All posts tagged: Australia

How Priests Accused of Abuse End Up in Pacific Nations

How Priests Accused of Abuse End Up in Pacific Nations

Published by Sam

Over a period of decades, at least 34 priests and missionaries left their home countries in the West for the Pacific Islands after they allegedly sexually abused children, or were found to have done so, according to court records, government inquiries, survivor testimonies, news media reports and comments by church officials. The pattern suggests that in some cases, Catholic organizations saw Pacific nations as a “dumping ground” for abusive clergy. Pete McKenzie, a freelance journalist, explains. Source link

The wild electric vehicles Australia is now using to deliver mail

The wild electric vehicles Australia is now using to deliver mail

Published by skeptic

I don’t claim to know much about Australia, and the little I do may or may not come from Crocodile Dundee. But I do know EVs, and it looks like the hundreds of rugged UBCOs that are set to become mail-delivery vehicles down under are uniquely appropriate for the diverse conditions facing the country’s mail-delivery network. Australia Post is set to receive 175 new UBCO DUTY electric motorbikes for mail delivery, both in rural and urban areas. The rugged electric two-wheelers are designed to excel at traversing a variety of terrain and will help Australia Post make deliveries in areas that traditional mail vans either can’t reach or are too large to make sense. The decision to adopt the UBCO electric motorbikes comes after a successful trial period during which the e-bikes were used in various utility evaluations. Australia Post CEO and Managing Director Paul Graham discussed how the move addresses both a technological advancement and a focus on sustainability. “This is a pivotal moment for Australia Post and demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and …

Australia’s north-west reefs teem with life – but they are also at the centre of a massive fossil fuel expansion | Australia news

Australia’s north-west reefs teem with life – but they are also at the centre of a massive fossil fuel expansion | Australia news

Published by skeptic

Australia’s next wave of fossil fuel expansion is planned for environments far from where most people will ever see it. Places like Scott Reef. Once part of an interconnected coral ecosystem that rivalled the Great Barrier Reef in scale, Scott Reef now sits in a remnant group of atolls near the edge of the Australian continental shelf, nearly 300km from its sparsely populated north-west coast. Though little known by the public, the atolls are visually striking – from above, they look like a demented smiling facing spread over tens of kilometres – and ecologically extraordinary. Scientists have documented more than 1,500 species across its formations, many unique to the area. They include at least 300 reef-building corals, 720 types of fish, endangered turtles and sea snakes, and an array of migratory whales. “If you think of your idea of a stereotypical coral reef paradise, that’s what it’s like,” says Dr Ben Fitzpatrick, a coral reef ecologist who has spent decades working in the country’s north-west marine environment. “It’s been so isolated that a lot of …

Australia Targets Social Media With Parliamentary Probe

Australia Targets Social Media With Parliamentary Probe

Published by skeptic

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia announced on Friday that it would hold a parliamentary inquiry to look into the negative impacts of social media platforms, saying they have significant reach and control over what Australians see online, with almost no scrutiny. The government has criticised social media platforms for not being quick enough to remove violent posts and seeks more oversight over content posted on Meta’s Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok and Elon Musk-owned X. “Across a range of issues, whether it be the issue of domestic violence, whether it be the radicalisation of our young people, across a range of areas, something that keeps popping up over and over again is the role of social media,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. “(They) can be very positive but also can have a negative influence which is there.” Albanese’s Labor government is already in a legal fight with Musk’s X over a regulatory order asking the platform to take down videos of the stabbing attack on an Assyrian church bishop in Sydney last month. X said it has …

Australia pursues crypto buyers’ info in tax probe

Australia pursues crypto buyers’ info in tax probe

Published by skeptic

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is seeking transaction data on up to 1.2 million accounts from crypto exchanges in a bid to identify tax evading users. The news follows recent reports that approved spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds could soon be visible on the Australian ASX stock exchange, according to reports. According to a notice issued last month and reported by Reuters, the ATO aims to identify traders who have failed to report crypto asset exchanges or when they sold digital currencies to pay for goods and services. In a recent announcement, the ATO explains that the “data-matching programs help us fulfill our responsibility to protect public revenue and maintain community confidence in the integrity of the tax and super systems.” The communicate reads: The innovative and complex nature of crypto can lead to a genuine lack of awareness of the tax obligations associated with these activities. Also, the ability to purchase crypto assets using false information may make them attractive to those seeking to avoid their tax obligations. The personal data sought by the …

