Australia

Hanson overshadows Taylor at CPAC, offers to govern with Coalition

Pauline Hanson commanded the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Brisbane on Saturday, drawing the warmest response from the crowd as she offered to set aside past grievances with the Coalition to form government after the next election. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, the billed keynote speaker, struggled to win over the audience with a mea culpa for past Coalition 'mistakes'.

10 Oct 2026· 9 sources

Butters joins Western Bulldogs on record nine-year deal worth up to $17.5 million

Zak Butters, 26, is officially a Western Bulldog after the AFL on Friday approved a trade involving five clubs. His record nine-year contract, worth between $17 million and $17.5 million, is the biggest in AFL history in total value. Butters said the move fulfilled a childhood dream and described the Bulldogs as on the cusp of "something special".

10 Oct 2026· 3 sources

Teenager dies in head-on crash on Picton Road, south-west of Sydney

A teenage driver has died after a head-on collision on Picton Road at Wilton in Sydney's far south-west early on Saturday morning, with police calling for dashcam footage as they investigate the crash.

10 Oct 2026· 6 sources

Advocates urge taxpayer-funded weight-loss drugs for women with PMOS

Australian advocates are calling for GLP-1 weight-loss medications to be subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for women living with PMOS, a chronic hormonal condition formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome that affects one in eight women.

10 Oct 2026· 2 sources

Wishart stabbing victim dies, murder charge upgraded

A 32-year-old man has died after being stabbed at a home in Wishart, leading police to upgrade the charge against the accused from grievous bodily harm to murder. The accused, also 32, is scheduled to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

10 Oct 2026· 8 sources

Top cop defends decision not to alert public to attempted abduction

A senior police officer has defended a decision not to issue a public alert following an attempted abduction, according to reports published on 9 October 2026.

Farnham musical to tell Eureka Stockade story, not the singer's life, Cassel reveals

A musical built around John Farnham's songs has been taking shape for more than a decade, with producer Michael Cassel revealing the show will use an original story set around the 1854 Eureka Stockade rather than a biography of the singer. Gaynor Wheatley, who took over as Farnham's manager, is helping bring the project to the stage, according to a Good Weekend feature.

CFMEU insider questions construction probes' effectiveness as Queensland inquiry nears interim report

A Victorian CFMEU insider and former industrial lawyer has made a rare public intervention, questioning whether Queensland's powerful probe into the union and construction sector and its looming Victorian counterpart will deliver on their promised actions, as the Queensland inquiry prepares to release an interim report this month.

Matildas Trailing 2-1 to Germany Despite Kerr Goal

Australia's Matildas trail world No.3 Germany 2-1 at the 64-minute mark, having seen captain Sam Kerr score the team's goal but later leave the pitch with an apparent injury. The visitors took the lead before half-time and extended it early in the second half, despite a rare quadruple substitution by coach Joe Montemurro.

Alzheimer's Gene Test Brings Certainty and Raises Hope for Change

At 9.30 am on June 16, 2022, Megan, a 55-year-old former nurse from rural Victoria, logged onto a Zoom call that would confirm she carries the gene mutation for early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The result was expected: her mother died at 65 after 15 years with the disease, and multiple other relatives also succumbed. Yet the diagnosis—a 100 per cent guarantee she will develop the condition—brings a new urgency to the question posed by the feature article: are treatments for dementia finally changing?

Northbridge venue owners warn proposed noise caps will 'silence' entertainment precinct

Nightclub owners in Perth's Northbridge entertainment precinct say the state government's proposed noise caps are so restrictive that no venue will voluntarily comply, warning the new regulations would effectively silence the area's nightlife.

NT government rejects $6.5m funding as 120 First Nations residents face Sunday eviction in Darwin

More than 120 First Nations people, including Yolngu woman Fiona Dhawunymurruwuy, will be evicted from an emergency housing facility in Darwin on Sunday after the Northern Territory government declined $6.5m to keep it open, a decision it called a waste of taxpayers' money.

