What we learned; Monday 9 March
That’s all for today’s live news coverage. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines.
Australian shares plunged on Monday, wiping about $90bn from the value of the ASX, after a sharp rise in oil prices caused by the Middle East conflict sparked concerns of a breakout in global inflation.
Foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said in a post late last night that families of Australian officials have been told to leave the United Arab Emirates as war in the Middle East spreads. Meanwhile, the shadow minister for foreign affairs, Ted O’Brien, has said military requests from Gulf nations should be “duly considered” after Wong said Australia may offer support to Gulf nations facing Iranian strikes.
Katherine’s mayor has warned locals to be wary of flood waters inundating the town after a crocodile was spotted on the town’s AFL oval, as residents are warned to boil their water amid the record-breaking deluge.
Sydney’s M12 motorway, the “driveway” to the new Western Sydney airport, will open this Saturday, the federal and NSW governments have announced.
The Nationals have selected a former army colonel, Brad Robertson, to contest former Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s seat of Farrer at the upcoming byelection on 9 May.
Former Socceroo and refugee advocate Craig Foster said he is “very worried” about the fate of the Iran women’s team after they were defeated by the Philippines 2-0, ending their Women’s Asian Cup bid.
Harry and Meghan will visit Australia in April for a number of engagements.
And tourists will soon have to pay an entry fee to see the Twelve Apostles on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, in a move the government says will help protect the site for generations to come.
Thanks for joining us, we’ll be back first thing tomorrow.
Updated
Two climbers rescued at WA’s Stirling Range national park
Emergency crews were deployed this morning to rescue two injured climbers at Bluff Knoll, in Western Australia’s Great Southern Region.
WA Police said in a statement:
About 8.20am on Monday, 9 March 2026, emergency services received a report of two injured hikers - a 30-year-old female and a 29-year-old male - requiring assistance on Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Range National Park.
Both parties were rock climbing when they both fell and sustained serious injuries.
Emergency WA confirmed the state’s 24/7 emergency helicopter service provided assistance:
The RAC Rescue helicopter will take a man and woman to Albany Airport before they are then transported by St John Ambulance to Albany Hospital.
The RAC Rescue helicopter is expected to land at the airport by 1:00PM.
Updated
Family members of alleged Bondi attacker seek suppression order
Family members of the alleged Bondi attacker have sought a suppression order over their names and home address on the grounds of their physical and mental safety.
Public defender Richard Wilson SC made the application for the suppression order on behalf of Naveed Akram’s mother, brother, and sister before Downing Centre local court on Monday.
The application will be determined by the court next Tuesday after News Corp opposed it.
Magistrate Greg Grogin set an interim suppression order in the meantime. He said:
The application is made on basis of the safety of the applicants. Not only their mental safety, but their physical safety.
24-year-old Akram and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, allegedly killed 15 people after opening fire on those attending an event to mark the start of an eight-day Hanukah festival at Bondi beach in December.
Akram, who survived a shootout with police, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act in what investigators allege may have been “inspired by Isis”. Akram’s father, Sajid, was fatally shot by police at the scene.
Updated
Victorian opposition leader: ‘This Labor government is not taking the youth crime crisis seriously’
The Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson, also spoke earlier today about the alleged murder of Aidan Becker, and lay the blame at the government for failing to tackle youth crime in the state. She said:
Aidan Becker was a 22 year old young man who had his entire life ahead of him.
He was a security guard. He was coming home from work when he had to intervene to try to help a young 14-year-old school boy at Mernda railway station.
This Labor government is not taking the youth crime crisis seriously.
Updated
That’s all from me! Ima Caldwell will take things from here. Take care.
‘Aidan gave his life in kindness and in courage’: Victorian MP pays tribute to off-duty security guard who died at Mernda station
The Victorian MP for the seat of Yan Yean, Lauren Kathage, has paid tribute to off-duty security guard, Aidan Becker, who died at Mernda Railway Station on Friday night after intervening to protect a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly set upon by a group of teens.
Becker, 22, was identified yesterday as one of several good Samaritans who stepped in to protect the 14-year-old. He had tried to walk away with the boy but was allegedly then attacked himself. He was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
Kathage, whose electorate takes in the station, told reporters earlier today:
“This incident has really shaken us, but we’re a strong community, and we’ll continue to work together to make sure that our community is safe, that parents feel comfortable having their children travelling to and from school, and that we only become stronger from this. Aidan gave his life in kindness and in courage, he will always be honoured for that.
