Latest from Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney Morning Herald
20 minutes ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Connecting remote Australian communities to the world
We're now on the precipice of the next giant leap in connectivity, as the nbn network prepares for a great acceleration. See all 8 stories. Connecting the furthest corners of the country, the nbn network unlocks access to essential services and new opportunities, which can improve the lives of Australians in remote communities. In a country as vast as Australia, it's critical to ensure that the benefits of access to reliable home internet aren't just available to city dwellers. In many ways, distance means that enhanced connectivity is even more important to those who live in remote communities. Australians who live far from the amenities and infrastructure that others take for granted depend on reliable internet to access critical services and take advantage of a broader range of economic opportunities. Telehealth ensures that all Australians have access to world-class medical services, while high-speed broadband also enables the transfer of large files such as radiology scans. Remote learning allows Australians to study at the nation's best universities without the need to relocate, and as more businesses embrace remote working, employers can tap into a wealth of talent from coast to coast, not just in major cities. Emerging home-entertainment technologies are also more demanding when it comes to bandwidth. Streaming 4K video can require three to four times more data than full high definition, while cloud gaming can consume 14 to 24 times more data than full high-definition video streaming. The evolution of the nbn network for remote connectivity The good news is that Australia's broadband infrastructure is evolving to try and meet these growing needs. When it comes to broadband connectivity, the nbn has significantly expanded the full Fibre To The Premises footprint, offering upgrade options to all premises still connected by Fibre To The Node, while wireless alternatives allow Aussies who live outside major population centres to stay connected to the information superhighway. nbn's Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster satellites are two of the key technologies connecting remote Australians to the internet. These technologies continue to be upgraded to improve performance and keep pace with growing demand.
Sydney Morning Herald
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Foolish error': NSW Labor staffers face arrest after defying summons
Five political staffers working for Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley face being arrested and detained in Parliament House after they defied a summons on Friday and refused to give evidence at an upper house inquiry. In a dramatic escalation in the growing tension between Minns and the upper house, inquiry chair and independent MP Rod Roberts met with the Legislative Council president Ben Franklin late on Friday to ask him to seek arrest warrants from the Supreme Court. Franklin will consider the matter over the weekend but if the five are arrested, it will be unprecedented, and they would be detained, probably in Parliament House, before being forced to front the inquiry and give evidence. The five refused to appear before the inquiry into the Dural caravan incident, which is investigating details relating to the discovery of an explosives-laden caravan in northern Sydney in January. The caravan contained a note referencing the Great Synagogue and the Sydney Jewish Museum, and Minns described it as an act of terrorism which could have caused mass casualties. After the discovery, new race-hate laws were rushed through NSW parliament. Minns later acknowledged that he was also initially briefed by police that the caravan plot may have been the work of opportunistic criminal gangs and not terrorism. Minns and Catley were asked to appear before the inquiry to answer questions about the timing of briefings they received in relation to the caravan discovery but because they are lower house MPs, they are not obliged and cannot be compelled to front the upper house. The committee then called the five staffers, which include Minns and Catley's chiefs of staff and senior advisers. They declined the invitation, arguing that political staffers should not be called before a parliamentary inquiry.
Sydney Morning Herald
35 minutes ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Paul Snowden opens up on split with dad as new stable makes city debut
Paul Snowden says he was dirty on racing and didn't know if he was finished with the game after the split with his father, Peter, last year. Now building his own team on a 60-acre property half an hour from the Port Macquarie track, Snowden is happy to be heading back to Randwick on Saturday with his first city runner, Lunaite, as a solo trainer since the end of his 10-year partnership with Peter 11 months ago. Opening up for the first time about the split, Paul said: 'We hadn't been getting along for probably the last 10 years. 'We sort of kept it under wraps from everyone for a little while, so it was nothing new. I just wanted a change. 'I didn't know if I was finished in the industry. I was dirty on it. I didn't know if it was because of my work relationship with him, or I just needed to start again. 'After about a month I worked out, it's just a job. Since I've been up here, it's been good.' The father-and-son team, with stables at Randwick and Flemington, was formed after their move away from Darley in 2014. They went on to win more than 1260 races, including 20 group 1s and the first two editions of The Everest, with Redzel. Paul, though, said he had desires to go out on his own even before the partnership. 'I always knew I was going to be in his shadow all the time, and I didn't want that,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
36 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
On omakase restaurant in Redfern that turns dinner into a show
Previous SlideNext Slide There's a new rendition of Stairway to Heaven. You'll find it at R by Raita Noda, a 15-seat Japanese fine diner, nestled on the ground floor of Redfern dining precinct, Wunderlich Lane. Chef-owner Raita Noda's signature dish features a tiered flight of sashimi, which climbs in flavour and texture with each perspex step. Buttery bass groper is preceded by Tasmanian sea urchin with cuttlefish ravioli, with the rich, buttery otoro (fatty) bluefin tuna with smoked soy at the top. The restaurant offers an intimate omakase-like experience that Noda calls 'theatre dining'. All 15 seats are positioned around an open kitchen, where Noda and his son and sous-chef Momotaro Noda slice, dice, fillet, poach, sear and fry as part of the show.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
CMFEU take to Queensland streets again
National CMFEU members have taken to the streets of Queensland in a second day of strike action.