Nationals face One Nation threat in regional Victoria as voters grow frustrated

The Victorian Nationals are defending their seats against a surging One Nation, with polls showing the far-right party’s support hovering around 20 per cent statewide and even higher in regional areas. Internal Labor polling leaked in June suggested the Nationals could face a wipeout at November's state election, and another poll commissioned by Trades Hall projected the party losing at least three seats to Pauline Hanson's party.

Australia Asked Too Much of Nic Maddinson on Durban Return

Nic Maddinson, returning to Test cricket after a decade and recovery from testicular cancer, managed only a 33-ball duck on day one of the first Test against South Africa in Durban, the third longest such start by an opener in Test history. The performance underscored ongoing concerns about Australia's batting stability, as the tourists continued a pattern of first-innings vulnerabilities.

Ponga to make Kiwi debut after eligibility rule change

Kalyn Ponga will pull on the New Zealand jersey for the first time in Thursday's Rugby League World Cup opener against Australia, after a change to State of Origin eligibility rules allowed the Newcastle Knights star to represent the country of his heritage.

Friend of Snowtown killer James Vlassakis gives rare insight into post-prison plans

A friend of convicted Snowtown killer James Vlassakis has offered a rare insight into his plans for a new life, after Vlassakis took his first steps back into the community.

Sam Wood denied bail and moved to high-security Brisbane prison on domestic violence charges

Lifestyle and fitness entrepreneur Sam Wood has been refused bail on domestic violence charges and moved to a high-security prison in Brisbane, after his step-daughter contacted Queensland police alleging he strangled his wife.

Wallabies face All Blacks at Eden Park with confidence under new coach Les Kiss

The Wallabies enter Saturday's Test against the All Blacks at Eden Park with growing confidence after an unbeaten series in Argentina and a victory over the Springboks, according to a ratings preview by Paul Cully. The match represents another opportunity for Australia to break their losing record at the Auckland venue.

AIS job cuts raise fears for Australia's 2032 Olympic preparations

The Australian Sports Commission is cutting 40 to 50 roles across its high-performance arm, the Australian Institute of Sport, prompting warnings that Australia's preparations for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics could stall. The reduction of about 10 per cent of the commission's almost 550-strong workforce is being made to account for a $15 million funding shortfall, and comes as Cathy Freeman helps promote the Brisbane Games.

Victims identified in Tinana dam crash: 10-year-old Arliyah and stepmother Lisa

The woman and child killed when their car crashed into a dam near Maryborough have been identified as 10-year-old Arliyah and her stepmother Lisa, 36. The pair died on Thursday afternoon after their blue Subaru Tribeca left McDonald Road at Tinana South, crashed through a fence and became submerged upside down in a dam on a neighbouring property.

9 Oct 2026· 4 sources

Melbourne teacher accused of filming hundreds of children in school toilets

A primary school teacher has been accused of secretly filming young children using school toilets on more than 357 occasions over six months at Kingswood Primary School in Melbourne's southeast. Timothy Blamires, 33, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, where charge sheets revealed the alleged use of hidden spy cameras installed inside fragrance dispensers.

Teen driver Alice Buckley targets Supercars drought after shock Bathurst qualifying

Nineteen-year-old Alice Buckley is chasing a place in Supercars history this weekend at Mount Panorama, where the only female driver in the Super2 feeder series stunned in qualifying and hopes one day soon to become the first full-time woman in the main championship since 2019.

North board approved mammoth Blakey offer amid police investigation

North Melbourne's board has approved an eight-year, $12 million offer to recruit Sydney Swans defender Nick Blakey, who nominated the Kangaroos as his preferred destination on Friday while a Victoria Police investigation continues into allegations arising from the Sydney Swans' Pullman hotel incident.

WA Premier says new Ombudsman information could open door for coronial inquest into Hawke children deaths

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook says new information released by the state Ombudsman on the deaths of three children in the Pilbara could provide grounds for a coronial inquest, though he stopped short of ordering one. The children – aged ten, seven and four months – were murdered by their mother Margaret Hawke in South Hedland in 2022.

