Australia

575 articles · page 8 of 12

Australia

Abbott says War Memorial should leave frontier conflicts to National Museum

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has said the Australian War Memorial should not 'dwell on' frontier conflicts, arguing such history would be better presented at the Australian National Museum. His comments, reported by Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times, add a prominent voice to a long-running debate over the memorial's scope and its treatment of violence against Indigenous Australians.

27 Aug·3 min·3 sources
Australia

Queensland woman gives birth to twins with different biological parents after surrogacy and natural pregnancy coincide

A Queensland woman delivered twin children on the same day in November 2025, each with a different set of biological parents, after an IVF embryo transfer undertaken for a surrogacy arrangement coincided with a spontaneous natural pregnancy — a situation so rare it had not been contemplated by state surrogacy laws, according to a court judgment released this week.

27 Aug·3 min·2 sources
Australia

Carroll scraps secret $8bn transport levy after auditor-general exposes hidden fare charge

Victorian Premier Carroll has scrapped a secret $8 billion levy embedded in public transport fares, acting a day after the state's Auditor-General revealed the charge had been quietly introduced on January 1 last year without public knowledge. The levy, which applied to all Myki trips, was collected as part of standard fare increases and funnelled directly into consolidated revenue rather than transport upgrades.

27 Aug·2 min·3 sources
Australia

Top Australian chefs teach cooking skills to young offenders in juvenile detention

In a juvenile detention centre, some of Australia’s best chefs are volunteering to teach cooking skills to young male offenders, offering hands-on culinary training and a path to employment after release. The program, built on the principle of seeing participants for who they are rather than their past mistakes, seeks to equip inmates with practical skills that can break cycles of reoffending.

27 Aug·2 min·3 sources
Australia

NSW gambling reforms labelled 'hokey pokies' as critics slam lack of bite

The New South Wales Minns government has unveiled its long-awaited gambling reform package, but prominent anti-pokies advocates and media commentators have decried the measures as a 'victory for political timidity' and a betrayal of true reform. The package stops well short of a mandatory cashless gaming card, mandatory pre-commitment, or a significant reduction in poker machine numbers, prompting accusations that the government has bowed to industry pressure.

27 Aug·3 min·3 sources
Australia

Independent report finds $60 billion GST deal was a mistake, critics say findings are being buried

An independent report has concluded that Australia's current Goods and Services Tax (GST) distribution deal is a $60 billion mistake, according to sources familiar with the review. The findings, which have not been publicly released in full, are already facing resistance from those who benefit from the existing arrangement, with critics accusing opponents of burying the report in 'pure bulldust' to avoid political fallout.

27 Aug·2 min·3 sources
Australia

Tasmanian council reluctantly approves 288MW AI datacentre as national standards loom

The George Town council in northern Tasmania has voted 6-1 to approve a controversial 288MW AI datacentre proposed by Australian developer Firmus, despite strong community opposition and the council's own stated reluctance. The decision came the day before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secured agreement from states and territories to develop national datacentre standards, highlighting the regulatory vacuum that local councils are currently navigating.

27 Aug·2 min·2 sources
Australia

Bowen rules out data centre carve-outs for Queensland, allows conditional non-renewable power

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has ruled out special treatment for Queensland on data centre power sources, but signalled states may use non-renewable electricity for the facilities if they can demonstrate it would reduce household bills. The clarification comes two days after national cabinet omitted any mention of renewables from a joint statement on data centre regulation, prompting criticism that the government had retreated from an earlier push for a clean-energy mandate.

26 Aug·2 min·2 sources
Australia

Anita Perrottet denies lying under oath to protect husband over alleged illegal donations, Icac told

Anita Perrottet, the sister-in-law of former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet, has rejected allegations she lied under oath to shield her husband, Charles Perrottet, from scrutiny over allegedly illegal political donations, telling the state’s corruption watchdog that payments totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars were for genuine strategic and marketing advice.

26 Aug·2 min·2 sources
Australia

Frustrated Premiers Set to Demand More Federal Funding After GST Negotiations Stall

State premiers emerged frustrated from a national cabinet meeting in Sydney on Wednesday after being told by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that changes to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) distribution deal, particularly the special arrangement with Western Australia, will not be discussed until next year, prompting a unified push for increased federal cash transfers to address fiscal shortfalls.

26 Aug·2 min·3 sources