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Australian news: federal and state politics, the economy, courts, weather and the stories that matter across the country.
2056 articles · page 21 of 43
Perth Zoo will spend at least half a million dollars to build a dedicated triage and care facility for black cockatoos at its South Perth site, as the H5 avian influenza strain spreads across Australia. The zoo last week awarded a $450,000 tender to Instant Transportables to supply and install four transportable buildings for the facility.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hold a series of high-level meetings with Japanese investors and business leaders in Tokyo this week, as the government attempts to sell Australia as a safe harbour for middle-power investment amid an increasingly uncertain global economy.
Apprentice jockey Siena Grima made history at Randwick on Saturday, becoming the first apprentice in 45 years to win the Epsom Handicap, scoring on the Chris Waller-trained God's Window with her first group 1 ride.
Trainer John Sargent and jockey Dylan Gibbons ended long group 1 droughts when Global Goal won the Flight Stakes (1600m) for three-year-old fillies at Randwick on Saturday. It was Sargent's first group 1 victory since Gust Of Wind claimed the 2015 ATC Oaks, and Gibbons' maiden win at the top level since graduating from his apprenticeship.
The 18-year-old driver of the car that crashed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters on Saturday morning has been charged with multiple driving offences, as one victim described from his hospital bed how he thought he was about to die. Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe faces three charges of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, three of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and three of causing bodily harm by misconduct. His P1 provisional licence has been suspended and the vehicle has been seized.
A small tornado swept through the NSW South Coast town of Ulladulla on Saturday afternoon, knocking down trees, damaging buildings and leaving residents shaken as severe thunderstorms descended on the state.
A prominent One Nation candidate in Victoria has threatened to jail former premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan 'by Christmas' if the party wins the November state election, drawing cheers from about 750 supporters at the party's campaign launch in Melbourne.
Tarryn Aiken, who missed last year's NRLW grand final with an ACL injury, will lead the undefeated Sydney Roosters into their third consecutive premiership decider on Sunday. The star halfback has been instrumental in a season where the Roosters have trailed for just over 70 minutes combined and enter the match as runaway favourites.
The Western Bulldogs have strengthened their defensive stocks by signing unrestricted free agent Jordon Butts from Adelaide on a five-year contract, a move that bolsters their hopes of becoming a serious premiership contender in 2027.
The Newcastle Knights have appointed Justin Holbrook as their new head coach, selecting him from a five-man shortlist that included internal candidates Blake Green and Brian McDermott, former Dragons coach Dean Young, and former Parramatta coach Brad Arthur. The decision was driven by Holbrook's clear vision for how the team should attack, according to the club's selection panel.
The Australian Greens have elected Victorian senator Steph Hodgins-May as their new deputy leader, replacing Larissa Waters who stepped down because of worsening kidney disease. Hodgins-May defeated Tasmanian senator Vanessa Bleyer by a six-to-five vote in a party room meeting in Sydney.
The Sydney Roosters have won the NRL grand final, defeating the Newcastle Knights 19-18 at Accor Stadium on Sunday, with a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal proving the difference. The victory comes amid debate over player welfare after Roosters utility Connor Watson was ruled out of the match due to the NRL's 11-day concussion protocols, becoming the first player to miss a grand final under the rules.
The federal government's decision to sharply reduce working holiday visa spots has left backpackers in regional Australia uncertain about their future and could cost Labor seats at the next election, political analysts say.
Nine people are in hospital, two in critical condition, after a driver crashed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans who had lined the streets to farewell the team ahead of Sunday's NRL grand final. The driver was arrested at the scene. Police do not believe the incident was targeted and are investigating whether the driver lost control of the vehicle.
A 49-year-old Ormiston man has been charged with 99 offences after Queensland police raided his home south-east of Brisbane, alleging he administered a website that hosted child exploitation material. The charges come as a separate Brisbane man was jailed for almost two decades over his 'prolific use' of livestreamed child sexual abuse from the Philippines.
