Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Archive for December, 2021
NT COVID-19 cases among travellers grow
The Northern Territory has recorded 10 new COVID-19 after five travellers and five people from a remote community tested positive. December 23, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected 10 new COVID-19 cases as the number of infected travellers carrying the virus into the territory grows. Five interstate arrivals from NSW and South Australia tested positive […]
NT eases testing rules, five new cases
Five new COVID-19 cases have been detected in the Northern Territory as testing requirements ease for interstate travellers. December 22, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected five new COVID-19 infections as authorities ease testing requirements for interstate travellers. A child from a Tennant Creek town camp and a teenage girl from Katherine are among the […]
Dozens of children in Don Dale over Xmas
Four years after the Northern Territory accepted a recommendation to close Don Dale detention centre, dozens of children are set to spend Christmas behind bars. December 22, 2021 Dozens of children are likely to spend Christmas behind bars in the Northern Territory’s infamous Don Dale youth detention centre, four years after the government agreed to close […]
Mutating kidney gene linked to disease
An Australian gene discovery is set to change the way medical practitioners treat kidney disease. December 21, 2021 Australian scientists have found a gene in the human body that mutates in some people and accelerates kidney disease. Kidney disease impacts 1.7 million Australians each year, according to Kidney Health Australia. The discovery is expected to […]
NT outbreak grows, Omicron reaches Uluru
The Northern Territory has detected 14 new COVID-19 infections as Omicron spreads from Brisbane to Yulara, 450km southwest of Alice Springs. December 21, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected 14 new COVID-19 infections as Omicron arrives in Central Australia. Most of the new cases are linked to a Delta outbreak that started in the Top […]
Outback NT COVID-19 checkpoint breach
Three men have been fined more than $15,000 for ignoring an order to stop at an outback COVID-19 checkpoint in the Northern Territory. December 21, 2021 Three men have been fined for breaching an outback COVID-19 checkpoint in the Northern Territory amid rising virus cases in remote communities. The men – aged 36, 32 and […]
NT eases border rules, three new cases
The Northern Territory has recorded three new COVID-19 cases as border rules are relaxed for fully vaccinated travellers. December 20, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected three new COVID-19 infections as quarantine restrictions end for fully vaccinated travellers. A child from Wuppa Town Camp in Tennant Creek and a man and woman in their 30s from […]
Threatened birdsongs on Aussie music chart
Songs of Disappearance is beating Christmas albums by Paul Kelly, Michael Buble and Mariah Carey after two weeks on Australia’s Aria chart. December 20, 2021 An album of bird songs from Australia’s most threatened species has climbed two spots to number three on Australia’s Aria chart. Songs of Disappearance is beating Christmas albums by Paul […]
NT relaxes COVID-19 border rules
The Northern Territory has eased its border rules for travellers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with no quarantine requirements for arrivals. December 20, 2021 The Northern Territory has opened its borders to travellers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as quarantine requirements for arrivals end. Travellers now have to return a negative PCR test […]
Pre-paid power access ‘amplifying poverty’
Pre-paid access to electricity is putting many Indigenous Australians living in remote communities at risk, a new university study says. December 17, 2021 Pre-paid access to electricity is putting disadvantaged Australians living in substandard housing at risk, particularly when their power is cut on dangerously hot days, researchers say. In some remote Northern Territory communities, […]
NT clean up order over massive tyre haul
The Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority has ordered a Victorian company to clean up a 3000-tonne pile of old tyres near Darwin. December 17, 2021 A Victorian company has been ordered to clean up a massive pile of environmentally hazardous old tyres stored on a property south of Darwin. More than 3000 tonnes of end-of-life […]
NT outbreak grows, Tennant Creek lockdown
The Northern Territory has detected eight new COVID-19 infections, as a community outbreak forces the lockdown of remote Tennant Creek. December 17, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected eight new COVID-19 infections, as a long-running outbreak forces the lockdown of Tennant Creek. Four new cases were diagnosed in the remote town, 990km south of Darwin, Acting-Chief […]
