Tag Archives: oceania

headline

Two of this ultra-rare Aussie coin go up for auction

Not one but two of Australia's most legendary rare coins – the 1930 penny – are up for grabs to the highest bidder this week.

While pennies were commonplace currency at the time, only approximately 1500 copies of the 1930 penny are believed to exist.

Minted at the Melbourne Mint during the Great Depression, it's believed the coins may have been struck in error as there was no formal Treasury request to strike pennies that year.

READ MORE: These Aussies still believe that cash is king

One of the pennies going to auction in Brisbane from Wednesday has already attracted an early bid of $16,000.

The other will open for bidding at $17,500.

"Auction 154 offers collectors another opportunity to secure exceptional pieces, from legendary Australian rarities through to important international issues," Roxbury's Auction House Director Scott Waterman said.

Also going up for auction this week is a scarce 1914/15 "Rainbow Pound" emergency banknote.

READ MORE: Repeated breaches by Kyle and Jackie O show punished

These one-pound notes were hastily printed without security features to fill a currency shortage following the outbreak of war, and then withdrawn from circulation in April 1915.

Collectors will also have the chance to get their hands on an iconic 1813 New South Wales 'Dump', one of Australia's earliest coins.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

headline

More charges for author accused of child exploitation

Award-winning writer Craig Silvey has been slapped with more child exploitation charges.

The 43-year-old was previously charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material in early January.

Today, Silvey was also charged with producing child exploitation material from January to June 2022 and slugged with an additional count of possessing it.

LIVE UPDATES: 'Please do not go': Major international airport shut after drone strike

Silvey has been slapped with more child exploitation charges.

READ MORE: Fresh warning for Australian travellers about stopovers

The author of novels Jasper Jones and Rhubarb appeared in Fremantle Magistrates Court without entering pleas on any of the charges.

The father-of-three's bail was extended with the same strict conditions but no surety now payable.

Silvey, who has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the International Dublin Literary Award, was allegedly caught communicating with child exploitation offenders online when police raided his Fremantle home before his arrest in January.

Silvey is best known for his 2009 coming-of-age novel Jasper Jones, which is considered a modern Australian classic and was aimed at adults and young readers.

The global hit won the Australian Book Industry's Book of the Year Award and has been adapted for film and various stage productions.

His most recent novel, Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping, was published by Allen & Unwin in September.

OSCARS UPDATES: Tears, shock as Best Picture is crowned

The 43-year-old was previously charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material in early January.

READ MORE: Kyle and Jackie O show slapped with new conditions over breaches

Another of his books is Honeybee, which won the Australian Indie Book Award in 2021.

Most of his works were purged from reading lists across the nation after he was charged.

Allen & Unwin and Fremantle Press, which published Rhubarb, have stopped promoting his books.

Police investigating Silvey have also charged a 68-year-old woman with two counts of producing child exploitation material and one count of distributing it after analysing the writer's electronic devices.

She allegedly created and distributed the material with Silvey, police said.

The woman is also charged with three counts of failing to comply with reporting obligations.

She has been remanded in custody to appear before the Joondalup Magistrates Court on April 2.

Support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732, National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged five to 25).

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

headline

Six teens rescued from Gold Coast mountain one day after fatal cliff fall

Six teenagers have been rescued from Mount Barney on the Gold Coast's Scenic Rim a day after a woman lost her life in a cliff fall on the Sunshine Coast.

The six men, aged between 18 and 19, were not injured but were stranded on the summit overnight, making regular contact with Queensland Police.

They were airlifted out by a rescue helicopter this morning.

LIVE UPDATES: 'Please do not go': Major international airport shut after drone strike

The rescue comes one day after an 18-year-old woman died after plunging 60 metres down a cliff face at Mount Beerwah in the Glasshouse Mountains.

The woman's boyfriend fell 90 metres and suffered critical head injuries.