She joined the attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, who did not comment on the specifics of the case but noted the government’s “adult time for violent crime” laws took effect in late February. Kilkenny said:
It’s a live criminal matter under investigation right now, but adult time for violent crime has commenced. Those laws are now in effect, which means children as young as 14 who commit some of these very serious offences can and will be tried in adult courts, where they’ll face juries, where they will face adult time. We know that jail is more likely and jail sentences are more likely to be longer.
Updated
VPN apps rocket up download charts in Australia as porn websites begin blocking users
Virtual private network apps have skyrocketed up the app charts in Australia after a number of adult sites began blocking Australian users in compliance with new online safety codes in effect from Monday.
VPN apps allow a user’s location to appear as somewhere other than where they reside, meaning users trying to access adult sites could use the apps to appear as being outside Australia, to gain access to the sites.
On Friday, Guardian Australia reported Aylo-owned sites including RedTube, YouPorn, and Tube8 all had notices on their sites when visited from an Australian IP address, stating they are “not currently accepting new account registrations in your region”.
As of Monday, the largest porn site in the world, Pornhub, which is also owned by Aylo, only displayed safe-for-work content on its homepage for Australian users who had not logged in.
Read more here:
‘Save our girls’: support shown for Iran players after exit from Women’s Asian Cup
Fans and activists chanted support for the Iranian women’s football team, shouting “save our girls”, as the players’ bus drove past them after their final game at the Women’s Asian Cup.
Iran’s state television labelled them as “traitors” for not singing the national anthem before their first game against South Korea.
Updated
More than 2,200 Australians have arrived back home since Middle East conflict started
As of this morning, more than 2,200 Australians have returned to the country via commercial flights from the Middle East.
Multiple flights from the UAE and Qatar are arriving or expected to arrive each day into various Australian airports, following a serious of long airspace closures.
The government is still encouraging Australians abroad to register with Dfat’s crisis portal if they are in Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon or the UAE.
Smartraveller has continued to urge Australians to avoid Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the UAE and Yemen, and reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Opera Australia announces new director
After more than 18 months of leadership instability after the controversial exit of artistic director Jo Davies, Opera Australia has announced the appointment of UK national Amy Lane as its new director.
The appointment of Lane, who is currently the artistic director of the Copenhagen Opera festival, ends a period of creative vacancy that began in August 2024, when Davies left after just nine months amid “irreconcilable” differences with former management. Lane’s arrival in September will complete a new triumvirate leadership structure designed by the board to provide the stability that eluded the company during its recent $10m deficit crisis.
The board’s chair, Prof Glyn Davis, said the company had been “very considered” in its global search for a new leader, and Lane would be taking the reins as OA moved into a position of fiscal strength.
“Our financial recovery is solid,” he said in a statement.
Lane will join chief executive Alex Budd and music director Andrea Battistoni.
A Londoner by birth, she was head staff director at the Royal Ballet & Opera Covent Garden before taking artistic control of the Copenhagen Opera festival seven years ago. British music columnist Norman Lebrecht praised the move on his Slipped Disc website on Monday, saying the appointment had given the national opera company “the best credentials Sydney has seen in a decade.”
Updated
Fourth teen charged with murder over alleged stabbing of good Samaritan in Melbourne
A fourth teen has been charged over the murder of a good Samaritan, as police boost patrols in the area, AAP reports.
Aidan Becker, 22, died at Mernda Railway Station in Melbourne’s north-east on Friday evening after intervening to protect a 14-year-old boy from a group of four alleged teenage attackers.
Police allege Becker, whom they have not referred to by name, was one of several passersby who stepped in to protect the 14-year-old.
He tried to walk away with the boy but was allegedly subjected to a “savage” attack involving punching, kicking and the use of blades, homicide squad inspector Nigel L’Estrange said on Saturday.
Becker suffered life-threatening injuries and was treated by paramedics, but died at the scene.
Four male teens, one aged 16, two 17 and one 18, were arrested at the scene and all have since been charged with murder and armed robbery.
