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Australian news: federal and state politics, the economy, courts, weather and the stories that matter across the country.
2067 articles · page 31 of 44
A 42-year-old mother has been charged with the murder of her five-year-old son and the attempted murder of his two siblings after the children were found stabbed in a parked car in the Blue Mountains, as NSW Police described a weekend of four alleged domestic violence-related murders as 'barbaric'.
· 8 sourcesA young footballer has died after being towed by an unregistered quad bike allegedly ridden by a teammate at a recreation reserve in regional New South Wales. The driver, a 20-year-old man, has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death.
· 4 sourcesThe ACT government has announced rewards of up to $500,000 for information leading to successful prosecutions in five long-unsolved cases, including the 1980 disappearance of 18-year-old Elizabeth Herfort from Canberra's ANU Bar.
Magda Szubanski, the beloved comedian famous for playing Sharon Strzelecki in Kath & Kim, has revealed that while her cancer is currently in remission, it is likely to return and is considered incurable.
· 5 sourcesMain Roads WA has issued a safety warning after motorists were spotted pulling over on the Bussell Highway between Bunbury and Busselton to pick wildflowers from the median strip, a stretch of road about 200 kilometres south of Perth that has drawn attention for its blooming display of everlastings.
Tasmania Police have charged two men after seizing 17 kilograms of methamphetamine in what is believed to be the largest single seizure of the drug in the state's history. The drugs, with an estimated street value of $8.5 million, were found during an operation at a beachside car park near Burnie on Friday.
New workplace safety rules set by Safe Work Australia (SWA) that will dramatically reduce accepted exposure levels for hundreds of dusts, fumes and chemicals from December 1 have drawn sharp criticism from farmers and miners in Western Australia, who say some limits are so low they cannot be practically measured and could disrupt the grain harvest.
· 2 sourcesBeau Lamarre-Condon was captured on CCTV returning to the alleged crime scene hours after the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, carrying a mop and bucket, in his murder trial in the NSW Supreme Court.
· 39 sourcesA charity has launched a universal school lunch program at a Victorian primary school, aiming to tackle child hunger and improve student wellbeing as food insecurity rises across the country. The pilot, run by Eat Up at Elizabeth Street Primary School in Moe, provides every student with a free healthy lunch each day.
· 2 sourcesResidents in East Gippsland have been told to evacuate immediately as an out-of-control bushfire threatens a Victorian town, with emergency services urging people to leave before the fire reaches populated areas.
· 3 sourcesPrime Minister Anthony Albanese has kicked off his week in New York by launching Australia's campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council, with the nation set to state its case for a place at the world's most powerful diplomatic table.
· 8 sourcesDebit and credit card surcharges will be banned in Australia from 1 October, as part of Reserve Bank reforms that the central bank estimates will save consumers about $1.6bn a year — though big banks and credit companies are expected to recoup costs by scaling back cardholder perks.
Documents reveal that a company linked to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party built a $56,000 shed on the central Queensland property of the party’s national director, James Ashby, who also drives a gifted Ford Ranger and pilots a plane donated by mining magnate Gina Rinehart.
· 3 sourcesA landmark national survey has found that fewer than half of Australians living with dementia receive a diagnosis within the first year of symptoms, with many facing delays of three years or more due to misattributed symptoms and limited access to specialists, prompting urgent calls for healthcare reform.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been promoting Australia's social media regulations during discussions with former Apple chief executive Tim Cook, according to reports.
· 3 sourcesA Watch and Act warning has been issued for communities in Victoria's Central Gippsland as an out-of-control bushfire burns at Seacombe, about 42 kilometres east of Sale, with the CFA strongly recommending residents of Golden Beach, Paradise Beach and Seacombe prepare to leave.
The executive tasked with boosting Sydney's night-time economy has taken nine overseas trips in the past two-and-a-half years, travelling as far as London, Barcelona and San Francisco at taxpayers' expense, according to a report.
· 3 sourcesA man has been charged over the alleged stabbing death of an elderly woman in Sydney's eastern suburbs, and a 46-year-old man from Byford is due to appear in court over the fatal stabbing of a father in Rockingham, Perth, as police pursue two separate investigations.
· 8 sourcesOne person has been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at the Helping Hand aged care facility on Buxton Street, North Adelaide, on Saturday afternoon. More than 30 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was brought under control within 15 minutes, with investigators now examining the cause of the fire.
Tasmania's fire service has issued multiple bushfire alerts across the state as gusty winds make conditions difficult for fire crews, with seven warnings active as of 4pm on Sunday.
A child has died and three other people are in critical condition after a stabbing in the Blue Mountains on Sunday, with New South Wales police confirming the three children involved are all believed to be under five years old. Emergency services found three children and a woman with stab wounds in a vehicle on Waratah Road in Valley Heights. Police said they are not looking for any other persons in connection with the incident.
· 8 sourcesMore Australians will be dying than being born within 40 years, according to the federal government's latest intergenerational report, which lays bare the fundamental challenges of managing an ageing population amid rapid technological change and lower economic growth.
· 4 sourcesPolice in South Australia and New South Wales are investigating two unrelated fatal incidents on Saturday: a house fire in Redhill where a 65-year-old man's body was found, and a domestic violence stabbing in Sydney that left a 90-year-old woman dead.
· 4 sourcesThree women have been killed in separate domestic violence-related incidents across New South Wales within 24 hours, including a 90-year-old woman fatally stabbed in Bondi Beach, a 70-year-old woman found dead at a property in the state's north, and a 23-year-old woman stabbed to death in Wagga Wagga. Police have charged men in connection with each incident.
