Alexandra Beech
Alexandra Beech joined the Canberra newsroom in 2015 after working for several years at the ABC’s Bega newsroom and in online and print journalism. She completed a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Technology Sydney. Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexHBeech
Civil celebrants 'shouldn't refuse services' to same-sex couples
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A Senate committee is urged to ensure civil celebrants cannot refuse services to same-sex couples due to religious or conscientious objections.
Topics: community-and-society, religion-and-beliefs, law-crime-and-justice, family-and-children, marriage, government-and-politics
Facial recognition, fingerprints to replace passports at airports
Posted
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is seeking tenders for a self-processing system to be introduced at airports later this year.
Topics: federal-government, security-intelligence, australia
Government defends leasing land to shooters' club below market value
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The Federal Government denies its decision to lease the 38-hectare Anzac Rifle Range on prime Sydney waterfront land for around $510 a week is a quid pro quo deal with Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm.
Topics: government-and-politics, housing-industry, business-economics-and-finance, industry, sydney-2000, malabar-2036
Hundreds to roll down Parliament House lawn before ban kicks in
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More than 300 people are set to tumble down the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra this weekend before visitors are formally barred from the grassy area.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, federal-parliament, community-and-society, human-interest, parliament-house-2600, canberra-2600, act, australia
Rudd to pay back insurance bills after bingles
Posted
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd racked up nearly $2,300 in insurance bills after a string of accidents involving his taxpayer-funded private car, expense records reveal.
Topics: government-and-politics, australia
Senate sits late to pass double dissolution trigger bill
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The Federal Government agrees to sweeping new federal whistleblower laws, to apply to the public and corporate sectors, to secure the passage of a key piece of industrial relations legislation.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, parliament, federal-parliament, industrial-relations, unions, australia
Trump 'unlikely' to ruffle Australian economy: Deloitte
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A leading budget watcher forecasts a Donald Trump presidency will not have a significant impact on Australia's federal budget, saying record-low wage growth is a bigger concern.
Topics: government-and-politics, budget, business-economics-and-finance, economic-trends, us-elections, australia, united-states
Gillian Triggs's contract will not be renewed, PM says
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Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs will not have her contract renewed next year, Malcolm Turnbull says.
Topics: human, federal-government, government-and-politics, australia
What does Antony Green say about the move against Rodney Culleton?
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Antony Green sheds light on why One Nation senator Rodney Culleton is facing a potential High Court challenge to his election.
Topics: political-parties, government-and-politics, australia
Turnbull defeats Abbott in battle for party preselection reform
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Former prime minister Tony Abbott's push to change the NSW Liberal Party's preselection processes is defeated with the state council instead unanimously backing Malcolm Turnbull's plan.
Topics: political-parties, liberals, government-and-politics, nsw, sydney-2000
NBN defends opinion piece during election on Labor office raids
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The National Broadband Network stands by its chairman's decision to write an opinion piece during the election campaign, despite warnings from Government officials.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, information-and-communication, australia
F-35A Senate committee urges Defence to make plan B
Posted
A Senate committee looking into the controversial multi-billion-dollar Joint Strike Fighter program recommends the Defence Department develop a plan B in case the high-tech F-35A aircraft are not ready on time.
Topics: defence-and-national-security, air-force, government-and-politics, australia
Westpac joins rest of big four in saying sorry at banking inquiry
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Westpac acknowledges a "trust gap" has opened up between banks and customers, during its appearance before a parliamentary inquiry.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, industry, banking, federal-government, parliament, federal-parliament, australia
Senior NAB executives spared axe over financial advice scandal
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The head of the National Australia Bank again apologises to customers subjected to poor financial advice, but tells a parliamentary hearing the problem is not "systemic".
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, industry, banking, federal-government, parliament, federal-parliament, australia
Energy policy worsened SA blackout, Greg Hunt says
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Federal Industry Minister Greg Hunt blames the South Australian Government for exacerbating last week's state-wide power outage, saying policy to drive baseload energy out of the system meant it collapsed further and faster than it would otherwise.
Topics: alternative-energy, wind-energy, electricity-energy-and-utilities, industry, government-and-politics, australia, sa
'Serious questions' as power cuts leave SA in chaos
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Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says serious questions will be raised about how the entirety of South Australia could be left without electricity in the wake of a huge storm, dubbed the largest in 50 years.
Topics: weather, disasters-and-accidents, government-and-politics, states-and-territories, sa
New drone laws 'could lead to mid-air collisions'
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Pilots and air traffic controllers call for new regulations over the use of drones to be scrapped, warning they could lead to catastrophic mid-air collisions.
Topics: science-and-technology, law-crime-and-justice, air-transport, air-and-space, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
LNP members' anti-Safe-Schools campaign 'misuses Mandela legacy'
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The Nelson Mandela Foundation voices its disapproval over the use of the anti-apartheid leader's image to oppose same-sex marriage, after his face is included in leaflets distributed by Liberal Party members.
Topics: community-and-society, marriage, liberals, political-parties, government-and-politics, australia
ACT Labor announces fund to attract overseas flights
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ACT Labor says it will set up a new fund to lure airlines such as Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific to Canberra if elected next month.
Topics: travel-and-tourism, government-and-politics, elections, canberra-2600, act
Woolworths cancels Giralang supermarket plan
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Woolworths will not go ahead with plans to build at Giralang, angering local residents who blame the ACT Government for not backing the development.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, states-and-territories, giralang-2617, act, australia, canberra-2600
Man faces court after child pornography, drugs, found in warehouse
Posted
A Canberra man faces the ACT Magistrates Court accused of accessing child pornography and trafficking in illegal drugs.
Topics: courts-and-trials, pornography, crime, drugs-and-substance-abuse, police, canberra-2600, act, australia
Man found guilty of abusing toddler with sperm found in nappy
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A 37-year-old man is found guilty of sexually assaulting a two-year-old Canberra girl in a case surrounding the discovery of sperm in her nappy.
Topics: courts-and-trials, child-abuse, sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, community-and-society, canberra-2600, act
Indigenous MP Linda Burney slams calls for changes to race hate laws
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Linda Burney, the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Representatives, uses her maiden speech to warn that backbench calls to water down the Racial Discrimination Act come from people for whom "this kind of discrimination is totally alien".
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, indigenous-policy, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, alp, australia, act
University admissions overhaul 'backed by education sector'
Posted
The Coalition Government says the education sector has backed its push to provide more information to students wanting to go to university, as submissions to a panel show teaching organisations want course entry rankings to be made more clear.
Topics: education, university-and-further-education, federal-government, secondary-schools, australia
Australian Army unveils latest gadgets and gear
Posted | Updated
Silent bug-sized drones, robotic targets that can duck and weave, and the latest in Australia's combat technology go on display in Canberra.
Topics: defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, science-and-technology, canberra-2600, act, russell-2600
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