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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 32 of 44
A swimmer is feared dead after a suspected shark attack at Sorrento Beach in Perth's north, with emergency services responding to reports of a large shark and witnesses describing a pool of blood in the water. The beach has been closed and police, water police and a helicopter are patrolling the area.
· 12 sourcesFormer prime minister Paul Keating has condemned the Aukus submarine deal, arguing it locks Australia into any future US conflict with China — a war he claims America would 'certainly lose' — and makes Australia a target for retribution.
· 2 sourcesHome Affairs Minister Tony Burke has proposed changes to student visa rules that would prevent international students from automatically bringing family members to Australia, part of a broader migration plan that also targets backpackers and visa overstayers.
Britain's top Aukus representative, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, has declared that opposition from adversaries is a measure of the nuclear submarine pact's success, while separately, the Australian government faces Coalition pressure to cap immigration levels in line with housing infrastructure.
· 3 sourcesCrossbench MPs David Pocock and Sophie Scamps will on Monday introduce 'red lines' legislation designed to prevent Australian defence equipment, technology and services from being used in ways that breach Australia's international human rights obligations, with the bill specifically targeting exports to the Israeli military, including parts for F-35 fighter jets.
· 2 sourcesGuardian Australia can reveal that Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce stayed overnight at Gina Rinehart's $20 million Brisbane mansion after fundraising events held for One Nation, with Joyce conducting a live television interview for Channel Seven's Sunrise from what appears to be a bedroom in the home.
· 3 sourcesAssistant Technology Minister Andrew Charlton has alarmed colleagues with a briefing on the dangers of rogue artificial intelligence agents, fresh from a visit to the United States, as Communications Minister Anika Wells signals a willingness to reduce her own regulatory powers.
· 3 sourcesSouth Australian authorities have confirmed the first death of an endangered Australian sea lion from H5 bird flu, discovered on Kangaroo Island. The case is the first known H5 infection in the species, which experts estimate numbers fewer than 12,000 animals — and possibly as few as 10,000 — with most of the population concentrated in South Australia.
· 2 sourcesA 30-year-old Melbourne man has been charged with possessing violent extremist material after being arrested at the airport before a scheduled flight to the Middle East. Police allege he was part of a dedicated online network sharing ISIS propaganda and refused to let authorities access his electronic devices when presented with a court order.
The New South Wales government has announced it will introduce mandatory limits on screen time in public school classrooms starting in 2028, alongside a push for daily pen-and-paper learning. The move aligns with similar restrictions recently unveiled in Victoria and comes after federal Education Minister Jason Clare suggested Australian students may need a ‘digital detox’ in the wake of declining national test scores.
· 2 sourcesA man has been shot in the Perth suburb of Hamilton Hill, with WA Police urging residents to lock their doors and remain inside as two suspects remain at large. The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the incident early Sunday morning.
· 7 sourcesThe New South Wales government has announced a new policy that will cap student screen time at as little as 15 minutes, require at least one hour of handwriting with pen and paper each day, and restrict the use of laptops, tablets and other digital devices in homework, following a decline in test results.
· 3 sourcesTwo men have died in two unrelated crashes in Adelaide's southern suburbs on Saturday, bringing South Australia's road toll to 79 for 2026.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has stated he feels sorry for Barnaby Joyce and that both he and One Nation MP David Farley probably have 'buyer's remorse' after joining Pauline Hanson's right-wing party, amid an ongoing feud over a One Nation animated cartoon that labelled Hastie a 'traitor'.
· 3 sourcesAn Australian man has been arrested in Bali on suspicion of drug dealing and could face up to 12 years in prison, according to reports from Australian media. The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody by Indonesian authorities.
· 3 sourcesA woman was pushed to the ground during a scuffle outside an election event for former AFL footballer turned One Nation candidate John Barnes. Victoria Police are investigating the incident.
· 3 sourcesThe New South Wales government has paid for a homeless man in Wagga Wagga to be sent back to New Zealand rather than offering him temporary accommodation, according to a report. The decision forms part of ongoing efforts by local and state authorities to clear an encampment along the Murrumbidgee River, where a newborn baby died in May.
· 2 sourcesA 17-year-old who refused to provide his name to a police officer has prompted criminal charges from a state corruption watchdog and a compensation claim, after the officer allegedly responded by pepper spraying the teenager.
· 3 sourcesParramatta Eels winger Josh Addo-Carr’s career is at a crossroads after he allegedly tested positive to cocaine during a random police roadside stop on Friday night, with his management confirming the 29-year-old is now 'seeking professional support'.
· 6 sourcesHundreds of Canberra cyclists gathered for a memorial ride on Saturday morning to honour Bridie Lee and Ryan Riethmuller, two members of the local triathlon community who were killed when a car struck them while riding on Gungahlin Drive last month.
Security experts have warned that Australia is being exploited by its alliance with the United States, which could draw the country into an unwilling war with China, as former prime minister Kevin Rudd reaffirmed the alliance's importance in the most contested region in the world.
· 2 sourcesNeo-Nazi groups have pledged to campaign for Pauline Hanson to become prime minister, prompting calls from Labor and the Coalition for the One Nation leader to reject the backing.
· 3 sourcesFive years after a state government promised to overhaul the mental health system, new data reveals more than half of patients are left waiting in emergency departments due to a critical shortage of specialist beds, raising urgent concerns about patient safety and hospital strain.
· 3 sourcesConfidential warnings from dementia advocacy groups told patients not to apply for home support due to fears the government's new aged care algorithm could reduce their funding, according to documents obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws.
· 2 sourcesThe Albanese government has been accused of breaking a longstanding commitment to introduce mandatory packaging standards aimed at cutting plastic waste, after the federal environment department told industry representatives via email that the promise would not be kept before the next election to avoid exacerbating cost of living pressures.
