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Australia news — Achol Arok and Nick Visser
That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage after a jam-packed news day.
Before we go, let’s recap the day’s top headlines:
At least 34 Australian tourists are reportedly missing in the deadly flash floods that swept through the Nepal-Tibet border. Fourteen of them missing in Himalayas are members of same religious group.
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has defended national cabinet’s decision to drop strict mandates requiring new AI datacentres to be powered entirely by renewable energy.
The former Treasury secretary Ken Henry says the GST deal benefiting Western Australia is “stupid” and undermines the “integrity of the system of horizontal fiscal equalisation”.
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll , has announced he will scrap a levy on public transport users the government secretly introduced to help pay for the Suburban Rail Loop.
Unexpectedly strong inflation figures have forced a rethink on interest rates, with three out of four big banks now tipping the RBA to hike rates again by Melbourne Cup day.
One person has died and two others are in hospital after a “serious traffic incident” in Canberra reportedly involving three cyclists and a car.
Two men from Western Australia have been charged as part of an alleged cybercrime syndicate authorities say created malicious software to rob thousands of businesses around the globe.
Household spending has grown at fastest rate since mid-2023, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
A pro-Israel activist has been ordered to pay costs after the federal court found he breached parts of a legal settlement with Sydney restaurant Cairo Takeaway .
The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson , has added to the confusion on the the party’s net migration policy.
Jean Nassif , the property developer who fled Australia for Lebanon in 2022 after his company Toplace collapsed, will appear by video link to give evidence to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption next Friday.
Thanks for sticking around, we’ll see you tomorrow morning.
Parramatta Powerhouse CEO steps aside 72 days before opening amid procurement investigation
The chief executive of the Powerhouse Parramatta, Lisa Havilah , has stood aside 72 days before the $915 museum opens to the public amid an investigation into procurement for the project.
Havilah, the inaugural CEO of the Powerhouse, has been in the role since 2019. In a message to Powerhouse staff this afternoon, the secretary of the NSW Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport (DCITHS), Melanie Hawyes , wrote that Havilah would stand aside amid an “an ongoing investigation into matters relating to governance and procurement practices at the Powerhouse”.
After speaking with the Chief Executive earlier today, Lisa Havilah will be standing aside while the investigation is completed.
I recognise that this news comes at a significant time for the organisation, as we prepare for the opening of Powerhouse Parramatta. I know how much work, commitment and personal energy all of you have invested in reaching this milestone, and I want to assure you that there will be no impact to the existing programs of work, or the opening on 7 November.
The NSW government architect, Abbie Galvin , will take over as interim CEO, while former Sydney Opera House CEO, Louise Herron , who finished in that role this month, will provide “strategic advice and support”.
In a media release this afternoon, the NSW arts minister, John Graham , confirmed the “interim arrangements”.
I would like to thank the Powerhouse team for getting us to this point in the delivery of the Powerhouse Parramatta, the largest and most complex cultural infrastructure project since the Sydney Opera House.
Jean Nassif to give evidence to Icac inquiry
Jean Nassif , the property developer who fled Australia for Lebanon in 2022 after his company Toplace collapsed, will appear by video link in the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption next Friday.
The fugitive developer is at the centre of an inquiry which is looking into whether Nassif made a $2m payment to a group of Liberal-aligned operatives known as the Reformers in order to secure certain political outcomes, including the removal of the then-building commissioner, David Chandler .
The Sydney construction and property development group Toplace collapsed into voluntary administration in July 2023, leaving behind more than $600m in debts, stalled projects, and apartment owners facing massive repair bills for serious building defects.
His daughter, Ashlyn Nassif , a lawyer, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in June.
Charles Perrottet , the former premier Dominic Perrottet ’s brother, is due to appear tomorrow and for the early part of next week.
Fourteen missing Australians in Himalayas members of same religious group
Fourteen Australians missing in Nepal who travelled to the region with the Himalayan Glacier tour group were part of the Hindu religious organisation Australia Bharatha Brahman Samajam, its co-founder, Vasan Srinivasan , said.
It’s a group with family connections. They are great contributors to our community and have assisted me with lots of my fundraising activities for mental health in New South Wales. They are all from around Sydney.
Srinivasan, who is also the chief executive officer of the Mental Health Foundation Australia, said he was using all of his contacts in government to find out their whereabouts.
Hopefully God can give me the privilege of getting them home to Sydney.
