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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 3 of 43
The ABC has formally called on One Nation to remove its satirical cartoons that violently depict the children's character Bluey, as managing director Hugh Marks told Senate estimates the national broadcaster was considering legal action over what he called a 'blatant use of IP'.
· 5 sourcesRichard 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.
The Wallabies are preparing to be without forward Tom Hooper on the spring tour after he re-injured his right shoulder playing for Exeter in the English Premiership, with coach Les Kiss awaiting scan results ahead of the opening Test against England on November 9.
· 3 sourcesEssendon and Richmond will play a second Dreamtime match in both 2027 and 2028, taking the fixture to Optus Stadium in Perth while maintaining the traditional match at the MCG, which has been held since 2005.
· 3 sourcesChris Waller says the winner of Saturday's Coolmore Stud Stakes could be worth upwards of $30 million through breeding value, far more than the $10.2 million Melbourne Cup prize, as the champion trainer prepares two runners for the Group 1 sprint at Flemington.
· 3 sourcesThe AFL has abandoned the Opening Round fixture after two seasons, announcing that all 18 clubs will play in a traditional Round One from the 2027 season onwards. Chief Executive Andrew Dillon said the league had listened to feedback over the fixture, which had drawn criticism for creating an uneven playing field by giving early-season byes to the teams that played in it.
Tasmania's auditor-general has found the state's Treasury department often failed to give the treasurer the advice needed to oversee government businesses, describing the oversight framework as "not fit for purpose", even as a companion report showed those businesses cost taxpayers about $584.6 million in 2025-26.
· 3 sourcesThe 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.
Marrickville Golf Club initially approached Anthony Albanese’s electorate office for help with its failing septic system, sources familiar with the discussions have told the Sydney Morning Herald, offering a possible explanation for the prime minister’s incorrect description of a $6 million federal grant.
· 11 sourcesManase Fainu made a surprise appearance at Tonga training on Tuesday while on day release and wearing an ankle monitor, days before he is set to be freed on parole after almost four years behind bars.
· 2 sourcesSandringham 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 sourcesNew director Rosemarie Milsom has unveiled the 2027 program for Adelaide Writers' Week, taken on just months after the festival was cancelled this year, with Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah confirmed to return in conversation with Moroccan-French novelist Leïla Slimani.
· 4 sourcesGreg Lynn, the former pilot accused of murdering two campers in Victoria's high country, has been denied bail. The Victorian court dismissed his bail appeal on 27 October 2026, upholding his continued detention while the murder case proceeds.
· 6 sourcesAustralian students could face national exams in years 6, 10 and 12 under a proposal from a Nationals-backed think tank to overhaul the nation's school assessment system, a plan the federal opposition says warrants serious consideration.
· 3 sourcesA 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.
A report released today by Tax Ombudsman Ruth Owen shows complaints to the tax watchdog soared 74 per cent over the past year, with many taxpayers and small businesses struggling because of the Australian Taxation Office's debt collection and interest charges.
· 3 sourcesIndependent 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.
· 12 sourcesSam Wright has announced he will step down as Collingwood's AFLW senior coach after a disastrous season, with only one win heading into the final round.
· 4 sourcesPrime 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.
· 9 sourcesAustralian musician G Flip and Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause have ended their four-year relationship, Stause announced on Instagram on Tuesday morning. The couple, who married in Las Vegas in 2023, had been open about their efforts to start a family through IVF.
· 2 sourcesSouth Australia's Ombudsman has found that child protection workers acted in error when they 'informally' placed three children in the care of family members against their mothers' wishes, without exercising formal statutory powers.
The NSW Liberals have abandoned the party's year-old pro-development stance, with MPs preparing to campaign against parts of the Minns government's planning reforms at the March state election, arguing infrastructure has not kept pace with housing supply.
· 3 sourcesSmall businesses are facing a worsening cashflow crunch as high inflation, rising interest rates and a string of regulatory changes converge, with credit reporting agency CreditorWatch finding serious arrears hit an 8.5-year high in September and more than half of invoices going unpaid on time.
· 2 sourcesNic Maddinson has been dropped and Steve Smith is yet to prove his fitness for the pivotal third Test against South Africa at Newlands, with selectors due to finalise Australia's XI later on Monday.
