Australia's wool industry has urged caution as politicians seek to steer exporters away from an over-reliance on China. A parliamentary committee is holding hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday as it examines how to diversify Australia's trade and investment profile.
Australian researchers' ambition to keep the Aurora Australis icebreaker under the Aussie flag has been dealt a blow, with reports that the vessel has been sold to Argentina. For three decades the 'Orange Roughy' transported thousands of scientists, crew, and supplies for Australia's Antarctic mission.
Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has admitted damaging ancient Aboriginal rock shelters in the remote Pilbara region in Australia, blasting near the 46,000-year-old heritage site to expand an iron ore mine.
Australia is disappointed China has imposed massive tariffs on its barley and will consider taking the dispute to the World Trade Organization, the country's agriculture minister said on Tuesday.
China has suspended meat imports from four Australian abattoirs, fuelling concerns that escalating tensions between the two nations are damaging Australia's most important trading relationship.
New Zealand and Australia are discussing the potential creation of a “travel bubble” between the two countries, sources said on Monday, even as Australia reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in two weeks.
After the departure from Montevideo of the last medical flight with passengers of the stranded Antarctic cruise Greg Mortimer, the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, sent a letter to Uruguay’s President, Luis Lacalle Pou, acknowledging the action of his government for its collaboration with Australian citizens.
With a large improvised banner reading “Gracias Uruguay” (Thank you Uruguay) on starboard the COVID-19 infected “Greg Mortimer” finally docked in the port of Montevideo on Friday and at 22:00 Uruguay hour started the medical evacuation of over a hundred cruisers from Australia and New Zealand who are to be charter flown to Melbourne, and expected to arrive on Easter Sunday.
Australian police raided the coronavirus-stricken Ruby Princess cruise ship and seized its black box as part of a criminal investigation after thousands of passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney and 15 people later died of the illness.
The sanitary charter aircraft contracted to repatriate Australians on board the coronavirus infected “Greg Mortimer” cruise, stranded off the Uruguayan coast is expected this Thursday in Montevideo, and will be flying to Melbourne on Saturday according to foreign ministry sources.