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Australian news and politics
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One Nation has claimed the South Australian seat of MacKillop, giving the party its third seat in the state's lower house and cementing a remarkable expansion of minor party representation in Australian politics. Jason Virgo, a former immigration detention system worker on Christmas Island, won the rural electorate.
Dezi Freeman, the man accused of shooting dead two police officers at Porepunkah in north-east Victoria last August, has been killed by armed police after a seven-month manhunt that gripped the state. Victorian police confirmed the shooting occurred shortly after 8.30am on Monday at a rural property where Freeman was believed to have been hiding in a shipping container.
Pop superstar Kylie Minogue has been named as the headline act for the 2026 AFL grand final pre-match entertainment, making her the first Australian artist to headline the event since 2021. The announcement ends a five-year stretch during which international acts were chosen over homegrown talent.
Winds from Tropical Cyclone Narelle have stirred up rust-coloured dust from iron-rich soil across Western Australia, turning the sky an eerie, apocalyptic blood red that has been compared to the surface of Mars. The dramatic atmospheric phenomenon follows the cyclone's devastating landfall that left the town of Exmouth cut off.
Participants in Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme are waiting more than 100 days for vital support equipment due to systemic delays in processing plan variations, with one man waiting six months for a wheelchair that was obsolete by the time it arrived.
The safety of rideshare services in Australia has come under intense scrutiny after a baby was killed in a Perth crash and the Albanese government warned platforms like Uber are failing to properly respond to predatory drivers.
Victoria and Tasmania have announced free public transport in response to soaring fuel prices caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with Victoria offering free travel for all of April and Tasmania extending the measure through to July.
Senior shadow minister Andrew Hastie has warned that the credibility of the United States is being damaged and that Australians may be losing faith in the alliance, in some of the most pointed comments from a senior Coalition figure on the state of the US relationship.
The Northern Territory coroner will investigate after two people died in custody within a single week, with a 26-year-old man dying in a cell at Darwin correctional centre on Saturday morning just days after a 25-year-old man died in a police car on Tuesday.
Chinese students continue to provide the largest share of international student revenue for Australian universities, but experts are warning that enrolment numbers are set to decline significantly — potentially threatening the financial model that much of the sector depends on.
The Prime Minister has announced new emergency powers to help private importers bring more fuel into Australia, while calling out fuel hoarders who are exacerbating the crisis through panic buying as diesel prices remain above three dollars a litre.
A Brisbane-based visual artist has been contacted by police and told he could face jail time for artworks made in support of Palestine, in what appears to be one of the first enforcement actions under Queensland's new hate speech laws.
Darwin's ambulance service has reached what officials describe as a critical failure point after 42 per cent of Triple Zero calls were abandoned overnight, with 61 emergency calls going unanswered as the system buckled under pressure.
The Victorian government has announced sweeping changes to the state's rental laws that will take effect next week, making it easier and less expensive for prospective tenants to secure housing in one of Australia's tightest rental markets.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle was downgraded to a tropical low on Saturday morning after making landfall in Western Australia on Friday as a category 3 system, but authorities warned storm-ravaged communities not to let their guard down as destructive winds and flash flooding continued to threaten inland areas and Perth.
The Australian government will take on the financial risk of importing essential products affected by the war in the Middle East, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing new fuel security powers on Saturday after a month of soaring diesel and petrol prices and widespread shortages at service stations.
A senior Australian defence official has warned that abandoning the AUKUS submarine deal with the United States and United Kingdom would leave Australia with no submarine capability at all, declining to publicly contemplate any alternative plan.
Thousands of Australians woke without power on Friday after a series of wild autumn storms soaked communities in multiple states, while the high country recorded its first significant snowfall of 2026 with around 4cm settling at Perisher ski resort.
The national peak body for aged care providers is calling on the federal government to provide urgent support to keep services running, as the Middle East war sends fuel prices skyrocketing and threatens the viability of in-home care across regional Australia.
Almost 400,000 Australians experienced physical assault in 2024-2025, according to new victimisation data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, equating to more than 1,000 assaults per day across the country.
A severe storm has torn through Sydney, causing 11,000 power outages and bringing public transport to a standstill. Fire and Rescue NSW has responded to more than 400 calls for help, including an incident where a tree fell on a house trapping an occupant inside.
The Australian property market is showing clear signs of strain as the national auction clearance rate fell to just under 57 per cent last week — the lowest point this year — with Sydney's rate dropping to 55 per cent as higher interest rates and Iran war-linked price rises sap buyer confidence.
One Nation has sent shockwaves through Australian politics after achieving more than 21 per cent of the statewide primary vote in the South Australian election, beating the Liberal Party to become the second-highest polling party in the state.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has invoked emergency powers to force fuel suppliers to ship petrol and diesel to regional Australia, in what is being described as the biggest government intervention in fuel markets since World War Two. The move comes as rising prices at the bowser force thousands of Australians to cancel Easter getaway plans.
