Breaking news, politics, business, economy, and current events from Australia.
Danica Slack is busy folding an ever-growing pile of laundry. “It’s just chockers, full of baskets in here,” Ms Slack said, laughing. The Toowoomba mum has set herself the goal of folding 1,300 baskets of clean laundry to pay off her car’s finance and buy a seven-seater big enough for her family. In the two…
An insidious pest the size of a sesame seed could destroy some of Brisbane’s urban oases if it makes its way to the east coast, experts warn. The polyphagous shot-hole borer, just two millimetres long, has already decimated 4,800 trees in Perth. Urban greens like Brisbane’s New Farm Park could be a target for the…
Third-generation olive producer Leon Bettio says the industry has never looked in better shape. The 44-year-old, who manages his family’s expanded grove along South Australia’s lower River Murray at Mypolonga said consumer demand for olive oil had reached new heights. It comes at the same time that wine grape growers have reached a crisis point,…
Queensland’s former chief scientist has encouraged the government to mobilise the state’s bird-watching community as conservationists anxiously prepare for the possible arrival of the H5N1 bird flu strain. The virus, which causes flying issues and breathing problems, has killed millions of birds across the world since 2021. Five cases have been confirmed on Australia’s southern…
The United States has carried out strikes against Iran, with the US Central Command saying American aircraft targeted Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites. Iranian state media reported a projectile struck the area around a pier in the southern port city of Sirik on Friday. The strikes came after…
Midwifery care tailored to First Nations families produces better infant health outcomes, a Melbourne study has found. The study, published in medical journal The Lancet, tracked 669 Indigenous babies born in three Melbourne hospitals between 2017 and 2022 where their mothers received specialised care. The results have been compared to more than 1,000 First Nations…
As Australia united around the Socceroos, the country’s most self-destructive political party was trying to avoid falling apart, yet again. In the latest unedifying chapter for the Victorian Liberals, controversial MP Moira Deeming accused former leader Matthew Guy of assaulting her at a function, claiming he put her in a headlock. CCTV footage appeared to…
Under the cover of night, two boats made their way through the calm waters of the Coral Sea towards the north Queensland coast. On board were 3.1 tonnes of cocaine and methamphetamine. The Midge Point boat ramp, where police allege the drugs were smuggled in. (Supplied) After leaving a larger mothership allegedly anchored in deep…
The global jet fuel price has dropped after the US and Iran signed a preliminary ceasefire deal, which has many hoping that airfares will drop too. Airlines raised prices for flights in response to higher fuel costs, but experts say there will be a lag before airfares come back down if demand does not ease….
For an El Niño year, 2026 is so far the wettest on record for Australia, and an influx of tropical moisture is about to deliver another round of widespread rain. The current spell of not very El Niño-like weather is partly due to a competing climate driver from the south which is preventing cool and…