What we learned today, Friday 30 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Andrew Hastie has declared he won’t challenge for the Liberal party leadership, conceding he doesn’t have the numbers to roll Sussan Ley. Hastie ended a week of speculation about his intentions with a statement on Friday afternoon.
Two adults and two children have been found dead in the Perth suburb of Mosman Park this morning in a suspected double murder-suicide, police said.
Sussan Ley has appointed an interim Liberal-only shadow ministry after the Coalition split. The opposition leader has assigned the old Nationals portfolios to existing Liberal shadow ministers in an acting capacity for the upcoming starting week, which starts on Tuesday.
Nine Entertainment has sold its radio network for $56m and bought an outdoor media platform for $850m and converted its wholly owned regional television station NBN in northern NSW to an affiliate station.
NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious while visiting locations across Sydney.
The median wait time between older Australians getting approved for in-home care packages and the support starting has blown out to 245 days, up from 118 days in 2023-24, according to data released by the Productivity Commission.
Taxpayers spent $1.1bn a year imprisoning children as detention numbers rise across Australia, an increase of $100m in one year, AAP reports. The Productivity Commission’s latest report on government services, released late on Thursday, shows youth detention spending has surged by $400m in five years.
More than 1,550 structures across Victoria have been damaged by bushfires, including hundreds of homes. There are still four major fires active: Longwood, the Wonnangatta and Dargo fires in Gippsland, and the Carlisle River fire in the Otways.
Anthony Albanese says the Danish royals will visit Australia in March. King Frederik and Australian-born Queen Mary will visit from 14 to 19 March, their fourth official visit to Australia and the first since Frederik became king.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us.
Updated
More on the Danish royal visit
The Royal House of Denmark has released more information on the upcoming visit of King Frederik and Queen Mary to Australia.
They will be accompanied by Denmark’s deputy prime minister, the minister for foreign affairs, and minister for climate, energy and utilities, as well as a large business delegation.
“The purpose of the state visit is to further develop the already strong relations between Australia and Denmark, both culturally, economically, and in terms of foreign policy.
“A strengthened partnership with Australia is particularly important at a time when geopolitical shifts have economic and security implications that link developments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.
“Building on the strategic partnership between Australia and Denmark signed in 2023, the state visit aims to enhance cooperation across a broad range of areas, including the green transition and economic security.”
Updated
Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary to visit Australia
Anthony Albanese says the Danish royals will visit Australia in March.
King Frederik and Australian-born Queen Mary will visit from 14 to 19 March, travelling to Canberra, Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
It will be their fourth official visit to Australia and the first since Frederik became king.
The prime minister said:
It is an honour to welcome Their Majesties The King and Queen of Denmark back to Australia.
Denmark and Australia are great friends, and together we are working to build a more sustainable, secure and peaceful future.
This visit is an opportunity to deepen our cooperation across a number of shared interests such as sustainability, renewable energy and innovation.
Their Majesties The King and Queen of Denmark have a very special connection with Australia, and I know Australians will welcome them.
Updated
Greens urge overhaul of mining fuel tax credits
The leader of the Australian Greens, Larissa Waters, has responded to the news that Labor Environment Action Network launched a grassroots campaign last week to overhaul the mining fuel tax credits.
Waters said:
If these handouts to coal and gas corporations survive the budget chopping block this year, that’s a clear red flag that Labor is prioritising corporate profits over people.
Australians are being told to tighten their purse strings while the government gives wealthy coal and gas companies hundreds of millions of dollars to buy diesel. It’s not good enough and it shows exactly where Labor’s priorities lie.
At the last election the Greens were clear: taxpayers should not be propping up the pollution and profiteering of the coal, oil and gas industries.
Even those within Labor agree we shouldn’t be throwing taxpayer money at the multibillion-dollar fossil fuel sector. Jim Chalmers needs to make this a priority in the upcoming budget.
Updated
Port Augusta hits 50C
South Australia’s Port Augusta hit 50C at 2.43pm today, with the extreme temperature the state’s hottest since 1960.
Peter Hannam, the media manager at Australia’s Climate Change Authority, has the historical comparisons:
Updated
Three people arrested in Melbourne over alleged burglaries of high-end stores
Three people have been arrested in relation to a series of alleged commercial burglaries on high-end clothing stores, jewellers and Botox and cosmetic clinics in Melbourne worth more than $750,000.
In a statement, Victoria police said:
Investigators executed three search warrants at residences in Reservoir, Greenvale and Ascot Vale this morning.
It follows an investigation into a series of more than 25 alleged burglaries on businesses and commercial premises across metropolitan Melbourne since November 2024.
This includes six alleged burglaries on cosmetic and beauty clinics where more than $150,000 worth of Botox and cosmetic injectables were stolen, as well as high-end clothing, jewellery, cosmetics and skincare.
During the searches, officers seized a combined $50,000 worth of Botox, injectables and fillers, drugs and a prohibited weapon.
A 50-year-old Reservoir man has been charged with 46 offences including burglary (x20), theft (x20), handling stolen goods, possessing a traffickable quantity of drugs and possessing prohibited weapon. He will appear before Melbourne magistrates court later today.
A 33-year-old Ascot Vale woman and 41-year-old Greenvale woman were arrested and have been released pending summons.
