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Australian news: federal and state politics, the economy, courts, weather and the stories that matter across the country.
2061 articles · page 36 of 43
Residents of Hughenden, Queensland, have stopped drinking tap water because of its brown colour, foul taste and smell, with families spending upwards of $50 a week on bottled water as the town's bore infrastructure ages far beyond its intended service life.
· 2 sourcesHundreds of University of Sydney staff walked off the job on Wednesday, escalating a dispute over the institution's approach to artificial intelligence, which one union described as 'extraordinarily cavalier.' The 24-hour strike saw classes moved online as the university urged staff and students to work and study from home.
· 9 sourcesAustralia’s economy grew a stronger-than-expected 2.1% over the 2025-26 financial year, and 0.4% in the June quarter, data released Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows. The figures beat economist forecasts of 1.8% annual and 0.3% quarterly growth, prompting traders to lift the implied probability of a September rate hike by the Reserve Bank to about 70%, up from 50% before the release.
· 3 sourcesSouth African mining company Sibanye-Stillwater has announced plans to restart the historic Mount Lyell copper mine near Queenstown, Tasmania, creating more than 300 jobs and marking a major revival for the region's economy after the mine entered care and maintenance in 2014 following three worker deaths and a rockfall.
· 2 sourcesFormer radio shock jock Ray Hadley has concluded his evidence in the trial of his former colleague Alan Jones, after a dramatic cross-examination in which he was shown expletive-laden messages he sent about a complainant. The trial, now in its fifth week, continues in Sydney.
· 11 sourcesThe New South Wales Ombudsman has found that more than a third of all reports raising concerns about the future welfare of unborn children were closed without investigation due to a shortage of allocated caseworkers, and that some families were unlawfully compelled to participate in prenatal casework without their consent.
· 2 sourcesAustralian Federal Police officers have raided the Melbourne home of former CFMEU official John Perkovic as part of an ongoing investigation into corruption in Victoria’s building industry. At least half a dozen officers and a sniffer dog arrived at Perkovic’s Keilor property early this morning, searching the backyard and a black Range Rover SUV in the driveway before he left the house.
· 2 sourcesDecades-old photographs of Aboriginal workers and communities during and after the landmark 1946 Pilbara strike have been discovered in an attic more than 1,500 kilometres from Roebourne, Western Australia, and are now on display for the first time at the University of Western Australia’s Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery in Perth. The images, taken by an anthropologist during the 1950s and 1960s, capture a forgotten chapter of Indigenous resistance and self-determination that helped launch the broader land rights movement.
· 2 sourcesThe Australian government is set to pledge $600 million for a new Pacific scheme aimed at combating the surge of drug smuggling into the region, including Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce the investment at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, as leaders endorse the 'Waqa Moana' initiative to boost surveillance, intercept smuggling vessels and support regional police forces.
Australia's artificial intelligence boom is intensifying a national shortage of electricians and technicians, pitting the construction of data centres against the government's housing and renewable energy targets, according to a new report from the Powering Skills Organisation (PSO).
· 2 sourcesThe New South Wales government has made pill testing a permanent fixture at music festivals, announcing the service will be offered at up to 15 events per year starting in October. The decision follows a year-long trial that recorded a significant drop in drug-related hospital presentations.
· 4 sourcesAn Aboriginal woman whose human rights were violated during an illegal strip search at Canberra's jail has launched fresh legal proceedings in the Federal Court, seeking compensatory damages from the ACT government after a previous bid for an ex-gratia payment stalled.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a $600 million package to combat transnational drug trafficking through the Pacific, while activist Chanel Contos has separately urged the government to address the harmful influence of online 'manosphere' communities.
· 3 sourcesAustralian house prices are on track for a historic downturn, with new data from Cotality showing prices falling in more than 90% of suburbs and national values dropping 0.9% in August. Economists expect the Reserve Bank will proceed with a fourth consecutive interest rate hike despite the deepening slump, as it continues its fight against inflation.
· 6 sourcesAustralian authorities are investigating reports that a former Australian Defence Force soldier, known by the nickname 'Mozzie the Aussie', has been killed while serving as a volunteer combat medic in Ukraine. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is making inquiries with Ukrainian officials, and Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel Phil Thompson has publicly paid tribute to the soldier.
