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Australia news — Nick Visser
One Nation’s David Farley ‘needs to shut up’, George Christensen writes
Former Coalition politician and One Nation member George Christensen claims new MP David Farley “needs to shut up”, accusing him of “freelancing on immigration” after further confusion on the party’s core policy.
Christensen, who quit the Nationals and later ran as a One Nation Senate candidate, said he had “played a small part in helping David Farley get elected”, including having “advised” Farley on messaging and media during his byelection campaign for Farrer – but says Farley runs the risk of “damaging” Pauline Hanson with his comments.
“David Farley repeatedly contradicts One Nation on immigration and leaves Pauline Hanson cleaning up the mess,” Christensen wrote in a blog on his Substack page.
It came after Farley on Sunday told Insiders that One Nation’s immigration policy numbers would be “not too different” from Labor’s plan, forcing One Nation into damage control. It has also exposed growing confusion about Hanson’s immigration policy, with various members giving different ideas at different times.
Related: One Nation’s immigration policy is hard to define – even by its own MPs
Christensen said One Nation “does need to clear up the wording of its policy”, noting “confusion” between its written policy and Hanson’s media interviews. But he also criticised Farley over a number of departures from One Nation stances, including Farley saying he’d display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in his office, and voicing support for the Sydney Mardi Gras.
“For now, the most useful thing he could learn is when to shut up,” Christensen wrote.
Matcha drinking doubles in Australia, with the going rate for an iced matcha latte about $8 a cup
Guardian Australia’s Isabella Lee has some interesting figures on the popularity of matcha on cafe menus across the country:
The going rate for an iced matcha latte is about $8 – about $2 more than a standard milk coffee – and young Australians are undeterred by the price. An annual report on Australian coffee habits and spending by ordering platform Hey You and Westpac DataX found there has been a 133% increase in matcha orders year-on-year, with customers aged under 35 driving this demand.
The Japanese beverage, traditionally served unsweetened, without milk and prepared in an involved tea ceremony, is now firmly in the mainstream.
Related: Matcha drinking doubles in Australia, with the $8 green beverage now considered a ‘staple’ on menus
Australian shares lift as banks rebound and Coles jumps
A rebound in banking stocks has reawakened Australia’s share market from its recent slumber, putting the beaten-down financials sector on track for its second daily gain in eight sessions, AAP reports.
The S&P/ASX200 was up 0.66% as the broader All Ordinaries gained 0.57%. The local bourse shrugged off a weak session for US tech stocks, which was partially counterbalanced by a rise in financial stocks.
The latter part of the move was echoed in the ASX session, with insurers and banks rebounding from recent sell-downs, with no clear catalyst except an expected dip in headline inflation figures due on Wednesday morning.
Investors will also be poring over Reserve Bank meeting minutes released later on Tuesday.
The Australian dollar is buying 71.52 US cents, down from 71.69 US cents on Monday at 5pm AEST.
World’s oceans hit hottest temperature on record in August
The world’s oceans were hotter than ever previously recorded on Saturday, according to the latest data.
The average surface temperature was 21.1C, with the rising marine heat a stark indicator of the climate crisis. More than 90% of the heat trapped by carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning enters the oceans.
Hotter oceans exacerbate the sea level rise and extreme storms that threaten billions of people, as well as driving marine heatwaves that decimate sea life and undermine coastal livelihoods, scientists warned.
“The record is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress,” said Dr Samantha Burgess, at the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which produced the new data.
El Niño is adding heat to the system, but it is doing so on top of decades of human-driven warming. The consequences are already visible: the number of marine heatwave days globally has more than tripled since the early 1990s.
Related: World’s oceans hit hottest temperature on record in August
Ralph Carr, entertainment industry and AFL figure, sentenced to six years for raping ex-staffer
Entertainment and AFL agent Ralph Carr has been sentenced to six years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of a former employee.
Carr, 66, was convicted of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault after a trial in the county court of Victoria last month.
On Tuesday, Judge Frank Gucciardo sentenced Carr to six years in prison, with a minimum term of four years.
Carr had pleaded not guilty to the offences, which were committed against the former employee in March 2023. He appeared in court via videolink for his sentencing, and has foreshadowed an appeal against his conviction.