Updated
Bowen says Australia has ‘good supply’ of fuel and is better prepared for an energy shock due to renewables
Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen met with the petroleum industry amid growing concern about the impact of the Middle East crisis on energy.
Speaking at Climate Action Week at the University of Technology Sydney, Bowen said Australia continued to “hold good stock levels [of] petrol, jet fuel and diesel”, including three billion litres of diesel and one and a half billion litres of petrol.
The fundamentals are good in that Australia has a good supply and, importantly, speaking to the industry this morning, [they] have confirmed that every single expected delivery of petrol, diesel and jet fuel has arrived on time, on schedule, as expected.
He said further talks with industry were planned for Tuesday. He said concerns about supply, particularly from regional communities, stemmed from a spike in demand, particularly for extra diesel.
Bowen said Australia was in a “good position” because of rules the government introduced in response to the 2022 energy crisis caused by the Ukraine war “to ensure that Australia has a stock of petrol and diesel on hand here in Australia, not in Texas or Louisiana or anywhere else”.
In a separate speech, Bowen said the rollout of renewables had put Australia in a better position to handle potential global oil supply disruptions:
It remains the case that the one form of energy which Vladimir Putin, or a Middle Eastern crisis, cannot interrupt, is the flow of sun and the flow of wind. That cannot be interrupted.
And that is one of the reasons why we entered this crisis better prepared than before.
Updated
Tasmania to reform use of ‘good character’ references for serious offences
Tasmania will take steps to reform the use of “good character” references by serious offenders, following similar moves by other states.
The state’s attorney general, Guy Barnett, said in a statement the move would “ensure that sentencing meets modern community standards”. He added:
That’s why we are taking action to remove the ability for convicted offenders to use ‘good character’ references to lessen their sentence. Victims of crimes should not have to sit in court and hear how the person that caused them harm is of ‘good character’.
Our government has previously reformed sentencing laws relating to the use of ‘good character’ references in sexual offences, and we are now working to further reform these laws in line with community expectations.
Barnett said he would continue to meet with advocacy groups and survivors on the issue.
Updated
Coalition raises pressure on government over fuel security
The Coalition is ramping up pressure on the government over fuel security, amid ongoing concerns about supply disruptions from the Middle East conflict.
Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan and shadow industry minister Andrew Hastie said on Monday the government should explain its plans to ensure adequate fuel supplies going forward.
“Under Labor, Australia risks going back to 1940 when rationing was introduced to manage shortages caused by World War II,” the pair said, adding:
Australia is a diesel economy. Without fuel, trucks carrying our food, pharmaceuticals and supplies stop, making us vulnerable.
They have called on the energy minister, Chris Bowen, to use the Petroleum and Other Fuels Reporting Act to identify and assist customers at risk of fuel shortages, including farmers, manufacturers and the transport sector.
Updated
Recreational drugs can more than double risk of stroke, study suggests
Recreational drugs can more than double the risk of stroke, with some of the most concerning impacts seen among younger people, a major review suggests.
Scientists analysed medical data from more than 100 million people and found that the risk of stroke was 122% higher for amphetamine users and 96% higher for cocaine users compared with those who did not take the drugs.
Cannabis users were also at greater risk, suffering 37% more strokes than non-users, the review found, though researchers saw no evidence that opioids, a highly addictive painkiller, added to a person’s risk of stroke.
The rise in strokes observed in connection with some drugs was not confined to older people.
When researchers focused on under-55s, they saw a near tripling in stroke risk among amphetamine users. The additional risk linked to cannabis was a more modest 14% in the age group, while the risk from cocaine was much the same at 97%.
Read more here:
Updated
Aerial footage shows swollen Katherine Gorge amid flood warnings
The Northern Territory’s Nitmiluk/Katherine Gorge has been inundated with water, as you can see in this video from Saturday, as an extreme weather event passes over parts of northern Australia.
A tropical low brought heavy rain to large parts of the Top End and northern Queensland.
Several flood warnings are still in place for the NT today, including for the Katherine and Daly rivers, while most of Queensland remains on flood watch.
Updated
Man charged with murder after alleged campsite stabbing near Tamworth
A man was charged with murder after an alleged stabbing at a campsite near Tamworth on Sunday night.
