Doctor who went to Syrian camp calls Albanese ‘heartless’

The Sydney doctor advocating for the return of 11 Australian mothers and their 23 children from Syrian detention has called Anthony Albanese “heartless” for refusing to rescue them.

Jamal Rifi has long been advocating for the group’s repatriation, leading private discussions with the government on ways to bring them home.

Angus Taylor, recently elevated to opposition leader, has suggested the government has offered assistance to the group, despite the prime minister saying no help will be offered and expressing his “contempt” for the mothers, who are the wives and widows of Islamic State soldiers.

Rifi said there had been no government help and Taylor was “the new kid on the block and] does not know what he is talking about”.

I have been frustrated and upset, not now but before, when we realised that the government is not undertaking any repatriation. They left us no option except do-it-yourself repatriation.

Rifi said the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, had told him there would be no repatriation in mid-2025. He said that was the last time he had spoken to Tony Burke, his former friend who he had campaigned for in the May election.

We were told on no uncertain terms that they’re not going to play any part in repatriating this cohort, and I was not happy then, I am not happy now.

… Do you think we have any chance with the opposition of getting them back in? No chance whatsoever. I would have thought we had a better chance with the Albanese Labor government. I just did not realise that he is so heartless.

Rifi said he had not given up on saving the group and would stay with family in Tripoli, Lebanon, as he worked to resolve the situation.

Advocate for Syria-held women says children-only rescue ‘dirty work’

A Sydney Muslim community figure fighting for the repatriation of detainees in Syria has said he won’t split the children from their mothers, calling it the government’s “dirty work”.

The 11 mothers in the group have suggested that their 23 children be taken back to Australia without them, the Guardian has previously reported.

Jamal Rifi has revealed the mothers proposed their solution to him and fellow advocates, who rejected the idea, saying if the Australian government wanted to split mothers from children it should do so itself. Rifi told the ABC:

We as [human beings], we as fathers, we’re not going to actually pursue that, that’s not our call. If the government want to do this, let them actually do it themselves. We’re not going to do it for them. We won’t do their dirty work for them …

It is on the Australian government to look after the interests of all Australian children and if they have an ounce of humanity and care and compassion, they will act to remove those children, the sooner the better. If they will do the children only, that’s their call, that’s not going to be my call, I won’t do it.

Rifi said the children would be harmed and prevented from integrating into Australian society if taken from their mothers, who are the wives and widows of Islamic State soldiers. He said:

Haven’t we learned from what happened to the Stolen Generation? Haven’t we learned the impact that happened on the family, and also on the children, when we separate them from their mothers – who cared for them for the last six years, in awful circumstances. Regardless [of] if they are actually the biggest terrorists on earth, but yet they are mothers. They are caring for their offsprings and I’m not going to separate them.

The mother may ask us to do this right now but later on in life they will actually curse us. The kids might [have been] coming right now. But if separating them from their mothers who care for them is going to impact on their rehabilitation, and on their integration and on their wellbeing and emotional well being, it wouldn’t be doing any favours.

The Guardian’s William Christou has spoken to the children detained in the camp, as you can read here:

Sydney doctor helping Syrian detainees says camp officials’ reports cannot be trusted

Jamal Rifi, the Sydney doctor who has been working to evacuate the 34 Australian citizens in a detention camp in Syria, says reports of extra Australian detainees are not to be trusted.

Rifi has previously lobbied for the government to bring the cohort of women and children back to Australia. He has this month been in the Middle East working to help the group get home.

In some of his first public comments since travelling overseas, Rifi said the reports of additional Australian women being detained separately could not be relied on and said the camp officials were not trustworthy. Rifi told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:

I wouldn’t take what we see from the camp officials as the gospel or the truth. … I reckon they’re lying through their teeth. Because they lied before. They didn’t facilitate what we’re doing, they leak information to the local media so the media can sell all the footage and I reckon they are after the money. Everyone is after the money in that area.

He described the difficult circumstances playing out on the ground earlier this month.

It took us three days to convince the Syrian Democratic Forces for the uncles to visit their nephew and nieces in the camp and it was hard negotiation. Then we took them out. Media was not supposed to be there and we had a big media scrum over there. Then, they make now the decision that they are going to close the camp.

