Albanese and Minns said buyback would begin in two phases from 2 November, with state and commonwealth to split costs Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast New South Wales will become the first state to commence Australia’s biggest gun buyback in 30 years, with the state and federal governments agreeing to share the costs of the scheme in response to the Bondi beach terror attack . Anthony Albanese and the Minns government said the buyback would begin in two phases from 2 November, with costs evenly split between the state and the commonwealth. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZrK6Bng via IFTTT
To the sound of a lone bird chirping, the crash-bang wallop ultimately belonged to the underdog in a blockbuster Australian Open final The sprinkling rain at Melbourne Park meant the roof stayed closed on centre court for the Australian Open women’s final , turning Rod Laver Arena into a concert hall charged with the music of tennis. But there was one noise that wasn’t quite right. In the sacred moments before each player’s serving motion, the crowd generally obeyed the protocol demanding silence. However, a single bird – perched somewhere high in the rafters – was less compliant. It must not have been able to escape before the roof shut on Saturday afternoon, and so there it stayed. Tweet-tweet. An unusual accompaniment to a grand slam final. No one could see the critter, though long they tried, as dozens of the 15,000-strong crowd craned their necks in curiosity. Even the umpire kept glancing up, only to recognise the limit of even his broad powers. Tweet-tweet. Continue reading.....