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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 37 of 43
A record number of small businesses across Australia are seeking debt support, according to recent reports from multiple news outlets, signaling deepening financial strain in the sector.
· 3 sourcesTony Mundine, the Indigenous Australian boxing great and father of former NRL star and boxer Anthony Mundine, has died at the age of 75 after reportedly suffering a heart attack on Sunday.
· 8 sourcesAustralia's eSafety commissioner has issued industry advice urging manufacturers of smart glasses with cameras, such as Meta's Ray-Ban, to automatically blur the faces of people filmed by the devices and make it more obvious when recording is taking place, as the federal government faces growing calls to ban the technology.
The introduction of domestic student caps as part of a new university funding model is expected to significantly change how Australia's largest universities admit students, sparking concerns that student choice could be undermined.
· 3 sourcesJett Cleary has made a starring NRL debut for the Warriors, helping put the club on top of the ladder while his father Ivan and brother Nathan watched from the stands in Auckland.
· 6 sourcesOne Nation has claimed a historic by-election victory in the Western Australian seat of Secret Harbour, overturning what was once considered an ultra-safe Labor seat with a massive swing.
· 4 sourcesOne Nation has unveiled a suite of energy policies at a Farmers Fightback rally in western Victoria, promising to reinvest in coal and gas, abolish renewable energy zones, and strip VicGrid of its compulsory acquisition powers for the controversial VNI West transmission line. Federal leader Pauline Hanson called for new coal-fired power stations and nuclear reactors but declined to detail how the projects would be funded.
· 2 sourcesThe Australian government is exploring two new measures to combat the rise in sexual violence among teenagers: allowing users to opt in or out of social media algorithms, and adopting a recent UK ban on depictions of strangulation and suffocation in pornography. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek confirmed the options are being considered as part of the government’s second action plan to end family and domestic violence against women and children.
· 2 sourcesSome prominent Australian MPs are calling for a joint international investigation into the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, drawing parallels to the MH17 probe, as controversy erupts over a visit by Israeli veterans.
· 3 sourcesOne Nation has won a thumping victory in the Western Australian state byelection for Secret Harbour, securing 57% of the two-party-preferred vote against Labor, in a result that signals serious threats to the governing party in working-class seats across the country.
· 4 sourcesOne Nation has claimed victory in the Secret Harbour state byelection in Western Australia, with candidate Luke Herdegen leading Labor's Georgia Tree 57-42 after preferences with 74.5 per cent of the vote counted.
· 5 sourcesResidents in northern Tasmania are preparing to fight a multi-billion dollar company's plans to build an AI data centre near their homes, after the George Town Council approved a 288-megawatt facility under what critics call an antiquated planning scheme.
· 2 sourcesA second Australian who was missing after the catastrophic flash flooding and landslides in Nepal has been found alive, officials confirmed, though 42 other Australians remain among the thousands still unaccounted for across the country.
· 7 sourcesNew analysis of Australian Transport Safety Bureau data has found a significant increase in runway incursions and taxiing incidents at Australian airports over the past 22 years, amid a spate of recent runway conflicts in Sydney that has put air safety under the microscope.
· 2 sourcesProjections show that Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot, one of South Australia’s most popular regional beaches, could erode by up to 12 metres by 2050 if more than $20 million in engineering works is not carried out, Alexandrina Council has warned. Mayor Keith Parkes said the council could not afford the work alone but could not afford to do nothing.
· 2 sourcesAustralia's national plan to end violence against women and children has reached a critical halfway point, with the national cabinet this week acknowledging that rates of intimate-partner homicide and sexual violence remain 'unacceptably high' and agreeing to new priorities. At the same time, more than a dozen crossbench MPs have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, arguing that despite years of inquiries and billions of dollars in spending, governments still cannot adequately demonstrate where the money goes or whether interventions are reducing harm, and are calling for the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission to be given stronger powers to compel information and track implementation.
Fresh evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American football players has reinvigorated calls for the AFL to do more to protect its athletes from head injuries, with the league reportedly signalling a shift in its stance.
· 3 sourcesJeremy Greenwood is set to return to the witness box at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Tuesday, following a chaotic appearance by fugitive property developer Jean Nassif during which he publicly attacked individuals named Elliott and Chandler. The development comes as ICAC’s Operation Rosny probes links between Nassif and Liberal Party figures, alongside allegations of illegal political donations.
· 24 sourcesVoters in the Western Australian seat of Secret Harbour have gone to the polls in a byelection widely seen as a critical test of One Nation's political strength, with counting now underway and both major parties bracing for a result that could reverberate nationally.
· 8 sourcesIndustrial action by maintenance workers for Victoria’s High Capacity Metro Trains has forced the cancellation of dozens of services through the Metro Tunnel, disrupting commuter timetables as workers down tools.
· 3 sourcesThe number of Australians unaccounted for in Nepal’s catastrophic floods has risen to 43, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Sunday, as the confirmed death toll climbed to at least 810. Australia is sending an additional $3 million in aid, bringing the total package to $8 million, but access to the disaster zone remains severely limited.
· 4 sourcesAustralians can expect chicken prices to increase in the near future, according to Ingham's Group chief executive Edward Alexander, who told investors last week that the industry faces a 'real and significant risk' from H5N1 bird flu alongside broader cost pressures – even if the virus does not spread to commercial poultry flocks.
· 2 sourcesA former Paralympic silver medallist is among a number of injured workers who have told the ABC that Gallagher Bassett, one of Australia's largest claims management agents, has failed to provide adequate care. Shane Walsh, who worked as a senior men's health coordinator for the Northern Territory government, says the company repeatedly delayed his urgent spinal surgery, leaving him with permanent complications including cauda equina syndrome.