Labor assistant minister cautions against ‘rush to outrage’ at PM’s Grace Tame comment

A Labor MP defending Anthony Albanese’s description of Grace Tame as “difficult” has warned against a “rush to outrage”.

Josh Wilson, Labor’s assistant minister for energy, said Albanese had claimed he would have said “powerhouse” if he had been trying to describe Tame’s character. Wilson told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:

There is a bit of a risk in … the kind of rush to outrage that we go a little bit too deep on these things. …

Grace Tame is a significant public figure and she is entitled to express her views on a range of subjects. … I totally respect Grace Tame’s response [and] she is entitled to take her own view.

A Liberal frontbencher, James McGrath, said Albanese should deliver a stronger apology to Tame. He told the same program:

The prime minister shouldn’t have said what he said. He clearly meant it and what he has been doing since this morning has been doing a bit of flip-flopping and walking sideways and giving a half-hearted apology, saying that is not what he meant to say. It is clearly what he meant to say and he should come out and do a proper apology to Ms Tame.

I am not a fan of Ms Tame, I think she is someone who should herself apologise after all the comments that she has made about “globalise the intifada” … but I don’t think that the prime minister should be calling any woman, regardless of their political pedigree, difficult.

Albanese wrong to call Grace Tame difficult, says Liberal

The Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh has said the prime minister should not have described Grace Tame as difficult.

McIntosh, the Coalition’s shadow minister for Social Services, said the phrase was “a poor choice of words”. She told the ABC:

When I heard that he had said that, I cringed inside …. Women get told we are difficult a lot … If she didn’t accept his apology, he should sort it out with her.

McIntosh has previously demanded the prime minister condemn Grace Tame for her chant of the phrase “globalise the intifada” ahead of a protest march against the Israeli president’s visit in Sydney earlier this month.

She told host Patricia Karvelas she still believed Albanese should not describe any woman as difficult:

Grace Tame, by no means, I don’t always agree with her, I felt quite strongly about what she did it at that march, I question having her Australian of the Year title even now.

If she didn’t like it, there is a reason for that. The prime minister should not have used that word. …

Have you been called difficult? I have. I reckon it’s resonating with you, it’s resonating with me, and I think it’s probably resonating with many women, which is why they are cranky. … It is not just about the recipient, being Grace Tame, but many women have been told at some point in their life that they’re difficult and that’s why people are kicking up about it.

Labor minister says PM ‘fierce advocate’ for women after ‘difficult’ Grace Tame description

Labor’s environment minister, Murray Watt, has defended the prime minister as a “fierce advocate” of women in the face of criticism of Anthony Albanese calling Grace Tame “difficult”.

Watt denied the phrase’s use was condescending. He told the ABC:

I think any honest observer of the prime minister’s actions knows that he has been a fierce advocate for the rights of women in Australia and has [made] immeasurable change to the lives of Australian women.

Albanese has claimed to be referring to Tame’s “difficult life”. When pointed out that his use of the word did not reflect that, Watt said:

Clearly not, but he has since explained what he meant by that statement, he has apologised for any misinterpretation.

And as I say, if anyone looks at the prime minister’s record … in every single possible way, this prime minister has led the charge to ensure that Australian women and respected and are supported …

I think it shows the traps for all of us in participating in these kinds of one-word games that some media outlets like to participate in.

‘Too early to put away bushfire plans,’ emergency chief warns

The bushfire season could stretch into April across Australia’s south amid long-term drought, with Victoria especially at risk.

With the release of the bushfire outlook earlier today, Rob Webb, chief executive of the Australian and New Zealand council for fire and emergency services (AFAC) has spoken to the ABC:

Even with little bits of rain that we’ve had lately and some in the forecast there are still concerns that the season may yet still hang on a little bit longer. So, too early to put away bushfire plans at the moment.

The threat of bushfires could continue into autumn as late as April in Australia’s south, for much of Victoria and parts of South Australia, Webb warned.

The southern half of the country really over this autumn period is likely to be drier than normal … The fuels are there, the conditions are there. It’s just a matter of whether the warm conditions and windy conditions develop.

