Latest news with #Leichhardt
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
New season of Parliament opens in Canberra - with old hands and newcomers
"I just want to say that it augurs well for this Parliament because the weather today is spectacular. The calm on that lake, the sun, the clear skies, in a remarkably cold time for Canberra." That's Australia's Governor General, Sam Mostyn, welcoming the cohort of new members to Canberra in a formal ceremony days ahead of the official start of Parliament. Among the new arrivals is Matt Smith - a stand-out among Labor's coterie, at more than two metres in height. The former basketball player is now in Canberra after taking the far north Queensland seat of Leichhardt from the Coalition for the first time in almost two decades. He's a vocal advocate for the far north, and has made clear on his own social media that adjusting to life in Canberra has not been without challenges. "Now I'm going for a walk here in Canberra. Obviously the Chihuahuas aren't here with me, but it's cold. It's so, so cold... Look, if there was ever an excuse to go to far North Queensland, because right now at Trinity Beach it's 20 degrees and you could be watching the sun come up over the ocean would be beautiful." Then there's New South Wales One Nation senator Warwick Stacey, who dropped out of high school and headed to France where he worked as a handyman and English teacher before joining the British army. He eventually settled into a job as a kidnap and response consultant, advising clients on ways to navigate kidnappings, and even planning and implementing a ransom delivery to Somali pirates. Ahead of the federal election in May, Senator Stacey told 2GB radio his past life experience offers him an important point of difference from other politicians, and keeps him connected to voters. "When I was trained at Sandhurst, the motto of Sandhurst is serve to lead. And as a leader, you put your men, your people before yourself, and that is certainly not being done by the so-called leaders that we have in Parliament today. They're not putting Australia and Australians first." These new faces are among about 40 politicians who are entering parliament for the first time. During an event for new and returning politicians hosted by the Governor-General at Government House, Prime Minister Albanese reminded newcomers to take their responsibilities seriously. "It is such a privilege to sit either in the House of Representatives or the Senate. And something that none of us should ever take for granted. There are always far more people wanting to be in this position than can fulfil it, and it is an honour each and every day." And while he skipped the ceremony at Government House, National Party's Barnaby Joyce has echoed this sentiment, telling Seven's Sunrise working in politics is a privilege not to be taken lightly. "I had to split firewood and check the cattle before I headed off for a while. But look, it is really important. It's an incredible honour to come in the door here. It's an incredible honor to work here and you've got to understand part of the ritual is government house." Alongside those new to parliament house, there are some old hands as well. Goldstein MP Tim Wilson, for example, is no stranger to politics, and will return to parliament as the only Liberal to win back their seat from a 'teal' independent at the 2025 election. Both major parties are stepping into Parliament with a few items already on the agenda. Back in May, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made it clear what his first task would be. REPORTER: "What is the first item on the agenda for you?" ALBANESE: "A 20 percent cut in student debt, as I promised." Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth has already flagged the government wants to introduce a bill to protect penalty rates for award workers. The legislation would ensure workers on award wages can't have their penalty rates reduced in return for higher rates of base pay, if that would leave individual workers worse off. "We know there are a number of cases on foot in the commission where worker's take home pay could be reduced. And we want to make it clear in law that these penalty rates and overtime rates should be protected because we don't want people earning less and working harder." And Liberal Senator Dave Sharma has told Sky News improving productivity will be high on his party's list. "We need to fix our productivity. We need to improve our living standards. We need to get government spending under control. We need to balance the fiscal books again. We will work with Labor constructively on all of those if they're prepared to actually grasp the net and deal with these challenges." Also looming large is the prospect of new childcare safety laws. Legislation to strip childcare centres of federal funding if they do not meet national safety standards will be brought to federal parliament when it resumes. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has told Sky News the government is also working with states and territories on developing a national register of childcare workers. "We've got different states and territories with their own schemes for working with children checks and reportable conduct. They do not talk to other states and there is no system of oversight." The new term will see Labor with an increased majority, holding 94 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives after a landslide election win. The win has Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returning to Parliament in high spirits. "Look, we have a clear plan for the second term of government, and I will work constructively with the Parliament as I did in the first term. And what I want to see is a positive agenda going forward, and we'll see how we go." Opposition Leader Ley says the coalition are ready to support policies in the national interest, including new childcare legislation. But she says they also return to parliament ready to put up a fight. "Australians deserve the strongest possible opposition. Now, Mr. Albanese is giving interviews and he's suggesting that we should just get out of the way. Well, we won't be getting out of the way. If they bring forward legislation that is not in the national interest and it is not in the interest of Australians, then we will fight them every step of the way."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Field (goal) of dreams as Doueihi proves a late hero