Updated
Teenage boys charged after e-bike riders allegedly throw projectiles at police cars in NSW
Two teenage boys have been charged after five police vehicles were allegedly damaged by projectiles thrown from riders on illegal e-bikes and dirt bikes on the Central Coast, NSW police have said in a statement.
About 1.10pm on Sunday 25 January 2026, officers attached to Brisbane Water Highway Patrol were travelling on north along Ocean View Drive, Wamberal, when approximately 20 e-bikes and dirt bikes approached in the opposite direction.
Projectiles were allegedly thrown causing damage to four other police vehicles and injuring a police officer’s arm.
Later, during a search of the storage units and homes, police allegedly located and seized several items of interest including three motorbikes, an e-bike, 13.6g MDMA, 7g cocaine, 84g cannabis, and electronics.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested at one of the homes and taken to Gosford police station and a second boy – aged 17 – was arrested at Gosford police station.
Updated
Flood alert for rivers in NT
The Northern Territory Emergency Service issued a flood alert shortly after 1pm ACST for the communities in the following places:
Upper Victoria River, Victoria River below Kalkarindji, Fitzmaurice River, Daly River above Douglas River, Waterhouse River, Roper River, Towns River, Limmen Bight River, Rosie River, McArthur River, Robinson River, Calvert River & Settlement Creek.
They asked people in these communities to stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Risk factors include:
• You may become isolated
• Livestock and other animals and pets may become isolated
• Fast flowing flood water can contain objects that may injure or trap you
• Flood water may contain toxic waste, chemicals and dangerous animals
Updated
What to do if you have been to a measles exposure location
Vicky Sheppeard, the executive director of Health Protection NSW, said people should monitor for symptoms of measles and check the list of locations:
If symptoms develop and you’ve been at one of the locations at the time listed above or on the website, see your doctor or health service, including an emergency department. Call ahead to let them know that you may have come into contact with measles, so you don’t spend time in waiting rooms with other patients.
Symptoms to watch out for include fever, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body.
It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it’s important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms for this period.
Updated
Another measles alert in Sydney
NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious while visiting locations across Sydney.
The person recently returned from south-east Asia where there are outbreaks of measles.
There is currently a higher risk of measles in NSW, with 14 cases confirmed since 1 December 2025. As people return from overseas holidays, it is expected that additional cases may be identified.
People who were on board the flight below or who attended the following locations should watch for symptoms of measles. These locations do not pose an ongoing risk.
Tuesday 27 January:
Cebu Pacific Flight CEB39 from Manila to Sydney international airport, arriving at 10:50am.
Sydney International Airport arrivals and baggage claim, from 11:00am to 12:00pm.
Sydney T8 Train Line from International Airport Station to Central Station, 12:30pm to 1:20pm.
Sydney T1 Train Line from Central Station to Hornsby Station, from 12:50pm to 2:20pm.
Updated
Andrew Hastie pulls out of Liberal leadership contention
Andrew Hastie has declared he won’t challenge for the Liberal party leadership, conceding he doesn’t have the numbers to roll Sussan Ley.
Hastie ended a week of speculation about his intentions with a statement on Friday afternoon.
“Over the past few weeks there has been speculation about the future leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia.
“I’ve previously stated that I would welcome the opportunity to serve my party and our country as leader of the Liberal Party.
“But having consulted with colleagues over the past week and respecting their honest feedback to me, it is clear that I do not have the support needed to become leader of the Liberal Party.
“On this basis, I wish to make it clear I will not be contesting the leadership of the Liberal Party.”
The statement comes after Hastie and Angus Taylor held secret talks on Thursday to determine which right faction MP would potentially challenge Ley.
The talks ended without a resolution.
Taylor’s office has been contacted for comment.
Updated
Humidity in Queensland making heat more dangerous, doctor says
Elderly and isolated residents in remote Queensland are among the most vulnerable during extreme heat, with humidity making conditions particularly dangerous, according to Dr Clare Walker, director of medical services at Longreach hospital in western Queensland.
She said the region is accustomed to hot weather, but heat combined with humidity creates additional risks for patients.
“When you’ve got humidity, your sweat doesn’t work anymore,” Walker said.
“It can catch up on you gradually, and people can end up in quite a bit of trouble by the time they come to hospital.”
Walker said the hospital commonly sees people with heat stress during summer, particularly those working outdoors, but some of the most at-risk patients are elderly residents living alone without access to reliable cooling.
“A lot of elderly people don’t have access to air conditioning and are often confined indoors,” she said. “Most rural towns out here don’t have shopping centres or cinemas where people can go and escape the heat. The main street, or even at home, is probably the hottest place to be.”
She said many older residents rely on evaporative air conditioning, which becomes ineffective during humid conditions, and cannot afford to upgrade to split-system air conditioning.
Walker said climate change, an ageing population, and social isolation are intersecting to increase health risks in remote communities.
Updated
More than 1,500 structures destroyed or damaged by Victoria bushfires
Wiebusch says more than 1,550 structures across the state have been damaged by bushfires, including hundreds of homes.
We’ve now seen just over 1,550 structures that have either been damaged destroyed across the state. The most significant number of those have been with the Longwood Fire, where we’ve seen 320 homes destroyed 19 severely damaged.