Related: Ralph Carr, entertainment industry and AFL figure, sentenced to six years for raping ex-staffer
Greens senator Barbara Pocock won’t run again
The Greens senator Barbara Pocock says she won’t run again for the upper house, announcing today that another term “is not right for me”.
Pocock, a senator for South Australia, said on Tuesday that a cancer diagnosis for her partner had been one of the motivating factors for her decision to not run again in 2028.
After much consideration, I have made the decision that I will not be nominating for preselection for a second term in the Senate.
The reasons are personal: for the past year my partner has had brain cancer and despite his good prognosis, I’ve reached the view that running for a second term is not right for me.
Pocock – no relation to the independent ACT senator David Pocock – joined the Senate in 2022 after nearly two decades at the Australia Institute, having worked as an economist including at the Reserve Bank.
The Greens’ spokesperson for housing, finance and the public sector, Pocock has been among the leading voices in interrogating the scandals in consulting firms which have been investigated through parliamentary inquiries.
Pocock said the next election was still “a long way off” and said she still had “plenty of work to do on housing, securing super for under 18-year-olds, holding KPMG to account and reforming the Big Four firms”.
I remain committed to continuing my work on climate and environmental justice.
RBA has its finger on the rates trigger, board minutes show
The Reserve Bank’s monetary policy board remains unconvinced that inflation will return to target by the end of next year, and is ready to hike rates again if it sees any evidence that price pressures are coming in hotter than expected.
The RBA held its cash rate at 4.35% at its most recent meeting, even as Michele Bullock , the governor, warned after the decision that it was “quite possible” that there would be another hike.
Minutes from that meeting released this morning revealed board members believe that inflation, while still too high at 3.8%, is tracking as predicted and should return to the 2.5% target by late 2027.
But the board is aware they have little wriggle room to achieve their mandate in a “timely” fashion, the minutes show, and are ready to act if needed. The minutes read:
Several members judged that it was quite possible that the upside risks to the inflation forecast would crystallise, requiring some further tightening. Other members noted the potential for downside risks to offset them.
All members agreed that, given prevailing uncertainties, upcoming decisions would benefit from additional information that could strengthen their conviction about the outlook for inflation.
So it’s watch and wait, the minutes show, and the board “will continue to do what it considers necessary to achieve that outcome, including increasing the cash rate target if upside risks materialise”.
Most economists don’t expect another rate hike this year, but financial markets early this morning were pricing in a 64% chance of an increase by December.
The ABS will release its latest monthly inflation figures at 11:30am tomorrow.
Major home builder Bathla Group collapses, leaving buyers in limbo
Embattled home builder Bathla Group has been placed into voluntary administration, leaving customers in limbo in what it says is a “perfect storm” of circumstances, AAP reports.
Founder and director Bhart Bhushan described the move to voluntary administration as an “orderly restructure of business”.
“Our first thoughts are with our employees and the customers who have put their faith in us to deliver their dream of home ownership,” Bhushan said in a statement on Tuesday.
It is my sincere hope this process can allow that to happen by working collaboratively with the administrators, our suppliers, contractors and lending partners.
Bhushan said the group had confronted a perfect storm of circumstances that contributed to its struggles. These include a significant softening in sales, impacts from the changes made in the federal government’s May budget and falling confidence in key markets.
He also said significant increases in construction costs absorbed by his company played a part.
Explainer: why is Albanese ‘WA’s daddy’ this week?
With all the federal focus on Western Australia in recent days, humble readers not living on the west coast may be thinking: “… why?”
Over the last week we’ve had Anthony Albanese inventing ever-more elaborate ways to promise that the federal government won’t be changing WA’s generous GST payments, bringing a full federal ministry meeting to the west again, a clutch of new agreements and funding, federal ministers tripping over themselves to lavish praise on the mining-rich state, and now even the famous Blue Poles painting being sent to Perth for a visit.
Even the always parochial West Australian newspaper was pleased with the largesse from Canberra, branding the prime minister “WA’S DADDY” in a satisfied front page today.
Of course, there are five other states and two other territories in Australia besides WA. So why the focus on Perth?