· 4 sourcesThe younger brother of former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet has told the state's corruption watchdog he never asked fugitive developer Jean Nassif for money in exchange for political outcomes, as an inquiry examined a 2021 dinner meeting between the two men at Nobu restaurant in Crown Casino.
· 2 sourcesA Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry has found the state government failed to properly manage sand flathead stocks for years, contributing to a severe decline that prompted a rushed fishing ban in the south-east, and criticised a 'perfunctory' community consultation process.
· 2 sourcesVideo footage has emerged of a New South Wales police officer boasting about punching a protester in the head 'when he was down' during a February protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Sydney, prompting scrutiny of the officer's conduct.
· 3 sourcesSydney has recorded its warmest winter on record, while Melbourne has equalled its previous hottest winter, the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed. New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania all experienced their warmest-ever winters, and the BoM’s spring outlook indicates above-average daytime and nighttime temperatures are expected to continue for much of the country.
· 2 sourcesBroadcaster Ray Hadley has told a Sydney court that an alleged victim of Alan Jones confided in 2019 that he had been 'sexually assaulted' by the fellow 2GB broadcaster on multiple occasions, including an incident where Jones allegedly put his hand on the man's genitals and kissed him.
· 2 sourcesThe cost to rebuild homes damaged in natural disasters has soared, with some essential materials rising more than 70% in five years and insurers warning of a 'double whammy' as Australia competes to repair existing homes while trying to build new ones to address the housing crisis, a report from the Insurance Council of Australia has found.
· 2 sourcesThe South Australian government will introduce legislation by the end of the year to prevent developers from misusing sunset clauses in off-the-plan property contracts, following a high-profile case in which a developer axed 75 contracts at Gawler East.
· 2 sourcesTwo more Australians have been confirmed safe after the catastrophic flash flood along the Nepal-Tibet border, reducing the number of unaccounted-for Australians to 36. A 15-person Australian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is expected to arrive in Kathmandu later today, with additional AFP specialists due on Saturday.
· 14 sourcesThe defence lawyer for Darryl Valroy Young, charged with the murder of three people at his Bogie cattle station in 2022, has told a Townsville Supreme Court jury that the sole survivor of the shooting, Ross Tighe, could have been the killer and may have shot himself to cover his tracks.
The Australian government has released draft legislation for a sweeping overhaul of the Privacy Act, introducing a world-first ‘fair and reasonable’ test that could close many loopholes companies use to justify data collection. The Privacy Amendment (Personal Data Protection) Bill 2026, now open for public comment, also strengthens consent requirements, expands the definition of personal information, and creates a right to be forgotten for large digital platforms.
Retired 2GB radio host Ray Hadley has begun giving evidence in the trial of Alan Jones, telling the court that a complainant, known as Complainant C, disclosed to him in 2019 that Jones had allegedly kissed and touched him without consent. Jones faces 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching.
A senior Labor figure has suggested Pauline Hanson should examine whether her own engagement with extremist ideologies is driving the violent threats she faces, a day after the One Nation leader accused the prime minister of fanning political hatred.
· 3 sourcesNew South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has confirmed that Marco Tapia, a university student shot dead in a Glen Alpine home invasion on Tuesday, appears to have been an innocent victim of mistaken identity, contradicting earlier assertions that the attack was a targeted strike against a person known to police for a traffic offence only.
· 11 sourcesIn 2025, declared catastrophes damaged 145,392 homes across Australia, almost matching the 172,657 new homes completed that year, according to data highlighted in a report titled ‘The homes we build twice’.
· 3 sourcesGas fracked from the Beetaloo Basin has begun flowing into the Northern Territory power grid, marking a significant milestone for the onshore gas development. The NT government and industry backers have hailed the start of production as a major economic driver, but independent economist Saul Eslake cautioned it is not a 'silver bullet' solution for the Territory's economy.
· 2 sourcesA 1968 Four Corners report from the ABC's archive has resurfaced to show how Australia's anxiety over computers taking jobs is being mirrored today in the debate over artificial intelligence, as state and federal inquiries and new laws attempt to manage the technology's rapid adoption.
· 2 sourcesA teacher’s decisive action during a flood evacuation saved hundreds of children, according to a witness who described seeing a building overwhelmed by water just moments after the group reached safety.