Queensland attorney general denies bill would eliminate independence of child oversight body
Deb Frecklington denied the new body would cease to be independent, in a Thursday afternoon press conference.
The commissioner, it is important to note, has independence for the regulatory functions of that commission.
So for example, if the commissioner of the day of the new protection commission determines to not grant a blue card or to grant a blue card, then I have no ability to interfere in that decision
Asked whether her power to hire and fire would mean that she could simply sack a commissioner for using those powers in a way she didn’t like, Frecklington rejected the premise of the question.
Former deputy commissioner Natalie Lewis said the new bill would hand control of the commission’s budget and staff to a department chief executive – the very sector the office exists to scrutinise. She said:
The Bill removes the Commissioner’s protection from removal, keeps the government’s power to direct the one function that matters most, and strips the office of its independent budget. You cannot call that stronger oversight. You can only call it oversight that answers to the very government it is meant to check.
Queensland attorney general tables bill giving herself power to hire, fire and direct state’s child safety oversight body
Queensland’s attorney general has tabled a bill that would give her the power to hire, fire and direct the state’s independent child safety oversight body.
The new bill establishes a new organisation, known as the Queensland Protection Commission, which would swallow the Queensland Family and Child Commission, a statutory body established in 2014 to oversee the state’s child safety system.
Deb Frecklington ’s legislation would also remove a requirement for government to appoint at least one Indigenous commissioner. It could now be filled by a non-Indigenous person with “demonstrated ability or experience in working with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children”.
About half the Queensland children in out of home care are Indigenous.
Under the bill, Frecklington will also have the power to hire or fire the commissioner “for any reason or none”, with signoff from the governor.
The commissioner is also subject to the direction of the minister and “must comply” with a direction.
The body will be responsible for both child safeguarding roles such as administrating the state’s working with children check system, coordinating with other bodies and law enforcement, and systemic oversight of the child protection system.
How Australians can help those affected by Nepal flash flood
For Australians wondering how they can help those affected in the devastating Nepal flash floods, Unicef has launched an international emergency appeal on their website.
Unicef sends funds to assist in emergency health care, life-saving nutrition, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene supplies, temporary shelter and child protection and psychosocial support.
Pauline Hanson offers another take on One Nation’s immigration policy confusion
One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson , has said the party’s net migration policy remains at 130,000 but would include Pacific labour workers on top in comments that seemingly confirm those made by David Farley earlier this week.
Speaking on a panel at News Corp’s Bush Summit this afternoon, Hanson was asked if that meant more than 130,000 visa holders each year.
Hanson: “Correct, because your Palm [Pacific Australia Labour Mobility] workers, rural and regional Australia would die if they didn’t have the workers coming in, and especially the abattoirs and the farmers. So that’s a different program. These people are given accommodation by the farming sector and the businesses that employ them. So that is not the big impact here. But with immigration, you can’t just tie it to your housing, because infrastructure is another big thing and hospitals and schools and the nursing homes – that has to be all accounted for so it’s just not about houses.”
Moderator: “So was David Farley wrong or right this week?”
Hanson: “David Farley, he didn’t understand, he got confused about the visa holders because he went on to say Palm workers, as I’ve always said. Palm workers is the visa-holders that can come into the country. They’re provided accommodation, usually by those on the farms. They’re not taking up the housing. So that’s a totally different matter.”
On Sunday, Farley told ABC’s Insiders that One Nation’s net overseas migration (Nom) target was 130,000 plus an additional 100,000 Palm and skilled workers, and backpackers.
That’s all from me. Achol Arok will take things from here. Take care.
Pro-Israel activist ordered to pay costs after breaching part of settlement with Sydney restaurant
A pro-Israel activist has been ordered to pay costs after the federal court found he breached parts of a legal settlement with Sydney restaurant Cairo Takeaway .
On Thursday, Justice Robert Bromwich ordered Ofir Birenbaum pay costs to the restaurant after the federal court found in June that he had breached the pair’s legal settlement after he and his lawyer, Rebekah Giles , released “highly misleading and even deceptive” statements that implied they had won.
Bromwich said in his reasons for awarding costs on Thursday:
The need for the respondents to seek declaratory relief was entirely driven by inappropriate conduct by Mr Birenbaum in relation to the Deed, both by him in person and on his behalf by his solicitor, Ms Giles …
That was made worse by the dismissive approach taken to the offers made by the respondents as to remedying that behaviour, and by the refusal to engage on the question of costs for reasons that I regard as largely spurious.