· 3 sourcesThe Victorian Labor government has pledged to introduce a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for rape and a series of new family violence offences, including an Australian-first law criminalising the abandonment of victims in need of urgent medical help, as part of its re-election platform.
With electric vehicle (EV) sales in Australia reaching a record high in August, experts are warning that the nation's battery recycling industry must gear up for an influx of end-of-life EV batteries, while drivers say more needs to be done to raise awareness about proper battery disposal and management.
· 2 sourcesFederal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has vowed to deliver one of the biggest immigration cuts in Australian history, declaring the Albanese government 'socialist in all but name' during a speech to the NSW Liberal Party state council. Separately, tributes have poured in for Victorian Greens MP Tim Read, who was remembered as a man of conviction and compassion.
· 3 sourcesVictorian doctors and nurses are pushing for round-the-clock specialist security guards to be stationed at every emergency department, citing an escalation in violent assaults and rising 'horrific' racial and sexualised verbal abuse that is driving staff out of the profession.
· 4 sourcesAustralian music legend John Farnham will not attend the tribute concert dedicated to his career at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena tonight, his family revealing his health has deteriorated to the point where he requires continuous oxygen support, a wheelchair for mobility and round-the-clock nursing care at home.
· 8 sourcesSmall businesses in Melbourne are being denied insurance or priced out of coverage as a wave of firebombings linked to the illegal tobacco trade turns neighbouring shops into collateral damage, according to a new report.
· 3 sourcesPeter V’landys has received unanimous support from NRL clubs and state bodies to become the league's new executive chair, with the decision reached in just 30 minutes on Saturday morning.
· 3 sourcesThe Coalition has unveiled an education plan that would shift focus toward flag pride, Western culture, and military engagement in schools, while paring back Indigenous history and cultural studies, according to Opposition education spokesman Julian Leeser, who tied the proposed changes to declining student test results.
· 3 sourcesFriends of Greg O'Neill, the 63-year-old swimmer killed in a shark attack at Sorrento Beach on Friday, have remembered him as a man who brought people together through their love of the ocean, as authorities continue searching for the great white responsible.
· 5 sourcesA Victorian detective senior constable has been charged with common assault after an Ibac investigation into an October 2025 arrest in Ballarat, during which the officer allegedly punched and kicked a handcuffed and compliant teenager, while separate charges have been laid after a police officer was allegedly struck by a stolen car.
· 4 sourcesVictorian Greens MP Tim Read has died at the age of 64 following a high-profile battle with metastatic cancer, prompting tributes from across the political spectrum for a man remembered for his integrity, wit and advocacy on issues from pill testing to prison reform.
· 4 sourcesThe federal Coalition has announced plans to strip Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, Australia’s engagement with Asia, and sustainability from the national curriculum, replacing them with a focus on 'national pride' and 'Western values'.
· 2 sourcesSouth-eastern Australia is set to swelter through its warmest September day in years this weekend, with temperatures climbing 6 to 12 degrees Celsius above the monthly average, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
A Senate committee has recommended that the investigation into the 2023 Taipan helicopter crash that killed four Australian soldiers be reviewed, citing corruption claims surrounding the probe.
· 3 sourcesReserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock has delivered a grim warning to millions of Australians as the central bank prepares for its next interest rate decision.
· 3 sourcesOne Nation has continued its candidate rollout for the Victorian state election, unveiling a stream of contenders that includes a former Liberal with alleged underworld support, a naturopath who has endorsed Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claim linking paracetamol to autism, and a former shire councillor who lost his licence for drink-driving.
· 2 sourcesThe first investigation by the Western Australian Ombudsman into the state's Protected Entertainment Precinct laws has found that information blockages between police and the lead state agency resulted in some serious offenders not being served their bans.
· 3 sourcesPressure is building on venues to cancel Ben Cousins' speaking tour after the George Hotel in Ballarat withdrew from hosting a date earlier this week, admitting it had failed to take into account the former AFL star's previous domestic violence convictions when booking him to speak.
· 3 sourcesAustralia’s shift to renewable energy is well underway, but a significant gap remains between the Albanese government’s ambition of 82% renewable electricity by 2030 and the solar and wind projects actually planned, according to new analysis.
A Senate committee inquiry into Australia's youth justice system has released a report recommending national minimum standards and a new taskforce, with Liberal and Greens senators jointly calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be lifted, after finding that incorrect media reporting leads to inconsistent treatment of children across states and territories.
Travis Head scored a blistering century to lead Australia to victory in the second One Day International against Zimbabwe, according to ABC News. The match took place on 18 September 2026, with Head's innings proving decisive.
Fremantle have surged into the AFL grand final with a stunning comeback victory over Sydney, breaking Swans hearts in a preliminary final described as an insane turnaround.
· 6 sourcesImmigration Minister Tony Burke has announced changes to Australia's migration system after a six-week delay, but a leading criminologist argues the reforms do not account for the heightened risk of domestic and family violence faced by women on temporary visas, leaving many victim-survivors without adequate support or a pathway to safety.
· 3 sourcesFormer Labor councillor and Toplace executive Sharangan Maheswaran has told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that a message he received from lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood claiming “We have something that will kill Elliott” was not related to Greenwood’s work for fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, as the inquiry continues to examine alleged political interference and corruption in NSW.
· 5 sources