… We don’t just get out of the summer months and say the fire season’s over. We’ve seen globally this trend to lengthening fire seasons and the intensity of these fire seasons increasing.

Statement from Grace Tame to be read at ‘globalise the intifada’ Sydney protest

Pro-Palestine groups say they will chant “globalise the intifada” when they return to Sydney town hall on Friday, nearly three weeks after clashing with police.

Grace Tame, who led chants of the phrase at that protest against the Israeli president’s visit on 9 February, will have a statement read at the rally, organisers said.

The prime minister criticised Tame’s use of that phrase today while apologising for describing the former Australian of the year as difficult, as you can read here:

The statement will be read outside Sydney’s town hall along with speeches from the NSW Greens politician Amanda Cohn and others, before protesters march to NSW parliament to chant “globalise the intifada”, according to the Stop the War on Palestine group.

The groups will protest against the state government’s plan to ban the phrase and other protest slogans, organiser Adam Adelpour said. He said more protests would follow:

Defiance works, and Minns can expect more of it so long as he continues to try and strip us of our basic democratic rights.

Listen now: blaring sirens on smartphones to warn Australians of major disasters under emergency alerts overhaul

Australians will soon receive intrusive alerts on their smartphones to warn of impending emergencies as governments overhaul warning systems for natural disasters and other serious events.

Here is what the system sounds like:

The $132m AusAlert system will be rolled out through a series of trials from June, replacing state-based text messaging systems which often struggle because of demand in major emergencies.

Alerts will be sent for bushfires, floods, biosecurity threats and public safety incidents like shootings. The messages will link users to more information from official sources online.

Read more from Tom McIlroy here:

Government warns against Iran travel in ‘fast-moving environment’

The Australian government is watching to see what action the US president, Donald Trump, might take in Iran, a day after offering to evacuate the families of Australian diplomats and officials from countries across the Middle East.

Trump used this week’s State of the Union address to repeat threats of an attack on Iran, as he accused the ruling regime of developing nuclear weapons.

The defence minister, Richard Marles, on Thursday said he wouldn’t comment on the possibility of military strikes but urged Australians in the region to monitor travel advice online.

“Smartraveller is a really important resource,” he said.

We update that as quickly as we possibly can. It is our best advice as to what people should do in respect of their travel.

In respect of Iran itself, it has for some time said that there should be no travel to Iran, and we’ve made clear to Australian citizens who are in Iran that if it is safe to do so, they should leave.

It is a fast-moving environment.

Hello readers, I’ll guide you through the day’s breaking news from here. Thanks Nick Visser for steering the blog today.

Jacinda Ardern living and working in Australia after move from US

The former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is living in Australia with her family, a spokesperson has confirmed.

“The family has been travelling for a few years now,” her office told the Guardian.

“For the moment they’re basing themselves out of Australia – they have work there, and it brings the added bonus of more time back home in New Zealand.”

Speculation that Ardern was considering a move to Australia emerged on Thursday, after reports in Australian media that she and her husband, Clarke Gayford, and their seven-year-old daughter, Neve, attended open home viewings in Sydney’s northern beaches.

Read more here:

Stunning image shows ‘unprecedented detail’ of the Milky Way

A team of researchers, including those from the Australian National University, have released a new image of the Milky Way in “unprecedented detail”.

ANU said the area captured by the image captures stretches more than 650 light years, surrounding the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy, and is filled with dense clouds of gas and dust, hidden from ordinary view. The university said the photo “offers an unprecedented look at the cold gas – the raw material from which stars form – inside the Milky Way’s Central Molecular Zone (CMZ).”

Dr Ashley Barnes from the European Southern Observatory in Germany said in a statement:

It’s a place of extremes, invisible to our eyes yet now revealed in extraordinary detail. It is the only galactic nucleus close enough to Earth for us to study in such fine detail.

The image was captured using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (Alma) in northern Chile. It is the largest Alma image ever produced.

Scientists will use the image to examine how stars form and change in the most extreme parts of the galaxy.

Coles v ACCC hearings finish, with judge reserving decision

Hearings for the consumer watchdog’s legal case against Coles have wrapped up in the Victorian federal court.