Updated
Albanese on climate change: ‘There is a real cost’
The PM has been asked how Australia will continue to afford managing natural disasters.
Albanese says:
Australia has always had natural weather events, so you can’t say any specific event is just because climate change.
What you can do though is say that the science told us that there would be more frequent events and they’d be more intense. That’s why my government, as the Victorian government and most state governments, are taking action on climate change. There is a real cost, a real economic cost.
Updated
‘We need the community to remain vigilant’
Wiebusch says:
Our landscape does remain very dry – we know the bureau is forecasting dry lightning during Saturday and the early parts of Sunday. And so we need the community to remain vigilant. If you do see flames or new fires start, then please be ringing three to 000 so that we can get our fire crews onto those as soon as we possibly can.
Updated
Four major bushfires still active in Victoria
There are still four major fires active: Longwood, the Wonnangatta and Dargo fires in Gippsland, and the Carlisle River fire in the Otways.
On the last two, Wiebusch said:
Both of those fires really won’t be safe until we see decent rain, and there is no forecast rain in the near future. But both of those fires have remained in containment lines in recent days and we’re hoping come, early next week those fires may be deemed, in fact contained.
Updated
Cool change on the way for much of Victoria
Emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch is up now and he has good news – a cool change is on the way for a lot of the state.
We’re now entering into our sixth day of what is an eight day extreme to severe intensity heatwave here in Victoria. For our communities in the north of the state, they are still under those conditions that are in the 40s during the day and in the mid 20s overnight.
The good news is there is relief on the way. The vureau is forecasting that the cool change that will come through the southern parts of the state late on Saturday will reach the north of our state during Sunday morning.
Updated
The premier thanked the volunteers and first responders who have helped fight the fires.
Alan says:
It’s an opportunity for me to also thank Victorians who have been both supporting fire affected communities donated to the bushfire appeal fund, but also taken and listened to the advice.
That is continues to be incredibly important to keep monitoring conditions, keep tuned to the Vic Emergency app if you are told to leave and a given a message from our emergency services, please do so.
Updated
Harcourt coolstore gets $500,000 in support
Premier Jacinta Allan is speaking now:
“We’re here to announce another package of support for fire-affected communities.”
Allan said the “significant component of this funding is for the clean-up effort”, but it would also include mental health support and temporary accommodation.
Like the prime minister has mentioned, I too want to call out the funding of $500,000 for the Harcourt cooperative coolstore.
We’ve heard really clearly how important it is to the local community, both in terms of business support, in getting some certainty around the rebuild for this important asset in the local community.
But also it’s a big and powerful symbol of the start of the rebuild. The Harcourt cooperative coolstore is a much loved building and landmark building in Harcourt, as it is part of the economic activity in the local community.
Updated
Federal and Victorian governments to provide $158m more to bushfire recovery
The PM says the total support package for the Victorian fire is now $329m, split between the commonwealth and the Victorian government.
We’ve already committed up to $171m under the joint commonwealth disaster funding arrangements, and today we’re expanding our partnership with Victoria to provide an additional $158m, co-funded with Victoria.
This includes funding for clean-up programs and emergency recovery support programs to support businesses and local governments.
Updated
Anthony Albanese and Jacinta Allan give press conference on bushfire support
The prime minister is speaking in Melbourne. He said communities across the country are “facing extreme and dangerous conditions”.
I’ve often said, though, at the worst of times, we’re seeing once again the best of the Australian character and it’s been good to be here at the centre to say thank you to the workers who are really protecting their fellow Victorians and fellow Australians.
We are seeing right across regional Victoria neighbours helping neighbours and people stepping up for people that they may never have met and might never meet in the future as well.
Updated
We have more on the suspected double murder-suicide in Perth here:
That’s all from me. Cait Kelly will handle things from here as we finish off the week. Take care.
St John Ambulance WA said it sent five crews to the house this morning just before 8.30am on priority one conditions, which reflect potentially life-threatening calls.
Two crews remain on scene.
Updated
Police investigating suspected double murder-suicide in Perth after four people found dead
Two adults and two children have been found dead in the Perth suburb of Mosman Park this morning in a suspected double murder-suicide, police say.
Emergency services received a call from a concerned party at about 8.15am who had arrived at the home on Mott Close. Responders found the bodies of two adults, a man aged 50 and a woman aged 49, and two children aged 14 and 16 – a family unit.
Police said it didn’t appear to be a “violent” incident, saying no weapon was used. The family did not have any reported family violence matters with police.
Police added that both children had “significant health challenges” and had engaged with care services.
A note was left at the premises but police were not able to reveal the letter’s contents. They said the letter was the main reason they were treating it as a murder-suicide.
Police said it was a confronting situation, noting:
The officers are understandably in shock after being confronted with such an incident like this. It’s not often that our officers come across such a tragic event with this many persons deceased. That’s why we employ a health and welfare and our police chaplain to attend the scene as soon as possible, speak to the officers, wrap our arms around them and make sure they are OK.
Updated
Jane Hume says opposition not at its best after ‘dummy spit’ from former Coalition partners
The Liberal senator Jane Hume says the Coalition was not doing a good enough job presenting a “credible alternative” to the current government amid an ongoing spat with the Nationals that saw the partnership shatter this month.