· 3 sourcesAn exclusive Guardian Australia analysis has revealed that Australia’s parliamentary inquiry process is being inundated with AI-generated material that invents studies and attributes non‑existent research to real academics and authors. The findings raise serious concerns about the integrity of evidence‑based policymaking, with some committee reports now citing submissions in which the majority of sources appear to be AI‑hallucinated.
Australia is in the midst of a surge in business insolvencies as firms grapple with a sustained cost-of-doing-business crisis, according to industry figures and economists. Joe Rechichi, CEO of the Cucina hospitality group and owner of three Andiamo Trattoria venues in Sydney's inner west, says the current environment is unlike anything he has experienced over 40 years in business.
· 2 sourcesNearly a week after catastrophic floods hit the Nepal-China border, the area where the majority of 33 missing Australians were last heard from remains inaccessible by vehicle, with rescue teams reaching Gyirong Port only by helicopter or on foot.
· 2 sourcesOscar Jenkins, the former Melbourne teacher turned soldier who was captured by Russian forces and sentenced to 13 years in prison, has given his first interview from detention.
· 3 sourcesTwo senior executives at the Powerhouse Museum in Western Sydney are under formal investigation for misconduct, with the matter referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) following complaints of conflicts of interest and cronyism in the museum's spending, including a security contract.
· 4 sourcesOne Nation has promised to keep Victoria's largest coal-fired power station running past its planned 2035 closure and to scrap the state's ban on nuclear energy, unveiling the policy at the Loy Yang A plant in the Latrobe Valley on Monday.
· 2 sourcesNew South Wales police are urgently appealing for information to locate the mother of a newborn baby boy, whose body was discovered in a rubbish bin along Harrow Road in Auburn, south-west Sydney, on Monday morning. Officers have expressed serious concerns for the woman's welfare and are urging her to attend hospital.
· 8 sourcesCharles Perrottet, brother of former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet, has told the state’s anti-corruption watchdog that he would lie to a property developer about delivering political outcomes “to keep him on side”, while denying that he lied to the commission itself.
· 2 sourcesThe man convicted of murdering 28-year-old childcare educator Molly Ticehurst will not face a life sentence for the domestic violence killing that sparked a national movement against gendered abuse in Australia, with Justice Natalie Adams citing concerns over expert evidence concerning rape allegations in the victim's police statement.
· 2 sourcesVictorian Premier Ben Carroll has announced that prisoners will be deployed to perform basic road maintenance work as part of a Labor re-election plan to tackle the state's pothole crisis, backed by a $352 million budget increase to repair 500,000 potholes by the end of January.
· 2 sourcesThe New South Wales Supreme Court has dismissed a landmark class action brought by 28,000 irrigators against the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), rejecting claims that the authority owed a duty of care to avoid economic losses from river management decisions. The action sought damages of between $750 million and $1.5 billion.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned that AI tools are making it easier for scammers to create convincing fake online stores, known as ‘ghost’ stores, which impersonate legitimate Australian businesses. The regulator says consumers can no longer rely on appearance alone to determine whether an online business is trustworthy.
New modelling by the Super Members Council has found that thousands of teenage workers across Australia are missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in superannuation due to a law that excludes under-18s from guaranteed super unless they work more than 30 hours a week for one employer, with Victoria the worst-hit state at an estimated $115 million in missed contributions in 2026-27.
· 2 sourcesPauline Hanson's One Nation has secured its first seat in the Western Australian parliament, following Luke Herdegen's victory in the Secret Harbour byelection.
· 3 sourcesAustralia's recently passed News Bargaining Incentive, requiring large tech companies to pay for journalism or face a 2.75% levy on digital advertising revenue, has triggered sharp criticism from US Republicans, with some calling for retaliation against what they describe as a 'loser country'. The Trump administration had earlier characterised the measure as 'foreign extortion'.
Australian grocery prices have risen 8.5% between March 2025 and July 2026, according to a new comparison by consumer research firm Canstar, with the same basket of items at Woolworths jumping from $213.89 to $232.02. With wage growth running at just 3.3% over the year to March 2026, shoppers are feeling the pinch — and the full impact of the Iran war on food prices is yet to be felt.
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