NITV News: May 29, 2025
The Federal Government defies Traditional Custodians, granting a huge licence extension for a controversial gas plant.
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ABC News
29 minutes ago
- ABC News
80yo unopened bottle of beer donated to Australian War Memorial as a symbol of WWII mateship and sacrifice
Two best mates promised to share a bottle of beer together after serving in World War II. But only one ever returned. Now 80 years later, the still unopened bottle — one imperial quart of Tooth's Draught Ale — has been donated to the Australian War Memorial. The local Wingham Hotel publican on the NSW Mid North Coast was giving every serviceman who enlisted a bottle of beer when best mates Stanley Lewis and Frederick Hume enrolled, according to Stan's nephew Garry Mortimer. Mr Mortimer said the pair enlisted on the same day in 1941 and had been best friends since they were five years old. "They were always getting into mischief since they were kids." Mr Mortimer said the 20-year-olds made a pact with one of the bottles of beer. "Stan took his home to his mother," Mr Mortimer said. "He said 'keep this for me, mum, and when I return Fred and I will open it and celebrate'. The two men served as privates in the 2/30 Battalion, helping to defend Singapore from invasion. Around 130,000 Allied troops were captured after the fall of Singapore in 1942, including 15,000 Australians. Fred and Stan were both captured and imprisoned at Changi before being taken to work on the Thai-Burma railway. More than 100,000 civilians and around 3,000 prisoners of war lost their lives working on the railway. It's where Stan died, just 23-years-old. He is buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand. Fred survived his time as a prisoner of war, returning to Australia in 1945. But his best mate was gone. The bottle of beer remained on the shelf at the back of Stan's mum's kitchen cupboard. The family took it with them when they moved house. Mr Mortimer this year decided to donate 'Stan's beer bottle' to the War Memorial. "At some stage, they're going to put it on display," he said. He hopes the bottle will help people remember "two mates and their close ties and how they obviously loved each other and cared for each other". "Simple things are important because of the men who served." Australian War Memorial assistant curator Andrew Muir said the bottle remained well sealed and was being examined and preserved by the memorial's conservation team. "There's a bit of sediment in it … I'm not sure whether you'd really want to open it," he said. "We want it to last for another 80 years." Mr Muir said the bottle told a story about mateship and sacrifice. "This is a story about two mates," he said. "This simple bottle of Tooth's Draught Ale stayed with the Lewis family for decades. They saw it as a tribute to friendship. "It remains in their cupboard as a treasured possession for this family. "It's touching to think they've treasured it for so long and then decided this year — actually, it's time to move it somewhere safe and where other people can learn this story. "We are grateful it has now been donated to the Australian War Memorial so we can share their story forged in mateship, with future generations."
News.com.au
29 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Lunatic policy of Net Zero': Barnaby Joyce puts UN on blast in New England snow rant
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has used a snow event in his electorate of New England to push his campaign against Australia's 'lunatic policy of net zero'. Mr Joyce, on Saturday, published a video on social media as thick snow fell on the town of Bendemeer. 'A day like today, I don't know which one is more ridiculous: [UN Secretary-General] Antonio Guterres talking about global boiling, or [Tim Flannery] – the river's in flood – saying, it's not gonna rain anymore,' he said in a video on his Facebook page. 'What's sad about this really is there's people in this little village I'm in, Bendemeer, who can't afford to keep warm because we've got this lunatic policy of net zero where apparently we're going to make it snow even more.' 'We're not doing anything, all we're doing is being completely cruel and hurting people.' Mr Joyce introduced a private member's bill in parliament's opening days hoping to repeal Australia's net zero commitment. Australia's current pledge is to cut emissions by 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. The Climate Change Authority (CCA) is reportedly weighing up whether to recommend a more aggressive target of 65 to 75 per cent by 2035. Mr Joyce's chief gripe with the policy in recent weeks lies with what he sees as an unfair burden on regional Australia. His 'Repeal Net Zero' bill, backed by several Coalition rebels, proposes scrapping Australia's carbon-neutral target by 2050, a goal in line with most other developed nations. 'There's absolutely no reason that Mascot Airport can't work 24/7,' he previously told reporters. 'But we understand that people don't want planes flying over themselves in the middle of the night … but we don't want transmission lines over our head either. We don't want wind towers either, so there's got to be a form of quid pro quo.' His argument suggests city-dwellers are demanding action on climate change without shouldering its costs, leaving regional communities to deal with some sort of flow-on infrastructure burden. 'You don't feel virtuous if you're hurting people,' Mr Joyce said. While the bill is unlikely to pass without support from Liberal moderates, Mr Joyce's position is influential within the Nationals and perhaps reflects a growing pushback on climate policy from prominent sections of the Coalition. Joining him outside Parliament House were fellow Nationals MP Michael McCormack and Liberal MP Garth Hamilton, the only member of the senior Coalition partner to back the bill publicly. Mr Joyce's foray on the Bendemeer snow is in stark contrast to warnings by the UN's top climate executive, who said fruit and vegetables may become a 'once-a-year treat' if the country fails to drastically lift its clean energy ambitions. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said Australia faced a future of 'mega-droughts', plummeting living standards and eye-watering economic losses if it does not go much further on emissions cuts. 'Mega-droughts [will make] fresh fruit and veg a once-a-year treat. In total, the country could face a $6.8 trillion GDP loss by 2050,' Mr Stiell said during an address hosted by the Smart Energy Council, per The Australian. Mr Stiell, who met with Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen in Canberra this week, said setting an ambitious target wasn't just about the environment, but rather economic survival. 'Australia has a strong economy and among the highest living standards in the world. If you want to keep them, doubling down on clean energy is an economic no-brainer,' he warned. 'Living standards could drop by over $7000 per person per year. And rising seas, resource pressures, and extreme weather would destabilise Australia's neighbourhood – from Pacific Island nations to Southeast Asia – threatening your security.' New England residents are warned this weekend of some of the biggest snowfalls across the region in 20 years. Emergency services say unusual snow levels were reported at Armidale and Guyra, where falls of up to 50cm were forecast. The SES said on Saturday snowfall in the Northern Tablelands had never been seen at these depths before, which left up to 200 vehicles stuck in heavy snowfall. Snow in Bendemeer, located at around 800m elevation, is extremely rare and is usually very light when it does occur.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters expected for 'historic' march across Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge will be closed for hours on Sunday for a pro-Palestinian march which organisers have described as "historic", after they won a legal battle against police over the plans. Authorities have warned of disruptions in the CBD from as early as 11:30am, when the bridge closure will begin. There could also be delays on arterial roads into the city and impacts on public transport. The outcome of the police-initiated court case means that participants will be afforded a level of protection against some acts that could otherwise constitute criminal offences. But senior police leaders have said hundreds of officers will be around to facilitate a safe protest, warning that they won't hesitate to act if there's any antisocial behaviour or risks to public safety. Justice Belinda Rigg, NSW Supreme Court judge, refused an application by NSW Police for court prohibition orders, which means the event is an authorised public assembly. The key piece of legislation here is the Summary Offences Act. Saturday's judgement said a section of that act provides that an attendee of an authorised assembly "will not, by reason of that participation, be guilty of any offence relating to participating in an unlawful assembly, or the obstruction of any person, vehicle or vessel in a public place". It means participants will have a kind of immunity from being charged with potential offences like obstructing roads or traffic during the event. But there are other sources of police powers within the law. Justice Rigg said: "The police have other extensive powers to direct people, if necessary, for public safety, or in connection with possible criminal offending that are not affected by whether the assembly is authorised or not." Acting Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna was asked to clarify what powers police would have for the march. "They're not exempt from malicious damage, they're not exempt from assaults, they're not exempt from hate speeches, hate crime, that sort of thing," he said. "So, we will be closely monitoring to make sure this goes as well as possible, as safe as possible. But we call upon all the people coming … to listen to us, to act peacefully and respectfully." The Palestine Action Group has regularly held marches in the CBD for nearly two years. Part of the evidence that helped decide the case was that the group had experienced marshals and a commitment to "prosocial" protests. One of their organisers, Josh Lees, has said they will again have marshals and medics on Sunday, and that "everyone can feel very confident to come out … in huge numbers". One word keeps coming up on this: significant. While the march has been scheduled for 1pm, the bridge shutdown will begin about 11:30am, according to Craig Moran from Transport for NSW. It may not reopen until 4pm or later. The Harbour Tunnel will remain open, but will likely be busy. Mr Moran said there will be flow-on consequences for arterial roads into the CBD and for the public transport system. Buses may terminate at places they normally wouldn't, and the rail system will be "very busy", he said, although trains will still run across the bridge. People have been urged to avoid non-essential travel on public transport where possible. Organisers of the march had planned to start the event around Lang Park in the CBD. But plans changed on Saturday afternoon because police expressed concerns about that location. Part of the fluidity here — and also part of how police tried to argue for a prohibition order — means uncertainty about the number of attendees. According to Acting Deputy Commissioner McKenna, "the whole gambit of police" will be in attendance and they'll be "right along the route" of the march. That includes the public order and riot squad, mounted police, traffic and highway patrol and general duties officers. He said their aim will be to make sure the event is as safe and peaceful as possible. He reiterated that "[if] anyone thinks they're going to come along and hijack this protest or do the wrong thing, police will take swift action".