The decision ends the long-running feud involving Birenbaum, who visited the popular Middle Eastern restaurant wearing a Star of David cap and necklace, with reporters from the Daily Telegraph in February 2025.
The operation, later revealed to have been dubbed “undercover Jew” internally by the newspaper, made international headlines after it backfired.
In August, Birenbaum launched defamation proceedings against the restaurant’s owner, Hesham El Masry , and staff member Talaat Yehia for statements made in a series of social media posts.
The case reached a confidential settlement in March, which Bromwich found in June Birenbaum breached.
The settlement had involved Cairo Takeaway, Birenbaum and the Daily Telegraph releasing a joint statement in which the Daily Telegraph apologised to Cairo Takeaway for “causing distress”. Cairo apologised unreservedly to Birenbaum.
A map of the region affected by the flash flood in Nepal
More than 1,000 people are missing in Nepal and Tibet after a flash flood, with rescuers searching for hundreds of foreign tourists. Follow the latest on our live blog .
Household spending grows at fastest rate since mid-2023
“Australians might be telling pollsters they’re doing it tough, but their credit cards clearly haven’t got the memo.”
That quote from an investment strategist neatly sums up figures from this morning which show we are in the midst of a surprising and counterintuitive boom in household spending.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics showed spending jumped by 1.1% in the month of July (nearly four times as fast as expected), which brought the annual growth rate to 7% – the fastest pace in more than three years.
The ABS’s monthly release pulls together de-identified card transactions, supermarket scanner data and motor vehicle sales figures.
It’s not just we’re being forced to fork out more on groceries and petrol: spending on non-essentials was up an even bigger 7.8% in the year to July as we splurged on clothing and footwear and attended sporting and cultural events.
This is all while consumer confidence is in the dumps and real wages go backwards.
Part of the increase in spending is explained by higher prices, but Belinda Allen , the head of Australian economics at CBA, admits it’s hard to explain.
“It is challenging to unpack, because we are getting mixed signals from a number of different sources,” Allen says.
She suspects some of the spending strength in July could be some payback from the initial caution that greeted the start of the Middle East conflict.
Maybe Australians are dipping into their savings to spend, and older households have been largely immune to higher interest rates and rents.
Whatever explains it, resilient spending adds to bets the Reserve Bank will need to do more to slow the economy if it wants to get inflation back to target.
Two WA men arrested over alleged involvement in cybercrime syndicate linked to 500,000 stolen credentials
Two men from Western Australia have been charged as part of an alleged cybercrime syndicate authorities say created malicious software to rob thousands of businesses around the globe.
The Australian federal police, WA police and the US FBI said in a joint release the men were charged with a combined 14 offences. Police will allege they were part of a “highly organised syndicate” that involved “large-scale cybercrime offending, including data intrusion, identity crime, and cryptocurrency-based money laundering”.
Police will allege the syndicate inserted malicious code into software on an open-source platform, which was then used unwittingly by other developers. That infected software was then distributed to computer systems across governments, academia and the private sector which allegedly allowed the syndicate to harvest or steal data.
Police allege the code compromised more than 1,000 organisations and enabled the theft of more than 500,000 credentials. The financial impact is expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars in global remediation costs.
The men, aged 21 and 23, are scheduled to appear in court today.
Glacial collapse caused huge flood leaving hundreds dead or missing in Nepal and Tibet
A glacial collapse triggered the catastrophic flash flood in Nepal and Tibet that roared down valleys, wiping out entire villages and leaving a preliminary death toll of at least 165 people, the US Geological Survey said. Rescuers on Thursday raced to locate the hundreds missing, including nationals from India, the US, UK, Australia and Canada.
Early reports from Nepali officials initially suggested an earthquake in the area could have caused the lower part of a glacier to collapse and trigger the floods. But the US Geological Survey later said what was initially reported as a 4.4 magnitude earthquake was a seismic shock generated by glacial rock and ice collapsing and the flow of debris. “No earthquake had occurred.”
An initial study of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a landslide of ice and rock triggered the debris-laden flood in the Lhende River, about 20km north-east of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing, Nepal’s national disaster authority said. Experts say the risk of such events is compounded by the extreme topography of the Himalayas.
Related: Glacial collapse caused huge flood leaving hundreds dead or missing in Nepal and Tibet
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama dies aged 97
Yayoi Kusama , the Japanese outsider artist who reached superstar status after decades living in a psychiatric hospital, has died aged 97.
Kusama died in a Tokyo hospital on 14 August, her studio announced in a statement on her website on Thursday.
“Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry,” the statement read.
She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul.
Related: Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist who became a global superstar, dies aged 97
Queensland parliament farewells former Labor MP Jimmy Sullivan
Queensland parliament has held a condolence motion for the family and friends of former Labor MP Jimmy Sullivan , who died in April .
Sullivan followed in the footsteps of his father, Terry , a fellow Stafford MP, who watched on from the public gallery on Thursday as a string of Labor MPs shared their memories.
A number of MPs spoke through tears. Many said they’d known Sullivan for decades, at law school, serving as a staffer in the Paluszczuk government or in young Labor.
The Labor leader, Steven Miles, told parliament that when they were younger “Jimmy was the one we all agreed would make it”.
“While most of the rest of us scrapped our way to get ahead, Jimmy seemed set up,” the former premier said.
Charming, funny, smart, popular – he had a way of drawing people to him.
The Labor whip, Mark Ryan, called Sullivan “the sentinel of Stafford”, a man who knew people’s names, and whose electorate office was always open.
Bundaberg MP Tom Smith said the last time he had spoken to Sullivan, the father-of-two told Smith his child had just learned how to call him “daddy”.
“That’s the memory that I want to remember. Jimmy Sullivan, who was proud to be a father, who was so happy to know that he was loved by his family,” he said.
Labor retained Stafford at a byelection in May.
Wong confirms additional Dfat personnel being deployed to Nepal
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong , says extra Dfat personnel have been deployed after deadly flash floods swept through the Nepal-Tibet border.
Speaking to the media in Adelaide, Wong said:
We are currently deploying further Dfat personnel, including crisis response, to the area.
I would anticipate that support will be needed. If you look at the footage and the destruction, we know this is a country that may not have the resources that will be needed to deal with the recovery by themselves.
With at least 34 Australians among those missing, Wong said the focus remains on finding them with the support of the Nepali government, the UN, the Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations.
The first point for us is to try and ascertain Australians’ whereabouts and wellbeing. And secondly, we will look at what government assistance we can provide in the near future.
I would say to you at this stage, access and information are very limited given the scale of the disaster. We will do our best to confirm and ascertain whatever information we can.
One dead and two injured in Canberra crash involving car and cyclists
One person has died and two others are in hospital after a “serious traffic incident” in Canberra reportedly involving three cyclists and a car.
ACT policing said the incident took place at about 6.30am on Gungahlin Drive. One person died at the scene and two were taken to Canberra hospital, one in a critical condition.
The driver involved in the collision is assisting police with their inquiries. The road is closed in both directions during the investigation and police said an hour ago it was expected to remain closed “for some time”.
It’s the 10th road fatality in the ACT this year.
Aircraft debris found in waters off NT coast where pilot crashed
Aircraft debris has been found in waters off remote islands in Australia’s north where a search is under way for a missing pilot after his plane crashed into the sea, AAP reports.
An Air Frontier twin-engined Beechcraft Baron aircraft went missing after taking off from Gove airport at Nhulunbuy on the Northern Territory coast with only the pilot aboard. The air charter company’s plane was due to land at the remote Indigenous community of Numbulwar at 11.50am on Tuesday but never arrived.
A search led by Northern Territory police began after a witness on a vessel reported seeing the plane crash into the sea near Isle Woodah.
Police divers have been deployed to conduct searches of the sea floor in the vicinity of the crash site.
Search mission coordinator, Acting Sergeant Nathan Conelius , on Thursday told ABC Radio that in “a little bit of good news” aircraft debris had been found in the search area on Wednesday.
That’s helped refine our search planning so we are more hopeful today of finding something else.
There were strong sea currents in the area that could move debris, he said.
Air Frontier CEO Kylie Hunt said the company was “deeply saddened” by the accident and her thoughts were with the pilot and their family.
As a precautionary measure, the company has grounded all five of its Beechcraft Baron aircraft pending advice from authorities.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has initiated a crash investigation.
Australian man fears friends in Nepal have died
An Australian man says two of his friends who were working as tour guides on the border of Nepal and Tibet are feared dead after flash flooding.
Suman Shrestha says the two men cannot be contacted and last spoke to their families around 9am on Wednesday. He says their families are desperately seeking answers.
I can see that lots of my friends are missing. This happened along a trekking line and they work as tourist guides.
It’s hard. One of them is my close friend’s brother. The other lived near my home in Nepal. I know them well. They were helping the tourists on their trips.