First and most obviously, West Australians are pretty proud of their state and economy. The mining state is, as Albanese and his team regularly boast, “the engine room of the Australian economy”, and they like being reminded of that fact.
But Albanese, of course, has history with WA. Students of recent political history may remember that it was an unexpectedly strong showing in WA’s seats which got Albanese’s Labor over the line in the 2022 election, flipping a few more seats than they planned and essentially winning power for the ALP. That included launching the national campaign in Perth (a decision repeated in 2025) and a special ad campaign just for the west coast.
Some Labor people believe WA remains a key to their grip on power, and that heaping lavish praise on the west can help keeps the Liberals out of power; Albanese famously begins most of his media appearances in the west by keeping a tally of how many times he’s visited (this is his 45th visit as PM, he said on Monday)
Related: Labor ran a hyper-local campaign in Western Australia with a separate strategy group and different ads
WA also still remains a Labor fortress at the state level, with former premier Mark McGowan (referred to for a time as “state daddy” in the west) winning a landslide victory in 2021 then handing over to current leader Roger Cook . It doesn’t hurt for federal Labor to cosy up to an already-popular state government.
Facial recognition to be mandatory in NSW gaming rooms under new gambling reforms
NSW gaming rooms will be required to introduce facial-recognition technology when a statewide exclusion register is introduced in 2028 under new gambling reforms announced on Tuesday.
The raft of reforms will also include a third-party exclusion scheme in hotels and clubs, an increased forfeiture rate for the state’s 87,000 poker machines and an end to gambling VIP programs.
A crackdown on gambling advertising will include a ban on ads on all NSW government and council-owned assets, as well as a ban on unsolicited direct marketing to potential customers.
The government said it will also establish a state-based strategy to reduce online gambling harm. Announcing the package, the gaming and racing minister, David Harris, said:
These are common sense reforms that have been developed alongside industry, harm minimisation groups, stakeholders and privacy experts to address gambling harm while supporting the industry and protecting the livelihoods of the many people it employs.
By combining new technology, stronger exclusion tools, strengthened regulation and increased funding for harm reduction, we are building a safer system for the future.
Women’s Legal Centre calls for reform to help survivors of sexual assault come forward
Elena Rosenman , CEO of Women’s Legal Centre ACT, has said the greatest motivation for people coming forward is wanting to prevent other people from experiencing the same thing.
The barriers to reporting are structural: the lack of control and of agency in the process, lengthy timeframes that put people’s whole lives on hold often for years, and anxiety about court processes that can retraumatise with no promise of accountability.
We have seen quantifiable increases in requests for assistance in the wake of high-profile cases. Here in Canberra, we began advocating for the establishment of the Sexual Violence Legal Service after tracking the rise in requests for assistance following the advocacy of Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame. High-profile cases can cut both ways. They give people the confidence to come forward, but as these processes extend and become more public, they also show just how gruelling that scrutiny can be, and that’s part of what people weigh up before deciding to report.
Women’s Legal Services has estimated they turn away about 1,000 women every week for capacity and other reasons. The story is similar across community, legal aid and First Nations legal services, she said.
People who have been subjected to violence should seek the assistance that best meets their needs. There are specialist sexual assault support services across the country, and we strongly encourage people to get their own legal advice, either before or as part of reporting. Sexual Violence Legal Services are already operating here in Canberra, as well as in Victoria and WA, with services being established in other jurisdictions.
Family of wrongly arrested Indigenous teen welcome report
The family of a 17-year-old Indigenous teenager have welcomed a damning report finding police wrongly identified their nephew as a suspect and forced him off a bus at gunpoint in Canberra.
The teenager, referred to by the pseudonym Jay, was travelling on a bus in Woden in late 2025 when police boarded the bus with guns drawn. The officers wrongly believed Jay was a suspect in an aggravated burglary. They took him off the bus, brought him to the ground, handcuffed and arrested him.
Police realised their mistake within 90 seconds, but decided to search him anyway before releasing him back on to the bus.
In a report released on Tuesday, Iain Anderson , the commonwealth and ACT ombudsman, found the AFP had “no clearly understood definition of ‘racial profiling’” and had conducted the additional search “inappropriately and seemingly unlawfully”.