· 2 sourcesAustralia is set to lift its ban on plug-in solar systems and batteries, a move that would allow millions of renters and apartment dwellers to access solar energy for the first time. Energy ministers from all states and territories agreed to explore pathways for the ‘safe deployment’ of the technology during a recent meeting, bringing Australia in line with countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom.
· 2 sourcesTwo Indigenous mothers have settled a trespass case against New South Wales Police after officers visited one of their homes 150 times in 20 months, often between midnight and 4am, to conduct bail checks on the woman's sons. The case, launched in April 2024, was settled on confidential terms three weeks before it was due to go to trial in the NSW Supreme Court.
· 2 sourcesA 20-year-old man is in custody after allegedly being hired to shoot a man multiple times at a home on the NSW Central Coast, in what police describe as a 'crime as service' attack. Bison Zounis was arrested at Gosford train station on Thursday morning and has been charged with 10 offences, including shoot with intent to murder.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has released exposure draft legislation for the Innovative Business CGT Concession (IBCC), significantly softening key conditions after fierce criticism from the startup and investment sectors. The revised plan cuts the minimum share holding period from five to three years, removes a proposed $10 million lifetime cap on gains, and extends company eligibility from 10 to 15 years.
More than 100 residents from southern NSW gathered in Deniliquin to protest the permanent end of a firewood permit program in two national parks, saying they depend on the wood to heat their homes and cook. The Riverina Domestic Firewood Program will close when the collection season ends on October 30.
· 2 sourcesAustralian motorists face another 20 to 30 cents per litre increase at the bowser in coming weeks, after the escalating Middle East conflict pushed global oil prices to their highest levels since mid-May, while investors continued dumping stocks and bonds amid mounting financial uncertainty.
· 3 sourcesThe devastating honey bee parasite Varroa destructor has been found in Far North Queensland, the northernmost detection of the pest in Australia, with Biosecurity Queensland confirming two cases near El Arish and Cardwell and a third suspected near Innisfail.
Daniel Billings, the former partner of Molly Ticehurst, has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for her murder, with a non-parole period of 20 years, after pleading guilty to stabbing her 15 times at her Forbes home in April 2024.
· 3 sourcesLuke Sayers, the former president of the Carlton Football Club and former PwC boss, has apologised unreservedly to his ex-wife Cate Sayers and accepted that she was not responsible for posting an explicit photo of him on his X account, as her defamation case against him settled in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday.
· 6 sourcesA destructive pest insect, the flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa, has been detected in Australia for the first time and is causing millions of dollars in damage to berry crops in south-east Queensland, with authorities unable to determine how it evaded national biosecurity measures.
· 2 sourcesA class action has been launched against BHP subsidiary Operations Services (OS), months after the Federal Court found the company improperly required employees to work on public holidays. The action, run by Sydney-based AEN Legal on behalf of two lead plaintiffs and funded by the Mining and Energy Union (MEU), potentially covers about 7,000 employees who worked for OS between December 2019 and March 2023.
· 2 sourcesAn investigation is under way after more than 150 critical hospital referrals were forgotten in cardboard boxes for 16 months, leading to potentially catastrophic delays for cancer patients, with one patient having died.
· 3 sourcesA man was filmed throwing bacon and ham at the entrance of the Warragul Mosque in regional Victoria on Wednesday afternoon, in an act that Muslim leaders have condemned as hateful and Islamophobic.
Dozens of approved but yet-to-be-built AI data centre projects will escape the federal government's proposed restrictions on energy and water use because the new rules are not expected to be retrospective, according to an ABC News analysis of planning records and company documents. The analysis reveals that the new generation of data centres will be significantly larger and more power-hungry than existing ones, with a combined computing capacity of at least 2.9 gigawatts — nearly double the 1.5 gigawatts of the 162 centres already operating across Australia as of March this year.
· 2 sourcesThe Sydney Swans demonstrated their depth and resilience last weekend, overcoming the suspensions of the so-called 'Pullman Five' to defeat Brisbane with a display of pressure, sacrifice and unwavering commitment to the team system.
· 3 sourcesA woman with a 30-year history of an eating disorder says she spent 55 hours in an emergency department waiting for a mental health bed that never came, before being discharged without being admitted to the specialist unit.
The ACT Coroner's Court has recorded the territory's first death with an established link to a novel psychoactive substance — the synthetic opioid protonitazene — following the overdose of a 42-year-old woman in Ainslie in July 2022.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll now faces the prospect of Labor's promised work-from-home legislation not being passed before the November state election, following a surprise move by a former Labor minister.
· 3 sourcesLiberal MP Andrew Hastie is facing political attacks from One Nation after complying with a subpoena to testify in the failed 2022 Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case, a role the former SAS soldier has described as deeply reluctant.
· 2 sourcesThe Greens have struck a deal to support a carbon credits scheme for forest protection, defying intense lobbying from former leaders Bob Brown and Christine Milne to vote against a Nationals motion to abolish the program.
· 3 sourcesThe Victorian premier has accused the opposition and crossbench of derailing the ALP's plan to enshrine a right to work from home, after MPs voted to send the bill to a parliamentary committee for further review.
· 3 sourcesGrace Tame has apologised for comments she made in March labelling the rape of Israeli women by Hamas during the 7 October attacks as 'propaganda' and 'debunked', saying her words were misinterpreted.
· 2 sourcesSydney businessman Alexander Csergo has become the first Australian sentenced for reckless foreign interference, receiving a three-and-a-half-year prison term for compiling reports on topics including lithium mining, defence and AUKUS for two suspected Chinese intelligence officers. The 58-year-old will be eligible for parole as early as October 2026 after time already served.