Their families know that they have been trekking in this area and now they cannot contact them.
The families are trying to get in contact with the government, but there is no proper way to search for them. There are no phone lines, there is no wifi. There is no way to contact them.
Three in four major banks now predict another RBA rate hike
The fallout from Wednesday’s hotter than expected inflation number continues, with NAB now predicting the Reserve Bank will deliver a fourth rate hike next month, while CBA joined ANZ to now pencil in an increase to 4.6% in November.
Consumer price growth fell to 3.5% in the year to July, from 3.8%, but that was far less than hoped – analysts had predicted it would drop to 3.3%.
Even more concerning was underlying inflation – which removes the most volatile prices – which held at 3.6% through the year.
By either measure, inflation is far above the 2.5% the RBA is hoping to reach by the end of next year, and economists reckon one bad month will be enough to force the central bank’s hand. NAB economists led by Sally Auld wrote this morning:
The RBA has repeatedly signalled in recent weeks that the monetary policy board would act if upside risks to inflation were realised.
The NAB team even warned that there was a risk of a further hike in November if the economy “shows resilience” in coming months.
Belinda Allen , CBA’s head of Australian economics, also pencilled in a November hike, warning it could come in September. Allen said:
The path back to the RBA’s target band was always expected to be gradual and left little room for upward surprises to inflation or growth.
That leaves Westpac as the only major bank not expecting higher rates this year.
Justin Smirk , a senior economist at Westpac, said the RBA will wait for a fuller picture in the September quarterly inflation report before drawing any firm conclusions.
Environment group disappointed by H5 bird flu funding announcement for wildlife
The Invasive Species Council has described a government announcement of an additional $20m for wildlife affected by H5 bird flu as “deeply unserious”.
The Albanese government said it would boost biosecurity spending by $125m in response to the deadly virus, in a cost-sharing arrangement with state and territory governments.
It has committed a further $20m specifically for wildlife – 10% of the $200m conservation groups had called for. The government said it would seek matched contributions from the states and territories.
Invasive Species Council chief executive Jack Gough said:
Twenty million dollars for wildlife resilience in the face of a wildlife disease that puts almost one in five of our native mammals and birds at high risk of severe population decline is deeply unserious.
Gough pointed to the $2.5bn bailout package recently announced by the federal and NSW governments for the Tomago aluminium smelter:
Right now nature needs a bailout, but the government couldn’t even find 1% of that investment.
The environment minister Murray Watt said the wildlife funding built on money already spent over “several years” preparing for the arrival of H5 bird flu:
As a result, our most at-risk species are in a better position to withstand and recover from the impacts of this virus.
Nepali tour operator has lost contact with group including 15 Australians, just ‘1%’ hope they have survived
A Nepali tour operator says he fears that 15 Australians trekking with his company in a valley ravaged by flash flooding have died.
Sagar Pandey , the founder and chief executive of Himalayan Glacier Trekking, said he has lost all contact with his tour group of 47 people, which included 15 Australians.
The missing Australians are aged 11 to 64.
He has since flown over the area where the tour was staying in a helicopter and said he has little hope they survived. He told Guardian Australia:
The flash flood swept away everything, everything, you couldn’t see any human creations at all.
Still, I have a hope, but like 1%; the rest I don’t have a hope, they are missing and missing and missing.
Banks tip another rate rise after inflation figures
Unexpectedly strong inflation figures have forced a rethink on interest rates, with three out of four big banks now tipping the RBA to hike rates again by Melbourne Cup day.
AAP reports economists at NAB and Commonwealth Bank followed ANZ in changing their rates forecast on Thursday.
ANZ was the first of Australia’s biggest lenders to switch their call from an extended hold to one more rise on Wednesday, after July consumer price figures showed underlying inflation rose 0.5% in the month, well above expectations.
While ANZ and CBA predict the Reserve Bank will lift the cash rate in November, NAB experts think it will be even sooner, forecasting a hike at the central bank’s next meeting in September.
Even though headline inflation slowed on an annual basis from 3.8 to 3.5%, the broad-based rise in underlying inflation suggests the RBA’s preferred quarterly trimmed mean measure will probably come in above 1% in September, NAB said.
Related: Fears grow for fourth rate hike after Australia sees higher-than-expected July inflation
Buddhist temple to hold ‘special prayer’ service for Nepalese community in Australia
The Australian Nepalese Multicultural Centre (ANMC) in Victoria will be holding a prayer service in its temple tonight for members grappling with the loss of life.