Five years on, western Sydney remembers lockdown’s ‘dystopian’ divide

Sunday will mark five years to the day since western Sydney’s 2021 lockdown restrictions were lifted, and a new account of the period recalls a ‘dystopian’ landscape of police helicopters, military doorknocks, 9pm curfews and grief conducted over Zoom.

9 Oct 2026· 4 sources

Queensland ambulance ramping barely improved, casting doubt on LNP election promise

New Queensland Health data shows ambulance ramping across the state's major emergency departments has barely improved since the LNP government took power in 2024, casting serious doubt on Premier David Crisafulli's election pledge to reduce the rate below 30% before the next poll.

Uncapped flyer Dudley Dotoi aims to prove NRL worth at Rugby League World Cup

Dudley Dotoi, the uncapped Papua New Guinea winger with 62 tries from just 53 appearances in the Queensland Cup, will use this year's Rugby League World Cup as a platform to secure an NRL contract, according to former Kangaroo and Townsville Blackhawks coach Terry Campese.

Parents of slain Australian surfers plead for maximum sentence as Mexico verdict looms

The parents of Australian surfers Jake and Callum Robinson, shot dead in Mexico two years ago, have asked a court in Ensenada to lock up their sons' three accused killers for life, telling the judge that their "world stopped" on the day the brothers were murdered.

9 Oct 2026· 2 sources

Ryan dismisses Frydenberg abuse claims as book fuels Kooyong rematch speculation

Independent MP Monique Ryan has dismissed former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg as dwelling on the past after he accused her supporters of waging a campaign thick with personal abuse during the 2022 election, as Liberal frontbenchers back him for a potential rematch in the Melbourne seat of Kooyong.

Albanese government abandons plan to cut disaster recovery funding after backlash

The Albanese government has scrapped its controversial proposal to reduce federal disaster recovery funding to a 50-50 split with states and territories, bowing to fierce opposition from state leaders and local councils. Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced on Friday that the current 75-25 arrangement will stay in place.

9 Oct 2026· 4 sources

Squalor reports in Pilbara trigger national probe into Indigenous child welfare

The national Indigenous children's commissioner has launched an independent review into how social welfare is delivered to vulnerable families in Western Australia's Pilbara region, after reports emerged of more than a dozen children living unsupervised in squalor in a South Hedland home.

Chalmers steps in as ATO credit card ban delayed by a year

The Australian Taxation Office's plan to stop accepting credit card payments will no longer take effect at the end of next month, after the federal government negotiated with the independent agency to delay the change by a year. Treasurer Jim Chalmers will allocate additional funds to support the transition.

9 Oct 2026· 5 sources

WA officials forced to break law by keeping mentally impaired man in prison, judge finds

A Supreme Court judge has found that Western Australian officials were forced to break the law by keeping a mentally impaired man in prison because the state's only facility for mentally impaired prisoners did not have enough beds. Justice Terence Palmer ruled that the man, known only as SJQ, was denied appropriate psychiatric care for about two months at Hakea Prison despite a magistrate having ordered him sent to the Frankland Centre at Graylands Hospital for treatment of his treatment-resistant paranoid schizophrenia.

Backpacker ballot sparks fears of staffing crisis in coastal towns

Publicans and business owners on the New South Wales Mid North Coast say a new federal backpacker ballot, which caps second-year working holiday visas at 45,000 annual places, is already prompting employees to consider leaving Australia, threatening to deepen chronic labour shortages in the region.

9 Oct 2026· 2 sources

Twin brother in custody after man's body found in Perth backyard

Police have arrested the twin brother of a 29-year-old man whose body was found in the backyard of a Perth home with visible injuries, as the Homicide Squad continues its investigation.

