In Sydney’s Circular Quay, a 6.5-meter-tall installation spins, twirls, and totters amid a public thoroughfare. Titled “There, Now, Here,” the kinetic artwork is by the Brooklyn-based duo Wade and Leta and is in almost constant motion, thanks to wind, motors, and willing participants hopping on a see-saw.
With black and white stripes alongside a more muted palette, the colors of the playground-style project reference Dorothea Mackellar’s beloved poem “My Country,” which professes her devot
In Sydney’s Circular Quay, a 6.5-meter-tall installation spins, twirls, and totters amid a public thoroughfare. Titled “There, Now, Here,” the kinetic artwork is by the Brooklyn-based duo Wade and Leta and is in almost constant motion, thanks to wind, motors, and willing participants hopping on a see-saw.
With black and white stripes alongside a more muted palette, the colors of the playground-style project reference Dorothea Mackellar’s beloved poem “My Country,” which professes her devotion to the Australian landscape and what she dubs the “sunburnt country.” Harnessing the washed-out tones of a sun-bleached environment, the artists present their signature bold works in more subtle hues, as if the pieces have been baking under the light for years.
A sonic component created by Josh Burgess accompanies the sculpture and can be manipulated by the public through accessible controls. “If one were to listen closely, they can hear the rush of water on the rocks, the dings of the light rail, the crosswalk signal, and most importantly, the local wildlife,” the artists say. “Our favorite piece is a nod to the ‘bush doof’ using the sounds of a lyrebird as the structure.”
“There, Now, Here” is the pair’s first public work in Australia and part of the annual light and music festival Vivid Sydney. Find more on Wade and Leta’s Instagram.
Federal environment department says Black Mountain Energy has provided insufficient data as it seeks to drill 20 gas wells in the Kimberley regionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government has repeatedly raised concerns about an American company’s bid to frack for gas in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, part of the world’s largest and most intact tropical savanna.Texas-based Black Mountain Energy, t
The federal government has repeatedly raised concerns about an American company’s bid to frack for gas in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, part of the world’s largest and most intact tropical savanna.
Texas-based Black Mountain Energy, through its subsidiary Bennett Resources, is seeking federal approval to drill 20 gas wells for its Valhalla project west of Fitzroy Crossing.
Screen Producers Australia has lodged a 22-recommendation submission to the Australian government’s National Cultural Policy consultation, putting the market power of streaming platforms over independent producers at the center of its push for structural reform. The body’s submission argues that the shift to digital streaming has fundamentally altered commissioning practices, leaving small and medium-sized production […]
Screen Producers Australia has lodged a 22-recommendation submission to the Australian government’s National Cultural Policy consultation, putting the market power of streaming platforms over independent producers at the center of its push for structural reform. The body’s submission argues that the shift to digital streaming has fundamentally altered commissioning practices, leaving small and medium-sized production […]
Reserve Bank of Australia decision on Tuesday comes after three consecutive cash rate hikes this yearFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Reserve Bank has warned it is ready to raise interest rates further despite leaving its official interest rate on hold at 4.35%.The widely expected decision on Tuesday will bring little relief to mortgage holders, already strained by the RBA’s three consecutive rate hikes earlier i
The Reserve Bank has warned it is ready to raise interest rates further despite leaving its official interest rate on hold at 4.35%.
The widely expected decision on Tuesday will bring little relief to mortgage holders, already strained by the RBA’s three consecutive rate hikes earlier in 2026.
China said on Monday that strengthening its military is beneficial to world peace, slamming a think tank report that warned the threat of a direct strike by Beijing on Australia was increasing.
People’s Liberation Army officers and the Dong-Feng (DF) 15B missile join the military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015, to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Photo: Kremlin.
A Lowy Institute report said on Sunday that China is capable of a direct missile strike on Australi
China said on Monday that strengthening its military is beneficial to world peace, slamming a think tank report that warned the threat of a direct strike by Beijing on Australia was increasing.
People’s Liberation Army officers and the Dong-Feng (DF) 15B missile join the military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015, to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Photo: Kremlin.
A Lowy Institute report said on Sunday that China is capable of a direct missile strike on Australia and the threat of such a move is growing as Beijing amasses long-range and hypersonic weapons and builds islands in the South China Sea.
China’s capacity to strike Australia would grow over the next decade as “the DF-27 intermediate-range ballistic missile, and potentially a conventionally armed intercontinental ballistic missile, grow in service numbers”, the Sydney-based group said.
China condemned the report’s “serious strategic misjudgement” on Monday, saying it was committed to “a path of peaceful development”.
“The growth of China’s military strength represents an increase in the forces for world peace,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a news briefing.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian during a press conference on March 20, 2026. Photo: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“China’s development of military strength is intended to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests and is not directed at any specific country,” he added.
The report found the main threat to Australia was from Chinese missiles fired from ships, submarines and a new intermediate-range ballistic missile that could reach the island continent from China.
The DF-27 missile has a range of 5,000 to 8,000 kilometres (3,100 to 5,000 miles), the US military said in December.
The report said it was assessing Beijing’s capability and not its intentions.
Lin urged the “relevant institutions” on Monday to “stop hyping up the so-called China threat” and to view the country’s development in an objective, fair and rational manner.
Australia reshaped its military strategy three years ago in response to China’s rapid navy build-up and rising friction between Beijing and Washington, focusing on deterring an adversary from its northern approaches.
Researchers in Australia have created the largest map of cosmic magnetic fields ever assembled, revealing the invisible forces that shape galaxies across the Universe.
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Researchers in Australia have created the largest map of cosmic magnetic fields ever assembled, revealing the invisible forces that shape galaxies across the Universe.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale said Wednesday he would be “reviewing” his country’s secretive 2022 security pact with China, which rattled Canberra and Washington.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale speaks during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on June 3, 2026. Photo: Hilary Wardhaugh/AFP.
