Breaking news, politics, business, economy, and current events from Australia.
Two dead seabirds have been collected and are being tested for the H5N1 bird flu virus in South Australia, following Australia’s first confirmed cases of the deadly variant this week. Warning: This story contains images readers may find distressing. The birds, which are believed to be a white-headed petrel and another sub-species of petrel, were…
A renewable energy consortium has admitted internal “failures” led to the destruction of an Aboriginal heritage rock shelter during the construction of transmission infrastructure in western New South Wales. An investigation conducted by ACEREZ into how the site on Wiradjuri country, near Mudgee, was irreparably damaged found “failures in site design and on-site construction…
A man who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in his car has dodged a lengthy jail term, with a judge saying there were “exceptional circumstances” that warranted a discounted sentence. Some in the public gallery of the County Court of Victoria today were visibly angry when Joshua Emonson, 24, was jailed for 12 months over…
Vouchers to help families pay for schoolbooks and excursions for primary school students will be increased to $150. That’s an extra $50 for each Back to School Boost voucher, which the government introduced last year. This is part of the $9.3 billion cost-of-living relief in the budget, which Treasurer David Janetzki says is “targeted and…
Queensland families will get an extra $50 in back-to-school payments for primary-aged students, as the LNP government charts a return to surplus in its second budget. Debt is still tipped to climb, though, to well beyond $200 billion over the next four years, as annual interest payments march towards almost $11 billion. The government will…
A bizarre species of spider from the remote rainforests of Far North Queensland springs a nasty surprise when its prey is lured into its web. The tiny and newly discovered ballista spider — named after an ancient Roman weapon that used a spring to launch a stone — uses an ingenious method to literally launch…
Police are urging Horsham residents in Victoria’s west to search their backyards, sheds and outdoor buildings for missing man Neville Nicholson, who may be taking shelter. The 47-year-old was last seen leaving the family home on Puls Place, Horsham about 4pm on Wednesday, June 17. Newly-released CCTV footage shows Mr Nicholson walking along Dimboola road…
One of the biggest new budget measures is the $561 million transport affordability package to help ease travel costs. For the next 12 months, the government will shave $100 off private vehicle registration, with an $80 cut for motorcycles — which will cost $435 million. The weekly toll cap will be lowered from $60 to…
More than 2 million students across India have resat the country’s highly competitive medical entrance exam after last month’s results were scrapped amid allegations that questions had been leaked. The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) is the gateway to medical schools across India, and is usually conducted just once a year in May. But it…
Some wild weather brings the World Cup to a standstill, but not before Lionel Messi lights it up to rewrite the record books. Check out the full World Cup schedule here in Australian times ABC Sport podcast: Check out the latest episode here These are the quick hits from another day at the 2026 World…