Energy analysts have warned Australia's official electricity reliability forecasts are counting on generation and storage projects that may not be built on time, arguing the planning system is hiding significant risks in the country's energy transition.
Australian basketball prodigy Luke Paul, 17, has committed to US college powerhouse Duke University for the 2027-28 season, continuing a growing pipeline of Australian talent to the Blue Devils program. The Cairns Taipans guard, who spent time this winter scrimmaging with the Boomers alongside Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Ben Simmons, told ESPN his ultimate goal is to become an NBA lottery pick and win a national championship with Duke.
A Tweed Heads woman has written to the newspaper detailing how her husband was injured when a fellow passenger dropped a bag from an overhead locker after a Jetstar flight from the Gold Coast to Cairns in August, with the airline yet to respond to the incident.
A reader who keeps a friend's portrait in the garage for lack of indoor wall space has been told that an unexpected visit from the artist could mean a hurried re-hanging job, with the guest left waiting at the door.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has marked his first year in office by reflecting on a period he described as among the hardest any commissioner has faced, a year that included the Bondi Beach terror attack, escalating gangland conflicts and, most recently, the on-duty death of 20-year-old Constable Mia Lay.
The opening of 30 serviced apartments built on the top floor of the Powerhouse Parramatta, fitted out at a cost of more than $3 million, has been delayed and will remain closed when the museum admits its first public visitors on November 7. The museum confirmed the setback as it quietly released admission fees for its largest exhibition, with a family of four to be charged $60 for the 33-room aerospace show Task Eternal.
Bathurst, long known for its car racing circuit but overlooked by travellers heading to Mudgee and Orange, is emerging as a destination in its own right, driven by a new wave of luxury farm stays. Wilga Station, a 105-hectare working sheep farm 10 minutes outside town, offers visitors a high-end rural retreat complete with a sunken hot tub and fire pit under starry skies.
As gender stereotypes around pet ownership fall away, the 'cat dad' is moving into the cultural limelight. The trend is embodied by owners like Ashkan Teymouri, a Melbourne tradesman who credits his cats with transforming his emotional life.
Mark Nawaqanitawase will play his first NRL grand final on Sunday, a milestone that nearly never happened. His mother, Fiona Tovehi, initially banned him from playing rugby league, but a gesture from two Roosters greats changed her mind. Now she cheerfully ribs her son about his lack of domestic skills as he prepares for the biggest game of his career.
Newly elected Greens leader David Shoebridge has declared Australia should not provide any military support to Ukraine and called for the United States to be evicted from prized defence facilities including the Pine Gap surveillance base, setting out a radical overhaul of Australia's foreign policy and alliances.
The economy is shaping as the defining battleground of Australia's 2028 federal election, with interest rates at a 15-year high, unemployment rising and house prices falling, leaving Labor politically exposed on cost-of-living anger.
Steph Hodgins-May, the newly elected deputy leader of the Australian Greens, says her path into politics was shaped by personal loss and a long-held passion for climate action. After her mother was killed in the 2009 Samoa tsunami, she decided to leave corporate law and dedicate herself to environmental campaigning.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised the cash rate to 4.6 per cent, its highest level since 2011, drawing fresh fears that Australian households are reaching a tipping point on the cost of living. The rate rise has added pressure on families already reporting housing stress, food insecurity and declines in financial wellbeing, while farmers warn the timing could not be worse for rural communities.
Bruce Baird, the former New South Wales minister best known for his role in securing the 2000 Olympic Games for Sydney, has died aged 84. Mr Baird, who also served as a federal Liberal MP, was the father of former NSW Premier Mike Baird and journalist Julia Baird. The NSW Liberal Party paid tribute to him on Friday, describing him as a "party stalwart" and a "greatly respected politician".
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to two Chinese nationals, healthcare workers with a bright future in Australia, who were among three people killed in a crash in Victoria's west on September 27. Michael Zheng, 38, and his wife Angela Wang, 31, died at the scene after their car was involved in a collision with a Mitsubishi Triton and a truck at Ledcourt about 6.45pm. A passenger in the Mitsubishi, 14-year-old Tenesha Fieldsend, later died at hospital.
