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NewsAustralian Associated PressPublic to contribute to early years government road map
Australians are being asked to help the government formulate an early years road map for children at the most critical stage of their learning and development.The public consultation comes ahead of a major Early Years Summit happening at Parliament House in Canberra on February 17, to be attended by more than 100 industry experts and sector leaders.
NewsAustralian Associated PressWidow loses legal battle with magnate's executor
The widow of Queensland mining magnate Ken Talbot has lost her lawsuit against the administrator of the late Macarthur Coal founder's estate.More than a decade after a plane crash claimed her husband's life, Amanda Talbot took legal action against lawyer Bill Boyd for alleged negligence in the execution of the late billionaire's estate.
NewsAustralian Associated PressProtesters tie ribbons outside Melbourne mass for Pell
Hundreds of mourners have gathered at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne to pay their respects to Cardinal George Pell.The cardinal was laid to rest in Sydney on Thursday, almost a month after he died in Rome aged 81.
BusinessAustralian Associated PressLetters explaining $5 note shock decision released
Letters from the Reserve Bank to some of government's most senior ministers about a decision to scrap the image of the late Queen from Australia's $5 note can be revealed.King Charles III won't feature on the note, with the central bank announcing on Thursday it will replace the monarch with a new design which "honours the culture and history of the First Australians".
NewsAustralian Associated PressAlleged drunk driver nears record blood alcohol reading
A 50-year-old woman is due to face court after she allegedly consumed enough alcohol to put her in a coma before getting behind the wheel.The woman from Queensland's Sunshine Coast allegedly returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.
NewsYahoo News AustraliaCommunity 'praying for miracle' after boy hit by car getting off bus
A young boy has been rushed to hospital after he was struck by a car moments after stepping off his school bus in Queensland. Read more.
NewsAustralian Associated PressWA eyes March 2024 end date for plastic coffee cups
Western Australia is pressing ahead with a nation-first ban on plastic takeaway coffee cups, warning businesses who deliberately skirt the rules will face fines.A ban on non-compostable takeaway coffee cups will be enforced from March 2024 after a 12-month transition period.
NewsYahoo News AustraliaWarning over popular item after family escape apartment fire
Firefighters are warning the community about electric bikes and scooters after a family of three flee their home when their eScooter catches fire. Find out all the information from Fire and Rescue here.
NewsYahoo News AustraliaAussie woman thought $40m Powerball win was a scam
A Powerball player refused to believe that she'd won the jackpot when officials phoned with the $40 million news. Read what happened.
NewsAustralian Associated PressMurray flooding breaches levee in SA
The Murray River has breached a levee southeast of Adelaide with a number of homes at risk of flooding.The State Emergency Services says water is flowing into an area behind the levee at Wellington impacting at least one street.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBusinesses progress suit over Vic COVID-19 lockdown
Thousands of Victorian businesses who are continuing to suffer the financial impact of COVID-19 lockdowns are one step closer to having their class action case against the state heard.The State of Victoria on Friday lost an attempt to delay the case, which has been brought by lead plaintiff 5 Boroughs NY Pty Ltd on behalf of a group of businesses over economic loss resulting from the 2020 lockdown.
NewsAustralian Associated PressOpposition says SA students flouting phone ban
Students are flouting South Australia's new ban on mobile phones in high schools even posting tips on how to thwart the new rules, the state opposition says.The opposition has pointed to a number of videos by students on social media, including one ridiculing the ban which has been viewed four million times.
EntertainmentAustralian Associated PressRenowned playwright skewers refugee treatment
Playwright David Williamson has updated Family Values to keep it relevant to the new government, but things haven't changed as much as he would like."The Labor Party is terrified of being wedged by the right wing .
HealthAustralian Associated PressAustralia to reclassify MDMA as medicine
Australia will become the first country in the world to recognise MDMA, the active ingredient in the party drug ecstacy, as a medicine for post traumatic stress disorder.From July 1, the Therapeutic Goods Administration will permit specifically-authorised psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA, otherwise known as methlyenedioxymethamphetamine, for PTSD and psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, for treatment-resistant depression.
SportAustralian Associated PressWomen's sporting facilities can't keep up with demand
Five years since the AFL's women's competition began and decades after the establishment of women's amateur clubs, half of Australia's community football venues are not female-friendly.Female footy players often swap stories about sharing change rooms with men, getting changed in their cars, or using bathrooms with just one cubicle for each team of 20 to 25.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBarilaro assault charge dismissed over mental health
A NSW magistrate has dismissed an assault charge against former deputy premier John Barilaro on mental health grounds.Barilaro pleaded not guilty to allegedly assaulting a camera operator and damaging their property outside a Manly restaurant in July 2022.
NewsYahoo News Australia'No one noticed': How a little boy was left in a hot car to die outside a Sydney shop
The NRMA has urged bystanders to take action when seeing a child locked in a car, following the death of a three-year-old boy in Sydney. Find out what to do.
NewsAustralian Associated PressVet in gang, sleeping on floor 'for protection' in jail
A traumatised Afghanistan veteran sleeps on the floor with his head near a toilet for protection in a Queensland maximum security prison, a court has heard.Ex-soldier Christopher James Finn, 35, also had to join a gang in a bid to stay safe at a jail where accessing mental health support is difficult, Brisbane Supreme Court was told.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBipartisan support for NDIS despite increasing costs
A review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme is under way to ensure it is operating as intended, but state governments have not confirmed whether they would be willing to increase their funding share.Projections show the scheme will cost $8.
NewsAustralian Associated PressSon of murdered retiree 'can't trust the world anymore'
The son of a retired solicitor beaten to death in his Sydney home by his neighbour has told a court he no longer trusts the world and is afraid to leave the house.Narelle Fiona Smith, 48, was found guilty of murdering Peter McCarthy, 77, following trial in November 2022.
NewsAustralian Associated PressKyrgios 'deeply regrets' assaulting former girlfriend
Nick Kyrgios has issued a public apology after pleading guilty to pushing over his former girlfriend and having the assault charge dismissed.The tennis star fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday where a bid to have the charge thrown out on mental health grounds was rejected.
NewsYahoo News AustraliaTragic reason why hand sanitiser is banned in Alice Springs: 'Risk is too great'
The state and federal governments have been forced to step in amid growing concerns in the town. Find out more.
NewsAustralian Associated PressMore sites uncovered from failed recycling program
Soft plastics that should have been recycled have been found stored at four more warehouses in Melbourne's western and northern suburbs.Victoria's Environment Protection Authority located the new sites as part of its investigation into the collapsed REDcycle program.
NewsAustralian Associated PressStranger gave girl meth before rape, Sydney police say
A teenage girl was allegedly drugged then sexually assaulted by a man she had just met near Sydney's Central Station.The girl was speaking to the man on Hay Street, Haymarket, about 7.
BusinessAustralian Associated PressRestrictions flagged on bulk paracetamol sales
Australians would require a pharmacist's approval to buy bulk packs of paracetamol under proposed new rules.The medicines regulator has made an interim decision to reduce maximum pack sizes in a bid to lower rates of intentional overdose.