NSW police said emergency services were called to the campsite, about 45km from Tamworth, around 6pm. On arrival, officers were told two men were in an altercation before one was allegedly stabbed several times in the chest and neck.
The injured man, thought to be in his 50s, was treated by paramedics, but he died at the scene.
The other man was arrested at the scene and taken to the police station. He was charged with murder and was scheduled to appear before court today.
Updated
‘Crocs absolutely everywhere’: NT residents warned to stay out of flood waters
Flood-affected residents in the Northern Territory have been warned not to swim in crocodile-filled waters, as tropical lows continue to bring major flood warnings and heavy rains to the Top End and Queensland.
Hundreds of people were evacuated over the weekend, with the entire town of Nauiyu/Daly River in the NT evacuated as of Sunday afternoon, the NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, said.
The NT incident control acting commander, Shaun Gill, urged residents not to venture into flood waters after reports of people swimming.
“There are crocs absolutely everywhere … please don’t go in the water,” he said Sunday morning.
Read more:
Most of Queensland on alert for flooding
Most of Queensland is on alert for flooding as a tropical low that’s already hammered the far north continues a slow crawl through the state’s southeast, AAP reports.
⚠️Major #FloodWarning #CharleysCreek, Moderate Flood Warning #LowerCondamineRiver, Minor Flood Warning #MyallCreek
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 8, 2026
🔴Major flooding possible #Chinchilla
🟠Moderate flooding possible #ChinchillaWeir #Condamine town
🟡Minor flooding possible#Dalbyhttps://t.co/pT3vXVuHLP pic.twitter.com/w65Tbigsf9
Brisbane is also on flood alert, with a severe weather warning in place for heavy rainfall in the Capricornia, Central Highlands, Wide Bay, Darling Downs and southeast coast districts.
There have been widespread totals of 90 to 100 millimetres, with higher local falls recorded in areas including Brovinia in the Burnett, which received 239 millimetres.
More than 30 roads have been closed on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane.
Rain continues today for central and south-east #Qld with possible heavy falls.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 8, 2026
Thunderstorms for the tropical north.
Flood Watches and Warnings across most of the state.
Remaining dry and warm through southern interior areas.
Latest: https://t.co/UkC56n16j5 pic.twitter.com/D8BP6vhkD0
ASX plunges nearly 3% as Iran conflict triggers market wipeout
The Australian share market has plunged 3% this morning, wiping nearly $90bn from the value of the country’s biggest companies.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell to 8,576.2 points in early trading, after closing at 8,851 last week.
Markets have started to expect the US will continue its war on Iran, which has restricted oil shipping and sent energy prices soaring. Global oil prices surged past US$100 a barrel this morning for the first time since 2022, now sitting at around US$106.
Almost nowhere is safe, with 186 of Australia’s top 200 listed companies falling in value. The big banks are down 3% each, rare earths producers Iluka, Liontown and Lynas are down 5% or more and Qantas and Virgin Airlines are down 6% each.
The only winners are adjacent to the energy sector: gas companies Santas, Beach and Woodside, petrol retailers Ampol and Viva and coalminers.
Economic disruption from the war on Iran has also sent the US dollar surging in value, at the expense of the Australian dollar, which has fallen back below 70 US cents.
Updated
Global oil prices surge past the US$100 mark for the first time since 2022
Global oil prices surged past the $100 (£74, AU$142) a barrel mark for the first time since 2022 as escalating military aggression in the Middle East continues to wipe 20m barrels of oil from the market each day.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped 16.6% to $108.10 a barrel as the new week’s trading began in the Asia Pacific markets, the first time that market prices have soared above this key psychological threshold since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) benchmark price of US crude also soared, rising 19.6% to $108.72 per barrel. Pre-market trading data put Wall Street on course to open lower on Monday.
The extraordinary spike in oil prices is “a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace”, Donald Trump argued on Sunday.
Read more here:
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, chosen as Iran’s new supreme leader?
Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as his successor.
Members of the clerical body responsible for selecting Iran’s highest authority announced the decision on Sunday, calling on Iranians to rally behind him and preserve national unity.
In a statement carried by state media, the assembly said Khamenei had been chosen through what it described as a “decisive vote”.
Who is he, and what does his selection mean for the war in the Middle East?