Hume spoke to Channel 7’s Sunrise this morning, where she said the Liberal opposition was at its “very best when we are unified”. When asked if that meant the opposition was now at its very worse – amid speculation that a squad of male Liberals are vying to replace Sussan Ley – Hume said:
The Liberal opposition is at its very best when we are unified, when we’re focused on the job at hand … presenting a credible alternative to make sure that at the next election Australians can see that the Liberal Party is the choice that represents their dreams, their hopes and their aspirations.
We are not doing that right now, quite clearly, starting with a dummy spit from our Coalition partners, or former Coalition partners, in the Nationals. And right now we need to be focusing on the job at hand. Parliament returns next week. The economy is tanking. Inflation’s going up. The growth is stalling. Productivity is going backwards and living is going backwards and living standards are going backwards. This is what we should be talking about every single day, not ourselves.
The health minister, Mark Butler, was also on the program, where he said the Liberals would do well to “listen to Jane Hume”:
She’s been talking all week about the need for unity on that side because Australians know if you can’t manage your own party there’s no way you can challenge for the privilege of managing the country.
Updated
Australian and European officials moving fast to seal elusive free trade deal
Australian and European officials are scrambling to bridge the gap for an elusive free trade agreement as diplomatic heavyweights prepare a meeting to seal the deal, AAP reports.
Plans are being drawn up for the trade minister, Don Farrell, to meet with his European counterpart Maroš Šefčovič, likely in Europe, before European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen travels to Australia at the end of February or start of March.
The EU president’s visit could be viewed as a good omen after she travelled to India to sign a free trade agreement in mid-January, sealing a long-awaited deal between Europe and the world’s most populous state.
Farrell was scheduled to meet with Šefčovič last Friday before the meeting was postponed. The final hurdles include quotas for the amount of beef and sheep Australian exporters can ship into Europe, with Canberra pushing for more than what’s been offered.
Geographic indicators – when Australian producers use names of foods that come from specific regions, such as prosecco and feta – have also been a sticking point as Europe aims to protect the naming rights of products.
If beef and sheep quotas are sorted, the final negotiations over naming rights would then need to be finalised, but negotiators are confident of compromises here to get the agreement over the line.
Updated
Peak medical body says additional funding will make a difference but further reform still needed
The peak medical body has welcomed state and federal governments reaching a new hospital funding agreement, with a boost of $25bn from the federal government.
However, the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) president, Dr Danielle McMullen, warns “our own modelling would suggest that today’s announcement alone will not be enough to stop the decline in hospital performance, with patients waiting too long for emergency surgery, longer waits for essential surgery and ambulance ramping”.
The additional funding will make a difference, but it is unlikely to reach the 45% of total costs by 2030 the AMA has been calling for on behalf our doctors and their patients.
We are going to have to wait to see the detail to properly assess the impact of today’s agreement. No mention was made of reaching a set percentage of Commonwealth funding, what year it will be reached, or whether the cap on growth will be scrapped to give hospitals the extra headroom they need to meet community demand.
Updated
Worker dies after machinery incident at Port of Brisbane
Queensland police attended a workplace incident this morning at the Port of Brisbane after a sudden death at a workplace.
Officials said they were called to the work site on Bulk Terminals Drive just after 6.20am. Queensland Ambulance Service said paramedics treated a man with life-threatening injuries at the scene in what the agency described as a “machinery incident”.
Officials are working with the state’s workplace health and safety team and will prepare a report for the coroner.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) said in a statement it had been notified of the incident:
WHSQ inspectors are onsite and inquiries into the incident are underway, as this is an active investigation, no further comment can be made at this time.
Updated
Aussie shares track positive week despite rate call worries
Australia’s share market is on-track for a positive week despite fears of an incoming interest rate hike capping gains, AAP reports.
The S&P/ASX200 was up 0.27% by midday as the broader All Ordinaries gained 0.21%.
The bourse shrugged off a weak Wall Street session, after Microsoft’s artificial intelligence spending weighed on risk sentiment despite beating earnings expectations. Health care and energy stocks were leading seven of 11 local sectors higher by lunchtime, while a modest rebound in financials offered some extra support.
Local gold stocks were broadly in the red as the precious metal eased from a $US5,595 ($A7,598) an ounce. Despite the pullback, spot gold is up more than 24% in 2026, driven by safe haven and central bank buying.
The Australian dollar is buying 70.26 US cents, down from 70.87 US cents on Thursday at 5pm, with the local currency so far clinging on to most of the previous fortnight’s more than 5% gain.
Queensland and Northern Territory say no movement on opposition to gun buyback scheme
Lia Finocchiaro, the chief minister of the Northern Territory, says while she welcomes the federal government’s gun buyback scheme, “Territorians won’t foot the bill”.
I’ve been honest and upfront about that from day one. We respect the decisions other states have around gun reform.
David Crisafulli, the Queensland premier, is also asked about the scheme. He says: “You know my opinion on that.” He adds:
I’ll always do what’s right for my state and that’s what we’ve done today.