Asked about that pact alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Solomons leader — who was elected last month — said he had been “praying and fast
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale said Wednesday he would be “reviewing” his country’s secretive 2022 security pact with China, which rattled Canberra and Washington.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale speaks during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on June 3, 2026. Photo: Hilary Wardhaugh/AFP.
Asked about that pact alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Solomons leader — who was elected last month — said he had been “praying and fasting” about the Chinese security deal.
“We are going to be reviewing, as we are reviewing other security agreements that we have with many other countries,” he said.
Australia and the United States have been sharply critical of the deal over concerns it could allow a permanent Chinese navy presence in the South Pacific.
It was signed under one of Wale’s predecessors, Manasseh Sogavare, who was seen as Beijing’s staunchest ally in the South Pacific.
Wale said the deal contained a non-disclosure agreement and he had not seen it until just before his visit to Australia.
“I have had to remove certain people from key positions. I have not been afforded a copy, even, of that agreement, until a day before I left, so I have not had a good look at it,” he told a news conference in Canberra.
Australia is the largest aid donor to the country of 800,000 people that sits 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) to its north-east and historically provided police support during crises.
After the Solomons switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019 and struck the security pact, relations with Canberra and Washington deteriorated.
China quickly became the strategically located Pacific island state’s largest bilateral creditor, with Solomon Islands’ debt to Chinese banks for infrastructure projects doubling last year.
Seeking to counter Beijing’s influence, Australia has seized the opportunity to rebuild ties, hosting Wale on his first international visit as leader.
Albanese said Wednesday the two countries would begin work on a “comprehensive” new treaty as well as deepen ties in policing, with Australia seeking to be the top security partner for the Pacific.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on June 3, 2026. Photo: Anthony Albanese, via Facebook.
The treaty will be “underpinned by mutual trust, respect, and open dialogue”, the prime minister said.
Deals on policing, infrastructure
“We have sought a reset in this relationship — we acknowledge there have been problems over the last few years,” Wale told reporters.
The Pacific should turn to other countries within the region for their security, he stressed.
The leaders also agreed to push ahead with a major police training deal.
Australia’s offer to fund the expansion of the Solomons own police force had stalled under the previous Solomon Islands government, which allowed Chinese police to enter villages to collect household and biometric data.
Wale also said he was in discussions with Australia and the United States for financing for critical infrastructure such as ports.
Former Solomon Islands prime minister Sogavare rejected US offers of infrastructure grants, instead opting to partner with Chinese state companies.
Australia has sought to bind South Pacific countries closer by striking treaties with a string of small but strategically located island states, Tuvalu, Nauru and Papua New Guinea offering significant economic support in return for curbs on Chinese security ties.
Vanuatu and Fiji have said they are close to signing similar deals.
Derrick Borte’s Russell Crowe L.A.-set action-thriller Bear County sent a frisson through Hollywood last year when it was announced the production was shooting on Australia’s Gold Coast. Russell stars as an ageing L.A. night club owner whose plans for a comfortable retirement are put on hold when he robbed by a masked gunman. He is […]
Derrick Borte’s Russell Crowe L.A.-set action-thriller Bear County sent a frisson through Hollywood last year when it was announced the production was shooting on Australia’s Gold Coast. Russell stars as an ageing L.A. night club owner whose plans for a comfortable retirement are put on hold when he robbed by a masked gunman. He is […]
Nine-year-old visiting relatives in Punjab province when police opened fire on car, local media reportFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA nine-year-old Australian girl has been killed and two of her family members injured after reportedly being shot by police in Pakistan.The family were visiting a relative in Chakwal, in Punjab province, when they were robbed while in their rental car on Wednesday night local time, Pa
A nine-year-old Australian girl has been killed and two of her family members injured after reportedly being shot by police in Pakistan.
The family were visiting a relative in Chakwal, in Punjab province, when they were robbed while in their rental car on Wednesday night local time, Pakistani English-language news outlet Dawn reported.
Australian production company Titantale Film is mid-shoot on “Tanabata: The Evening of the Seventh,” a supernatural romance drama starring Japanese actor Yamada Takayuki. The project, fully funded out of Australia with production service partners in Japan, spans three historical periods – Edo-period Japan, 1865 New South Wales and 2027 Australia – following three incarnations of […]
Australian production company Titantale Film is mid-shoot on “Tanabata: The Evening of the Seventh,” a supernatural romance drama starring Japanese actor Yamada Takayuki. The project, fully funded out of Australia with production service partners in Japan, spans three historical periods – Edo-period Japan, 1865 New South Wales and 2027 Australia – following three incarnations of […]
Aussie~mobs posted a photo:
The building was named after the Hon. W. Forgan Smith, Premier of Queensland, 1932 -1942, and University Chancellor in 1944.
The Forgan Smith Building is the centrepiece of the Great Court complex at the core of The University of Queensland’s St. Lucia campus.
The foundation stone of the Forgan Smith Building was laid in 1937, and the building was officially opened in 1949, although not completed until 1952. Sandstone carvings are a feature of the Central Court
The building was named after the Hon. W. Forgan Smith, Premier of Queensland, 1932 -1942, and University Chancellor in 1944.
The Forgan Smith Building is the centrepiece of the Great Court complex at the core of The University of Queensland’s St. Lucia campus.
The foundation stone of the Forgan Smith Building was laid in 1937, and the building was officially opened in 1949, although not completed until 1952. Sandstone carvings are a feature of the Central Court as well as on the façade of the building around the Law and Arts Entrances. These depict historical scenes and figures, the names of great thinkers and teachers, coats of arms, grotesques and carvings of Australian flora and fauna.
(QUT info)
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