A spokesperson for the centre in Melbourne’s north-western suburbs says it is “deeply saddened” by the loss of life.
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, and we pray for the safe rescue and return of those who are still missing.
At this difficult time, [we] stand in solidarity with the affected communities, rescue teams and everyone supporting the ongoing response.
ANMC will hold a special prayer today, Thursday 27 August, at 6:30pm at the ANMC Temple. We invite community members to join us in prayer for those who have lost their lives, those who remain missing, the injured and all families affected by this disaster.
May those who have lost their lives rest in peace, and may strength and hope be with all those affected.
Nepal embassy still verifying total number of missing Australians
Nepal’s embassy in Canberra is still trying to verify the number of Australians who are missing in the region affected by flash flooding.
The embassy’s second secretary, Saroj Paneru, says information is still being collected from tourism agencies operating in the region.
The tourism industry in Nepal is working to collect information about anyone who was in the affected area.
Once we have that data and all the details have been received, we will communicate all of this to the Australian government and the embassy in Kathmandu.
We are now coordinating and collecting all the information about how many tourists and Australians were there.
Nepal embassy prepares request for Australian government assistance
Nepal’s embassy in Canberra is preparing an urgent request to the Australian government for financial and technical support.
The embassy’s second secretary, Saroj Paneru, said every Nepali government official was working overtime to find and assist people displaced by the devastating floods.
Paneru said the Nepal government was scrambling to calculate the loss and damage caused by the floods and would be urgently seeking international assistance.
We are reaching out to the Australian government and hopefully they will provide assistance to us. We are in communication with them.
First of all, we are just calculating the loss back home. After that, we will have all the details. Then we expect financial, technical and responsive support. We expect all this support in this difficult time for Nepal
We are hoping all international communities and everyone will be providing assistance to us in this very sad time.
Coalition worried about ‘devastating’ Nepal floods
Opposition leader Angus Taylor and Coalition foreign affairs spokesperson Ted O’Brien have also voiced concern about the floods in Nepal and any Australians who may have been caught up in the disaster.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating flooding in Nepal and Tibet, including the families who have lost loved ones and those still waiting for news. We are also thinking of the Australians caught up in this disaster and their families here at home,” Taylor wrote on social media.
O’Brien said in a separate statement: “News coming out of Nepal about horrific flash floods is devastating.”
My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones and those still missing. We are particularly concerned by reports that Australians are among those unaccounted for and our thoughts are with their families and friends during this incredibly difficult time.
Both men echoed government advice, that Australians in the region should follow the advice of local authorities and contact Dfat’s Consular Emergency Centre if they need urgent assistance on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas.
Qantas profits slip to $2.06bn as US war on Iran adds to fuel bill
Qantas ’ pre-tax profits have slipped $330m to land at $2.06bn for the year to June.
The airline said rising jet fuel costs from the US war on Iran added $610m to its fuel bill. It attracted an extra $190m in earnings from customers who switched to Qantas after cancellations on other airlines, with conflict on net costing Qantas $420m for the year.
Qantas and Jetstar domestic contributed a combined $1.44bn in underlying earnings. The company said Qantas’ unit (or per-flight) revenue increased 5% on the two local carriers from March to June. While Government and big business cut back, leisure customers and the Western Australian resources businesses continued to pay for flights.
Jetstar gained 11% more revenue despite increasing its flight capacity just 4%, supported by “value-conscious customers”, the company said. Half of Jetstar domestic customers paid under $150 per flight, it said.
International flights contributed $650m in underlying earnings, falling from the year before thanks to higher fuel costs. Qantas international revenue grew 8%, mostly from increased capacity, while Jetstar International grew its capacity by 11% and won a 14% revenue increase.
Qantas said its loyalty scheme had grown its underlying earnings by 12% in the year, to $625m, with a 6% growth in active members. Uber was the fastest-growing source of points.
PM confirms 34 Australians missing in Nepal, saying ‘information is difficult’ to get
Anthony Albanese just confirmed 34 Australians are missing in Nepal, echoing similar numbers from local authorities.
The prime minister said during an event in Dubbo:
People would have seen some of the footage, which is a truly horrific event. At this point, there are 34 Australians who are missing.
Nepal, you know, is a developing country, it doesn’t have the resources that an event like that would have in Australia.
Related: Nepal flash flood live updates: police say more than 150 bodies recovered on Tibet border with hundreds still missing
Victoria scraps secret public transport levy meant to help pay for Suburban Rail Loop
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll , has announced he will scrap a levy on public transport users the government secretly introduced to help pay for the Suburban Rail Loop.