Adam Doueihi has kicked Wests Tigers out of the race for a fourth straight NRL wooden spoon, nailing a 30-metre field goal to clinch a 21-20 win over Gold Coast. Trailing the Titans by four points with four minutes left, the Tigers looked at risk of slipping back into the wooden-spoon race on Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt. But Taylan May sent Jeral Skelton over for a crucial try, before Doueihi missed the conversion attempt from the sideline to take the lead. It mattered little though, as a Reagan Campbell-Gillard crusher tackle put the Tigers back on the attack. And while the joint-venture made a mess of the final two plays, Doueihi was able to position himself 30 metres out and right in front to nail the last-minute shot. Making matters worse for Gold Coast was a knee injury suffered by Tino Fa'asuamaleaui early in the match, leaving him unable to return. The result piles more pressure on Titans coach Des Hasler, with Gold Coast now officially out of finals contention and alone in 17th place on the NRL ladder. Doueihi kicks the match-winner! 🤩 — NRL (@NRL) July 20, 2025 For the Tigers, the finals also look unlikely. They would need to go undefeated though the final seven rounds to have any hope of snapping a 14-year drought. But a fourth straight wooden spoon now at least appears equally unlikely. Sunday's win kicked the joint-venture into 12th spot and four points clear of the Titans, with a bye still in hand. This match was anything but pretty, with the Tigers' attack at times appearing disjointed and the two sides combining for no less than 26 errors. But there was a bright spot for the Tigers, with Taylan May scoring one try in his first NRL game in 14 months and setting up the other two. Playing his first match since domestic-violence charges against him were dropped, May had the Tigers' first when his brother Terrell gave him space on the left. He then put the Tigers up 12-4 when he combined with Jarome Luai to send Staines across, before the Titans mounted a late first-half comeback. Phil Sami and Jaylan De Groot both crossed in quick succession, with the second coming off the back of a nice kick from Jayden Campbell. As good as the Titans were in that period, they were at times their own worst enemies. Nowhere was that more evident than in the second half with scores locked at 14-14, when they failed to pack a scrum in time and gifted the Tigers a penalty goal. An AJ Brimson try with 13 minutes to play looked set to save Gold Coast, and bring them level with five other clubs on 16 points at the bottom of the ladder. But instead the Tigers' late heroics left the Gold Coast alone in 17th, two points behind the likes of Parramatta and South Sydney with seven rounds left.
The Age
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Superman vs the ICEman
'With the new Superman movie taking its hero in a new direction, we could be expecting to see the headline 'Trump deports undocumented migrant Superman back to Krypton for not promoting the American way',' suspects Leo Sorbello of Leichhardt. Speaking of his MAGAsty, Tablelander Lorraine Milla has serious concerns regarding Don Bain's dream: 'While Orange is known as the Colour City, we certainly do not need a colourful character such as the 'leader of the free world' to move here'. Looks like John Howard (C8) isn't the only pariah among pets. Ross Storey of Normanhurst claims his daughter's cavoodle Rufus 'growls at Donald Trump when he appears on the television screen'. Mark Baldwin of Terrigal is more than happy to accommodate Ros Turkington (C8): 'Ida was, of course, immortalised in song by Glenn Miller, Eddie Cantor, Eddie Leonard, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, among others: 'Ida! Sweet as apple cider ... Ida, I idolize ya, I love you Ida, 'deed I do'. And inflicted on us during player piano singalongs and then by my music teacher during seemingly interminable piano lessons.' Forget Jack the Stripper (C8). David Prest of Thrumster recalls a time when the sideshows at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney in the '60s had a decidedly burlesque vibe about them. 'There was the 'attraction' Vanessa the Undresser, but as a young Navy apprentice, naive and under 18, I didn't have the courage to view the undressing of Vanessa.' Seppo Ranki of Glenhaven isn't foxing when he declares, 'Yes, Jane Howland [C8], most of us have noticed that for drivers of the expensive German marques, the use of indicators is merely a suggestion, not a requirement. I approach every roundabout with trepidation if there is an Audi in sight.' 'It's not so much that their indicators don't work, rather that the drivers of such vehicles regard signalling beneath them, as it diminishes their entitlement status,' adds Tim O'Donnell of Newport. Wait! There's spore. Bruce Satchwell of Carrara (Qld) confirms that 'Caz Willis [C8] wasn't hallucinating in encountering a talking mushroom. In 1973, the Canberra Times reported that the inventor Arthur Breckenridge from Mudgee was in town for the inauguration of coin-operated talking mushrooms on vantage points across Canberra, but the one deployed on Red Hill broke down within a few hours. There was talk of relocating it to old Parliament House, but there was not mushroom inside.'