In a statement, Jay’s family said he was simply trying to travel to his Aunty’s house and was “compliant and polite during the entire incident”, despite having done nothing wrong.
The failures are numerous and deeply concerning. They include a complete failure to provide any care to our nephew after subjecting him to a traumatic incident despite knowing he was a child, making public statements after the incident which inappropriately attempted to downplay and diminish the incident and an apparent failure of the AFP internally to understand what racial profiling is.
Last year, the ACT’s chief police officer, Scott Lee , apologised for the incident and acknowledged the trauma it would have caused Jay, his family and the broader Indigenous community.
Related: ‘Staggering’: watchdog condemns police after Indigenous teenager on bus wrongfully arrested – then searched
Matthew Guy says Victorian Labor’s $2bn savings on Suburban Rail Loop ‘unimpressive and underwhelming’
The Victorian opposition’s transport infrastructure spokesperson, Matthew Guy , described premier Ben Carroll’s announcement this morning – that $2bn in savings will be found on the Suburban Rail Loop project – as “incredibly unimpressive and underwhelming”.
Carroll is reportedly not a fan of the proposed 90km orbital train line that will eventually travel from Cheltenham to Werribee, via the north-east suburbs and the Melbourne Airport. But on Tuesday he said it’s going ahead with a reducton of scope, saving $1bn, and he’s ordered a technical review he says will save another $1bn.
Guy said this is not good enough. He told reporters outside parliament:
This premier and this government is in complete chaos … They say that the Suburban Rail Loop’s on, then it’s off, then it’s on, partly on, bits are going to be saved. Look, I think Victorians are sick to death of being taken by mugs by this government. A change in premier is not a change in government. It’s the same old tired government that we’ve had for 12 years. I think we’re sick of them.
He said the premier cannot claim he “respects” Victorians’ money while refusing to outline how he will save $2bn on the project, citing cabinet in confidence.
If you’re going to try and make a virtue of saving money and make some broad comments about scrapping connectivity between stations, well, Victorians deserve to know not just the details of what you’re going to try and save money on, but how about show us the contracts? … Not take your word for the fact that you might save a bit.
Guy said the opposition will pause and review the project if elected, then provide an update on whether the project can proceed.
Australia needs 5,700 new donors of O-type blood
Australia needs thousands more regular donors of O-type blood in the coming week amid supply pressures, including seasonal illness.
Lifeblood said it needs 5,700 more donors of the blood type in the next seven days, which is used in emergency situations when a patient’s blood group is not known.
The appeal comes amid a push from three different nations: Australia, Canada and the England. Cath Stone , the chief customer officer of Lifeblood, said the joint ask was about leveraging a united front in the call for more donors:
Millions of people across our countries are eligible to donate blood, but only a small proportion do. Blood donation is one of the simplest ways people can make a real difference. We need more people to take that first step and become donors.
Coles ‘looking at’ facial surveillance tech to combat theft and threats
Coles says it’s interested in facial recognition technology to combat theft and threats in the retail industry, which it attributes to the rising cost of living.
The supermarket giant and its competitor, Woolworths , are both considering increased surveillance methods but have said they have not implemented them, as we reported here:
Related: Alarm raised over ‘privacy dilemma’ of facial recognition technology at Coles and Woolworths
Leah Weckert , Coles’ chief executive, told reporters today the company had looked at a proof-of-concept but not trialled the tech. She said:
Like I think many retailers, we are looking at it and understanding the technical aspects of it, because we are interested in making sure that our team are as safe as possible. …
It’s something that we are working to understand more at the moment. Wouldn’t rule it out going forward but it’s not something that we’ve got imminently on our plan either.
Weckert said theft and loss had been stable in Coles supermarkets this year after increased use of other technologies, including smart gates, security tags, and cameras in checkouts.
But the broader retail industry was reporting “a slight uptick in theft and threatening situations,” which she said was “broadly consistent with an increase in focus on cost of living again”.
Progress between generations breaking down, Anglicare Australia executive says
Back to the report showing today’s young people are the first generation to earn less than their parents at the same age:
Anglicare Australia’s executive director, Kasy Chambers, said the findings show that progress between generations is breaking down.
