Category Archives: Australia news

‘Loophole’ in sanctions allowing Russian oil to be imported to Australia through port part-owned by Macquarie Bank

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Australia stopped buying fuel directly from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine but has imported more than 3m tonnes of its oil products since 2023

Millions of tonnes of Russian oil have been traded through a port part-owned by Macquarie Bank and potentially sold on to Australian businesses, new data shows.

The identification of a new link between Australia and the trade in Russian-origin products exposes further gaps in government sanctions, as Australia lags behind the EU and the UK in tightening import rules.

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Kellie Sloane is tipped to replace Mark Speakman as NSW Liberal leader. That should make life tougher for Chris Minns

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Sloane, an ex-journalist, is good at delivering lines. But if the state Coalition tears itself apart over net zero, she could be left talking up a fractured opposition

Compared with their federal colleagues, the New South Wales Coalition has been a relatively collegial conservative political grouping. But no more.

Over the next fortnight, the NSW Liberals could well dump their leader, Mark Speakman, and face the almost impossible task of reconciling divergent positions on net zero emissions with junior coalition partner the Nationals. There is a real prospect that the state opposition could fracture.

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Nationwide recall of alfalfa sprouts linked to ‘unusual strain’ of salmonella after dozens infected across Australia

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Health authorities urge consumers not to eat affected products sold in multiple supermarkets and grocers

Health authorities have issued a nationwide recall of alfalfa sprouts, urging people not to eat affected products, after at least 44 people across Australia contracted an unusual strain of salmonella.

The recall applied to 125g packets of sprouts produced by Parilla Fresh, which included: Aussie Sprouts Alfalfa Sprouts, Hugo’s Alfalfa Onion & Garlic Sprouts, Hugo’s Alfalfa & Radish Sprouts, Hugo’s Alfalfa & Onion Sprouts, Hugo’s Salad Sprouts, Hugo’s Alfalfa & Broccoli Sprouts and Hugo’s Trio Sprouts Selection.

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One-year-old girl dies after being struck by freight train in NSW

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The toddler was treated by paramedics at the scene in the tiny village of Baan Baa on Friday night but later died in hospital

A toddler has died after being struck by a freight train near Narrabri in New South Wales.

Emergency services were called to Baranbah Street in the tiny village of Baan Baa in the state’s north at 7.50pm on Friday.

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Graham ‘Richo’ Richardson, former Labor party powerbroker, dies aged 76

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Former NSW senator and right factional enforcer has died aged 76 after a long period of ill health

Anthony Albanese has led tributes to the former Labor powerbroker Graham “Richo” Richardson, acknowledging him as a flawed but loyal and “larger-than-life character”.

Richardson, a senator for New South Wales between 1983 and 1994 and a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, died early Saturday morning aged 76.

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Severe storms forecast for parts of NSW as Victoria and Queensland face wet weather

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BoM says destructive winds and ‘very dangerous thunderstorms’ are most likely across the Hunter, mid-north NSW coast and northern tablelands

Severe storms with the potential for destructive winds and large hail are expected to move across New South Wales on Saturday.

Storms were also expected in parts of Queensland and Victoria.

Sydney 32C with showers and then storms developing.

Melbourne 13C with rain increasing.

Brisbane 31C with a late shower or two.

Perth 28C and sunny.

Adelaide 18C and cloudy.

Hobart 15C and partly cloudy.

Canberra 26C with a shower or two and then becoming windy.

Darwin 34C and partly cloudy.

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Mother of transgender teen accuses Queensland government of privacy breach that could have ‘outed’ her child

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Revelation comes as LNP accused of ‘intimidation’ after demanding sensitive medical details from parents of transgender children

The Queensland government released private information about the mother of a transgender teenager – information she says potentially “outed” her child – to a stranger.

The revelation came as the state government was accused of “intimidation” and “an invasion of privacy” after demanding confidential medical information from parents of transgender children who are considering a further legal challenge to its controversial ban on puberty blockers.

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Google to build new AI datacentre on tiny Australian Indian Ocean outpost after signing defence deal

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Military experts say facility on Christmas Island would be valuable asset to monitor Chinese submarine and naval activity

Google plans to build a large AI datacentre on Australia’s remote Indian Ocean outpost of Christmas Island after signing a cloud deal with the Department of Defence earlier this year, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and interviews with officials.

Plans for the datacentre on the tiny island located 350km south of Indonesia have not previously been reported, and many details, including its projected size, cost and potential uses, remain secret.

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Illegal tobacco burns $3.3bn hole in Australia’s tax revenue, crime agency says

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ACIC report says total impact of illicit trade on economy amounted to $4bn in a year amid debate over cigarette excise

The illegal tobacco market has left a $3.3bn hole in the federal government’s finances, with Australia’s national criminal intelligence agency warning organised crime’s dominance of the market is continuing to grow.

The Australian Taxation Office believes the illegal trade now accounts for one in five tobacco sales, which has led to reduced tax revenues despite the government’s excise on legal cigarettes reaching almost $30 for a pack of 20 sticks in September. The excise has increased almost eightfold since 2006, when it was $4.65.

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Sam Groth’s ambition to be premier meant articles on relationship with wife ‘not idle gossip’, News Corp claims

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Court told new privacy laws shouldn’t apply to Herald Sun stories alleging Victorian MP’s wife, Brittany, was underage at start of relationship

News Corp stories alleging Sam Groth began dating his wife, Brittany, while she was underage were far from “idle gossip” given the claims were being “weaponised” by rivals of the Victorian Liberal MP, who aspires to become premier, the publisher has told a court.

