Category Archives: Australia news

Asio chief reveals foreign spies plotted to lure Australia-based activist overseas to injure or kill them

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Australia’s spy boss Mike Burgess highlights foreign intelligence operations, antisemitism and election disinformation in annual threat assessment speech

At least three countries have plotted to harm Australians abroad and on home soil, including a planned assassination to silence a human rights activist, Australia’s spy boss has revealed.

In a wide-ranging annual threat assessment speech on Wednesday night, which warned of an unprecedented level of threats until 2030, Mike Burgess, the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, highlighted a foreign intelligence operation foiled by his agency.

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Sydney commuters get four-month reprieve from rail industrial action after Fair Work ruling

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Rail union work stoppages to be suspended until 1 July as unions and state government try to strike pay deal

Sydney commuters have been granted a more than four-month reprieve from industrial action on the city’s train network, after the Fair Work Commission ordered rail union work stoppages be suspended until 1 July.

On Wednesday evening, the Fair Work Commission announced that while it would not grant the six-month suspension that the New South Wales government had requested, it would temporarily halt all industrial action to help unions and the government strike a pay deal.

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Service log for scuba gear used by British music producer who died off Byron Bay source of confusion at inquest

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Records for Karl Bareham’s scuba equipment could not be produced at his inquest, NSW coroner’s court hears

Servicing records for the scuba equipment used by a British music producer who died while diving near Byron Bay could not be produced at his inquest, a Sydney court has been told.

Karl Bareham was found lying on the ocean floor 2.5km off the coast during a dive tour of Nguthungulli/Julian Rocks on 24 September 2019.

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Man who made death threats against Brittany Higgins sentenced to at least 16 months in prison

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Higgins and partner David Sharaz were ‘terrified to leave the house alone’ because of online threats and abuse from David William Wonnocott

A judge has delivered a frank assessment of the man who threatened Brittany Higgins, her husband and her pet dog, saying he might just be an “awful person”.

In Sydney’s Downing Centre court on Wednesday, David William Wonnocott was sentenced to three years and two months’ jail. He must serve a minimum of 16 months.

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Melbourne woman charged over two alleged Islamophobic attacks at shopping centre

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Charges laid after two Muslim women were allegedly attacked at an Epping shopping centre on Thursday

A woman will face court charged over allegedly Islamophobic attacks on two women at a shopping centre, as one of the victims says she remains terrified.

The 31-year-old Pascoe Vale woman is accused of assaulting a pregnant 30-year-old Muslim woman inside an Epping shopping complex in Melbourne’s north on Thursday, before allegedly attacking 26-year-old Ealaf Al-Easawi about 10 minutes later.

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Officials to euthanise 90 whales stranded on beach in remote north-western Tasmania

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Attempt to refloat false killer whales was unsuccessful, forcing wildlife authorities to make difficult decision for safety and ‘welfare reasons’

Tasmanian authorities plan to euthanise 90 surviving false killer whales in a group of 157 animals that have stranded on a beach near Arthur River, on the state’s remote north-west coast.

Marine conservation experts including wildlife veterinarians arrived at the site on Wednesday morning, confirming 90 animals were still alive.

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Whyalla steelworks placed in administration after South Australia rushes legislation to secure its future

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Move allows government to act on millions of dollars in debts owed by GFG Alliance and secure future of mid-north operations

The Whyalla steelworks has been placed into administration after the South Australian government rushed legislation through parliament and pledged “one of the most comprehensive industry support packages that this nation has ever seen”.

Jim Chalmers, saying on Wednesday that securing the future for steel in Whyalla was important, said the federal government would have more to say on the matter “in due course”.

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Sydney couple allegedly linked to caravan found with explosives charged over anti-Israel incident in Woollahra

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Scott Marshall and Tammie Farrugia charged regarding December graffiti attack in eastern suburbs but police say alleged ‘principal offenders’ not yet arrested

A couple allegedly named on a police warrant as part of an investigation into a caravan laden with explosives has been charged in relation to a separate alleged arson and graffiti attack in Sydney’s east.

New South Wales police on Tuesday charged Scott Marshall, 36, over an incident in Woollahra on 11 December last year when an allegedly stolen car was set alight and anti-Israel graffiti was painted on cars, buildings and a footpath.

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Six-year-old girl and woman die in Sydney house fire

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Four children and four adults escape blaze in Heckenberg, where police have established a crime scene

A woman and a schoolgirl have died in a house fire in Sydney’s south-west overnight.

Emergency services were called to the blaze at Heckenberg at 12.40am on Wednesday.

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All fores! Miranda July among artists to create feminist mini-golf course in Melbourne

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Swingers, which aims to celebrate the sport’s feminist history, will take over the Flinders Street station ballroom as part of the 2025 Rising festival

The acclaimed author and film-maker Miranda July is among a group of artists who are building a mini-golf course in Melbourne to celebrate the sport’s little-known feminist history.

Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf will take over the Flinders Street station ballroom, an abandoned space above the busy Melbourne railway station, as part of the city’s annual Rising festival.

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As an election looms, will Australians remember Labor for one rate cut or the 12 hikes before that?

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The Albanese government had been sweating on the RBA decision, which clears the way for an election as soon as early April

Jim Chalmers tried to say he wasn’t taking credit for the big banks dropping their interest rates, but the sense of satisfaction – or perhaps relief – among other Labor MPs was palpable in the moments after the Reserve Bank of Australia announced its cut of 25 basis points.