More Australians are switching to electric vehicles amid the ongoing fuel crisis, with one dealer reporting a 20 per cent lift in sales as diesel prices push past three dollars a litre and daily commute costs hit 50 dollars. The pragmatic shift comes as Australia took a firmer diplomatic stance at the United Nations, co-sponsoring a resolution condemning Iran's attacks on Gulf states.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle is again intensifying into a severe storm off Western Australia's Kimberley coast, with communities in the world heritage-listed Shark Bay preparing for a potential direct hit on Friday night as the system builds toward category four strength.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has triggered tough new immigration laws banning Iranian tourists from entering Australia for six months, a move affecting more than 7,000 people with valid visas and drawing accusations of a massive betrayal from affected communities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called a national cabinet meeting to address the escalating fuel crisis as diesel prices pass three dollars a litre nationwide, with economists warning the economic shock is equivalent to three interest rate rises hitting households simultaneously.
A cross-party Senate inquiry has concluded that climate change and energy misinformation is fuelling conflict in Australian communities, slowing renewable energy projects, and undermining policy responses to the climate crisis.
Jetstar has announced it is reducing flights between Australia and New Zealand due to the rising cost of jet fuel driven by the war in the Middle East, marking another direct economic impact of the Iran conflict on Australian consumers.
The multimillion-dollar concussion class action against the AFL has expanded significantly, with eight new players joining the lawsuit and ten additional clubs named as defendants. The case is led by former Geelong star Max Rooke.
The Japanese-owned vessel Iron Maiden is set to become the first known ship to dock in Australia after escaping the Strait of Hormuz, where it had been stranded in the Persian Gulf since the US and Israel launched their initial strikes on Iran on February 28.
A Sydney teenager with what authorities describe as a mixed ideology allegedly planned terror acts, with weapons found during a raid of his inner west home and extremist material later discovered on his devices.
Food insecurity is spreading across Australian suburbs with lines at food relief services doubling, as experts warn that grocery prices are likely to increase further due to the war in the Middle East.
Mel Schilling, the psychologist and relationship expert known for her role on Married at First Sight, has died at the age of 54 from brain cancer. Her husband Gareth Brisbane announced the news on social media, saying she "passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love."
Independent senator David Pocock has delivered an impassioned speech in the Senate, recounting stories of young men who have confided in him about their gambling addiction and declaring the Albanese government has failed Australians by not banning gambling advertisements. The speech comes exactly 1,000 days after Peta Murphy's landmark multipartisan report called for a comprehensive ban.
Exhausted residents in the Northern Territory town of Katherine are once again on alert as they prepare for further possible major flooding on Wednesday. The community, still recovering from recent flood damage, faces the prospect of another devastating inundation as the Bureau of Meteorology issues fresh warnings.
The fuel crisis gripping Australia has reached a dire new milestone, with more than 50 service stations across New South Wales now completely out of fuel. Meanwhile, truck drivers are warning their businesses face collapse if they cannot pass on the soaring costs to consumers, raising the spectre of supply chain disruptions on top of already record prices at the pump.
Australian consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level on record as the combined effects of interest rate rises and the Iran war drive households into a pessimistic spiral that economists warn could become self-reinforcing.
Classes have been halted across Victoria as thousands of striking public school teachers, principals, and education support staff prepare to rally at state parliament in the first strike in the state's public school system in more than 13 years.
Two Australian states have simultaneously announced major crackdowns on e-bikes and e-scooters, with Queensland proposing mandatory licence requirements for riders and New South Wales introducing legislation to give authorities the power to seize and physically crush illegal high-powered e-motorbikes.
Australia and the European Union are set to sign a free trade agreement that has been almost a decade in the making, though some industry groups have expressed opposition to the terms of the deal.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions has lodged a claim for a five per cent pay increase for the country's lowest-paid workers, warning it may push the demand even higher as global conflict and energy price volatility continue to fuel inflation. The claim comes as Australian households face mounting pressure from rising fuel prices, higher interest rates, and growing food costs.
The Australian Medical Association Queensland has sharply criticised the state government's proposal to scrap drug diversion laws, warning that removing the three-strikes system will funnel people with addiction into the criminal justice system rather than toward treatment.
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock spent two million dollars on a new four-bedroom home on the north coast of New South Wales on March 17 — the same day the central bank lifted the official cash rate, adding to the financial burden on millions of Australian mortgage holders.
Deputy opposition leader Jane Hume has criticised Energy Minister Chris Bowen suggestion that Australians should work from home more in response to the growing fuel crisis, calling it tone-deaf to the reality facing workers who cannot do their jobs remotely.
Thousands of ABC journalists and staff will walk off the job on Wednesday for the first time in two decades after 60 per cent voted against the broadcaster latest pay offer, while Tasmanian public school teachers are also striking this week despite negotiations getting closer to a deal.
A federal government agency warned of the potential for severe economic impact from a fuel supply disruption nine months before the Iran war triggered the oil crisis that has sent Australian petrol prices to record highs and strained the national economy.
Nearly half of Australians believe a foreign military will attack the country within five years, according to a new study from the Australian National University's National Security College. The report found that two-thirds of those polled in 2026 were worried about national security issues, with the sharpest increase in anxiety among young adults aged 18 to 24.
Australian data centres should actively support the renewable energy transition if they want to maintain priority access to the electricity grid, according to new guidelines that acknowledge the massive energy and water demands of AI infrastructure as a growing risk to national resources.