Victoria's Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission has stopped investigating systemic issues, including the availability of beds for young patients and the illegal use of restraints, after successive state government cuts to its powers, budget and staff, documents obtained by The Age show. Mental health groups warn of major safety issues for vulnerable Victorians and are demanding the state government explain who is now overseeing the mental health system.
Activists and a Greens MP have threatened legal action after Western Australia police banned at least 12 people from entering a security zone around the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the Land Forces weapons expo opens on 6 October.
Bruce Baird, the Liberal stalwart who served as a NSW state minister and federal MP and played a pivotal role in securing the Sydney 2000 Olympics, has died while on an overseas trip. He was 84.
Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon will retire at the end of the year, ending a career with the Queensland Police Service that began in 1986. Scanlon, who joined the force at age 19, has served in leadership roles including detective superintendent for child safety and sexual crimes and as chief superintendent at the Crime and Corruption Commission before returning to QPS and being appointed deputy commissioner in January 2024.
A Brisbane man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for purchasing livestreamed child sexual abuse shows from the Philippines over three years. Kevin Raymond Doyle, 62, pleaded guilty to 98 offences related to the abuse of 25 children, including some with severe disabilities. The Australian Federal Police investigation has so far rescued seven victims aged five to 20.
The family of Yusuf Zahab, an Australian taken to Islamic State territory as a 12-year-old in 2015, believes he could be released from an Iraqi prison in the coming weeks after indications emerged that he will not face trial as a criminal.
A Queensland man has failed in his appeal against terror convictions for posting videos on Facebook that urged viewers to attack enemies of Islam, with the Court of Appeal dismissing his challenge and upholding his two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
A Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry has heard that a 'blue code of silence' is discouraging victims from reporting sexual violence committed by police officers, with advocates warning that the close-knit nature of the state's police force creates conflicts of interest in investigations.
Days before the NRL grand final, thousands of Roosters and Knights fans have been left disappointed by a shortage of tickets to the decider at Sydney's Accor Stadium, with some members reporting children in tears and resale prices exceeding $1000.
Sydney Roosters powerbrokers moved to sign veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans this year out of concern that captain James Tedesco might end his storied career with 'just' two NRL premierships, according to sources at the club. Cherry-Evans, who became available after failing to secure a new deal with Manly, is expected to ease the playmaking burden on Tedesco and help develop young half Sam Walker.
Veteran newsman Hugh Riminton has finished his last day of daily reporting for Channel Ten, closing a career that spanned six decades and took him from telegram-based newsrooms in Christchurch to a long stint with CNN.
A Queensland government initiative to create professional foster carers for children with complex needs has employed only three people in five months at a cost of $1.7 million, according to documents tabled in state parliament.
A teacher at Sydney's Newington College has been charged with the rape of a teenage student during a school trip to the Great Barrier Reef, with the alleged abuse exposed when the boy confided in another teacher on the tour.
The Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters will meet in the NRLW grand final on Sunday, a rematch of last year's decider in which Brisbane stunned the Roosters to claim the premiership.
Deputy Chief Judge of the NSW Local Court, Sharon Freund, has launched legal proceedings in the Court of Appeal, challenging two decisions by the Judicial Commission of NSW after it dismissed her bullying complaint against Chief Judge Michael Allen and made adverse findings against her.
The Queensland government will remove planning and assessment authority for data centre applications from local councils under a new state-led framework, citing a lack of consistent rules across local government areas. The change comes as Australia's largest proposed data centre is being planned for the Western Downs region, about 200 kilometres west of Brisbane.
Small business owners in Queensland say they are struggling to absorb rising costs from interest rate hikes, higher fuel prices and the end of card surcharges, with a new report finding business confidence has fallen to its lowest level since the Global Financial Crisis.
Missy Higgins has opened Sydney’s outdoor performance season with a four-star set at Mrs Macquaries Point, playing on a floating stage for the first time as fireworks burst over the harbour.