Victoria environment minister says entry fee ‘only fair’
The Victorian environment minister, Steve Dimopoulos, said the funds collected would support upgrades to beach access and visitor facilities and maintain the historic landmarks.
The Twelve Apostles are visited by more than two million people each year and the Great Ocean Road is visited by over six million people – and we want even more people to come and enjoy it. …
It’s only fair that visitors to the region pay a small fee to visit this world-class destination so that we can maintain it for future generations.
Victoria to charge entry fee for Twelve Apostles visitors
Victoria’s famous Twelve Apostles will soon have an entry fee. How much? We don’t know yet.
Tourists will soon have to pay an entry fee to see the landmark on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
The Victorian government will announce a fee today for tourists to visit the Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Centre, which is due to open at the end of 2026.
The entry cost is not yet known and will be decided following a consultation with stakeholders. The government said people who live near the site and members of the Eastern Maar Indigenous community will not be charged.
A visitor booking system will also be in place to manage visitation numbers and guarantee parking at peak times, the government said.
Updated
Two men in hospital after separate shootings in Sydney on Sunday night
Two men are in hospital and another is in custody after two shootings took place by different alleged offenders on Sunday night, AAP reports.
A 29-year-old man in western Sydney was shot multiple times around 8.45pm. Officers were told unknown people had fired the shots from a home and hit the man who was on the street.
The 29-year-old was taken to hospital but his injuries were not viewed as life threatening and he was in a stable condition. Police arrested a man a few hours later in connection with the shooting.
About an hour later at 9.55pm, a 25-year-old was shot multiple times at a home in Bass Hill in southwestern Sydney.
He was injured by bullets in his leg, arm, and chest, and was later in a serious but stable condition at Liverpool Hospital. A short time later, police found a car on fire nearby believed to be the getaway car of the accused offenders.
Harry and Meghan to visit Australia in April
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Australia next month for a number of engagements, Press Association reports.
A spokesperson for the couple said:
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will visit Australia in mid-April to take part in a number of private, business and philanthropic engagements.
The Sussexes last carried out an official royal tour to Australia in 2018, five months after their wedding. Meghan’s pregnancy with Prince Archie was announced shortly after their arrival.
The couple had a busy two-day trip to Jordan last month, to learn more about the humanitarian effort to support the health and wellbeing of Syrians and Palestinians who have sought sanctuary in the country.
Their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will not be coming with them to Australia.
Updated
ASX to drop as oil disruption intensifies
Australian shares will open sharply lower today, as investors fret over a prolonged war in the Middle East, a sharp rise in oil prices, and a breakout in global inflation.
Futures pricing indicates the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 will open about 1.7% lower this morning to trade below the 8,700 point mark, continuing the selldown that occurred last week.
Disrupted oil supplies are widely viewed as the single biggest contributor to global inflation, given rising energy prices make almost all economic goods and services more expensive.
Crude oil prices have surged above $US90 per barrel, up more than one-third from late 2025 prices.
ANZ’s research team said this morning that concerns of supply disruptions rose over the weekend on reports that producers are starting to reduce production.
Pictures of black smoke smothering Tehran will add to investor worries, after Israel struck at least five energy sites in and around the city.
Greg Boland, from trading platform Moomoo, says traders are monitoring developments around the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping corridor that normally handles roughly 20m barrels of oil and petroleum products per day.
Tears and drama amid snowboard cross chaos at Winter Paralympics
Snowboard cross is a sport with high technical demands, as athletes negotiate a series of challenges from – to adopt the lexicon – jumps and berms to rollers and drops, all along a winding course. But all this skill is subordinated to the generation of speed. Every movement is calculated to limit resistance and drag.
Add the challenges to balance and navigation that come from racing with a physical disability and it is perhaps not surprising to find that the snowboard cross finals at the Winter Paralympics on Sunday were carnage.
The Australian Amanda Reid, a Paralympic gold-medal swimmer making her debut as a snowboarder, was taken to hospital after crashing out backwards during the heats of the women’s LL1 classification (denoting a more impactful lower limb disability).
The biggest cheers of the day came in the penultimate race when Italy celebrated gold in the men’s LL2 classification (the less severe of the two lower limb categories). Emanuel Perathoner absolutely smashed the field, beating the Australian Ben Tudhope by more than three seconds.
