'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Scott Morrison said his conservative government had left Australia in a robust condition, even as voters on Saturday punished him for his handling of issues including climate change and the pandemic that helped return the centre-left opposition to power for the first time in almost a decade.
Morrison, 54, said he would step down as head of the Liberal party -- the senior member of the conservative coalition that had ruled since 2013 -- after conceding defeat to the Labor party and its leader Anthony Albanese.
A former tourism marketer before switching to politics, Morrison was labeled the "accidental prime minister" in 2018 when his government colleagues chose him to replace then-leader Malcolm Turnbull. Morrison sprung a major surprise by leading the coalition to victory in a 2019 election said to be unwinnable.
He has since been deeply criticized for dragging the chain on climate change and for not establishing a promised integrity and corruption watchdog overseeing national politicians.
He was also scorned for taking a vacation in Hawaii during Australia's major bushfire crisis in the summer of 2019-20, for his government's bungling of the country's COVID-19 vaccination program, and more lately, for being at the helm while South Pacific neighbors, the Solomon Islands, struck up a strategic partnership with China.
Morrison was also widely condemned for a perceived lack of empathy in relation to the treatment of women in Australian society, an issue that drew intense scrutiny through damaging revelations of sexual harassment scandals that rocked federal Parliament. Analysts pointed to this area as part of the reason for such a strong vote for the so-called teal independents in Saturday's election, the majority of whom were women.
Still Morrison, after congratulating Albanese, struck a proud and defiant tone in defending his and his government's record, focusing on the economy, his administration's work to stop refugees coming to the country by boats, and on bolstering the nation's defenses.
"We hand over this country as a government in a stronger position than when we inherited it when we came to government (in 2013)," Morrison told a gathering of Liberal supporters in Sydney late Saturday night.
"Unemployment today is at the lowest level in 48 years," he said, referencing a rate of 3.9%.
"Australians leaving school, leaving university, getting their trades, know they have the confidence of being out there and able to get a job and to be able to realize their aspirations, and that's what I wish for them, that's what I wish for this country," he said.
"We leave government, having secured our borders many years ago, and we leave government having restored our nation's defenses," he added, mentioning the recently created security alliance known as AUKUS that also includes the United States and the United Kingdom.
Morrison also praised his government's work on health issues, particularly mental health.
He said it had been a "privilege to lead this great party and lead this great nation" but that he, as leader, would "take responsibility for the wins and the losses".
"As a result I will be handing over the leadership at the next party room meeting, to ensure that the party can be taken forward under new leadership," he said.
"It's a night of disappointment,but it's also a time for coalition members and supporters all across the country to hold their heads high. We have been a strong government. We have been a good government. Australia is stronger as a result of our efforts over these last three terms."
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.