Fire ants could cost ‘half a COVID’ every year
Analysts have offered a staggering new assessment of what Australia could lose to fire ants.
environmental issue
New images show extent of Barrier Reef coral bleaching
New footage has been released showing widespread coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, spanning 1100km from Lizard Island to the Keppel Islands.
Electric cars crash Aussie records but utes top charts
Australians snapped up more electric cars during February than ever before, new figures show, but diesel utes dominated the ranks of most popular models.
Energy firm drives heavy duty electric vehicle plans
One of the nation's biggest power distributors has started adopting electric trucks as part of a plan to drive change in other firms.
budgets and budgeting
environmental issue
environmental politics
environmental pollution
health
healthcare policy
politics (general)
Doctors, nurses make emergency call on federal budget
More than 40 health groups have called on the government to make climate and health funding a priority after services were challenged by extreme weather.
What a load of rubbish: Clean Up Australia going strong
As one state bans harmful coffee cups, people across the country have mucked in and picked up plastic waste and cigarette butts for Clean Up Australia Day.
Fire ants inquiry shines light on decades of failure
Australia's efforts to eradicate deadly fire ants have been savaged by former insiders and the woman who led a review that was buried.
Net free fishing ban areas extended in Gulf
Fishing with gillnets will be prohibited in more areas of the Gulf of Carpentaria under reforms by the Queensland government that are set to be enforced.
Step-in threat as state on notice over feral horse cull
A zero-tolerance approach to feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park has been flagged by the federal government if culling fails to stop environmental harm.
No further asbestos detected in Qld mulch supplies
Only one positive asbestos result has been returned from 23 waste facilities and landscape businesses after concerns of an outbreak in Queensland's southeast.
Major victory claimed over yellow crazy ant threat
In a big win over the acid-spitting threat, Queensland is celebrating the world's largest single eradication of yellow crazy ants.
‘Smug’ energy attitudes holding Australia back: pioneer
An Australian offshore wind pioneer urges less politics and more investment in a nation that's been "smug" about energy for far too long.
Electric wreck picked to bits in pursuit of fire safety
Firefighters have dismantled a burnt-out electric car to confirm how it caught fire, but experts say incidents are far less frequent than people might expect.
Invasive bees defy evolution to cover Sydney-sized area
Invasive Asian honey bees have defied evolutionary expectations to grow from a single swarm into more than 10,000 colonies in Queensland, researchers say.
economy, business and finance
electricity production and distribution
energy
energy and resource
environmental issue
natural gas
politics
Energy consumers to plug power gap, get fairer share
Ministers have agreed on steps to fill the nation's energy gap but a former deputy central bank governor says $625 billion in clean energy investment is needed.
Asbestos tainted mulch might have been sent to school
More than 20 Queensland sites have been supplied mulch that might contain asbestos after the hazardous material was detected at a site west of Brisbane.
Marine heatwave might have caused whale decline: study
Humpback whale numbers declined significantly over a period of nine years and was likely due to a marine heatwave, a study says.
Green mining could be dynamite for new hydrogen sector
Australia could usher in the next boom by switching ammonia production plants from gas to renewable hydrogen to supply the mining sector with green explosives.
‘People forget’: experts chart year of extreme weather
Scientists have released a snapshot of the extreme weather events that hit Australia and hope it will get people to focus on preparing for what's ahead.
Deadline blows out to clean up asbestos ground zero
The closure of a park less than a month after it opened because of contaminated mulch kicked off an asbestos scandal that has spread outside NSW.
Forest wars flare after pledge to grow native logging
Native forestry in Tasmania will be expanded if the Liberal government is re-elected at the upcoming state election on March 23.
Conservationists round on premier over logging bid
A plan by Tasmania's Liberal government to go big on native forest logging when other states are bugging out has dismayed conservationists.
Mite species harmful to bee industry detected at port
An invasive species that can wipe out honey bees has been detected at a Queensland port, sparking anxiety among keepers after hives were infected across NSW.
breaking_news
company information
economy, business and finance
energy
energy and resource
environmental issue
natural gas
Woodside under the pump on climate risk as profit falls
Critics say Woodside Energy's carbon reduction plans are "meaningless" as the oil and gas giant expands to meet decades of demand expected for Australian LNG.
‘Like winning Eurovision’: interpretive dance scientist
A Sydney-based biologist has taken out a global award that asks scientists to harness the power of interpretive dance to convey complex research.
Twiggy backs fossil fuel levy, slams nuclear ‘bulldust’
Business leader Andrew Forrest has called for a levy on fossil fuel producers and labelled nuclear-focused energy policies 'bulldust' during a national address.
Tech firm enters Australia’s electric car charging race
A technology services company behind the NBN rollout has revealed plans to focus on electric car infrastructure after identifying it as 'the next big thing'.
Electric joy rides in Canberra to support fuel standard
Expect to see more politicians behind the wheel of a small electric car in a show of support for new vehicle efficiency rules.
Taylor urged to fight for the swifties of the sky
A federal senator has urged Taylor Swift to join the life-and-death fight for swifties of the feathered kind.
auto trends
consumer goods
consumers
energy (general)
environmental issue
environmental pollution
road transport
transport
Electric vehicle charging sparks concern among drivers
More than two in three Australians think the nation needs more electric vehicle charging stations even though their number almost doubled last year.
Atmosphere’s ‘washing machine’ sampled for research
German researchers are taking measurements from the atmosphere above north Queensland in the hope of better understanding what is going on above the clouds.