Canberra, June 28 (IANS) The Australian government has announced that it will move to double the maximum fine for companies that fail to enforce the nation’s social media ban for children younger than 16.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement on Saturday night that technology companies are not “doing enough” to comply with the under-16 social media ban, Xinhua news agency reported.He said that the government will introduce legislation to the federal parliament that will increase the…
Latest Australian Government News & Updates
Canberra, June 20 (IANS) The Australian government has confirmed the first mainland case of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been detected in a migratory bird found in Western Australia (WA).Julie Collins, minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry, told reporters in Canberra on Saturday that testing by the Australian Center for Disease Preparedness confirmed that a brown skua found in a southern WA national park on June 14 had died from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, Xin…
Canberra, June 2 (IANS) The Australian government on Tuesday imposed sanctions on three Israeli individuals and four entities in response to escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Announcing the sanctions in a statement, Penny Wong, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, said settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank undermines Israel’s security and its standing in the world.According to Wong, the individuals and entities will be subjected to financial…
Canberra, May 21 (IANS) The Australian government is delivering a 7.2-million-Australian-dollar (about 5.14 million US dollars) package to respond to the biggest diphtheria outbreak since national record-keeping began, the country’s Health Minister, Mark Butler, said on Thursday.The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System reports 230 diphtheria cases this year, and around 60 per cent of the cases in this outbreak are in the Northern Territory, with further outbreaks in Western Australia,…
Sydney, March 28 (IANS) The Australian government will underwrite the purchase of essential products affected by the conflict in the Middle East under new fuel security measures announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday.Albanese and Chris Bowen, the minister for energy, told reporters in Sydney that the government will on Monday introduce legislation to the federal parliament that will allow the existing export credit agency to underwrite the purchase of fuel, fertiliser and other…
Canberra, March 23 (IANS) The Australian government announced on Monday that it will fast-track approval for data centres that use water sustainably and support the national clean energy transition.Tim Ayres, minister for industry and innovation and minister for science, said on Monday that the new framework of expectations for data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure developers will make it easier to invest in Australia by setting clear and consistent signals.He said in a jo…
Canberra, March 20 (IANS) The Australian government has struck a deal to continue subsidising the country’s two remaining oil refineries, Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced on Friday.Bowen said that the government and the operators of the two refineries have reached an agreement to amend the fuel security services payment, under which the government pays the refineries when oil prices do not cover operating costs.Viva Energy’s refinery southwest of Melbourne in the city of Geelong and Ampol’s…
Canberra, Feb 4 (IANS) The Australian government on Wednesday announced plans to sell up to 67 historic defence sites in order to cut maintenance costs and fund upgrades of essential bases. Australia’s Minister for Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said that the government has agreed or agreed in principle to all 20 recommendations of an audit of estates owned by the Department of Defence, Xinhua News Agency reported.The independent audit, which was commissioned in 2023, found tha…