Labor MPs Justine Elliot and Kristy McBain, both under pressure in tough races, tweeted “breaking” updates within two minutes of the announcement. Within a few more minutes, the likes of Jerome Laxale, Josh Wilson, Pat Conroy, Shayne Neumann, Mark Butler, Helen Polley, Tony Sheldon and the retiring Graham Perrett had also taken to their social media accounts to broadcast the news.

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‘He targeted me’: Guy Pearce says he ‘sobbed’ over Kevin Spacey encounters

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The Oscar-nominated actor has said he is attempting to be more candid about his former co-star’s alleged behaviour

Guy Pearce, the actor Oscar-nominated for his role in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, has opened up about his experiences when working with Kevin Spacey on 1997 film LA Confidential.

Pearce had previously been oblique about his time with Spacey, who has been dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct, which Spacey has always denied, calling him “a handsy guy” in 2018. But speaking on Hollywood Reporter’s podcast Awards Chatter, the actor said he was now attempting to be franker about his co-star’s alleged behaviour.

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One of Cassius Turvey’s alleged murderers sent concerned messages after another boy allegedly beaten up by her co-accused, court hears

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Sister of another boy allegedly attacked in days before 15-year-old was killed tells jury about Facebook messages checking up on his welfare

A woman accused of murdering an Indigenous teen sent messages inquiring about the welfare of another boy allegedly beaten up by two of her co-accused, a court has been told.

Cassius Turvey, a 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy, died in hospital 10 days after prosecutors say he was chased, knocked to the ground and “deliberately struck to the head with a metal pole” in Perth’s eastern suburbs on 13 October 2022.

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‘No artist’ will want to represent Australia at Venice Biennale after Sabsabi dumped, former museum head says

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Elizabeth Ann Macgregor says Tony Burke has questions to answer after Khaled Sabsabi’s offer was rescinded but the arts minister has denied involvement

The Australian Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale is likely to remain dark next year for the first time, the former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art says.

Elizabeth Ann Macgregor on Tuesday weighed into the fracas over Creative Australia’s decision to rescind its Venice Biennale contract to Lebanese-born Australia artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino, just six days after announcing the pair would be Australia’s representatives at the 2026 prestigious international art event.

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Albanese says RBA rate cut ‘won’t have an impact’ on timing of federal election – as it happened

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This blog is now closed

The prime minister was also asked to weigh in on the ongoing dispute between the NSW government and rail unions – and whether the federal government plans to intervene.

But Anthony Albanese shot this suggestion down, saying this was “a state dispute of a state branch of a union over pay with a state government”.

I support very much the efforts of the Minns government to bring this dispute to an end, common sense has to apply here, and I think that the union needs to acknowledge that it is alienating people through these actions of not turning up to work. And there was hope on the weekend that it would be settled, [and] it should have been …

We’re getting to the point where the union needs to see common sense, settle this dispute with the Minns government. [The NSW premier] Chris Minns is working very hard to get an end to this dispute.

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Gerald Ridsdale, Australia’s most notorious pedophile priest, dies in jail

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The pedophile priest died in jail while serving time for the abuse of more than 70 children over three decades

A pedophile priest, convicted of abusing more than 70 children over three decades, has died.

Gerald Ridsdale, died on Tuesday morning in prison. He was 90.

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Arson attack that killed innocent Melbourne woman linked to tobacco wars, police say

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Katie Tangey, 27, died after arsonists hit the wrong address while she was house-sitting her brother’s home in Truganina in January

A house fire which killed a “completely innocent” woman is a case of mistaken identity linked to Melbourne’s tobacco wars, police say.

Katie Tangey, 27, died after arsonists hit the wrong address while she was house-sitting her brother’s home in Truganina, in the city’s west, in the early hours of 16 January.

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Could you pass a year 10 civics test? Only 28% of Australian students can

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Australian year 10 students’ understanding of civics has dropped to a record low. How does your knowledge stack up?

Australian students’ understanding of civics education has fallen to a record low, a national test indicates.

The test, held by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara) to measure “attitudes and engagement” with civics and citizenship, found 43% of year 6 students met the proficient standard, compared with 53% in 2019.

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RBA expected to give mortgage holders ‘breathing capacity’ on interest rates

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But business shouldn’t hold its breath for any immediate effect interest rate cuts might have on spending habits – which can take up to nine months

The Reserve Bank is expected to provide “breathing capacity” to households with mortgages by cutting the official cash rate for the first time since the early days of the Covid pandemic.

The market is pricing in a 90% chance of a 25 basis point decrease on Tuesday, according to the ASX’s rate indicator, although several economists have warned they expect the decision to be closer than the odds suggest.

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Australia news live: embattled casino operator Star offered $650m lifeline; name of next cyclone changed from Anthony to avoid using PM’s name

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Follow today’s news headlines live

Hume rules out working with teals if Coalition wins 70-72 seats

Jane Hume was asked whether the Coalition was in a position to form any alliances with the crossbench, amid new polling from YouGov showing neither party looks to be coming out with a clear majority.

That would cause chaos, and would cause chaos politically and economically as well.

On average, the teals have voted with the Greens around 78% of the time, with Labor around 75% of the time, and with the Coalition around 18% of the time.

I think it’s really important to look at what people do rather than what people say. We’re planning on going to this election to win the election, because Australians deserve better than what they’ve had for the last three years.

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