For generations, Australians could expect that if they worked hard, they would become more secure over time. That promise is no longer holding for young people.
Young Australians are doing everything we ask of them. They are studying, working and contributing. But they are earning less than the generations before them, being locked out of housing, and struggling to build the security that past generations took for granted. The economic foundations underneath them have shifted.
One of the clearest places to start is Youth Allowance. We have a social security system that literally says a young person needs less money to live on simply because of their age. Our findings show they can’t afford rent on Youth Allowance anywhere in the country.
Ben Carroll says Suburban Rail Loop savings will axe some ‘nice to haves’
Victoria premier Ben Carroll is holding a press conference to announce $1bn in savings to the costly and controversial Suburban Rail Loop and a review to find $1bn more. The new Victorian premier says while the project is “needed” for the state’s future, he has worked to “save every dollar”.
My first press conference, I said I would look at this project in depth. Here I am within a month, having found substantial savings just by doing a thorough financial audit. That is just the finances. Now I am committed to doing a technical audit and an engineering audit, where I do believe we’ll be able to find additional savings.
He says the $1bn saved is through “commonsense” changes in scope that removes “bells and whistles”:
Overpasses, walkways, car parks, community grants are nice to haves, but they are not needed to build the orbital railway line.
The technical report will be completed in three to six months – after the November state election – with no further contracts signed beforehand. Tunnelling will begin as planned.
Carroll says his approach is more financially responsible than the opposition’s pledge to pause works and review the project if elected. He says:
I’m a premier that will stick to contracts and won’t rip them up. What the opposition do by pausing this project, it will cost millions of dollars a day. They are saying they will pause and review.
It is economic vandalism [what] the opposition are proposing. For the party that’s meant to be the party of financial responsibility, they do not know what they’re doing or talking about, and it shows again how they talk amongst themselves, but do not talk to stakeholders, whether they’re engineers, legal experts, nurses or doctors.
Victorian premier Ben Carroll pushes ahead with rail loop plan after hinting at pause
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll , has made an about-face, committing to pushing ahead with the first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop while promising to reduce its total cost by about 6%.
Carroll will on Tuesday announce changes to the scope of the first stage of the project, known as SRL East – a 26km stretch of tunnels between Cheltenham and Box Hill – estimated to save $1bn.
He will also order an “independent, technical review” to identify a further $1bn in savings.
Related: Victorian premier Ben Carroll pushes ahead with rail loop plan after hinting at pause
Coles blames Ooshies for hurting its sales as it reports $1.09bn profit
Coles reported growing profit from its supermarkets despite a slump in alcohol sales and a delayed hit from Woolworths’ Disney “Ooshie” giveaways.
The company today said it grown supermarket sales by 3.7% and gained market share over the year to June. Growth had continued into July but slumped amid a “competitor’s collectibles campaign” – a reference to the “Ooshie” plastic figurines.
Coles said its digital sales boomed 26.4%, to $5.6bn, helped by a partnership with Uber Eats and improved wait times for store-based click and collect orders. Its own-brand product sales grew 6.1%, with the company singling out its cleaning, baby and ready meal range.
The company said the prices of its supermarket products rose just 1.5% through the year. Supermarkets’ own calculation methods for inflation are not necessarily intuitive.
Its net profit bumped up 1% to $1.09bn as a result. Profit would have been $1.25bn if not for a penalty from a federal court ruling over its payment of managers .
But liquor sales fell 3.3% from the prior year. The company said “subdued consumer sentiment” and cost of living pressures were to blame. Its competitor Endeavour, owner of Dan Murphy’s and BWS, reported a steep fall in annual profit yesterday.
Today’s young people the first generation to earn less than their parents at the same age, report reveals
Today’s young people are the first generation to earn less than the generation before them at the same age, and they’re still behind at 30, a new report reveals.
Young people are also being forced to cut spending on both essentials and luxuries, while older people are increasing spending across the board
Home ownership for 25-34-year-olds is below 40%, back to 1940s levels, and not one of 48,776 rental listings was affordable for someone on Youth Allowance
Young people are more than twice as likely as over-65s to experience serious psychological distress. This is borne out by data from Anglicare Australia services.
