About 300 staff of National Australia Bank have been fired or left the company as a result of internal investigations into wrongdoing, Chief Executive Andrew Thorburn said on Friday (Oct 19), following public revelations of misconduct across the sector. A pedestrian walks past a branch of the National Australia Bank (NAB) in Sydney on May 5, 2016. (Photo: AFP/Peter Parks) Thorburn said he was ashamed of the bank's behavior and admitted he had been wrong to oppose a commission of inquiry which has exposed scandal after scandal in the country's greed-driven banking culture. "It's been a particularly difficult and shameful year," Thorburn told a parliamentary committee in his first public comments since the quasi-judicial inquiry began hearing evidence of financial sector wrongdoing earlier this year. More than 1,200 staff had been questioned about their adherence to the bank's code of conduct as part of the internal probe, he said. Seven hundred of those questioned were found … [Read more...] about National Australia Bank cuts 300 staff over wrongdoing
Australia
Five Vietnamese nationals in Australia part of $2.8mln cannabis operation
Hundreds of cannabis plants were found in six separate homes in the suburbs of Maitland, New South Wales during multiple raids in the area by local police in February, the Wednesday report said. Vuong Luu Quoc, Anh Quang Pham, Tuan Dac Trinh and Kim Phuong admitted in the Newcastle Local Court Wednesday to “crop sitting” the cannabis plants at homes in Tenambit, Heddon Greta and Morpeth in February. “Crop sitting” refers to the act of living inside homes while watering and keeping watch on cannabis plants grown there. Anh Thy Vu, wife of Quoc, pleaded guilty to "concealing a serious indictable offense" after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) withdrew a charge of "cultivating a commercial quantity of a prohibited plant," quoted The Herald. She was said to not have been involved in the cultivation of the cannabis plants. Quoc and Pham pleaded guilty to “cultivating a commercial quantity of a prohibited plant.” Quoc, Pham, Trinh and Phuong will … [Read more...] about Five Vietnamese nationals in Australia part of $2.8mln cannabis operation
Australia’s Queensland state legalises abortion
Activists in favour of the legalisation of abortion march for the first time since the rejection of the abortion bill by the Argentine Senate, during the Day of Global Action for Legal, Safe and Free abortion in Buenos Aires, on September 28, 2018. — AFP/VNA Photo Viet Nam News SYDNEY — Queensland lawmakers have voted to legalise abortion, overturning a century-old "morality" law and capping a 50-year campaign in Australia’s most conservative state. The state parliament approved 50-41 late Wednesday the law allowing women to terminate pregnancies at up to 22 weeks, and later with the approval of two doctors. The legislation also creates 150-metre "safe access" zones around clinics offering abortions where protests are banned, and it requires doctors who refuse to perform abortions to refer women elsewhere. Pro-choice campaigners had been seeking since the 1970s to overturn an 1899 criminal code adopted from British law that criminalised abortion as an … [Read more...] about Australia’s Queensland state legalises abortion
Australia says trade agreement with Indonesia on track despite Israel comments
Australia says trade agreement with Indonesia on track despite Israel commentsThe Saigon Times Daily Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, October 16, 2018 – PHOTO: REUTERS SYDNEY (REUTERS) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday a billion-dollar free trade agreement with Indonesia will be signed this year, despite Indonesian concern over an Australian proposal to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Morrison said on Tuesday he was open to Australia moving its mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the United States did in May to the delight of Israel but to the fury of Palestinians. Morrison's willingness to reverse decades of foreign policy and follow the U.S. lead alienated many of Australia's Asian neighbors that have close alliances with Palestinians. It also drew condemnation from 13 Arab ambassadors in Australia who called the suggestion regrettable and … [Read more...] about Australia says trade agreement with Indonesia on track despite Israel comments
Australia becomes fourth signatory country to ratify CPTPP
The Parliament House of Australia in Canberra. (Photo: VNA) Sydney (VNA) – The Australian Senate passed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on October 17, making Australia the fourth signatory country to ratify the trade deal. The CPTPP was passed by the Australian House of Representatives last month. “It's a big, important day for businesses all around the country, and it’s the product of a Government that gets it,” Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra. “It's a process our government was very committed to. When others said this couldn't be done, our government continued on and made sure we could connect Australia to half a billion consumers around the world and some almost 14 trillion USD worth of economies that are there that we can now access,” he added. It is important that the agreement comes into effect this year, said Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism … [Read more...] about Australia becomes fourth signatory country to ratify CPTPP