Read more here:
Updated
Albanese says Israeli president’s visit about nation uniting after Bondi attack
Albanese is asked about the Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia next month in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
The prime minister says the visit will be focused on combating division, not stoking it. He says:
That is the particular focus of this visit, I welcome the fact that President Herzog is coming here. The nation needs to look towards uniting.
We have too much division and people have their views on the Middle East. But I’ll make this point, that Australia is not in a position to solve by ourselves the Middle East issues and people don’t want that conflict brought here.
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says he also believes that there “should be an opportunity for that community to grieve”.
Updated
Albanese thanks premiers for deal
Albanese says the success of the hospital funding deal has been about finding common ground, and thanks the premiers and chief ministers for the work to reach this agreement.
He says the government wants to cut waiting lists and reduce emergency department wait times.
This funding deal is about a better deal for Australians, about better healthcare, about strengthening Medicare, consistent with my government’s commitment to strengthen Medicare as a focal point for the Australian health system, but also as a great source national pride.
Updated
PM hails ‘landmark’ national cabinet deal on hospital funding
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the federal government has reached an agreement in national cabinet for hospital funding.
He says the “landmark” agreement will deliver an extra $25bn in funding over the next five years, for a record $219.6bn in funding over the next five years.
He says:
This is three times more additional funding for public hospitals than was agreed to under the five-year agreement under the Morrison government.
He says the national cabinet agreement will ensure access to world-class healthcare as well as disability support, and also secure the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Updated
Ley announces Liberal-only frontbench but leaves door open to Coalition reunion
Sussan Ley has appointed an interim Liberal-only shadow ministry after the Coalition split.
The opposition leader has assigned the old Nationals portfolios to existing Liberal shadow ministers in an acting capacity for the upcoming starting week, which starts on Tuesday.
The interim appointments include.
Shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien will add financial services
Shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash will add trade, investment and tourism
Shadow health minister Anne Ruston will add agriculture, fisheries and forestry
Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan will add resources and northern Australia
Shadow special minister of state James McGrath will add infrastructure, transport, regional development, local government and territories
Angus Taylor will add veterans’ affairs
Angie Bell will water and emergency management
The acting arrangements will end before the start of the following sitting week, starting on 10 February, when Ley plans to promote six MPs to shadow cabinet and two to the outer shadow ministry.
It means the Nationals effectively have nine days to reconcile with the Liberals before Ley appoints a permanent, Liberal-only frontbench.
In a statement, Ley said:
There is enormous talent in the parliamentary Liberal party and my party room is more than capable of permanently fulfilling each and every one of those roles.
Equally, the Nationals’ decision to leave the Coalition was both regrettable and unnecessary and that door remains open. The Liberal and National parties exist to serve the Australian people and the maintenance of a strong and functioning relationship between both is in the national interest — whether we are in a formal Coalition or not.
Guardian Australia this week reported Ley wanted to meet David Littleproud for last-minute talks on the future of the Coalition ahead of parliament’s return, but the Nationals leader rebuffed the invitation to focus on a leadership spill scheduled for Monday afternoon.
In the statement, Ley said:
I understand and respect his (Littlepround’s) decision to await his party’s consideration of a forthcoming spill motion. Following Monday’s parliamentary meeting of the Nationals, I will attempt to meet with whoever is elected as their leader.
The prospects of Ley facing her own leadership challenge appear to be dwindling after internal rivals Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie failed to agree on which right faction MP would challenge her.
Updated
Two arrested after stolen car allegedly driven at officers in Geelong
A 37-year-old man and 43-year-old woman were arrested on Thursday after allegedly driving a stolen Kia into officers in Newtown, Geelong at 3.40pm on Thursday.
The allegedly stolen vehicle was spotted by police air wing near the Princes Highway, and when officers attempted to intercept the car, it allegedly reversed into a school bus in an attempt to flee.
Those on the bus were uninjured.
The car then allegedly was driven into an officer, who discharged their firearm, before the car collided with another vehicle and the pair allegedly fled on foot before being arrested nearby.
The man was transported to hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm. The woman was also taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The armed crime squad will investigate the incident with professional standards command oversight, per standard practice for when a police firearm is discharged.
Police allege the vehicle was stolen in NSW.
Updated
Taxpayers foot $1.1bn a year cost of imprisoning young people
Taxpayers spent $1.1bn a year imprisoning children as detention numbers rise across Australia, an increase of $100m in one year, AAP reports.
The Productivity Commission’s latest report on government services, released late on Thursday, shows youth detention spending has surged by $400m in five years.
Youth detention costs an average of $1.3m per child per year, or more than $3,600 a day, according to the data. The report stated there were about 860 young people in detention in Australia in 2025, up from 792 in 2020.
In Victoria, the cost exceeds $2.6m per child per year, the highest of any state or territory.
Indigenous children remain overrepresented in youth detention centres, the report states. On an average day, 734 children are imprisoned across Australia, with 62% of those being Indigenous young people.
The number of Indigenous children in detention surged in NSW, up 86% since 2020-21. In the Northern Territory, 95% of detained children are Indigenous.
Updated
Key event
Cultural custodians win right to argue human rights breach after claim Adani mine was damaging sacred springs
Cultural custodians have won the right to argue in court that Adani’s controversial Carmichael mine in Queensland could have breached their human rights by threatening a sacred spring system.