Sydney Morning Herald
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Superman vs the ICEman
'With the new Superman movie taking its hero in a new direction, we could be expecting to see the headline 'Trump deports undocumented migrant Superman back to Krypton for not promoting the American way',' suspects Leo Sorbello of Leichhardt. Speaking of his MAGAsty, Tablelander Lorraine Milla has serious concerns regarding Don Bain's dream: 'While Orange is known as the Colour City, we certainly do not need a colourful character such as the 'leader of the free world' to move here'. Looks like John Howard (C8) isn't the only pariah among pets. Ross Storey of Normanhurst claims his daughter's cavoodle Rufus 'growls at Donald Trump when he appears on the television screen'. Mark Baldwin of Terrigal is more than happy to accommodate Ros Turkington (C8): 'Ida was, of course, immortalised in song by Glenn Miller, Eddie Cantor, Eddie Leonard, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, among others: 'Ida! Sweet as apple cider ... Ida, I idolize ya, I love you Ida, 'deed I do'. And inflicted on us during player piano singalongs and then by my music teacher during seemingly interminable piano lessons.' Forget Jack the Stripper (C8). David Prest of Thrumster recalls a time when the sideshows at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney in the '60s had a decidedly burlesque vibe about them. 'There was the 'attraction' Vanessa the Undresser, but as a young Navy apprentice, naive and under 18, I didn't have the courage to view the undressing of Vanessa.' Seppo Ranki of Glenhaven isn't foxing when he declares, 'Yes, Jane Howland [C8], most of us have noticed that for drivers of the expensive German marques, the use of indicators is merely a suggestion, not a requirement. I approach every roundabout with trepidation if there is an Audi in sight.' 'It's not so much that their indicators don't work, rather that the drivers of such vehicles regard signalling beneath them, as it diminishes their entitlement status,' adds Tim O'Donnell of Newport. Wait! There's spore. Bruce Satchwell of Carrara (Qld) confirms that 'Caz Willis [C8] wasn't hallucinating in encountering a talking mushroom. In 1973, the Canberra Times reported that the inventor Arthur Breckenridge from Mudgee was in town for the inauguration of coin-operated talking mushrooms on vantage points across Canberra, but the one deployed on Red Hill broke down within a few hours. There was talk of relocating it to old Parliament House, but there was not mushroom inside.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Simple solution could save tree Aussie council claims is 'serious risk to public'
An Australian council has slapped a notice on a towering gum tree, informing residents of its intention to cut it down. Like other local governments around the country, Sydney's Inner West Council intends to plant replacement trees when the yellow bloodwood is gone, but a leading planning expert warns this seemingly sensible solution often contains one key flaw. "Sadly, it takes decades for trees to grow big enough to provide habitat," Professor Sarah Bekessy said. Bekessy is a professor of sustainability and urban planning at RMIT and a lead councillor at the Biodiversity Council, and she's been working with colleagues to find "clever ways" of maintaining old trees in urban environments. The problem of managing large trees in suburban areas is confounding councils around Australia, and often the simplest solution is to get a quote from an arborist and chop it down. But as Waverley and Randwick councils in Sydney's east recently discovered, chopping down beloved street trees often infuriates the residents they're charged with servicing. The tree the Inner West Council wants to cut down is located in Leichhardt on a street dominated by mid-story natives, making the large eucalypt an anomaly. Photos indicate it is surrounded by a footpath and road with no shrubs or grasses underneath, meaning locals are likely to walk underneath it. Social media has been running hot with debate about the Leichhardt tree. One said the eucalypt was simply "existing" and the plan to cut it down was "nonsense". Other residents agreed with council, with one declaring it looked "way too big for the street and pavement". "If a qualified arborist said it's unsafe and then council ignored this advice, then there'd be some explaining to do," another added. The notice on the tree indicates the decision was made because it's damaging infrastructure and dropping limbs. When Yahoo News asked for more information, council responded with a short statement explaining it was a danger to the public. "This tree is being removed due to safety concerns. Between 2019 and 2024, the tree has dropped three limbs and poses a serious risk to the public," it said. "To balance the need to uphold safety and increasing the canopy, the Inner West continues to plant more than 1,000 trees each year." While Bekessy doesn't want to dismiss the danger the tree could pose, she notes in many situations there are simple, low-cost solutions to keeping the public and vehicles out of harm's way. "No one wants to be bumped on the head by a branch, but one of the things that we've been doing with councils is planting out underneath trees," she said. "A prickly mid-story of plants happens to be absolutely fabulous habitat for birds and insects. But it also makes it very unlikely that someone's going to want to sit there or park a car there." 🐨 Calls to release documents behind helicopter shooting of koalas 🛳️ Travellers almost kill 'world's oldest animals' during luxury cruise ship tour 📸 Photos reveal details of 'secret' koala colony discovered in impenetrable forest A similar solution was suggested after US-tech company Honeywell said it needed to cut down a 400-year-old tree because of the danger it posed to people walking to the building recently constructed next door. It ultimately found a way to save the tree. Whether Inner West Council explored this option remains a mystery, as it did not respond directly to questions from Yahoo about this matter. And it's possible local authorities have no choice but to remove the tree. It's also unclear whether it has investigated what sorts of wildlife will lose their habitat when it is felled, or what species of replacement trees will take its place. Speaking generally about mature trees, Bekessy said they "punch above their weight" when it comes to providing health and wellbeing benefits to residents. "It's time we started seeing green infrastructure as legitimate infrastructure. Sometimes it needs to be managed so it's not damaging other infrastructure, but we can't trade them off each other. We need to work out better designs to enable both to exist," she said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
