One of the biggest gambling companies in the world is breaking into Australia’s “rewards clubs” scene, raising alarm bells for anti-gambling advocates. Sportsbet’s parent company Flutter Entertainment has launched Sportsdream Rewards, a company using the rewards club model, which has exploded in popularity. Rewards clubs use ‘trade promotions’ as a loophole to run prize draws…
In March 2025, the ‘varroa destructor’ first appeared in Queensland beehives. It is believed the parasitic mite, deadly to European honey bees, was carried over the Scenic Rim from New South Wales, which has been battling varroa since 2022. Just a year on, it is estimated 90 per cent of south-east Queensland’s wild honey bee…
James Turner is not joking when he says the Australian men’s rugby sevens team relishes stressful moments. “We thrive in it,” Turner explained matter-of-factly when he spoke to ABC Sport over the phone from France. Aussies know ‘job is not done’ Australia puts itself in pole position to win the women’s rugby sevens World Championship,…
As winter settles over the fog and frost-prone city of Wagga Wagga, there is a sense of despair among the growing number of people experiencing homelessness. “I’ve already been wet,” Deanne said. “The stick’s gone through the tent, so there’s tape on that. Still gets wet in there, then you can’t dry your bedding.” Deanne…
Tasmanian authorities are reconsidering a ban that prevents Australia’s Antarctic icebreaker from travelling under Hobart’s Tasman Bridge. The RSV Nuyina, which has its home port at Macquarie Wharf, is currently not allowed to go under the bridge to reach the nearby refuelling depot at Selfs Point. Instead, the ship must make a 674-kilometre detour to…
Drivers using medicinal cannabis who test positive for a tiny amount of its active ingredient are set to avoid drug driving charges in New South Wales. The Labor government plans to introduce a legal limit on the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, a driver can have in their system if they have a prescription….
Australia’s economic slowdown is just beginning, economists warn, as interest rate rises and cost-of-living pressures weigh on households. The economy grew just 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed on Wednesday, but the figures only captured the first month of the Middle East war. “Surging inflation, sky-high…
For years, Hobart City Council meetings have generated headlines for all the wrong reasons — from arguments over missing snacks to bitter personal attacks. But as the Tasmanian capital prepares to elect a new council in October, the Town Hall is heading towards what could be its biggest shake-up in a while. Lord Mayor Anna…
Australia has gained access to a highly advanced artificial intelligence system deemed too dangerous for public release, as the federal government is urged to speed up its response to the risks and opportunities of AI. Several private companies and the government are among 150 additional organisations across 15 countries granted use of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos…
It’s not often that the Pope, college students and Australians agree. One topic that has put these unusual bedfellows all roughly on the same page is artificial intelligence. Last week, Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, a 43,000-word plea to address the threats posed by AI. American college students have been expressing their concerns…