Primary repair on Sydney train line finished with normal service to resume this morning
Matt Longland, the chief executive of Sydney Trains, said primary repairs are complete after widespread train cancellations on the North Shore line due to an issue with a counterweight at a major train hub in Chatswood.
Longland told ABC Radio Sydney there is still a bit of secondary work to do before power can be turned back on and trains can be reenergised. Sydney Trains are hoping things will be back to normal later this morning.
We’ve obviously worked very closely with Sydney Metro, who have got extra services in place on the Sydney Metro network to keep passengers flowing towards the city.
Number of NSW households in urgent need of priority housing hits highest level in over a year
The number of NSW households in urgent need of priority social housing has reached 13,776, the highest in more than a year.
New data from the NSW government’s social housing register shows the total waitlist climbed back above 70,000 in July, reaching 70,244 households.
Priority cases – which are households at imminent risk of homelessness – rose by 18% in the past 12 months, while general applicants jumped by 3%.
Luke Achterstraat, the CEO of the Community Housing Industry Association NSW, said the figures show a queue that is not only overstretched but is getting more desperate.
The waitlist has sat [at] around 70,000 since May. Anyone reading that as stability should look at what is happening inside that number.
Urgent need is growing six times faster than general need on this register. Every month, a bigger share of the people waiting are people who cannot afford to wait.
Aria bars ‘wholly AI-generated tracks’ from music charts, but allows tech in ‘supporting role’
The Australian Recording Industry Association (Aria) has barred “wholly AI-generated tracks” from eligibility from its music charts, although recordings that use generative AI in a “supporting role” will be eligible.
Aria has updated its codes of practice which will apply to tracks that chart from Monday, 31 August. A recording using generative AI will only be eligible if it is “substantially human-made” and raises “no stream or chart manipulation concerns”. The body’s CEO, Annabelle Herd , said:
These changes reflect our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry in what is – to say the least – a rapidly developing space.
Artists already use AI tools in their work, the Charts can and should evolve to keep room for that, but music generated wholesale by services built on artists’ recordings is a different matter. … This gives everyone who releases music in Australia a clear rule to work to.
Related: Is the most popular song played on Australian radio stations the product of generative AI?
Second wave of bee-killing parasite leads to ‘really scary time for beekeepers’
A second incursion of a bee-killing parasite has brought a more chemically-resistant wave of the pests, raising concerns over their impact on Australia’s food security, AAP reports.
Bees play a crucial role in food production, with an estimated $12.9bn of crops in Australia at least partially reliant on them for pollination.
Varroa mite has devastated countless hives across Australia after first being detected in NSW in June 2022 and quickly spread across most states and territories.
A second incursion of the mites which are resistant to synthetic chemical treatments, confirmed in April 2026, has renewed concerns there won’t be enough bees to pollinate crops if the invaders aren’t properly managed.
“It’s definitely a really scary time for beekeepers,” Apiarist and Australian National University PhD candidate Sara Bryant said.
But if you keep that story going, it’s a scary time for pollination and a scary time for food security.
Related: ‘It’s inevitable’: Australian beekeepers brace for national spread of varroa mite
Jackson Pollock masterpiece Blue Poles to visit Perth
One of the crown jewels of the National Gallery of Australia’s collection, Blue Poles by Jackson Pollock, will go on display in Western Australia for the first time next year.
During a campaigning swing through electorally sensitive WA, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will on Tuesday announce a loan of the massive work to the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth from April to September 2027. It is the painting’s first interstate tour since it featured at the NGV’s 20th anniversary exhibition in 2003/4.
The painting will be loaned as part of a program designed to share key items from Australia’s national cultural collection and coincides with badly needed upgrade works at the NGA in Canberra.
The Whitlam government sensationally bought the painting in 1973 for $1.4m, but it is now insured for more than $500m. When sold, it was the highest price paid for an American work of art.
“Blue Poles changed our nation, so it makes sense that the nation gets to see it,” Albanese said:
The national collection belongs to every Australian – no matter where they live.
That’s why we’re sending Blue Poles to Perth, making sure the west can enjoy this masterpiece and important part of our national story.
