A security company contracted to provide guards for Melbourne’s COVID-19 quarantine hotels potentially breached its agreement with the Victorian Government, with an email suggesting it failed to inform at least one of its subcontractors of its obligations. Wilson Security then attempted to conceal this failing by asking the subcontractor to backdate documents for the Government. Wilson made the backdating request …

The federal opposition is pushing for higher scrutiny of the Ruby Princess cruise ship debacle which led to more than 660 COVID-19 infections and 28 deaths. A NSW special commission of inquiry has revealed “inexcusable”, “inexplicable” and “unjustifiable” errors by authorities which allowed 2700 passengers to disembark at Sydney’s Circular Quay on March 19. Labor leader Anthony Albanese says a …

A 12-year-old girl is among three minors caught gambling and drinking at Sydney’s Star Casino, costing the venue $90,000 in fines. Her mother snuck the girl in through the exit doors, took her to the main gaming floor and watched on as the child placed 21 bets on the pokie machines over 17 minutes. The girl and her parents, visiting …

An off-duty NSW police officer has been charged with drink driving after a six-car crash in Sydney’s south. Just after 7.15pm on Sunday emergency services responded to a multi-vehicle crash on the Princes Highway at Blakehurst. Police say a BMW sedan and a Mitsubishi Outlander, both travelling south, collided before hitting four other cars in the northbound lanes. The 38-year-old …

What is coronavirus Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory infection that spreads from person to person through droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. It can also spread by touching objects or surfaces that have droplets from an infected person on them, and then touching your mouth or face. Should I wear a mask? With the rates of COVID-19 rising …

The inquiry into what went wrong in Victoria’s hotel quarantine program has been delayed due to the state’s stage 4 coronavirus restrictions on workplaces. The board of inquiry, headed by former Family Court judge Jennifer Coate, was due to start hearing evidence tomorrow, but this has now been postponed until August 17. It was originally due to report by September …

Queensland will close its border to all of New South Wales and the ACT from 1:00am on Saturday. It comes as the state recorded one new case of coronavirus. The 68-year-old Queensland woman was diagnosed with the virus in the past 24 hours and authorities are still investigating the source of the infection. Two historic cases have also been added …

Not long after news of a virus outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan began to spread worldwide, this image hit the internet: Some people claimed it was a map of Wuhan travellers across the 2020 Lunar New Year. Tabloids in the United Kingdom picked it up. Channel 7’s Sunrise used it in a live segment. But it did not …

More than four decades since they were penned, the Palace letters — dubbed the missing link in Australia’s political history — have been released. And while they may reveal the Queen was unaware of then governor-general Sir John Kerr’s decision to sack the Whitlam government in 1975, they also provide an invaluable insight into some of the more eccentric discussions unfolding …

Part-time and full-time workers are expected to receive different amounts of cash under the revised JobKeeper program set to be announced alongside changes to JobSeeker on Thursday. Both the wage subsidy and the boosted unemployment benefit are set to end in September, but the Federal Government has acknowledged support would still be needed past then as the coronavirus crisis continues. …