The Queensland government had been arguing for two years the group’s human right’s argument should be thrown out, but the state’s supreme court has decided this week in favour of the Nagana Yarrbayn Wangan and Jagalingou group.
The group is trying to force a judicial review into what they claim is the state government’s failure to act on evidence the Doongmabulla springs were being damaged.
Scientists have claimed the levels of the springs have been dropping due to the mine and that hydrocarbons have been detected in monitoring bores and the springs.
The indigenous group’s Adrian Burragubba said:
Two years and two governments down, and the case can finally go to trial. Both the previous Labor Government and current LNP Government have tried to shut us down. The Queensland Attorney-General, Deb Frecklington, even intervened to argue our cultural rights don’t really exist as enforceable rights. The Court disagreed.”
A spokesperson for the state’s environment minister, Andrew Powell, said the government would not provide comment on a case that was going through the court. The spokesperson did not answer a question of whether the government would appeal the decision.
Adani’s mine operator, Bravus, have said it is complying with all conditions and have rejected claims the springs were being damaged.
Updated
No increase in Women’s Asian Cup prize money despite player pleas for ‘respect’
It has been billed as the most successful Women’s Asian Cup to date, yet prize money at the upcoming tournament in Australia will not increase from what was offered by the Asian Football Confederation at the last edition four years ago.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the world’s oldest women’s national team competition introduced prize money for the first time in 2022, distributing US$1.8m among the nations who finished in the top four.
But the AFC will not offer a bigger prize pot at this year’s tournament, which starts on March 1, ignoring multiple player requests to address its stagnation amid a global women’s football boom.
“The AFC acknowledges the importance of increasing the prize money of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup participating teams, while noting that the prize money for the upcoming edition in Australia remains consistent with previous editions,” an AFC spokesperson said.
Read more:
Government announces $600m for First Nations housing
The government has launched the third round of its Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), which will include $600m to improve housing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Through the HAFF, Housing Australia provides loans and grants for projects that increase the supply of social and affordable housing.
The latest round will deliver 21,000 homes by mid-2029, as part of a bigger commitment of 55,000 homes by the end of the decade.
New figures released last night showed social housing as a share of all homes fell to a record low of 3.6% in 2025, as waitlists for affordable homes blew out amid climbing homelessness.
The chief executive of Australian Community Housing, Mark Degotardi, said “the scale of Australia’s housing challenge is significant, but we now have a commonwealth government that’s serious about building its way out of it, rather than just talking about it”.
In what Labor is calling an “historic” moment, the $600m dedicated funding deal announced this morning will be designed in partnership with indigenous communities and include a 10% First Nations tenancy target across all social housing delivered under the third round of the HAFF.
Human rights advocates and Greens call for review into immigration detention contracts
Advocates and the Greens have called for a review of the Australian government’s immigration detention contracts with a private prison operator following revelations of their involvement in Donald Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown.
Management and Training Corporation (MTC) is a major player in the United States’ private prison industry and is holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees at a handful of large detention facilities across California, Texas and New Mexico. The company’s treatment of detainees has attracted a string of complaints – including over the use of solitary confinement as a retaliatory measure, severe overcrowding, and a death in custody – and prompted concern from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Greens senator David Shoebridge have both called for a review of Australia’s contracts MTC, which give it responsibility for the offshore processing facility on Nauru and Australia’s onshore detention network.
Shoebridge said:
MTC’s track record in the United States, including documented reports of abuse and deaths in custody, makes it clear they are not, and never have been, acceptable to run detention facilities in Australia.
No company that profits globally from immigration crackdowns and mass detention should be entrusted with the care of vulnerable people in Australian government custody.
ABF seizes illicit tobacco manufacturing machine capable of making up to 3.6m cigarettes a day
The Australian Border Force seized a large tobacco manufacturing machine capable of producing up to 3.6m cigarettes a day during a raid in Sydney on Thursday.
The ABF said it conducted the operation at a self-storage facility in the suburb of Rouse Hill, executing two warrants to uncover equipment allegedly used in the manufacture of illicit tobacco. The agency also seized more than 7.5kg of loose-leaf tobacco, nearly 6,000 vaping devices and eight boxes of suspected counterfeit tobacco packaging.
Samuel Harnden, the acting superintendent of the ABF’s illicit tobacco taskforce, said the agency was targeting such products at “every level – importation, production, distribution, and supply”. He added:
There are clear and established links between local illicit tobacco manufacturing in Australia and organised criminal syndicates.
Every illicit tobacco purchase provides funding to these criminal syndicates, giving them the funds that drive further violence and serious criminal activity.
Updated
Final V-set service welcomed by crowd of thousands at Sydney’s Central station
The final service on the oldest electric train in operation on NSW’s rail network, the V-set, has been welcomed by a crowd of thousands at Sydney’s Central station this morning.
Hundreds gathered at 5.47am this morning in the Blue Mountains today, with some sleeping on the platform overnight to secure a spot on the train. Even more welcomed passengers such as John Graham and Sydney Trains’ CEO, Matt Longland, as it pulled into Platform 2 played in by a brass railway band.
