The head of the Australian Medical Association has condemned the government’s policy of mandatory detention for asylum seekers as “inherently harmful” to the detainees’ physical and mental health. Dr. Steven Hambleton denounced the policy Wednesday evening during the AMA’s annual parliamentary dinner, which was attended by both Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony […]
Australian Medical Community Calls for End of Refugee Detention
Posted August 18th, 2011 at 2:20 am (UTC-5)
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Australian ‘Collar Bomb’ Victim Speaks Out
Posted August 17th, 2011 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
The Australian teenager who spent hours chained to a fake bomb says she is relieved that an arrest has been made in the case. Madeleine Pulver spoke to reporters outside her Sydney home Wednesday, two weeks after a man carrying an aluminum baseball bat broke into her home and attached what he claimed to be […]
Australian Airline Turns to Asia For Recovery
Posted August 16th, 2011 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
Australian carrier Qantas Airways has unveiled plans to launch two Asia-focused airlines, buy more than 100 new aircraft and cut some 1,000 jobs in an effort to spur growth. Officials announced Tuesday that under the five-year plan, Qantas will team up with Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi Corporation to launch a new, low-budget domestic airline by […]
Details of Australian Bomb Hoax Emerge
Posted August 16th, 2011 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
Court documents in the United States are giving new details on an alleged extortion plot that targeted the teen daughter of an Australian businessman. The documents, released Tuesday by a court in the eastern U.S. state of Kentucky, allege 50-year-old Paul “Doug” Peters entered the Sydney, Australia home of 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver earlier this month […]
Australian Arrested in U.S. in Connection With Attack on Sydney Girl
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 10:00 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Australia say an Australian businessman has been arrested in the United States in connection with an attack on a Sydney teen in which a fake bomb was attached to her neck. New South Wales state police said Tuesday a 50-year-old man was arrested Monday in Louisville in the Kentucky, in an operation involving […]
Australia Lifts Ban on Budget Airline
Posted August 10th, 2011 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
Australian aviation officials have lifted a six-week ban on the Australian subsidiary of Singapore-based Tiger Airways. The director of the nation’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said Wednesday that Tiger Airways can resume domestic flights “at a date and time of their choosing.” The action comes after the airline agreed to new safety measures. The ban […]
Australian Finance Minister’s Gay Lover Announces Pregnancy
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 1:05 am (UTC-5)
Australia’s ban on gay marriage is being questioned after Finance Minister Penny Wong announced that she and her gay partner are expecting a child. Wong saidTuesday that her long-term partner, Sophie Allouoache, has conceived through in vitro fertilization and expects to give birth in December. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she was very pleased for […]
Australian Court Blocks Malaysia Refugee Swap Pending Hearing
Posted August 8th, 2011 at 2:50 am (UTC-5)
Australia’s High Court has blocked the government from transferring a group of asylum seekers to Malaysia until it can hear a legal challenge to the controversial swap plan later this month. The court on Monday set a date of August 22 to hear the challenge, which seeks to prevent the government from sending 800 undocumented […]
Australian Judge Delays First Refugee Transfer to Malaysia
Posted August 7th, 2011 at 11:40 pm (UTC-5)
Monday’s transfer of a first group of asylum seekers from Australia to Malaysia has been delayed to allow a court to consider a last-minute challenge to the refugee swap. A High Court judge in Melbourne ruled late Sunday that the transfer cannot go forward before late afternoon. That will permit another judge in Canberra to […]
UN Fears for Children in Australia Refugee Swap
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 3:05 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations’ children’s agency urged Australia Friday not to send 14 unaccompanied children to Malaysia under a refugee swap deal signed last month. Australian officials moved 55 asylum seekers, including 14 minors without parents or guardians, to a detention center on Christmas Island Thursday. They are to be moved to Malaysia next week. UNICEF […]