Resources minister defends Albanese’s pledge there will be ’no change’ to WA’s GST share
Madeleine King , the federal resources minister, said she believes the Productivity Commission’s interim report into the GST deal with Western Australia was not a “methodical as it might have been”.
Related: Morrison-era GST deal with WA a multi-billion dollar mistake that should be reversed, Productivity Commission finds
King is on Radio National breakfast this morning, defending Anthony Albanese’s announcement yesterday that there will be “no change” to WA’s share of the GST while he is prime minister.
King said she was troubled the report did not take Western Australia’s concerns or suggestions on the matter with “prominence”:
When you look through the report, you’ll notice there’s zero reference to suggestions made by the WA government. … the report also doesn’t acknowledge that no state has suffered from the current arrangements. No state has had any money taken from them or any less of it. …
It’s my understanding that all states have actually been better off since the 2018 reforms. … But what’s important to know is that states have all benefited because the iron ore royalties that Western Australia has earned for the country have been distributed for the most part, like 90%, all around the country.
Man charged after alleged attempt to smuggle drugs into Queensland prison
A man has been charged after an alleged attempt to smuggle a million-dollar payload of drugs and associated paraphernalia into prison was intercepted, Australian Associated Press reports.
A drone carrying a package allegedly containing methylamphetamine and GBL (gamma-butyrolactone), a variety of prescription drugs, syringes, a glass pipe, a mobile phone and sim cards was intercepted on 17 May inside Townsville Correctional Complex.
Joint investigations conducted by officers from the Corrective Services investigations unit, the Townsville and Bundaberg CIB and Queensland Corrective Service, resulted in the arrest of a 47-year-old man.
He has been charged with five counts of supplying dangerous drugs into a correctional facility.
He has also been charged with one count each of trafficking dangerous drugs, dealing with a prohibited item in a corrective services facility, supplying a medication and drone-related offences.
Good morning, Nick Visser here. Let’s get to it.
Sydney trains fix expected to be hours away
It the latest update , just minutes ago, Sydney Trains reckons it will be some hours before things are back to normal:
Repair crews are on site and working to restore train services as soon as possible. The repairs are expected to be completed by 10:00am.
The problem is apparently a lack of tension.
The Sydney Trains chief executive, Matt Longland, told the ABC:
We have very heavy weights that hang off to the side that keep the tension, keep the wires held up.
One of those counterweights failed last night.
So crews have been on track through the night. They’re still working through the repairs at the moment, but it’s likely to be later this morning until that work’s completed and they test the wiring system and turn that power back on.
‘Limited’ buses replace trains on Sydney’s north shore
Transport for NSW has put on “limited” buses replacing trains for Sydney’s north shore this morning, with major cancellations and delays across multiple lines.
The problem, we’re told , is “urgent overhead wiring repairs at Chatswood”.
Commuters are warned their morning journey may take 45 minutes longer than usual, and it’s suggested they use the Metro instead if they can. TFNSW says:
Limited buses are replacing trains from Gordon, all stations to Chatswood only due to urgent overhead wiring repairs at Chatswood. An unscheduled rail shuttle service will run between Hornsby and Gordon in both directions.
Trains that normally terminate at North Sydney and Berowra continue as tabled while Train services that normally end/start from Lindfield and Gordan will now end/start from North Sydney. Please note that some services will be cancelled to reduce congestion and avoid longer delays.
The ABC reports crews have been working through the night to fix the problem, but a Sydney Trains spokesperson told local radio:
Those travelling from the north, ie through Hornsby, options are to come by Strathfield as well and also connect with the Metro at Epping.
The north, as you know, for the T1 north shore, is also connected to the western line, so we are going to be running a reduced frequency from the west as well, unfortunately, this morning.
There are also impacts to the T1 western line, intercity services and the central coast line.
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
We begin with a classic “commuter chaos” update: there are widespread train cancellations in Sydney this morning due to problems with overhead wiring at a major hub.
Former Coalition politician and One Nation member George Christensen claims new MP David Farley “needs to shut up”, accusing him of “freelancing on immigration” after further confusion on the party’s core policy.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Nick Visser. Published 25 Aug 2026, 04:49 am.
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