· 5 sourcesThe Australian Transport Safety Bureau has published the last two preliminary reports into a series of close-call incidents at Sydney Airport, revealing an air traffic controller with a high predicted fatigue level was on duty during an August 17 taxiway conflict and that a separate pushback area had been described as a 'black spot' by staff.
· 3 sourcesA 47-year-old man is being extradited from New South Wales to South Australia over alleged serious sexual offending against a child, police say.
The Coalition has released a partial costings document claiming its proposed spending cuts would save $31.3 billion over four years, targeting Labor's climate and housing programs and welfare for permanent residents, as the opposition seeks to blame government spending for persistent inflation ahead of next week's Reserve Bank meeting.
· 2 sourcesAsh Gardner has spoken publicly for the first time about the cheating allegations that have surrounded her private life, describing cricket as a "shining light" during what she called a challenging period. The Sydney Sixers captain fronted the media at the club's season launch at North Sydney Olympic Pool on Monday, days before the Women's Big Bash League season begins.
· 3 sourcesA Senate estimates hearing erupted into a heated exchange on Monday as Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson questioned the government's $682,000 expenditure on rooms at Sydney's Sofitel Darling Harbour for pre-COP climate meetings, prompting Labor Senator Tim Ayres to accuse the Coalition of undermining Australia's Pacific engagement.
· 5 sourcesA Victorian coroner has been urged to refer a birthkeeper to prosecutors, with counsel assisting alleging that phone evidence shows she 'groomed' pregnant women into fearing hospitals and gave false evidence at the inquest into a woman's death.
· 3 sourcesAn 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.
· 2 sourcesMelbourne captain Max Gawn has backed the club's "brutal" list-management calls that led to the departure of Jack Viney, while hoping to finish his own career as a one-club player.
· 4 sourcesAn investigation by the Commonwealth Ombudsman has heavily criticised the federal government's algorithm-based tool for assessing aged care, finding it unreasonable, unfair and lacking human oversight.
· 2 sourcesThe New South Wales government has announced a $6.8 billion election pledge to upgrade the passenger rail line from Sydney to the South Coast, including electrifying the line from Kiama to Bomaderry and duplicating tracks between Wollongong and Kiama.
· 3 sourcesEssendon has privately committed to using the No.1 pick in next month's AFL draft on Port Adelaide academy prospect Dougie Cochrane, and Ballarat midfielder Ethan Drever looms as the player the Bombers could take with their next selection.
· 2 sourcesSouth Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has taken the unusual step of referring the state's flagship $15 billion Torrens to Darlington road project to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over fears of outlaw motorcycle gang infiltration in subcontracting works.
· 2 sourcesA drive-by shooting has left an innocent woman fighting for her life, according to reports published across multiple Australian newspapers on October 25.
· 4 sourcesReports published across four Australian news sites on 25 October 2026 said the Kangaroos survived a Fiji scare.
· 8 sourcesIndependent 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.
· 4 sourcesPauline Hanson has refused to remove a One Nation cartoon showing independent Senator Lidia Thorpe being run over by a bus, drawing a sharp rebuke from Thorpe on the day parliament returned to pay tribute to wounded MP Helen Haines.
· 16 sourcesMultiple Australian news outlets have reported an Australian athlete has broken a world record in marathon race walking, but as of the initial reports no further details on the athlete, the time, or the event location have been made public.
· 4 sourcesPrime Minister Anthony Albanese faces a stark choice over Australia's position on the Iran war after US President Donald Trump said American forces "may do another little Epic Fury" at a rally in Florida last week. Mr Trump did not elaborate, but the remark lands as the conflict nears its eighth month and as Labor backbenchers who remember Mr Albanese's vocal opposition to the Iraq war grow restless.
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.
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 sourcesNew 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.
· 9 sourcesSeveral members of the ACT Legislative Assembly have detailed the abuse they endure as politicians, from being spat at to receiving a hand-delivered death threat naming a colleague's family, in the wake of the attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines outside her Victorian electorate office on Monday.
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.
· 3 sourcesVictoria'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 sources