Read more from our dispatch here:
Updated
eSafety commissioner says age verification for porn comparable to restrictions on strip clubs and casinos
Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety commissioner, said changes to age verification to access adult content have been a long time coming.
Speaking to RN, she compared access to sites featuring content like pornography to restrictions on children entering bars or strip clubs, calling them “commonsense” measures to protect young people.
She said:
They can’t stroll into a strip club or browse an adult shop or sit down at a blackjack table in a casino. So, this really just brings the online world and those protections that we put for kids in place to the digital realm.
Inman Grant said a “click of a button” won’t pass muster any longer, saying there needs to be more “rigour” behind age verification.
Updated
Craig Foster ‘very worried’ about Iran women footballers
Former Socceroo and refugee advocate Craig Foster said he is “very worried” about the fate of the Iran women’s team after they were defeated by the Philippines 2-0, ending their Women’s Asian Cup bid.
It’s unclear when they will return home, but some have expressed “grave” concerns about the players after they did not sing the national anthem last week.
Foster told RN Breakfast:
I think it’s pretty clear to everyone on the potential threat that they’re facing, whether here or particularly if they do return or when they do return to Iran. …
I think the whole Australian football community and Australia is extremely concerned about the potential threat to the lives of these players.
Updated
Man charged with murder after alleged stabbing in Sydney’s inner west
A man was charged with murder after an alleged stabbing in Sydney’s inner west on Sunday.
NSW police said emergency services were called to a house in the suburb of Concord around 12pm, following reports of a concern for welfare. On arrival, officers located a man with a stab wound to his chest. He was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
A second man was arrested at the home and taken to Burwood police station.
He has been charged with murder and refused bail. He will appear at Burwood local court today. An investigation is ongoing.
Nationals say Iranian regime ‘needed to change’
David Littleproud, the Nationals leader, said Australia may have capabilities that could complement the abilities of Gulf nations needing support.
He spoke to RN Breakfast, saying the regime in Iran “needed to change” and that Australia now wants a “completion” of the conflict. He said:
I think it’s important to work through this calmly, to understand the intelligence and the briefings that the government has to get to this juncture … If you’re going to send Australian personnel to a conflict, that is one of the most important decisions any government would make. And I think it’s better that there’s bipartisan support, and that’s why you want to be constructive with the government …
The reality is, we believe in regime change. This was a tyrant that was oppressing the people of Iran. And I think what’s important here is that the people of Iran are empowered and given back their country through whatever mechanism that they should determine
Updated
Military requests from Gulf nations should be ‘duly considered', Ted O'Brien says
Ted O’Brien, the shadow minister for foreign affairs, said Israel and the US were doing the “heavy lifting for the free world” during the ongoing war with Iran.
O’Brien spoke to RN Breakfast, where he was asked about the prospect of Australia assisting its allies. He said Australia should “duly” consider any request by Gulf nations, but said if the country does assist with defensive efforts it would “of course” be seen as participation in the conflict.
There is conflict going on right now in the Middle East, and this is where we’re talking about a very rogue regime. It has sought to undertake terror attacks on our soil and far worse attacks on some of our friends and allies.
We support what the United States and Israel is doing, and therefore, if support is requested, as it has been, it should be duly considered.
Foreign minister Penny Wong said Sunday Australia may offer military support to Gulf nations facing strikes from Iran, but won’t participate in any ground efforts.
Updated
Australians will have to verify their age to watch pornography from today. Here’s what you need to know
Australians will need to verify their age in order to access adult content on a range of places across the internet, with pornography sites and other sites hosting adult content required to have age assurance in place from today.
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, announced in September that industry-designed codes covering adult content and extreme violence or self-harm content would go into force in two tranches – in December last year and from 9 March.
The second tranche, from Monday, will cover websites, social media, storage services, AI chatbots, app stores and equipment providers like phone makers or console developers.
How will it work, what will we need to do, and can we avoid it? Read more here:
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Good morning! Nick Visser here to take the reins. Let’s get to it.
Nationals select candidate to run in Sussan Ley's NSW seat
The Nationals have selected a former army colonel, Brad Robertson, to challenge former Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s seat of Farrer at the upcoming byelection on 9 May.
