Mars Commercial fined after employee paralysed in fall at Sydney worksite

Mars Commercial fined after employee paralysed in fall at Sydney worksite

A NSW company has been fined more than $400,000 after a worker became paralysed in a fall at a construction site. Martin Comiskey, who had 20 years’ experience as a qualified carpenter, was subcontracted to work at a site in Sydney’s CBD in November 2020 when he fell about 7-8m down a void, from a … Read more

BoM warns ‘severe storms’ loom for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra

BoM warns ‘severe storms’ loom for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra

Queenslanders are being hit with thunderstorms on Christmas Day as residents and authorities continue cleaning up in the state’s north after ex-tropical cyclone Jasper. The Bureau of Meteorology issued warnings for damaging thunderstorms across the state’s east on Sunday, with the heaviest falls concentrated in the state’s southeast corner. A severe thunderstorm warning was also … Read more

Three hospitalised after head-on crash in Mount Pritchard, Sydney

Three hospitalised after head-on crash in Mount Pritchard, Sydney

Three people have been taken to hospital following a head-on crash in Sydney’s southwest on Tuesday night. Emergency services were called to Townview Rd, Mount Pritchard after two cars collided, trapping two people inside the vehicles. Firefighters worked through the night to free the passenger of a grey Kia, who was trapped for nearly an … Read more

Insolvency surge hitting Aussie businesses like ‘perfect storm’

Insolvency surge hitting Aussie businesses like ‘perfect storm’

Cash-strapped businesses are buckling under pressure from the Australian Taxation Office and other creditors as the insolvency trickle turns into a “surge”. That’s the verdict from comparison site Insolvency Australia, which found the number of businesses going bust has risen significantly in the past year. Companies appointing administrators, liquidators and insolvency firms increased by 57 … Read more

Australian households facing home insurance affordability stress as premiums jump following floods and supply chain issues

Australian households facing home insurance affordability stress as premiums jump following floods and supply chain issues

Many households are on the verge of abandoning their home insurance policies, as new research has found about 1.24 million Australians are facing insurance affordability stress. It comes off the back of home insurance premiums having risen 28 per cent, or $414, to $1894 in the past 12 months, being the biggest hike in two … Read more

Calls to free Palestinian refugee detained in Australia for a decade

Calls to free Palestinian refugee detained in Australia for a decade

Down and out from a decade in Australian immigration detention, Khaled El Ali’s heart sank even further when he learned his first cousin and his young family had been killed in Gaza. Mr El Ali, 37, is a stateless Palestinian man born in Lebanon to Palestinian refugees who were never granted Lebanese citizenship and only … Read more

BOM warns Australia set to be hit by heatwave with multiple states bracing for soaring temperatures

BOM warns Australia set to be hit by heatwave with multiple states bracing for soaring temperatures

Australians are being warned to prepare for a heatwave that is expected to grip many parts of the country for days. Much of NSW and parts of Queensland, South Australia, West Australia, the Northern Territory and ACT are predicted to cop soaring temperatures until Friday. NSW residents are in for a sweltering period with a … Read more

AMP class action settles for $110 million following banking royal commission revelations

AMP class action settles for 0 million following banking royal commission revelations

Irate shareholders who sued AMP over allegations of financial misconduct have reached a $110 million out-of-court settlement, averting the need for a lengthy hearing. On the eve of a 15-day trial in the NSW Supreme Court, AMP and the Maurice Blackburn-backed class action resolved the five-year long legal battle. “I’m pleased to announce that this … Read more

Extreme weather for Sydney, Adelaide as Australians warned ‘do not rely on firefighters’

Extreme weather for Sydney, Adelaide as Australians warned ‘do not rely on firefighters’

Multiple states are on high alert for bushfires, with scorching temperatures forecast ahead of the weekend. A trifecta of dangerous weather conditions has prompted extreme to catastrophic alerts to be issued for parts of South Australia. The Country Fire Service warned Friday would be “one of the most significant fire weather days in several years”. … Read more