australia

Australia Critical Minerals Reserve Draws Global Interest

Australia Critical Minerals Reserve Draws Global Interest

November 19, 2025 6:40 am

Australia has seen a surge of interest from key partners in Europe and Asia in its strategic critical minerals reserve following a landmark agreement with the United States last month, Trade Minister Don Farrell said on Wednesday.

The growing attention comes as Canberra positions itself as a dependable supplier of rare earths, lithium, and other minerals that have become essential to sectors ranging from defence manufacturing to advanced technology. Australia’s push also follows Beijing’s recent export restrictions on some rare earths, raising concerns among Western governments about secure access to supply.

Farrell told Reuters on the sidelines of a CPTPP …

Erin Patterson: Mushroom Murder Convict Appeals Life Sentence

Erin Patterson: Mushroom Murder Convict Appeals Life Sentence

November 3, 2025 10:43 am

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman convicted of killing three relatives with a toxic mushroom meal, has formally appealed her life sentence, one of the longest ever given to a female offender in the country.

The 51-year-old lodged her appeal on Monday after Victoria’s Court of Appeal granted permission for her legal team to challenge the convictions. The court’s approval came weeks after prosecutors also sought to appeal her sentence, arguing it was “manifestly inadequate.”

Patterson was convicted in July 2024 of murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66. She was also …

US Australia Rare Earths Deal Targets China’s Market Control

US Australia Rare Earths Deal Targets China’s Market Control

October 20, 2025 4:31 pm

‌The United States and Australia have sealed a landmark agreement aimed at strengthening supply chains for rare earths and other critical minerals, in a move designed to reduce reliance on China’s dominant market position.

The deal, signed on Monday, commits both nations to accelerate investments in mining and processing projects worth $8.5 billion (£6.3 billion). It includes an initial $1 billion fund for projects to be developed across the US and Australia within the next six months, according to a framework released by the White House.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the partnership would “support a pipeline of …

BHP Set To Appoint Geraldine Slattery As The First Female CEO

BHP Set To Appoint Geraldine Slattery As The First Female CEO

September 28, 2025 2:18 am

BHP Group, the Australian mining giant, is poised to make history by appointing Geraldine Slattery as its first female chief executive in 140 years, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Slattery, who currently leads BHP’s Australian operations, would succeed CEO Mike Henry, who is expected to step down by mid-2026 after five years at the helm.

According to sources familiar with the board’s thinking, BHP is “not in a rush” to formalize the transition, allowing ample time for succession planning and a smooth handover. The miner, the world’s largest listed company in its sector, has a long-standing practice of grooming …

Sydney Officer Charged After Protester Alleges Assault

Sydney Officer Charged After Protester Alleges Assault

September 23, 2025 9:59 am

A New South Wales police officer has been charged with assault after a pro-Palestinian protester alleged she was punched in the face during a demonstration in Sydney earlier this year — an incident that has raised fresh questions about policing of dissent in Australia.

The protester, Hannah Thomas, a former Greens party candidate, was among dozens who gathered outside SEC Plating in the suburb of Belmore in late June. Activists accused the manufacturer of supplying parts for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel’s military, a claim the company has denied.

Police declared the demonstration unauthorized and ordered the group to …

Australia’s Climate Pledge Branded ‘Anti-Climactic’

Australia’s Climate Pledge Branded ‘Anti-Climactic’

September 18, 2025 5:47 am

Australia has pledged to slash greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 70 percent from 2005 levels by 2035 — a move Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed as “responsible” and “science-based.” But the announcement, made Thursday in Canberra, has been met with disappointment by climate experts and Pacific leaders who argue the country is still falling short of what science demands.

The target forms part of Australia’s formal submission under the Paris climate accord, which requires nations to outline their emissions-cutting goals and detailed roadmaps. The stakes are high: Australia is seeking to co-host next year’s UN climate summit with …

Australia Says US Will Access New AUKUS Submarine Shipyard

Australia Says US Will Access New AUKUS Submarine Shipyard

September 14, 2025 8:26 am

Australia confirmed Sunday that the United States will be able to use a planned submarine maintenance hub in Western Australia, underscoring deepening defense ties under the AUKUS security pact.

Defense Minister Richard Marles said facilities at Henderson shipyard near Perth — slated for a A$12 billion ($8 billion) upgrade — will primarily serve Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarines but will also be open to US vessels.

“This is an AUKUS facility and so I would expect so,” Marles told ABC television. “It is being built in the context of AUKUS, and I would expect that in the future this would be …

Australia Reverses Recognition Of Jerusalem As Israel Capital

Australia Reverses Recognition Of Jerusalem As Israel Capital

October 18, 2022 6:18 am

Australia has announced that it will henceforth no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing a decision taken by the government of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison sometime in 2018.

In a statement on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said; ‘Today the Government has reaffirmed Australia’s previous and longstanding position that Jerusalem is a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people’.

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‘This reverses the Morrison Government’s recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.’

Wong reiterated that Australia’s embassy would …

Prince Charles Leaves Virus Self-Isolation

King Charles Officially Named As King Of Australia, New Zealand

September 11, 2022 6:56 pm

King Charles III has been officially named as the main monarch (King) in Australia and New Zealand on Sunday.

In Canberra, Governor-General David Hurley had also proclaimed “Prince Charles Philip Arthur George to be King Charles III, by grace of God, King of Australia”.

At a similar ceremony in Wellington, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hailed Charles, saying he “has long had an affection for Aotearoa New Zealand, has consistently demonstrated his deep care for our nation”.

The two ceremonies had also been relative formalities.

Read Also: Britain: Prince Charles Finally Succeeds Queen Elizabeth As King

Both former British colonies have …

x'I'll Repair Australia's Image Overseas' - Albanese

‘I’ll Repair Australia’s Image Overseas’ – Albanese

May 22, 2022 3:30 pm

The newly elected Prime minster of Australia, Anthony Albanese has vowed to end Australia’s reputation as a climate laggard and also try to reset their relations with the rest of the world he pledged to to form and categorise his government in time for the Tokyo summit.

Fresh from an electoral victory that ended a decade of conservative rule, Albanese signalled an era of fairer, greener, and less pugilistic politics for Australia.

“I want to change the country,” the 59-year-old centre-left leader said. “I want to change the way that politics operates in this country.”

It is still unclear whether …

Australia To Sacks Over 10 Soldiers Over Afghan Killings

Australia To Sack Over 10 Soldiers Over Afghan Killings

November 27, 2020 2:22 am

Australia has finally terminated the job of at least 10 special force soldiers after the release of a report that found credible evidence of unlawful killings of unarmed prisoners, farmers, and civilians in Afghanistan, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said on Thursday.

This is coming after an independent report published last week in redacted form said that there is credible evidence that Australian Elite Soldiers unlawfully killed 39 people during the Afghan war, the long-awaited report has found.

Read Also: Spy Case Of Australian Writer Reaches China Court

The killing which took place between 2009 -2013 saw soldiers kill unarmed …

Australia Announces Biggest Budget Deficit Since World War II

Australia Announces Biggest Budget Deficit Since World War II

July 23, 2020 4:47 am

Australia said its budget deficit will be 85.8 billion Australian dollars (AD) ($61.2 billion) in 2019-20 and AD184.5 billion in 2020-21.

This marks the biggest deficit since World War II, due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

“Australia is experiencing a health and economic crisis like nothing we have seen in the last 100 years,’’ Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said in a press conference giving a special budget update on Thursday.

“The government has acted swiftly and decisively to provide economic support for workers, households and businesses of around AD289 billion or the equivalent of 14.6 percent of GDP,’’ …

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