True to form, the 8.32am service from Lithgow arrived about 15 minutes late. The driver of today’s service, Peter Gunczy, said it was fitting the final V-set had been slightly delayed:
I’m truly humbled by today. I really am. This is a real big turnout. I’ve spent the best part of 41 years driving these V-sets, and it’s really, really emotional for me personally, and I’m trying really hard not to well up, but we’re going all right.
The V-sets were first commissioned in the 1960s, and built in Australia by Comeng, formerly Commonwealth Engineering, at its Granville factory in Sydney before it ceased operations in 1989. The first V-sets debuted in 1970, although the remaining sets date from 1977.
They are being fully replaced by the $4bn Mariyung trains, which were delivered five years late following a serious of union disputes including over the need to widen tunnels on the Blue Mountains line.
Updated
Four people injured in dog attack near Melbourne
Four people were seriously injured in a dog attack in Melton West on Thursday evening.
Victoria police said emergency officials responded to an address just before 10pm. Paramedics treated a man in his 20s, a male in his late teens, a woman in her 30s and a female in her late teens at the scene before all were transported to the hospital in serious but stable condition.
A council ranger was called to apprehend the dog, which belonged to the injured parties. A second dog at the address was also seized.
Nine Entertainment offloads radio network for $56m
Nine Entertainment has sold its radio network for $56m and bought an outdoor media platform for $850m and converted its wholly-owned regional television station NBN in northern NSW to an affiliate station.
Matt Stanton, Nine Group’s chief executive officer, said:
Today’s announcements mark a critical milestone in our Nine2028 transformation. These transactions will create a more efficient, higher-growth, and digitally powered Nine Group for our consumers, advertisers, shareholders and people.
Nine’s broadcast radio assets - 2GB, 3AW, 4BC, 6PR, 2UE, Magic1278 and 4BH will be sold to the Laundy Family Office on a cash and debt free enterprise value of $56m, the company told the ASX.
Arthur Laundy, a billionaire publican, owns more than 40 venues across NSW.
Updated
Australia spends more on tax breaks for landlords than social housing, homelessness and rent assistance combined
Australia spends billions of dollars more on tax breaks for property investors than on social housing, homelessness and rent assistance combined, according to research by the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss).
The analysis comes as new data from the Productivity Commission reveals the share of homes dedicated to social housing has dropped to a record low 3.6%, from 5.7% in the 1990s.
The collapse in accessible homes for low-income families coincides with an affordability crisis that has seen rents soar, waitlists for social housing blow out and rising homelessness.
A week after the OECD called on the Albanese government to boost its investment in social housing, research by Acoss reveals that tax concessions for landlords cost $12.3bn in 2025.
In contrast, total expenditure on the key housing assistance programs totalled $9.6bn.
Read more here:
Heatwave continues across Australia
The heatwave affecting a swathe of Australia continues to topple temperature records.
Yesterday, three towns in South Australia set new all-time record highs. Marree reached 49.8C, Roxby Downs, 49.6C, and Leigh Creek, 48.2C, Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said.
Ballera in Queensland set a new record of 48.1C, while New South Wales’ highest temperatures were in Smithville, 48.9C, and Wilcannia, 48.3C.
It is the latest in a run of record-breaking hot days. On Wednesday, three NSW towns recorded new all-time records, with Tibooburra reaching 48.7C, White Cliffs, 48.3C, and Hay 48.4C.
Narramore said another extremely hot day with temperatures of up to 48C was expected in the SA interior today. Heatwave conditions will also remain in western NSW and northern Victoria until Saturday, he said.
By Sunday, southern Queensland will bear the brunt of the heat – on Monday, cooler conditions are expected to deliver reprieve to the whole of Australia’s south-east.
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Queensland health minister said federal government still has to bridge the gap on funding deal
Tim Nicholls, the Queensland health minister, said he still thinks there’s a “bit of water to flow under the bridge” in discussions between states and the federal government over hospital funding.
Nicholls spoke to RN Breakfast this morning;
There’s quite a bit of work for the commonwealth to do to step up to the mark because the last offer that was put forward was rejected by states. Because it was inadequate and failed to address the burgeoning problems that we have.
We’re negotiating respectfully with them, but quite frankly, the most recent offer wasn’t up to scratch, and we hope to see some improvements on it.
Butler says Australia closely monitoring spread of Nipah virus overseas
Butler was asked about the spread of Nipah virus in India, which has had confirmed two cases over the past month. The deadly virus has prompted airport screenings across parts of Asia, although Indian officials said there had been “timely containment” of cases.
The virus has low human-to-human transmission, but it has a high fatality rate of 40% to 75%. There is no vaccine.
Butler told RN earlier:
It’s not transmissible in the way that your listeners would understand Covid or the flu to be transmitted in an airborne way. It requires very close personal contact between humans and the exchange effectively of bodily fluids. So there’s reason to hope that this has been contained.
But we’re monitoring it very, very closely. We don’t have any advice at the moment to change our existing protocols for sick travellers who arrive in Australia. There already are protocols for that, but we’ll continue to watch the situation closely.
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Liberal senator stands by Sussan Ley
Liberal senator Maria Kovacic said she doesn’t believe there will be a challenge to Sussan Ley’s leadership in the next fortnight.