9 Oct 2026· 7 sources

Bassist Dave Holland recalls joining Miles Davis with no rehearsal at age 21

British bassist Dave Holland, who joined jazz legend Miles Davis at age 21 with no rehearsal, no set list and no prior discussion, is set to perform with his band Aziza in Sydney and Melbourne this month. Holland, now a celebrated figure in jazz, spoke to The Age about his unexpected start with Davis and his enduring career.

Veterans launch class action over 'mass and routine' sharing of medical records

A class action has been launched against the federal government over allegations of "mass and routine sharing" of veterans' medical records across two decades, with the firm Gordon Legal serving the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) a privacy breach claim on Wednesday.

8 Oct 2026· 2 sources

Redeemer Baptist School flagged 15 times for child harm, never visited by authorities, inquiry reveals

A parliamentary inquiry has revealed that the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) received 15 risk of significant harm (ROSH) notifications involving children from Redeemer Baptist School in Parramatta since 2004, but never conducted a single face-to-face field assessment. The school, run by a church banned from caring for children, faces allegations of systemic abuse, extreme control and forced communal living, as former students and staff give evidence of sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual harm.

8 Oct 2026· 3 sources

Taylor and Abbott link Coalition migration clampdown to Bondi massacre

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and former prime minister Tony Abbott have linked the Coalition's proposed migration cuts to the Bondi massacre, framing the policy as a response to social cohesion concerns, while Labor pushes back on claims about the mix of migrants entering Australia.

Coalition links migration clampdown to Bondi terror attack

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and former prime minister Tony Abbott have linked the Coalition's migration clampdown to the Bondi massacre, as the opposition faces continued pressure to clearly explain the economic rationale for its plan.

Charges dropped for 12-year-old boy in Melbourne grocer's death

The youngest boy charged over the death of good Samaritan grocer Van Viet Truong in Sunshine has had all charges withdrawn. Prosecutors told a children's court they could not overcome the principle of doli incapax, which requires proving children under 14 knew the serious wrongfulness of their alleged actions.

6,436 older Australians died waiting for home care last year, figures show

An average of 17 older Australians died each day last year while waiting to receive home care, according to new health department data that showed 6,436 people approved for Support at Home died in 2025-26 before receiving their funding.

Former Buddhist head monk sentenced to 13 years for child sexual abuse in Melbourne

A former Buddhist head monk who sexually abused children as young as four has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, with the victims expressing disbelief as supporters lauded him in court.

8 Oct 2026· 4 sources

Sam Wood denied bail over alleged choking of wife, court hears self-defence claim

Millionaire fitness guru Sam Wood has been denied bail and will remain behind bars after a Queensland court heard allegations he choked his wife and banged her head against the floor during an incident in Noosa.

8 Oct 2026· 4 sources

NSW Police Commissioner Lanyon sought to block public watchdog hearings into Herzog protest violence

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon made a last-ditch attempt to prevent the state's police watchdog from holding public hearings into allegations of officer misconduct during protests against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, documents released on Thursday reveal. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) announced the Operation Makalu hearings will proceed with an opening address on October 19, after initially postponing them last month.

8 Oct 2026· 5 sources

Woman charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to gas her sons in Mitchelton

A 47-year-old north Brisbane woman has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after she allegedly tried to gas her sons, aged 12 and 15, by exposing them to a noxious substance at her Mitchelton home.

8 Oct 2026· 3 sources

Alan Jones trial: Complainant denies seeking financial gain from broadcaster

The man accusing Alan Jones of kissing him when he was a 17-year-old schoolboy has denied under cross-examination that he and his mother tried to deceive the veteran broadcaster to obtain as much financial assistance as possible before he came forward with his allegation.

8 Oct 2026· 2 sources

Rennie brushes off Wallabies sacking as Suaalii kept on wing for Bledisloe opener

Wallabies coach Les Kiss has retained Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the wing to use his aerial ability, while All Blacks coach Dave Rennie brushes off his past sacking by the Wallabies, saying it is "not about me". The rivals named their teams on Tuesday for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener at Eden Park.