Australia – The Diplomatic Envoy

Australia Fully Reopens Borders after Two Years of COVID-19 Closure

March 21, 2022March 21, 2022 Andrea Hebel 0 Comments Mask Mandate, COVID-19 Restrictions, Australia, Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic

Australia has officially reopened its borders to all travelers for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Much of the country lifted restrictions on February 21, sparking an influx of flights into the country as individuals reunited and tourism resumed, Reuters reports. CNN adds that the last state to reopen, Western Australia, accepted its first flights on March 3, fully reopening the country’s borders and ending quarantine requirements for vaccinated individuals.

2021 March 2021 International News

Facebook Backtracks, Lifts Australian News Ban

March 8, 2021March 7, 2021 Chimdi Chukwukere 0 Comments ban, Facebook, Australia, technology

Facebook announced on March 2 that the company will lift its ban on Australians viewing and sharing news on the platform after the company struck a deal with the government regarding proposed legislation that would make tech companies pay for journalism shared on their platforms, the Associated Press reports.

December 2020 International News Asia 2020 Middle East

Reports Reveal War Crimes Perpetrated by Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan

December 15, 2020January 18, 2022 Hamzah Khan 0 Comments Afghanistan, Australia, war crimes, human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings

The Australian government released a report on November 19 documenting war crimes committed by Australian Defense Forces (ADF) in Afghanistan. The report was part of a four-year long inquiry, led by Major General Justice Paul Brereton of the Australian Army Reserve, that investigated reports of the extrajudicial killing of civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers between 2005 to 2016.

November 2020 Opinion 2020

Will Australia- China Trade Tiff Turn into a Trade War?

November 17, 2020January 22, 2021 Sara Fakik 0 Comments China, Asia, Trade, Australia, COVID-19

Australia’s relationship with China, its largest trading partner, is increasingly strained as a result of a row over new Chinese trade restrictions. Relations between the two nations have been tense for years due to a series of policy disputes. When Australia supported an international inquiry into China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, their ties officially began to sour.

September 2020 International News Americas Asia 2020

Australian and American Journalists Expelled out of China in Diplomatic Standoff

September 25, 2020August 16, 2021 Jasmine Deleon 0 Comments China, U.S., freedom of expression, Australia, journalism

In early September, Bill Birtles, an Australian foreign correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and China correspondent for ABC, was advised by Australian officials to leave China after the arrest and detention of another foreign journalist, reports The Guardian. Two days later, Beijing state security broke down his door at midnight to tell him that he was part of a national security investigation, was banned from leaving the country, and that he would be contacted the next afternoon to answer questions, reports BBC.

World February 2020 Climate Change International News 2020

Australian Bush Fires: International Response and Government Lack of Accountability

February 18, 2020 Delaney Cha 0 Comments Australia Bushfires, Climate Change, Australia

For the past few months, the Australian Rural Fire Service (RFS) has been battling powerful wildfires in the New South Wales region of the country.

February 2020 Opinion 2020

Why Australia May Never Stop Burning

February 18, 2020January 22, 2021 Axel Sontgerath 0 Comments Climate Change, Australia

Over the course of the past four months, the world bore witness to an unprecedented climate disaster in Australia. Over 16 million acres burned and counting, these mega-bushfires have reminded the world of climate change’s violent global effects.

Girl receiving oral polio vaccine. CDC Global/Flickr

FOCUS on the “Anti-Vax” movement Focus April 2019 2019

Focus on the “Anti-Vax” Movement: Australia

April 16, 2019January 22, 2021 Tom McGee 0 Comments Australia, Vaccines

Australia has been dedicated to understanding the anti-vaccination movement as well as implementing government legislation to impose penalties on anti-vaxxers. A new plan called “No Jab, No Pay” allows the government to refuse welfare benefits to individuals who do not have the proper vaccinations.

World April 2019 International News

FOCUS on firearm legislation: Australia

April 4, 2019 Abigail Cordaro 0 Comments Gun Control, FOCUS, Australia

The National Firearms Agreement (NFA), a series of gun control laws that strictly regulate the ownership of semi-automatic and automatic firearms, heavily influenced Australia’s gun control policies.

Featured Sections December 2017 2017 International News

Australia Votes “Yes” to Same Sex Marriage

December 15, 2017December 16, 2017 Bianca Taipe 0 Comments Australia, LGBT, Same-Sex Marriage

A majority of Australians voted in support of the legalization of same-sex marriage in a public opinion survey issued on November 15. While the vote was certainly momentous, it also helped to expose a rift that is present in Australian society.

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