Queensland’s deputy premier says he has no sympathy for “juvenile grubs” in youth detention centres after concerns were raised about their welfare during lockdowns. Jarrod Bleijie suggested it was often the children’s fault they had been placed in lockdown, pointing to reports of frequent attacks against staff. “A lockdown is for the safety of not…

Byron Bay Bluesfest may have been trading while insolvent for months before it collapsed, according to a new report from the liquidator. The iconic northern New South Wales music festival, which had been running for more than 30 years, went into liquidation in March with debts exceeding $10 million. Of that, $7.4 million is owed…

A north Queensland sugar miller crippled by a cybersecurity attack says it hopes to resume production next week. Mackay Sugar shut down two of its three mills at Farleigh and Racecourse early Wednesday morning after finding operating systems had been compromised. The company said it was progressively restoring critical systems and anticipated a staged resumption…

A former school principal is staring down a prison term after robbing a “vulnerable” teenage girl of her innocence, a Tasmanian court has heard. Gary Raymond Sykes, 70, fronted the Supreme Court in Launceston for a sentencing hearing after earlier pleading guilty to one count of persistent sexual abuse of a child. The offending occurred…

The signs were there the night before the game. The last-minute panic to buy Mexico jerseys from street sellers lining busy footpaths. Mexico, South Korea win on World Cup opening day The 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway as South Korea comes from a goal down to beat Czechia 2-1 and Mexico defeats South Africa…

Two men who killed a 68-year-old man at his own home during a meth-fuelled burglary in WA’s South West has been given lengthy prison terms. Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence Raymond Smith was fatally assaulted in his Greenbushes home, about 240 kilometres south of Perth, in December 2023 during a robbery by…