More than 2,000 leaked reports detail widespread abuse and trauma among children and women at Australia’s offshore detention centre for asylum seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru. The “incident reports”, published by the Guardian, reveal that self-harm and violence are commonplace at the centre. Numerous reports relate to sexual assault and coercion of women […]

Want Australian news with a global perspective? Sign up here for the weekly Australia Letter. TOWNSVILLE, Australia — On the 12th day of rain, Ross and Kate Bennett were among the only residents on their street, where the water had risen so high that at one point, Ms. Bennett couldn’t walk into her yard, lest […]

The South Pacific nation of Tonga has been all but cut off from the internet this week after an undersea cable connecting the archipelago to the wider world was severed twice on Sunday, throwing communications across the tiny and isolated country into chaos. The outage, which the cable’s owner said may have been caused by […]

MELBOURNE, Australia — After weeks of unrelenting heat and bushfires across the continent, torrential rain and flooding in northern Australia have forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes in what weather officials describe as an “unprecedented” event. Since Jan. 26, there has been close to two feet of rain in Townsville, a coastal city […]

The heaviest floods in a century in Queensland will worsen this week after weather forecasters warned of more torrential rain even as the south of Australia bakes in sizzling temperatures. Hundreds of residents have already been evacuated after days of monsoon rains lashed the region around the coastal city of Townsville in north Queensland. Adam […]

Exceptional monsoon rains have caused severe flooding in parts of Australia’s north-eastern state of Queensland. Cars and livestock have been swept away over a large area around the coastal city of Townsville. Emergency crews are evacuating people on rafts. Up to 20,000 homes could be flooded if the downpours continue, officials warn. A dam has […]

Australia recorded its hottest month ever in January, with average temperatures exceeding 30C (86F) for the first time. The extreme heat, during the country’s summer period, was “unprecedented”, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. At least five January days were among the 10 warmest on record, with daily national temperature highs of 40C. The blistering […]

In four prominent cases in recent months, Chinese students at Australian universities have complained about teaching materials being incorrect or insulting to China. The incidents have gained increasing attention in both nations, especially in the media, and forced apologies or statements from the universities. In the most recent case, a lecturer upset Chinese international students […]

Australia’s national day of celebration has drawn much criticism recently from those who say it causes unfair hurt to indigenous people. But the controversy, like Australia Day itself, has evolved over many years, reports Sharon Verghis from Sydney. More than most other nations, perhaps, Australia has a relaxed relationship to its national day. Australia Day, […]

Horses killed more people in Australia in recent years than all venomous animals combined, research has shown. The University of Melbourne’s Dr Ronelle Welton examined hospital admissions data and coronial records. From 2000 to 2013, horses were responsible for 74 deaths. Bees and other stinging insects were the next most dangerous, causing 27 deaths, followed […]