Related: Suburban Rail Loop: Victorian government secretly increased public transport fares to help pay for controversial SRL
The report into the first stage of the SRL – from Cheltenham to Box Hill – revealed the government added a 1% levy on public transport fares on top of existing adjustments in line with inflation on 1 January 2025 but did not inform Victorians.
The auditor general said 60% of the revenue earned was meant go to SRL East but the levy was not been named as one of the government’s value capture methods for the project.
Speaking outside parliament, Carroll told reporters:
I am a premier who levels with Victorians, and I’m going to level with Victorians today. I will abolish the rail improvement charge. There’ll be a proper cabinet process to come, but it’s my intention and the treasurer’s intention to abolish that charge. I’m a premier taking the state in a new direction. Victorians do deserve better public transport. They also deserve to know what their money is buying.
Asked when he first knew about the levy, he said:
The way this charge was created and implemented, there was a lack of transparency. That is why today I’m announcing I will abolish it.
'This system is going to break': Ken Henry says GST deal benefiting WA is ‘stupid’
The former Treasury secretary Ken Henry says the GST deal benefiting Western Australia is “stupid” and undermines the “integrity of the system of horizontal fiscal equalisation”.
Henry spoke to RN Breakfast this morning amid an ongoing stoush after the Productivity Commission said in an interim report the Morrison-era GST deal was a mistake that should be reversed. Western Australia has responded with fury, and Anthony Albanese said this week there would be no changes to the agreement while he is in power.
Related: Morrison-era GST deal with WA a multi-billion dollar mistake that should be reversed, Productivity Commission finds
Henry, however, said he agreed the GST carve-out was hurting the nation, telling RN:
If a state, the wealthiest state in the nation, can come to Canberra with a begging bowl and get the rest of the country to put money into that begging bowl being held by the wealthiest people in the country, if that’s how this system is going to work, then this system is going to fail. And one day this system is going to break.
Without a high-integrity system of fiscal equalisation, the Australian federation is going to face some pretty serious challenges.
Home buyers have more power but new listings down as owners hold fire
Australia’s spring property season is shaping up to be unusually sluggish, as sellers retreat from a weak market and unsold homes pile up, AAP reports.
New property listings in the four weeks leading up to August 23 were 8.2% below the five-year average, property analytics firm Cotality data shows.
Advertised stock levels remain elevated overall, suggesting homeowners are holding back from adding to an already crowded market.
Sydney is leading the downturn, where new listings were 14% below the five-year average in the four-week period. Similar pullbacks were recorded in all capitals except Adelaide.
‘Reluctant’ approval for Tasmanian datacentre sets marker for national battle
The day before Anthony Albanese secured agreement with states and territories to develop national datacentre standards, a small council in Tasmania was grappling with the existing regulations in the face of strong community opposition to a new AI factory planned for its town.
The George Town council voted 6-1 to approve the plans of Australian developer Firmus to build a 288 megawatt (MW) datacentre at Long Reach, north of Launceston, but said it did so reluctantly.
The AI factory is planned on the former Gunns Pulp Mill site near the Tamar River, and has faced strong opposition from locals. A petition calling to stop the centre going ahead had nearly 6,000 signatures. More than 300 people wrote submissions on the application to the council.
Related: ‘Reluctant’ approval for Tasmanian datacentre sets marker for national battle
Some photos from Nepal after the massive flooding
Albanese concerned about Australians in Nepal
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese , says Dfat officials are ready to provide consular assistance to Australians in Nepal, after the devastating flooding in the country.
A local tourism official said they believed 34 Australians were missing in the area, among hundreds of foreign nationals. Australian officials were not confirming numbers at this stage, and were working to check on the welfare of people they know were in the affected region.
In a statement this morning Albanese urged Australians to listen to Nepali authorities and said the government was aware of “a number” of people in the area.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China,” he said.
Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities. We are aware of a number of Australians in the area and Australian officials are urgently working to confirm their welfare. We are liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators.
We stand ready to provide consular assistance.
The PM said Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).
Plibersek says government still determining how many Australians in Nepal floods
Tanya Plibersek , the minister for social services, said the federal government is very concerned about the flooding in Nepal.
She said the government was still trying to determine how many Australians are in the area and how many have been affected. Plibersek told RN Breakfast everyone in the region should follow the advice of local officials.