Planning Center launches online donation software in Australia and New Zealand

Planning Center launches online donation software in Australia and New Zealand

Published by Sam

Offers free subscription for churches under contract Planning Center, a leading church management software provider, is pleased to announce the availability of its online church donation software, Giving, in Australia and New Zealand. Planning Center is offering churches a free subscription to Giving for the duration of their contract with another donation software, for up to 12 months. To switch to Giving, churches can visit this page to sign up and submit their contract to Planning Center.  During the transition period, the only cost incurred will be the processing fees charged by Stripe, Planning Center’s payment processor. “We recognize that switching to a new church donation software can be daunting,” said Jeff Berg, CEO of Planning Center. “That’s why we’re offering churches a free subscription to switch to Giving for the rest of their current contract, up to 12 months.”   Planning Center understands the challenges churches face when coordinating their ministry across multiple platforms. With Giving, churches in Australia and New Zealand can now seamlessly integrate online giving with their existing Planning Center tools, eliminating …

Australian PM Albanese says China military air incident unacceptable

Australian PM Albanese says China military air incident unacceptable

Published by skeptic

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday (May 7) it was unacceptable for Australian defence personnel to be put at risk in international airspace by the Chinese military as they took part in an operation to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea. A Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian military helicopter during an unsafe and unacceptable confrontation over the Yellow Sea, Australia said on Monday. The Chinese Air Force J-10 jet dropped flares above and several hundred meters ahead of an Australian MH60R Seahawk helicopter on a routine flight on Saturday in the Yellow Sea as part of an operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Monday evening. In a television interview, Albanese said China had not yet responded publicly to Australia’s representations over the incident. “This issue, we have made public in order to be able to speak out very clearly and unequivocally that this behaviour is unacceptable,” he told Nine’s Today Show. The Australian Defence Force personnel were “in international waters, international airspace, and …

UAE and New Zealand to Launch Talks for a Free Trade Deal

UAE and New Zealand to Launch Talks for a Free Trade Deal

Published by skeptic

SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates will begin negotiations over a free trade agreement, the Pacific nation’s trade minister said on Tuesday. Trade Minister Todd McClay met his UAE counterpart in Dubai to announce the start of talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, according to a statement from his office on Tuesday. “The UAE is an important bilateral partner for New Zealand, and today’s launch of negotiations is an exciting step towards growing our significant trade and economic relationship,” he said. The UAE is New Zealand’s largest trade partner in the Middle East and exports hit NZ$1.02 billion ($613 million) in the year to September 2023, up 17% from the year before, according to New Zealand foreign ministry data. War in Israel and Gaza New Zealand is also in talks for a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional body of six whose members include the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. McClay said he discussed the talks on his visit to Saudi Arabia last week. A free …

‘You wouldn’t eat her – she’s one of the family’: meet Jill, Australia’s heaviest oyster | Australia news

‘You wouldn’t eat her – she’s one of the family’: meet Jill, Australia’s heaviest oyster | Australia news

Published by skeptic

Every so often, oyster farmer Bernie Connell comes across an unusually large specimen. He separates it from the rest of his crop, names it and lowers it back into the Clyde River at Batemans Bay, where he lets “tender love and care and good water” do the rest. Now almost 10 years old, Jill – an oyster that caught his eye nine years ago – weighs 3.01kg. That makes Jill Australia’s – and potentially the world’s – heaviest oyster, after it beat Big Boppa, at 2.44kg, and Keithy, 2.4kg, to win the title at Australia’s biggest oyster competition at the Narooma oyster festival on the New South Wales south coast on Saturday. “It was never in doubt,” laughs Connell, who has farmed oysters for 55 years and whose family has been in the business for 95 years. “But we never weighed her [beforehand]. The bloody scales were out of batteries.” The competition drew eight entries from farms on the nearby Clyde and Shoalhaven river estuaries. To be eligible, oysters must be solo with no “piggyback” …

Michelle Keegan & Mark Wright reunite in Australia – see secret pic

Michelle Keegan & Mark Wright reunite in Australia – see secret pic

Published by Sam

Michelle Keegan is one busy lady, and her schedule never seems to slow down! The stunning actress is currently in Australia, filming the second series of hit BBC show Ten Pound Poms, and has been pretty quiet on social media, as has her husband, Mark Wright. WATCH: Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright’s love story However, on Sunday evening, a picture appeared on Mikey’s Pizza official Instagram account – a well respected and beloved American style eatery in Bondi. Michelle and Mark were photographed with a gentleman who is associated with the establishment and looked in great spirits. The gentleman wrote: “The Ten Pound Poms at Mikey’s today – thanks for coming, big love.” He tagged the couple’s Instagram handles in the snap. Michelle, 36, looked tanned, happy, and relaxed in a lemon crop top and trousers and Mark looked super chilled and handsome, wearing a simple black hoodie. Such a gorgeous pair! © Mark Wright InstagramMichelle and Mark have been married for nine years Mark and Michelle have been very busy putting the finishing touches to …