minister calls national election for May 21

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY, April 10 (Reuters) - Australia will hold a general election on May 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday, triggering a campaign expected to be fought over cost-of-living pressures, climate change,…

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Leclerc wins Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Charles Leclerc claimed his second win of the Formula One season for Ferrari with a pole-to-flag victory at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday as Red Bull's world…

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Leclerc puts Ferrari on pole at Australian Grand Prix

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Charles Leclerc took pole position for Ferrari in crash-laden qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, pipping Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen on the upgraded Albert…

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Rising rivers force more Sydney flood evacuations as rain eases

SYDNEY, April 8 (Reuters) - Hundreds more Sydney residents were ordered to leave their homes on Friday, some for the second time in a month, as rivers burst their banks even as…

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Russia imposes sanctions on Australian and New Zealand citizens

Russia has imposed sanctions on Australian and New Zealand citizens, including their prime ministers, the Russian foreign ministry announced. Entry bans have been imposed on 228 Australian government members and…

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Sydney asks thousands to evacuate as heavy rains cause flash floods

SYDNEY, April 7 (Reuters) - Torrential rain pummelled Australia's east coast on Thursday with Sydney receiving nearly a month's rain overnight, turning suburban roads into rivers and triggering evacuations as authorities warn…

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Australia to impose sanctions on 67 more Russians over Ukraine

BRUSSELS, April 7 (Reuters) - Australia will impose financial sanctions and travel bans on an additional 67 Russians over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday,…

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Australia-India trade deal to open ‘biggest economic door’: Morrison

April 2 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a trade agreement with India due to be signed on Saturday represented “one of the biggest economic doors there is to open…

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UPDATED: Ukrainian president addresses Dutch and Australian parliament

THE HAGUE, March 31 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked the Dutch parliament on Thursday for weapons, reconstruction aid and a halt to all business with Russia in response to the invasion of his country.…

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Thousands of Australians flee homes as floods inundate towns

SYDNEY, March 30 (Reuters) - Heavy rains deluged Australia's east coast on Wednesday, submerging entire towns, while thousands of people fled their homes for the second time within weeks after fast-moving flood waters burst…

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Australia flags move on high fuel prices as election nears

March 27 (Reuters) - Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Sunday indicated the federal government would likely act to lower petrol prices in the upcoming federal budget, weeks out from a general election.…

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Australia to roll out fourth COVID vaccine shot ahead of winter

SYDNEY, March 25 (Reuters) - Australia will roll out a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines to its most vulnerable population starting next month, authorities said on Friday, as the country looks to limit fresh…

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Australia to make Big Tech hand over misinformation data

SYDNEY, March 21 (Reuters) - Australia's media regulator will be able to force internet companies to share data about how they have handled misinformation and disinformation under new laws that will bolster…

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Australia bans alumina exports to Russia, sources coal for Ukraine

March 20 (Reuters) - Australia has imposed an immediate ban on exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia, the government said on Sunday as part of its ongoing sanctions…

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Australia, Netherlands start UN action against Russia over MH17

SYDNEY/AMSTERDAM, March 14 (Reuters) - Australia and the Netherlands said on Monday they had begun joint legal action against Russia at the United Nations' aviation agency over the downing of Malaysia Airlines…

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Australia joins allies in sanctioning Russian oligarchs

SYDNEY, March 14 (Reuters) - Australia said on Monday it was imposing new sanctions on 33 Russian oligarchs and business people, including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich and Gazprom GAZP.MM CEO Alexey Miller,…

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Photo Story: Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs at Melbourne Museum

Horridus, the world’s most complete Triceratops fossil is on display during a media preview of 'Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs' at Melbourne Museum, in Melbourne, Australia. The exhibition contains the…

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Thousands of Australians return to ‘uninhabitable’ homes as floods recede

SYDNEY, March 10 (Reuters) - Thousands of Australians returned to their homes on Thursday after torrential rains eased and floodwaters receded as authorities ramped up clean-up efforts and unveiled new…

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Australia to declare east coast floods a national emergency

SYDNEY, March 9 (Reuters) - Floods that have devastated Australia's east coast will be declared a national emergency, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as authorities look to deploy aid and…

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‘Tough 24 hours ahead’ as rains drench Sydney, forcing snap evacuations

SYDNEY, March 8 (Reuters) - Flood warnings stretched across Australia's east coast on Tuesday and tens of thousands of Sydney residents fled their homes as torrential rains again pummelled the country's largest…

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Photo Story – Cleanup after flooding in Brisbane, Australia

The Australian Defence Force help clean up at the Rocklea Cold Storage facility in Brisbane, Australia, 05 March 2022. Queensland faces further severe storms as the mud army of volunteers…

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Half a million Australians face flood evacuation orders

SYDNEY, March 3 (Reuters) - Authorities in Australia issued more orders for people to leave their homes on Thursday after heavy rain triggered flash floods in its largest city, with…

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Australia evacuates tens of thousands as heavy rains threaten Sydney