The images are very disturbing indeed. We do know that there are Australians in the area. We don’t know exactly how many.
Macquarie Group dealt a further blow to KMPG when the bank said it would reverse a decision to use the embattled consultancy as its auditor and instead will retain the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers .
In a statement to the ASX stock market yesterday, Macquarie said its decision followed scrutiny of KPMG Australia’s audit process as exposed by the recent parliamentary hearings in the leaking of client data.
Macquarie said it was concerned about KPMG’s “capacity to deliver the audit”, given that “several key members of the proposed KPMG Australia audit team have departed”, and “a culture that transparently discloses issues”.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s get to it.
Dfat aware of a ‘number’ of Australians in Nepal flood zone
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) says it is aware of a “number” of Australians in the area affected by the flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border, saying officials stand ready to provide consular assistance.
We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China.
Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities.
We are aware of a number of Australians in the area and Australian officials are urgently working to confirm their welfare. We are liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators.
Australia’s ambassador to Nepal ‘deeply saddened’ by flood disaster
Australia’s ambassador to Nepal, Simon Ernst, says he is “deeply saddened” by the disaster in Nepal.
A joint statement issued by the embassies of Australia, Finland, France, Norway, Switzerland the the UK in Nepal, posted on social media some hours ago by Ernst, says:
We are deeply saddened by the devastating flooding in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and surrounding areas.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster. We express our solidarity with the people of Nepal during this difficult time.
We encourage all those in affected areas to follow the guidance of local authorities and official safety advisories as the situation continues to evolve.
Penny Wong says officials 'urgently' working to confirm Australians reported missing in Nepal flood
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong , says the government is urgently trying to confirm the welfare of Australians in Nepal, after reports dozens of Australian tourists were among those missing in flash floods.
In a statement issued this morning, Wong said:
The loss of life and destruction caused by flash flooding in Nepal and China is devastating. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed or missing and all affected by this disaster.
DFAT officials are urgently working to confirm the welfare of Australians in the area.
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).
Malinauskas defends national cabinet carveouts for AI data centres
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has defended national cabinet’s decision to drop strict mandates requiring new AI data centres to be powered entirely by renewable energy.
After a meeting of national cabinet , prime minister Anthony Albanese flagged exemptions for jurisdictions including Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday evening, Malinauskas denied the PM had been rolled by state leaders, adding there was a “genuine desire” to manage the national rollout together.
“It’s pretty clear... to any objective observer that the way we’re going to see these datacentres roll out in an Australian context will be powered by renewables, because that is where the generation can come from,” he told host Sarah Ferguson .
That’s where the very large scale of energy is able to be procured at relatively quick speed... we can get renewables online sooner rather than later...
What you saw today was a nationally consistent position, that gas will have a role to play when it comes to the firming of renewables, which has always been South Australia’s view.
Malinauskas noted that different state energy profiles, such as Queensland’s state-owned generation, meant a federal mandate was unnecessary. However, he said all jurisdictions agreed that operators must construct new generation capacity.
We cannot have datacentres connecting to the grid without bringing their own new generation. Water is also clearly a consideration, but, frankly, energy is the main game. And that is accepted by all states and territories .
Related: Albanese backs down on states powering AI datacentres using renewable energy
Dozens of Australian tourists believed missing in flash floods on Nepal-Tibet border
Dozens of Australian tourists are reportedly missing in the deadly flash floods that swept through the Nepal-Tibet border.
According to the Nepal Tourist Board, as reported by Agence France-Presse, at least 291 foreigners were among the missing, including one Australian who was travelling with Kathmandu Holiday Tours and Travel.
However those numbers were quickly updated.
The Nepal Tourist Board said the number of missing people had risen from 384 to 403, with 33 UK citizens among 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for.
According to the tourist board, 203 of the missing are male and 200 female.
Also among the missing were 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia , and 24 from Canada.
Related: Flash floods on Nepal-Tibet border leave scores dead and hundreds missing
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
An estimated 34 Australians are believed missing amid devastating flash floods in Nepal. We will bring you more on this soon.
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has defended national cabinet’s decision to drop strict mandates requiring new AI datacentres to be powered entirely by renewable energy. More coming up.
Macquarie Group has dealt a further blow to KMPG when the bank said it would reverse a decision to use the embattled consultancy as its auditor and instead will retain the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers. More details shortly.
Before we go, let’s recap the day’s top headlines:
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Achol Arok and Nick Visser. Published 27 Aug 2026, 07:36 am.
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