NT man jailed for attacking, killing wife
A man who bashed, strangled and stabbed his wife before dragging her unconscious body into the ocean in Darwin has been jailed for 12 years for killing her. December 16, 2021 A Northern Territory man mercilessly bashed, strangled and stabbed his wife before dragging her unconscious body into the ocean at one of Darwin’s most popular […]
Remote NT community, mine dust allegations
Concerning levels of manganese dust in a remote Northern Territory Indigenous community built near a mine has environmentalists calling for tougher laws. December 16, 2021 Environmentalists have called for more robust Northern Territory mining laws after high levels of manganese dust were allegedly found in a remote Indigenous community. Angurugu on Groote Eyelandt in the […]
‘Sexplanation’ for male dominance debunked
Australian scientists have debunked a century-old belief that male behavioural patterns led to more men becoming geniuses and high achievers than women. December 16, 2021 Australian scientists have debunked a century-old belief that more men are geniuses and high achievers than women due to biology. Researchers say the long-held “sexplanation” based on behavioural patterns has been […]
NT reports 11 COVID-19 cases, rules eased
The Northern Territory has recorded four new COVID-19 cases linked to a community outbreak and seven among returned travellers. December 15, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected four new COVID-19 infections linked to a community outbreak, with another seven cases among travellers. It comes as authorities tweak the territory’s new rules for travellers from Monday, […]
No NT vax law challenge before deadline
A legal challenge against the Northern Territory’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate won’t be heard before the December 24 jab deadline. December 15, 2021 Three men fighting the Northern Territory’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate in a bid to save their jobs won’t get their day in court before the Christmas Eve jab deadline. Ray Phillips, Conan Hammet and […]
Aussie scientists hunt killer black holes
Western Australian astronomers have developed a new technique for finding supermassive killer black holes and measuring how much matter they are sucking in. December 14, 2021 Australian scientists have developed a new method for finding supermassive killer black holes and measuring how much matter they are sucking in. The new technique will help astronomers better […]
NT COVID-19 spreads towards WA border
The Northern Territory has four new COVID-19 cases as an outbreak spreads to remote Timber Creek near the West Australian border. December 14, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected four new COVID-19 cases in the community as an outbreak spreads towards the West Australian border. One of the infections is linked to a cluster in […]
Concerns over NT groundwater extraction
The Central Land Council has urged the Northern Territory government to stop issuing groundwater extraction licences in parts of Central Australia. December 14, 2021 A powerful Indigenous land council has urged the Northern Territory government to stop issuing groundwater extraction licences in parts of Central Australia. The Central Land Council says the water allocation plan […]
NT records 14 COVID-19 cases in Katherine
More than a dozen COVID-19 infections have been detected among residents in a pocket of overcrowded homes in East Katherine, 320km south of Darwin. December 13, 2021 The Northern Territory has detected 17 new COVID-19 cases as a cluster linked to a pocket of overcrowded homes continues to grow. More than a dozen infections have […]
NT vax mandate legal challenge in court
A legal challenge against the Northern Territory’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate may be heard a day before the December 24 jab deadline. December 13, 2021 A legal challenge against the Northern Territory’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate could be heard a day before the Christmas Eve jab deadline. Ray Phillips, Conan Hammet and John Anstess are fighting the […]
Top End ‘big battery’ plan surges ahead
Hitachi Energy will build a 35 megavolt amp battery in the Northern Territory to store energy for 150,000 power users. December 13, 2021 A Northern Territory plan to build a big power storing battery near Darwin has surged ahead. Hitachi Energy has been awarded the contract to build major components for the Darwin-Katherine Battery Energy Storage […]
Aussie food study into toxic chemicals
Some potentially harmful PFAS chemicals have been found in Australian food but the levels are low and pose no public health concerns, researchers say. December 10, 2021 Australians have been reassured their chances of consuming potentially harmful chemicals in their food is low. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has found per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) […]