Both the Nationals and the Liberals will be contesting the seat, which was held by Ley for 25 years, but represented by former Nationals leader Tim Fischer before her.
The Coalition candidates will face challenges from One Nation, who selected agriculture businessman David Farley, and from community independent Michelle Milthorpe.
In a statement, the Nationals said the seat has a “proud Nationals history”, and that the byelection “presents an opportunity for The Nationals to give Farrer strong regional representation in Canberra”.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, called Robertson a “local champion”.
The Nationals are all about local champions. Brad Robertson has dedicated his life to serving Australia. First in uniform and now in his community.
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Floods could persist across Northern Territory for a week
Flooding in Katherine could last for a week as the Northern Territory town has been topped by flood waters, AAP reports, with both the Katherine and Daly rivers threatening to reach record-breaking levels after a recent deluge.
The Katherine River was receding late on Sunday after reaching 19.2m on Saturday but plenty more rain is forecast in coming days.
Bureau of Meteorology senior officer Jude Scott said the Daly River, which was at 14.4m late on Sunday, would also continue to rise.
Hundreds of people in Nauiyu/Daly River Community have been evacuated by helicopter to Darwin, where they are sheltering at the showgrounds.
The Katherine mayor, Joanna Holden, said the next couple of days would be critical, with more rain forecast.
She said about 1,000 people had been moved to evacuation centres in Darwin, Katherine and Mataranka. Another 80 people were evacuated from Daly River by helicopter on Sunday after conditions prevented them from leaving on Saturday.
Some schools will remain shut today while they are used as emergency shelters.
Flood warnings and flood watches are also in place for much of Queensland. Moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast across parts of northern, central, and south-east Queensland for the next couple of days as a broad trough draws in deep tropical moisture across the state.
Updated
Sydney’s new airport motorway to open this week
Sydney’s M12 motorway, the “driveway” to the new Western Sydney airport, will open this Saturday, the federal and NSW governments have announced.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the federal transport minister, Catherine King, will cut the ribbon on the 16km stretch of road in Sydney’s west this morning, following four years of construction and a combined $2.1bn joint state and federal spend.
The road will open to local traffic in the early hours of 14 March, although an intersection directly linking it to the M7 motorway at Cecil Hills won’t be completed until mid-year. Western Sydney airport says it is scheduled to begin passenger flights in October.
Unlike the under-construction M6 motorway and western harbour tunnel, also owned by the state, the M12 will be toll-free, although motorway connections onto the city are owned by private toll operator Transurban. A metro line linking the heavy rail network is not expected to open until late 2027, although the government has announced a free bus service in the interim.
The government says the M12 project has required 2.6 million cubic metres of earthworks, equivalent to moving the volume of 1,064 Olympic pools, and has seen more than 18,500 trees planted. The motorway expected to take 25,000 vehicles a day off local roads. Minns says:
Communities in Western Sydney deserve this world-class infrastructure which will ease pressure on local roads, cut travel times and improve connectivity with the rest of Sydney’s road network.
From Saturday, thousands of motorists will have the chance to use this new motorway for the very first time to more quickly and easily get to where they need to go.
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Wong says dependents of Australian officials told to leave UAE
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said in a post late last night that families of Australian officials have been told to leave the United Arab Emirates as war in the Middle East spreads.
“The Australian Government has directed the departure of dependants of Australian officials posted to the UAE, due to the deteriorating security situation,” she wrote in a post on X on Sunday night:
Our travel advice has been updated to reflect that direction. We continue to advise Australians not to travel to the UAE.
She said that more than 1,700 Australians have so far returned on direct flights from the UAE and that the government was “contacting registered Australians directly when we know seats are available”.
If you can secure a seat, please consider taking it.
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Welcome
Good morning, and welcome to Guardian Australia’s live news blog.
In case you missed it yesterday, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, confirmed the Australian government is considering offering military support to assist Gulf nations facing strikes from Iran, but will not participate in any ground troop deployment.
Closer to home, age verification requirements for porn sites are now in effect. And in the Northern Territory, two major rivers are flooding, with homes inundated, roads cut, supermarket shelves bare and hundreds of people evacuated – we’ll have more on that soon.
Nick Visser will be here shortly to take you through the day’s events as they happen, before federal parliament returns tomorrow.
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