The Herald and Weekly Times (HWT), reporter Stephen Drill and Herald Sun editor Sam Weir are being sued in the federal court over a series of articles published in July. Groth is suing for defamation while his wife has launched the first test case of new laws for serious invasions of privacy.

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Pauline Hanson skips parliament to speak at conservative conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

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One Nation leader also seen with Gina Rinehart – and many of her talking points align with mining magnate

Pauline Hanson skipped parliament this week to speak at a conservative conference at Donald Trump’s luxury resort in Florida, where she was pictured alongside Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman.

The One Nation leader, who resided at Mar-a-Lago ahead of her address at the multi-day event run by the Conservative Political Action Conference, lambasted both major parties in Australia during the speech while praising the US administration for deporting immigrants, bombing drug cartel boats and supercharging mining projects. Tickets to CPAC ranged from $US5,000 to $US25,000.

This article and headline was amended on 6 November, 2025, to clarify that tickets to CPAC ranged from $US5,000 to $US25,000 per person.

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Prosecutors asked if manslaughter charge will be considered if Greg Lynn overturns high country murder conviction

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Appeal judges also seek advice on whether motive of former Jetstar pilot would be considered in event of retrial over Carol Clay’s death

The Victorian court of appeal has asked the office of public prosecutions if it would “amend its hand” – including on whether a manslaughter charge would be laid – in the event Greg Lynn was retried over the killing of an elderly camper.

Lynn, 59, was found guilty in June last year of murdering grandmother Carol Clay, but was acquitted of murdering her fellow camper and lover, Russell Hill.

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Footage of guards holding down and putting spit hood on disabled NT prisoner shown at inquest

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Wayne Hunt didn’t receive full medical assessment after seizure in cell and died days later, coroner hears

Confronting footage of a disabled inmate being roughly handled and placed in a spit hood by prison guards after an epileptic seizure has been played at an inquest into his death.

Wayne Hunt struggled and yelled as Northern Territory corrections officers pinned him down, held him tightly by the head and put him in handcuffs and a spit hood, the inquest before coroner Elisabeth Armitage has heard.

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Australia politics live: Greens say secret Nauru deportations ‘not how any democracy should behave’

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Shoebridge accuses Labor of being ‘addicted to secrecy’. Follow today’s news live

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the best overnight stories before Krishani Dhanji takes the controls.

Asio chief Mike Burgess gave a speech at the Lowy Institute in Sydney last night in which he said there were “at least” three countries whose governments were prepared to carry out assassinations on Australian soil. Asked whether it was too alarming, Burgess said that it was “incredibly important” for Australians to understand the dangers the country faced.

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Prisoners spending entire jail term in police cells as Victoria’s justice system buckles

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Prisoners in police cells often have less access to healthcare and less chance of being visited by family and lawyers

In winter this year, a young Aboriginal man with a history of self-harm who had been remanded in custody in Melbourne was told he would be moving cells.

But he was not shifted across the corridor or to another building nearby: he was driven 300km to the police cells in Wodonga.

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Many GPs ‘nervous’ about bulk-billing rollout under new Medicare scheme

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Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says doctors concerned at being ‘100% reliant on government funding decisions’

Every electorate in the country will have a GP practice that bulk bills every patient after the expanded bulk billing incentive came into effect this month, the health minister has said.

The changes mean four out of 10 practices will be fully bulk billing, as the government vows it will bring the number up to nine out of 10 by 2030.

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ANU bought shares in Israeli weapons maker after pledging to stop controversial arms investments

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Exclusive: University says Elbit Systems, whose drones have been used extensively in Gaza, not on any controversial weapons list when shares bought and sold this year

The Australian National University bought $138,000 worth of shares in Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer in March, despite an earlier pledge to not invest in controversial arms companies.

The investments in Elbit Systems were made 12 days after Israel shattered a pause in hostilities with airstrikes that killed more than 400 people in Gaza. At the time, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had warned the renewed military offensive was “only the beginning”.

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Albanese government deports two more men to Nauru in secret, infuriating human rights advocates

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Exclusive: Sources say a Sudanese national and another man were chartered to the former regional processing centre last week, joining one other person

Another two men from the NZYQ-affected cohort have been deported to Nauru in a process human rights advocates say is shrouded in secrecy.

Sources told Guardian Australia a Sudanese national, who was detained in the Yongah Hill centre just outside of Perth, and another man held in a different centre were chartered to Nauru last week.

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RBA holds official interest rate at 3.6% while warning of rising house prices and rents

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Reserve Bank’s decision to leave cash rate on hold was widely expected and major banks predict no interest rates cut until 2026

The Reserve Bank has left the official interest rate on hold, as it warned house prices and rents will rise in 2026 after a surprise rebound in inflation.

The RBA’s monetary policy board on Tuesday kept the cash rate at 3.6%, where it has sat since August. Economists and banks overwhelmingly expected no change.

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Albanese government rejects Bruce Lehrmann’s request for legal funding over corruption watchdog raid on his home

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Former Liberal staffer, who denies allegations he misappropriated secret documents in 2019, indicates to court he fears Christmas raids from Nacc

Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann’s request for financial assistance has been knocked back after his home was raided by the national anti-corruption watchdog.

Officials from the National Anti-Corruption Commission searched the 30-year-old’s home in June 2024 over allegations he misappropriated secret documents related to French submarines five years earlier.

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