Kovacic, the shadow assistant minister to the opposition leader, said she believes Ley has kept her commitments and that she continued to back her, telling RN:
I support her, she is working hard.
She’s keeping her commitment that she made to our party room and the commitment that she made to Australians.
The senator was asked about a meeting of Liberal men yesterday before a funeral for a late colleague, and if was appropriate that members of Lee’s leadership team seemed to be discussing her future.
Kovacic said she wouldn’t comment on the supposed meeting, saying she was focused on the normal term of parliament, which begins next week. She added Australians expected the opposition to lead:
They expect us to lead and they expect us to serve. And leadership isn’t a title. True leadership is based on a culture of service and selflessness.
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Butler: cost of failure on health funding deal would be 'very significant'
The federal health minister, Mark Butler, said he is “cautiously optimistic” the federal government will reach a deal with states and territories on health funding and the timing of changes to the NDIS, although he said the country was “running out of time” to reach one.
Butler told RN Breakfast:
I think everyone understands today is critical. … The cost of failure will be very significant because there is a shared commitment not only to ensure our hospitals run well and deal with some changes in the population … but also I think all jurisdictions recognise the need to get the NDIS back on track and ensure that it meets its original objectives.
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National cabinet meeting today to hash out hospital funding and gun buyback details
National cabinet will meet today in Sydney after the Albanese government offered to delay the start of the new program for early intervention autism services, part of a proposed deal to secure an agreement on hospitals and disability funding.
Premiers and chief ministers from across the country look likely to agree to the deal, which would push back the start of the new $2bn Thriving Kids scheme to October. It had been due to start on 1 July, but state governments said they weren’t ready to take the responsibility for the program yet.
Additional details meant to appeal to states and territories include budget funding “adjustments” that would benefit some smaller regions as they struggle with rising costs for health and hospital services.
Albanese will also press for a commitment to the new gun buyback program, set to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Queensland and the Northern Territory have so far refused to sign up.
Updated
Teenager's body found in NSW Blue Mountains
NSW police found the body of a 16-year-old boy yesterday who had gone missing in the Blue Mountains.
Officials said two boys, aged 16 and 17, had traveled to the area on Tuesday for a three-day camping trip near Mt Hay. The older boy activated his personal locator beacon on Wednesday evening after the pair became separated.
A land and air search later found the 17-year-old and he was winched from a campground in the area, although the rescue teams could not find the younger boy.
Officials continued searching, and found the body of the 16-year-old in a creek in Blue Gum Forest, in the Blue Mountains national park.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Updated
More than 2.3m reports of unauthorised practices against NDIS participants in 2024-25
In 2024-25, there were more than 2.3m incidents of unauthorised use of restrictive practices against NDIS participants, including locking people in rooms, sedated with medicine, or physically holding them down.
Across the year 739,418 people were affected by unauthorised restraints, which were then reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NQSC).
On top of this, there were 34,104 other reportable incidents across the year, mostly concerning the alleged abuse and neglect (43.6%), followed by serious injury, including accidents (33.4%).
In 2024-25, total expenditure on disability services was $51.1bn, an increase of 5.5% compared to 2023-24 and an average annual growth rate since 2019 of 16.2%.
In response to the aged care data, the Greens spokesperson for older people, senator Penny Allman-Payne, said:
This is a national shame. Eight months is far too long for someone in their 80s or 90s to have to wait for help.
The shortage of aged care is the direct and intended consequence of Labor’s decision to ‘ration’ care through the limited release of home care packages.
Older Australians are dying waiting up to a year or more for care, and the major parties would rather fund nuclear submarines and handouts for big corporations than make sure our parents and grandparents are looked after in those final stages of life.
When the Greens opposed Labor’s new Aged Care Act in the Parliament, we warned the government that this is what would happen.
In a wealthy country like ours, our parents and grandparents should be able to get the care they need at the time that they need it.
Wait-time blow-out for at-home aged care services
The median wait time between older Australians getting approved for in-home care packages and the support starting has blown out to 245 days, up from 118 days in 2023-24, according to data released by the Productivity Commission.
On top of this, the median time to receive an aged care assessment increased by 22.7% (from 22 to 27 days) in 2024-25.
The proportion of residential aged care services that met total care minute targets was still under 50%, but increased between 2023-24 (34.0%) and 2024-25 (45.9%).
The data comes just after the Department of Health and Ageing revealed in Senate estimates last year that, as of 31 October 2025, there were 266,352 people waiting for aged care.
This included 113,150 people waiting for an aged care needs assessment, 107,281 people on the National Priority System waiting for a package at their approved level, and an additional 45,921 people waiting for a Simple Assessment for CHSP (commonwealth home support program).
Good morning
Hello, it’s Nick Visser here, ready to take you through today’s news as it happens.
National cabinet is meeting today in Sydney, where premiers and chief ministers look likely to agree to a deal from the federal government offering to delay the start of a new program for early intervention autism services under changes to the NDIS, and provide budget top-ups for smaller states, part of efforts to secure an overdue deal on hospitals and disability funding.
Anthony Albanese will also push national cabinet to thrash out details of the federal government’s looming gun buyback program, set to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, even as Queensland and the Northern Territory refuse to sign up.
Let’s get into it.
