NSW premier pays respects to man found dead during NSW floods
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SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Evening News Bulletin 16 August 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . Seismologists warn of aftershocks after Queensland records largest mainland earthquake in five decades No deal struck on ending war in Ukraine after high stakes meeting in Alaska Tributes for former Australia cricket captain Bob Simpson Seismologists are warning of aftershocks, following a 5.6-magnitude quake that struck near the Queensland town of Kilkivan this morning. Tens of thousands of people say they felt the tremor, which Geoscience Australia says was the strongest earthquake to hit the state's mainland in five decades, and the third and strongest to hit Australia in recent days. Premier David Crisafulli says no one in Queensland expected to wake up to that. "Things falling off mantelpieces. People have told me they thought that their partner was out the back with a jack hammer. There's been some amazing stories that have come through and we obviously are waiting to see damage and we hope everyone is okay. This is obviously just all unfolding now, but it's certainly not what we expected in Queensland this morning that's for sure." No agreement to end the the war in Ukraine has been reached, after a meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was excluded from the almost three hour meeting. Mr Trump and Mr Putin took no questions from reporters during the post-meeting press conference - the first face-to-face encounter between the leaders in six years. Mr Trump says he is feeling good about the meeting, even though no deal was reached. He told Fox News, he expects a future meeting to take place between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy. "And it (the Alaska meeting) was very extensive. And we agreed on a lot of points. But there is not much. There is one or two (outstanding) pretty significant items. But I think they can be reached. Now it is really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And if they like, I will be at the next meeting. They are going to set up a meeting between President Zelenskky and President Putin. And myself, I guess. I didn't even ask about it. Not that I want to be there. But I want to make sure, it gets done." An important milestone in Aboriginal land rights movement is being marked today. It is 50 years since then prime minister Gough Whitlam poured a handful of soil into the hands of Gurindji Elder Vincent Lingiari - marking the official return of a portion of land in the Northern Territory to the traditional owners. For many years leading up to that point, the Gurindji people had demanded the return of their traditional lands, including through actions like the historic 1966 strike at Wave Hill station. In a statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the iconic photo of the red earth trickling from the hands of Mr Whitlam to the hands of Mr Lingiari is an enduring tribute to the courage and solidarity of the Gurindji people, which provides inspiration for the journey ahead. The Gurindji Aboriginal Corporation says the upcoming annual Freedom Day festival next week (22-24 Aug) will honour the half century milestone, its national significance - and the legacy of Vincent Lingiari. The Consul-General of Japan in Sydney, Osamu Yamanaka says the co-operation of nations in working towards a world free of nuclear weapons remains an urgent mission. World leaders are marking 80 years since the end of World War Two, when Japan surrendered after the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The events marked the world's first wartime use of a nuclear bomb. At a commemoration event in Sydney, Mr Yamanaka says the work must continue towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons globally. "Looking at the current situation, with the international security environment having become more severe and more complex - the international community is more divided over approaches to nuclear disarmament and the risk of the use of nuclear weapons continues to rise. Therefore, it is more important than ever that Japan and Australia work together to take the path towards a world without nuclear weapons." In sport, former Australian men's Test cricket captain Bob Simpson is being remembered as a legend of the game - and an era-defining coach. The former player, captain and coach has died in Sydney at the age of 89. One of only seven Australians to make a triple-century, he also coached the national team to win the 1986 Cricket World Cup, several Ashes series, and the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1995 when Australia beat the West Indies in the Caribbean. Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird says Simpson "was one of the greats of Australian cricket", while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted his extaordinary service, describing him as an "era-defining coach" who set the highest of standards for himself and the champions he led.
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
Treasurer Jim Chalmers flag approvals changes in environmental laws
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Australians are 'burning cash' waiting for approvals as he takes aim at Australia's sluggish productivity rate ahead of a three-day talkfest in Canberra. Chalmers will next week host an economic reform roundtable in Canberra where boosting productivity and building resilience in Australia's economy and budget will take centre-stage. Speaking with The Guardian, Mr Chalmers said slow approval times by governments and councils had stymied productivity. 'It will be one of the main ways that people think through our regulatory challenges and our challenges around the time it takes to get projects approved,' Chalmers told the Guardian. 'In all the consultation I've been doing – in housing, renewable energy projects – there are too many instances where people are burning cash waiting for approvals to build things that we desperately want people to build.' The treasurer's remarks signal reform to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is a high priority for the re-elected government. The Albanese government failed to deliver on its promise of reform the country's complex environmental laws its first term. Treasurer Jim Chalmers told The Guardian reform to the country's environmental laws, including the permitting process, could boost productivity. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman. Separately, Mr Chalmers told NewsWire on Friday that Australia's sluggish birthrate meant the country would have to lift productivity to maintain living standards. 'It's not surprising that the birthrate has slowed given the pressures on people, including financial pressures,' he said. 'We want to make it easier for them to make that choice. If they want to have more kids, we want to make it easier for them to do that, and that's what motivates a lot of our changes.' As Australia struggles to boost the economy, and in turn raise wages and living standards, it's contending with a sluggish birthrate of 1.5 births per woman, which is under the 2.1 figure needed to sustain population growth. Boosting productivity will be essential to ensuring that Australia's ageing population can weather economic headwinds, the Treasurer said. 'Now, the reason why the productivity challenge is important to this is because our society is ageing, and over time, there will be fewer workers for every person who's retired,' he said. 'We need to make sure that our economy is as productive as it can be, as strong as it can be to withstand that demographic change, which is going to be big and consequential.'
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Clashes with police in Melbourne's CBD as Women Will Speak rally held at state parliament
There have been scuffles and angry confrontations between police and protesters who converged on Melbourne's CBD to counter a women's rights rally. Vision shows a group of people dressed in black with their faces covered clashing with officers on Russell Street on Saturday morning. It is believed the group was connected to a counter-protest against a Women Will Speak rally being held on the steps of state parliament on nearby Spring Street. The rally was organised by Women's Voices Australia and attended by dozens of people. Women's Voices Australia's social media accounts described the group as working to maintain and strengthen women's and girls' sex-based rights, freedom of speech and eliminate all forms of silencing through legislation. A social media call-out by Trans Queer Solidarity urged counter-protesters to come wearing masks and to cover identifiable features. "Be ungovernable," a post said. "Don't let fascists speak. "The terf networks are mobile again." TERF is a term used to describe 'trans-exclusionary radical feminists'. Police set up barricades on Spring Street to keep the two groups apart. A small group of counter protesters banged drums, clapped hands and blew whistles while waving transgender flags. Most members of the group did not directly confront officers on Spring Street or the rally attendees, but there was a report of a small scuffle with a member of the media. On Friday, Victoria Police alerted the media to online posts encouraging some of the protesters to interfere with journalists covering the event, including damaging cameras. News outlets were encouraged to consider their security arrangements. Melbourne's CBD was declared a designated area for Saturday, allowing police to randomly search people and ask them to remove headwear, scarves and outer clothing. Police were yet to confirm how many arrests were made.