SYDNEY, March 2 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Australians fled from their homes and authorities evacuated a hospital on Wednesday as more torrential rains battered the east coast. Thirteen…

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People flee to rooftops as ‘weather bomb’ submerges Australian towns

SYDNEY, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate as heavy rains smashed Australia's east coast on Monday, submerging towns and stranding residents on rooftops,…

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Photo Story: Heavy rain and flood risks in NSW

Floodwaters are seen in Murwillumbah in Northern NSW, Australia. Sydney's soggy summer has likely broken recent rain and humidity records, with forecast heavy rain and flood risk concerning authorities in…

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Italy’s ambassador to Australia dies in fall from balcony

The Italian ambassador to Australia has died after falling from a balcony in her home town in Foligno in the Umbria region. According to reports, Ambassador Francesca Tardioli, 56, was…

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‘Welcome back world!’: Australia fully reopens borders after two years

SYDNEY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Australia on Monday fully reopened its international borders to travellers vaccinated against the coronavirus after nearly two years of pandemic-related closings as tourists returned and hundreds of…

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‘Fortress Australia’ to welcome tourists for first time under COVID

MELBOURNE, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Australia will welcome international tourists on Monday after nearly two years of sealing its borders, relying on high COVID-19 vaccination rates to live with the…

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Australia accuses China of ‘act of intimidation’ after laser aimed at aircraft

MELBOURNE, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused Beijing of an 'act of intimidation' after a Chinese navy vessel directed a laser at an Australian military surveillance…

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Australian unemployment holds at 13-year low as Omicron hits hours

SYDNEY, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Australia's unemployment rate held at a 13-year low in January as a surge in coronavirus cases took more of a toll on hours worked than on jobs,…

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Sydney beaches close after first fatal shark attack in 60 years

SYDNEY, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Several Sydney beaches, including the iconic Bondi and Bronte, were shut down on Thursday after a swimmer was killed in a shark attack, the first…

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Shark attack kills swimmer in Sydney bay

SYDNEY, Feb 16 (Reuters) - A shark attack on Wednesday afternoon killed a swimmer off a Sydney beach, causing "catastrophic injuries", police and ambulance services said. Local media said it…

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Australian police urge protesters to leave capital

(Reuters) - Australian police have given thousands of protesters until the end of Sunday to leave occupied areas of the country’s capital, as days-long rallies continue against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.…

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Australians told to get COVID boosters to be considered fully vaccinated

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Australian residents will need to receive booster shots to be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19, although authorities said foreign travellers will continue to need only…

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Australia thwarts Chinese plot to fund election candidates

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Chinese spies sought to fund candidates for Australia's centre-left Labor opposition party in an upcoming federal election but the plot was foiled by the national…

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Australia lists koalas as endangered

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Australia on Friday listed koalas along much of its east coast as endangered after the native marsupial's habitats were hit by prolonged drought, bushfires and…

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Blinken in Melbourne says Australia demonstrated best of humanity

MELBOURNE, Feb 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told students in Melbourne that Australia had showed it was capable of the best of humanity, transforming the…

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Australia to welcome back international tourists from Feb. 21

SYDNEY, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Australia will fully reopen its borders to all vaccinated visa holders from Feb. 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, nearly two years after…

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Photo Story: Bushfires in Western Australia

A handout photo made available by Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) shows firefighters battling a bushfire in Bridgetown, Western Australia, 06 February 2022. Multiple fires were…

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Australian PM signals reopening borders to tourists ‘not far away’

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that the reopening of the country's borders to international tourists may not be far away, adding that the…

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Australia’s COVID-19 hospital admissions fall to lowest in weeks

SYDNEY, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Australia's COVID-19 hospitalisation rate fell to its lowest in nearly three weeks on Wednesday, while a steady rate of daily infections raised hopes the worst…

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Australia boosts spending to protect koalas

Australia will spend an additional A$50 million ($35 million) in the next four years to protect koala habitat and slow the decline of the vulnerable species, the government said on…

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Australia wants Kanye West fully vaccinated before any concert tour

Hip-hop artist Kanye West will have to be fully vaccinated if he wants to play concerts in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday, after media said the performer…

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Australia suffers deadliest day of pandemic, expands booster eligibility

SYDNEY, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Australia suffered its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday with nearly 100 deaths, but several large states said they expect hospital admissions to…

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Protests, citizenship festivities mark contentious Australia Day holiday

MELBOURNE, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Thousands rallied against the mistreatment of Indigenous people across Australia on Wednesday as citizenship ceremonies took place to mark the country's national day intended to…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Canberra, Australia

Aerial view of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Via EPA-EFE/ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN

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Australian children facing ‘generation-defining disruption’ due to pandemic, experts say

The indirect effects of the pandemic on children and adolescents are as substantial – if not more so – than the impact of being infected with Covid-19, paediatricians in Australia…

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Man pleads guilty to kidnapping Australian girl Cleo Smith

SYDNEY, Jan 24 (Reuters) - An Australian man pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of abducting a 4-year-old girl from an outback campsite, the Western Australia justice department said,…

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