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Australia

Australian news: federal and state politics, the economy, courts, weather and the stories that matter across the country.

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Australia

Company director charged over alleged kickbacks in Pilbara corruption scandal

Richard Carroll, a director of Victorian companies VicFlow and VicFlow Civil, faced court on Monday charged with eight counts of corrupt behaviour over alleged bribery of a former Shire of East Pilbara manager. The charges follow a joint investigation by WA Police and the Corruption and Crime Commission, which found Carroll’s companies received more than $5 million in contracts after he allegedly paid over $50,000 in gratuities to Bevan Klein.

·2 min
Australia

Woman rejects Steele-John's account after senator posts relationship details online

The woman at the centre of allegations against Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has spoken out, expressing dismay that he made intimate details of their relationship public on Instagram. She says she never consented to having her private life aired and rejected the senator's version of events, including his claim that the relationship was never exclusive. The woman has confirmed she will appear before the internal inquiry into Steele-John's conduct.

·3 min
Australia

AFL draft prospect Arki Butler, billed as the 'next Tom Papley', tipped for top-five selection

Sandringham Dragons forward Arki Butler, one of the most coveted players in next month's AFL draft and a certain top-10 selection, has drawn comparisons to Sydney All-Australian forward Tom Papley for his on-field agitation and skill. With Sydney holding pick No.6 after trading Nick Blakey to North Melbourne, there is a realistic chance the 18-year-old is drafted as Papley's teammate.

·2 min·2 sources
Australia

Coalition surges to 55–45 lead in Victorian Newspoll a month before election

A month before the November 28 Victorian state election, a Newspoll published by The Conversation shows the Coalition with a 55–45 two-party preferred lead over Labor, a three-point gain since July. The Coalition's primary vote stands at 33 per cent, Labor at 24 per cent, One Nation at 20 per cent and the Greens at 14 per cent. If replicated on election day, the Coalition would win a majority of lower house seats.

·2 min
Australia

Payman apologises to Haines over staffing comments, presses Albanese on resources

Independent senator Fatima Payman has apologised to Helen Haines for her “clumsy wording” after suggesting the prime minister would only grant her additional staff following a hypothetical attack, but she continues to demand that Anthony Albanese allocate more resources to her office. Payman told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday she had contacted the injured MP and her staff directly to apologise, but repeated claims that her team is burning out while she remains the only federal independent without an adviser-level staffer.

·3 min·12 sources
Australia

Albanese calls Haines attack a 'turning point', accelerates MP security reviews

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the attack on independent MP Helen Haines a "turning point", announcing the government will expedite a security review originally due next year. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher confirmed at least nine MPs will receive immediate security upgrades for their electorate offices, with Parliament House public areas also set for improved security measures.

·2 min·9 sources
Australia

Amateur prospector unearths $150,000 gold nugget in outback NSW

An amateur prospector fossicking near Tibooburra in north-western New South Wales has unearthed a gold nugget worth between $150,000 and $160,000 at spot price, a find he hopes to sell to a collector for as much as $200,000. The prospector, who wishes to remain anonymous, dug up the quartz-specked nugget, nicknamed the 'Tibooburra Spud', on Mount Stuart station in mid-October after several days of searching.

·3 min·2 sources
Australia

Haines condition improves as MP tributes open Parliament with civility pledge gaining support

Independent MP Helen Haines's condition has been upgraded from critical to serious but stable over the weekend after surgeons amputated both her legs following an alleged intentional attack. Federal MPs returned to Parliament House on Monday with heightened security, as tributes to Haines opened the sitting week and independent MP Kate Chaney announced she would sign a civility pledge that Haines had been the first to back.

·3 min·4 sources
Australia

Childcare worker's 'monstrous' assaults on infants captured on CCTV expose gap in national regulation

A Four Corners investigation has obtained CCTV footage showing childcare worker Edwina Ling committing more than 80 physical assaults on children at the Injinoo Childcare Centre on Cape York in 2024. Ling was sentenced in June to four years in prison on 80 counts of common assault and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. The case has exposed a gap in oversight: Injinoo is one of 473 Australian childcare services operating outside the National Quality Framework, and questions are being asked about why earlier warnings by staff were ignored.

·3 min
Australia

Two-thirds of Australians now bulk-billed for all GP care as incentives boost rates

Almost two-thirds of Australians are now bulk-billed for all their GP care, up from 56% in both 2024 and 2025, according to a new report that credits the federal government’s recent investment in Medicare bulk billing incentives. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ annual health of the nation report, published Wednesday, found the proportion of general practitioners bulk-billing all patients has more than doubled to 26% from 12% a year earlier.

·2 min·2 sources
Australia

One in three Australian households went hungry this year, Foodbank finds

New research by Foodbank reveals one in three Australian households experienced food insecurity over the past year, as the cost-of-living crisis deepens. The report, released Monday, found 33 per cent of households, about 3.6 million, did not have regular access to sufficient nourishing food, with many reducing meal portions and cutting back on essentials such as shampoo and soap. The findings come as inflation data due this week is expected to show ongoing price pressures, potentially prompting another interest rate hike from the Reserve Bank.

·3 min·9 sources
Australia

Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson vows to ban 'Globalise the intifada' phrase if elected

Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has pledged to criminalise the phrase 'Globalise the intifada' if a Coalition government is elected in November, linking its use to rising antisemitism and the Bondi terror attack. Speaking at a community event in Melbourne's Jewish heartland, Wilson said the phrase incites violence, but legal experts and Palestinian advocates argue a ban may violate constitutional free-speech protections.

·2 min·3 sources
Australia

Crime rates reach decade highs in Victoria as Labor faces electoral test over law and order

Victoria's crime rate has hit a record high in 2025, with more than 60 per cent of Melbourne council areas and over 40 per cent of regional municipalities recording decade-high rates of aggravated burglaries, car thefts and assaults over the past two years, according to an analysis by The Age. The figures come as Labor, in power for 12 years, faces a November 28 election in which law and order is expected to be a decisive factor, with opinion polls showing erosion of the party's primary vote.

·3 min·3 sources