More flying coffees forecast as Google tests drone tech
Delivery drones will be able to pick up coffee or takeaway meals without human help in the next phase of Google's Australian technology trial.
environmental issue
Long wait to unwrap soft plastics recycling disaster
Coles and Woolworths hope to ship mountains of stockpiled soft plastic offshore and warn it will take time to replace the failed REDcycle recycling scheme.
Energy giant launches electric vehicle subscriptions
One of Australia's biggest energy firms will launch a subscription car service to get more EVs on the road and offer some customers free power to fuel them.
Traditional owners fight to stop SA nuclear waste dump
A group of traditional owners are seeking to overturn plans for a nuclear waste dump on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula in a Federal Court case.
consumer goods
economy, business and finance
environmental issue
renewable energy
road transport
transport
Australian buyers charged a premium for electric cars
New figures show Australian car buyers can pay thousands of dollars more for some electric vehicles than buyers overseas.
Toyota faces ‘greenwashing’ claims over car emissions
Greenpeace has accused Australia's largest car maker of 'greenwashing' over its advertising and net-zero goals in a complaint lodged with the ACCC.
The healing powers of Australia’s Clean Up campaign
Aussies will rally this weekend for Clean Up Australia Day but it's more than just a boost for nature. It's also a lesson in the restorative power of community.
Electric vehicles spark rush to train 100,000 mechanics
Australia needs thousands more mechanics trained in how to service electric vehicles and time is running out to educate them.
Duck shooting battle shifts to Victorian parliament
A parliamentary inquiry will be set up to examine duck shooting in Victoria after another season was green-lit despite growing dissension within the government.
Intrepid biologist makes stunning lizard find on island
A new species of gecko believed to have evolved in isolation over millions of years has been discovered on a remote, rocky island on the Great Barrier Reef.
Scientists hatch weevil plan to conquer invasive plant
The CSIRO is hoping a biological control agent will wage a campaign of death and destruction against an invasive plant released in Australia in the 1960s.
Crossbenchers call for more detail on climate policy
Carbon credits are no free ride and billions are being spent electrifying mine sites, industry figures have told a hearing on the government's climate policy.
Super fund hauled before court over greenwashing claims
Australia's corporate watchdog has taken the unprecedented step of launching court action against Mercer Superannuation over alleged investment greenwashing.
Red alert as our rarest bird of prey faces extinction
Researchers say Australia's rarest bird of prey - the red goshawk - is only breeding in one place in Queensland and could face extinction.
More than 200 cars deregistered over EV road user tax
The Victorian government has cancelled registrations for more than 200 vehicles as part of its low-emission vehicle road user charge being fought in court.
Pledge for national plan to splash out on ocean health
The federal environment minister has promised to develop Australia's first overarching plan to protect ocean health in the face of mounting pressures.
Scientists urge focus on new tech to capture emissions
Scientists say Australia must pour effort into scaling up new technologies that can suck emissions out of the atmosphere, while it also works to cut them.
Drivers asked to go without a car in Uber experiment
Fifty Australian drivers will be paid to go without their own car for a month in a social experiment designed to accelerate transport trends.
Low-profile electric vehicle chargers tested in Sydney
The first of 30,000 electric vehicle chargers mounted on power poles has launched in Sydney as part of a plan to help apartment dwellers power up their cars.
Exotic invaders could be rebadged as neo-natives
Australian botanists face a sticky question as invasive species become more entrenched and adapt to the point where they could be considered "new natives".
Long wait for insurance compounds disaster trauma
A new report into the mental health burden of disasters across Australia shows adequate insurance coverage is central to recovery.
Australia risks losing race for carbon competitiveness
Some want emissions safeguards expanded to cover more industrial plants as a step towards an economy-wide carbon limit and price, but others warn of job losses.
REDcycle’s parent company to be wound up
The company behind Australia's failed REDcycle recycling scheme will be wound up after it left stockpiles of soft plastics across the country.
Trust on the line in battle over plastic stockpiles
Coles and Woolworths have offered to deal with mountains of soft plastic stockpiled by a failed recycling scheme amid a push to have it wound up.
Car pollution kills 11,000 Aussies, hospitalises more
More than 11,000 Australians are dying prematurely each year from vehicle pollution, according to a new study that calls for more cuts to car emissions.
When Aussies can expert EV prices to finally drop
A record number of electric cars are hitting Australia's second-hand market, forcing down prices. But experts say more drops are needed to increase adoption.
Landlocked moulting penguins just need a little space
Penguins are about to strip off at beaches across southern Australia, ramping up the pint-sized seabird's exposure to predators, including domestic dogs.
Australia a ‘powder keg’ for grassfires after big wet
Every time Australia has had prolonged periods of wet weather, deadly fires have followed. Experts say the death of this La Nina will likely end the same way.
We found 29 threatened species are back from the brink in Australia. Here’s how
Australia’s natural world is in deep trouble. Many of our species are getting rarer. Some are now perilously close to extinction, while entire ecosystems face collapse.
War on urchins aims to save kelp forests
Plagues of sea urchins will be harvested and turned into fertiliser under a plan to regenerate kelp forests and boost farming and fisheries at the same time.
Billion-dollar rail deal to take trucks off the road
A major transport company has signed an 11-year deal to put more shipments on Australian railways, cutting trucks and carbon emissions.