· 2 sourcesCharles Perrottet, brother of the former NSW premier, has become a central figure in a long-running Independent Commission against Corruption (Icac) inquiry over alleged hidden payments totalling $2 million from fugitive developer Jean Nassif.
· 2 sourcesOrgan transplant recipients are preparing for a competitive event that goes far beyond sport—a gathering designed to foster community among survivors and give hope to those still waiting for a life-saving donation.
· 3 sourcesTwo 17-year-old boys have been granted bail over allegations they participated in a gang-rape of a teenage girl in Sydney, with a court hearing that one of the accused messaged two others to join the 'degrading' and 'humiliating' assault.
· 2 sourcesA serious flaw in the Albanese government’s capital gains tax reforms means investors with diversified portfolios will still be taxed on inflationary gains, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing a growing political risk from the large number of junior MPs elected in recent victories, according to analysts. The influx of ambitious newcomers into the Labor caucus is creating expectations for advancement that could fuel internal tensions.
Two men have been jailed for the manslaughter of Irma Palasics, a Canberra grandmother who died from injuries sustained during a burglary in 1999.
A health department audit has raised questions about a private specialist's colonoscopy procedures at Goondiwindi and Warwick hospitals over the past three years, prompting authorities to contact nearly 900 affected patients and urge them to seek follow-up care.
A dolphin has died from H5 bird flu in South Australia, the second native mammal species confirmed to have contracted the virus, as the federal government announced the withdrawal of 24 researchers from Macquarie Island due to the 'psychosocial risk' of witnessing potential mass seal deaths during the upcoming breeding season.
· 2 sourcesThe sister-in-law of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) she cannot recall whether a text message from her husband, Charles Perrottet, referencing the phrase 'we execute the prick' was part of a plan to damage the career of Liberal minister David Elliott.
· 2 sourcesThe Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) hearing has drawn large crowds as Anita Perrottet, wife of former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet, faced further questioning in the witness box, where she repeatedly cited an inability to recall details.
· 3 sourcesThe number of people in Australia holding bridging visas has doubled in the past three years, according to reporting by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times — a sign the migration system may be overwhelmed as the federal government faces mounting political pressure over its handling of migration policy.
· 3 sourcesJason Morrison, the former 2GB broadcaster, told a court he feels “terribly” for Alan Jones's accuser, but said he did not see Jones touch a young man at a lunch. Morrison also said he did not “fear blowback” if he gave unfavourable evidence.
· 3 sourcesState premiers have warned the Albanese government against cutting international student numbers, adding pressure to the ongoing migration debate.
· 3 sourcesA coroner has found that a 'confluence of errors' — including a lack of preparation for near-freezing winter weather — led to the death of Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, 31, who disappeared while walking in Tasmania's remote north-west in June 2023.
· 2 sourcesWaverley Library in Sydney’s Bondi has returned to its shelves the book *How to Sell a Genocide*, a critical work about Israel, after a public petition and a letter from the State Library of New South Wales clarifying the legal obligations of public libraries. The book had been removed for review earlier this month following a complaint from the Jewish news outlet JWire.
· 2 sourcesThe federal electorate of Secret Harbour, south of Perth, has become a genuine three-way contest as Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party surges in successive opinion polls and builds on its lower house success in South Australia earlier this year, according to analysts tracking the shift.
· 3 sourcesSenator Pauline Hanson interrupted her party's newly appointed state leader during a press conference on Thursday, demanding he speak English after he began addressing reporters in fluent Japanese. The incident, which unfolded in front of media, has reignited debate over multiculturalism and language in Australian public life.
· 3 sourcesSouth Australian authorities have confirmed the country's first detection of H5N1 bird flu in a common dolphin, found dead on the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide, marking a concerning expansion of the virus into Australian marine wildlife and prompting heightened surveillance efforts.
Former AFL star Nicky Winmar has been released on bail after being sentenced to six months in jail for a violent and unprovoked attack on a woman in northern Victoria last year, with the 60-year-old now free to appeal his conviction.
· 6 sourcesA Supreme Court judge has ruled that the identity of a high-profile married man linked to an extortion case involving an alleged affair must remain secret, citing concerns for his safety and the potential for irreparable harm to his personal and professional life.
· 3 sourcesNicky Winmar, the former St Kilda and Western Bulldogs AFL star once celebrated as a champion and Indigenous rights icon, has been jailed for assaulting a woman, prompting the AFL to remove him from the Australian Football Hall of Fame and dismantle his statue outside Perth Stadium. The sentencing marks a dramatic fall from grace for a player whose defiant stance against racism on the field became a defining moment in Australian sport.
As the number of people requiring protection globally reaches an all-time high, the Australian government is reportedly considering cuts to its refugee and humanitarian intake, a move critics describe as cruel populism driven by anti-migration sentiment rather than national interest.
· 2 sourcesFive Sydney Swans players have been stood down indefinitely for breaching club standards, sparking a fierce debate over due process and media scrutiny, with prominent commentator Darren Kane arguing they have been 'hung out to dry' in a 'trial by media.'
· 3 sourcesA pioneering vaccination program for wild birds against H5N1 avian influenza has begun in New South Wales, with little penguins, black cockatoos, emus and owls at Taronga Zoo among the first recipients, while the state government has implored owners of backyard chickens and pet birds to strengthen precautions against the deadly virus.
· 3 sourcesThe number of Australians missing after devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 42, with friends and families facing an anxious wait for news as rescue efforts continue. Among the missing are a Sydney family of four — parents Shylaja and Chandrasekaran Muralitharan and their sons Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11 — who were on a pilgrimage when the flood struck on Wednesday.
· 9 sources