Labor MP Ed Husic urges own party to ‘pry open the jaws of Treasury’ after CSIRO announces job cuts 19. November 2025 (07:37) Husic, who oversaw CSIRO cuts as the former science minister, said some in government see scientific agency funding as a ‘cost’ not an ‘investment’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEd Husic has challenged his own government to “pry open the jaws of Treasury” to boost funding for Australia’s national scientific agency after it announced up to 350 research jobs would be cut to deal with an imminent budgetary cliff.The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) announced on Wednesday it would cut between 300 and 350 research unit roles as part of efforts to narrow its research scope and address an ageing property portfolio in need of urgent modernisation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tony Burke reviewing anti-hate laws and says South African neo-Nazi will not be allowed back into Australia 19. November 2025 (07:06) Home affairs minister’s comments come as NSW moves to ban white supremacist chants after neo-Nazi protestFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government is reviewing anti-hate laws after a neo-Nazi protest in Sydney, with the New South Wales government also moving to ban white supremacist slogans and chants after police authorised the demonstration outside state parliament.The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said a South African neo-Nazi whose visa was cancelled will not be allowed back into the Australian community, accusing members of the National Socialist Network of seeking to cloak their “bigotry in patriotism”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Dangerous nostalgia’: did Spain’s ‘pact of forgetting’ after Franco leave new generation open to far right? 19. November 2025 (07:00) Events to mark the 50th anniversary of dictator’s death are intended to remind Spaniards, particularly the young, of the dangers of fascismMingorrubio municipal cemetery, which sits where the suburbs of north-west Madrid fade out into the countryside, must have been something of a comedown for a man who was originally laid to rest with a 150-metre-high cross for a headstone and four enormous bronze archangels to watch over him.But six years after his remains were disinterred from the grotesque splendour of the Valley of the Fallen and flown by helicopter to Mingorrubio for reburial, Francisco Franco is at least in good company. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heat-pump homes put less strain on grid than expected, study shows 19. November 2025 (07:00) Analysis of new-builds in Birmingham suggests all-electric homes not only use less energy but vary in peak usageSome of the first homes in the UK designed to meet new building standards put less pressure on the electricity grid than expected, a study has found.The all-electric properties in Handsworth, Birmingham, have heat pumps, which use electricity to provide heat rather than oil or gas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Valvoline, bourbon and a touching tribute from Russell Crowe: radio star John Laws farewelled at state funeral 19. November 2025 (06:27) John Howard, billionaire Lindsay Fox and Dawn Fraser among mourners at service for broadcaster known as ‘the Golden Tonsils’Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter hereIt was left to Russell Crowe, the Academy Award-winning actor and John Laws’ good mate and neighbour, to bring a touch of irreverence to the traditional state funeral held in the broadcaster’s honour on Wednesday.In the rarefied atmosphere of Sydney’s St Andrews Cathedral, Crowe traversed Laws’ unmistakable talent and loyalty, but also his political views and his role in the 1999 cash-for-comment scandal.Sign up to get Guardian Australia’s weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Launch of East West Rail services to be delayed in row over guards on trains 19. November 2025 (06:00) Trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes put back to 2026 partly due to dispute, Chiltern Railways saysThe start of passenger services on the new East West Rail line will be delayed until at least 2026 with no start date confirmed, the operator has said, partly due to a row over guards on the trains.Passenger trains were supposed to come into service between Oxford and Milton Keynes this autumn, the first stage on the new railway along the Oxford-Cambridge arc where the government hopes for rapid economic growth. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tropical cyclone Fina on torrential path to hit northern Australian coast this week 19. November 2025 (05:36) If it makes impact on Friday, it would be the earliest cyclone of the season to make landfall in Australia since 1973Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereIf tropical cyclone Fina crosses the Northern Territory coast on Friday, it could equal the earliest cyclone to make landfall in Australia.Fina, a category one cyclone about 370km north-east of Darwin, was moving east and expected to intensify to category two before turning south on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