He was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Mount Beerwah, where the pair were hiking with the woman's sister, had been closed to the public after recent severe weather and remains closed today.

It is expected to reopen tomorrow, a spokesperson from the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

headline

Kyle and Jackie O’s station slapped down by media watchdog

The radio network behind The Kyle and Jackie O Show will have to comply with new broadcasting conditions after a ruling by Australia's media watchdog.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has hit ARN Media, which owns KIIS FM where Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson host their show, with licensing conditions after being found guilty of several breaches since the start of last year.

In a statement released on Monday, ACMA confirmed the company could face fines, suspension or cancellation of their broadcasting licence.

LIVE UPDATES: Academy Awards underway; Demi Moore bucks red carpet trend; Kylie Jenner's cryptic post

ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin said ARN had consistently failed to meet obligations under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice.

"ARN management have been unwilling or unable to control the content that has gone to air," she said.

"These additional licence conditions mean further breaches will attract strong enforcement action that was not otherwise available.

"The ball is now firmly in ARN's court to take control of the content they are responsible for."

ACMA previously found ARN and The Kyle and Jackie O Show to be in several breaches of the code in 2025.

They referenced nine breaches, including two segments where audio clips of male and female staff urinating were broadcast, with hosts guessing which audio belonged to which staff member. 

There was also a segment in which inappropriate discussions about pornography and masturbation occurred.

The restrictions will remain in force for five years, and will apply to the Kyle and Jackie O Show, or any new show involving either presenter while at ARN.

LIVE UPDATES: Australia rules out sending warship

Jackie O attends the 2024 GQ Australia Men Of The Year Awards at White Bay Power Station on December 04, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.

Under the ruling handed down, ARN will also be required to hold an independent audit of their governance framework, and will be forced to show evidence of the recommendations from the audit being implemented within the company.

The show itself is currently on a hiatus after Sandilands and Henderson had a falling out on air.

It led to ARN terminating Henderson's contract after she claimed she could no longer work with Sandilands.

Sandilands is currently suspended after ARN alleged he had breached his contract, a claim he denied last week.

READ MORE: One Nation's popularity is surging. But what does Pauline Hanson's party actually stand for?

"Despite what ARN says, I am not in breach of that contract. I want to be on air. I want to be with my audience. I want to do the job I have done my entire adult life," he said last week.

His suspension expires tomorrow, however, Sandilands must prove he has taken steps to "remedy" his breaches.

The pair signed a $200 million contract with ARN in 2023, which was supposed to last until 2034.

With Henderson's exit and Sandilands' suspension, it remains to be seen what will happen with the mega contract.

ARN has been contacted for comment.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

headline

Dramatic images show shocking before-and-after scenes in flooded Queensland city

Dramatic new aerial images of Bundaberg captured before and during the peak of last week's floods reveal the extent of the devastation in the Queensland city.

The Burnett River peaked at a major flood level of 7.4 metres on Wednesday, March 11, sending water surging down streets and into more than 350 homes and businesses, including the Mitre 10 store.

Boats became the only mode of transport around some of the city and white goods and a lawnmower catcher were seen floating along the roads.

Two Chinese backpackers on their way to a fruit picking job were killed in the North Burnett region when their car was swept away by surging floodwaters.

READ MORE: Flood-weary far north Queensland on cyclone watch

An emergency evacuation order was issued for Bundaberg last Tuesday as the floodwaters rose.

The Burnett River peaked at 7.4 metres on Wednesday, making it the city's worst flood since the all-time-record flood of 2013 which devastated the city.

Small islands and bays were completely submerged as the Burnett River swelled.

More than 350 homes along the river and in other low-lying areas of the city were inundated by floodwaters.

Prime agricultural land has been destroyed, which will have a lasting economic impact on the region long after floodwaters recede.

Thousands of homes were left without power and hundreds of people were forced to flee to evacuation centres.

The city's Mitre 10 went underwater, along with dozens of other businesses.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.