What we learned – Wednesday 3 December
That’s it for today, thanks for reading.
Here are the main stories of the day:
Bruce Lehrmann knew Brittany Higgins didn’t consent, federal court rules as it dismisses defamation appeal.
A Senate inquiry led by Labor has recommended passing the Albanese government’s controversial freedom of information bill but opposition and crossbench senators have jointly slammed the proposal as “undemocratic” and “ill-informed”.
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume this month, the Malaysian transport ministry has said, more than a decade after the plane disappeared in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.
A public housing policy which saw tenants in the Northern Territory charged a flat rental rate based on the number of bedrooms in their home has been ruled unlawful by the high court, after a three-year challenge brought by residents from two remote Indigenous communities.
Victoria’s question time suspended after protester tells premier ‘I’ve come to growl at you’ over youth justice bill.
YouTube has agreed to comply with the federal government’s under-16s social media ban, announcing its decision a week out from the 10 December start date;
The Australian Taxation Office has relaunched a campaign to retrieve billions of dollars of on-hold debts from taxpayers after conceding flaws in its initial approach, dubbed “robotax”.
Victoria police will lay an additional 775 charges against a man as part of an ongoing investigation into an illegal recording device at Melbourne hospitals.
We will see you here again for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Dfat supports new MH370 search
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it backs the new search for the remains of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. In a statement, it said:
Australia supports all practical efforts to locate Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. We welcome Malaysia’s decision to engage Ocean Infinity to resume the search later this month and hope this brings closure to families who have endured so much since the tragedy.
Malaysia announced in March 2025 that Ocean Infinity would conduct a renewed search for MH370, which was temporarily suspended in April due to seasonal weather conditions and is expected to resume at the end of December 2025 and continue into early 2026.
Australia previously offered technical assistance to Malaysia, which has requested that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) join a working group to review seafloor imagery if Ocean Infinity identifies potential debris. Malaysia retains responsibility for the search and investigation as the state where the aircraft was registered.
Updated