Justice Michael O’Bryan adjourned the court in Melbourne about half an hour ago, after hearing closing submissions from both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the supermarket.

The ACCC alleges Coles broke the law by offering “illusory” discounts on hundreds of everyday products through the misleading use of its “Down Down” promotion program.

The ACCC is seeking large penalties and community service orders against Coles, which, along with Woolworths, controls two-thirds of the Australian grocery market.

Coles is defending the ACCC’s allegations by arguing the changes in pricing were a response to increased costs from suppliers.

The judge reserved his decision, so we won’t know the outcome until a later date.

Optus headcount to increase, despite more than 200 jobs to go

Optus chief executive, Stephen Rue, has confirmed reports that between 200 to 300 jobs at the telco will be cut following consultations. However, he stated that Optus’s transformation of Optus will increase headcount from around 6,000 today to 7,500 in the next couple of years.

Rue told the parliamentary inquiry on the Optus triple zero outage that the job cuts are spread across the entire business, with some staff to be redeployed into new roles.

He said the headcount increase will come from onshoring 300 of the 3,000 call centre roles in Australia, and adding more capability to the network team.

He said the role changes aim to “simplify” the Optus structure to break down the silos in the business that partly caused the errors during the outage.

He said the compliance, security, legal teams will need “greater attention” and will receive more resources.

Victorian premier says her children have encountered suspicious strangers on Roblox

Jacinta Allan says she’s had conversations about potential online harms with her own kids. The Victorian premier said:

I’ve had to have this conversation with my own kids. You want them to be technically literate and involved in the world around us, but I have seen as a parent, how grooming has reached into what you think is their very innocent engagement on platforms like Roblox.

… They say they’re playing the game with their schoolmates or other friends you know, and then they come and say, ‘Hey Mum, we’ve had someone enter into our group, someone we didn’t know.’ We’ve had to have these conversations as parents with our kids about how you’ve got to shut that down, how you report it.

… Groomers can [also] reach in and manipulate the platform to offer prizes online to kids who come and engage with them. So this is where we’ve got to address tackle this challenge in all platforms and in all forums, both online and in community and also from a parent point of view.

Many in the justice sector have reported young people in Victoria are being recruited to steal cars or carry out firebombings. A parliamentary inquiry into tobacco regulation in 2024 heard children were being paid as little as $500 to commit arson amid the tobacco wars.

Organised crime groups using Roblox to groom kids, Victorian official says

Organised crime groups are grooming young people on gaming platforms such as Roblox, according to the head of Victoria’s violence reduction unit, Andrea Davidson.

Davidson joined the premier, Jacinta Allan, earlier this morning to announce $1m in funding for community crime prevention group Think Village to roll out an “anti-gang program”.

The program will include workshops to help recognise online grooming, which Davidson said is occurring on social media, encrypted apps and gaming platforms. She told reporters:

Young people are describing pressures and approaches that feel sophisticated, persistent and hard to escape. What they’re describing is grooming and exploitation, where children and adolescents are being approached, targeted and recruited by adult offenders, gangs and organised crime – drawn into violence, drug distribution, online harm and offline coercion, often long before anyone recognises what’s happening.

This harm I’m describing often begins subtly. It can start through gaming platforms, encrypted messaging apps or social media spaces.

Asked if she was referring to the gaming platform Roblox, Davidson said:

Exactly. We also know that young people can often gather through gaming platforms now, which can be a real sense of belonging for them, but also is an opportunity or a vulnerability for them to be groomed as well.

She said this can occur through the platform chat function by people who “pose as other young people.” Davidson, the former head of youth justice, said:

They can disguise themselves within certain settings, build relationships up and really tap into that vulnerability that is there amongst young people.

Similar concerns regarding alleged grooming on Roblox were expressed earlier this month by Anika Wells, the federal communications minister.

Schott describes ‘terrible’ calls to Optus during triple-zero outage

Dr Kerry Schott, who reviewed the September Optus outage that prevented people in three states from calling triple zero for several hours, told a parliamentary inquiry into the outage that she listened to tapes of the calls to customer service during the outage and said they are “just terrible to listen to”.

She said the call centre had no knowledge of an outage at the time, so they assumed the five people who called into the centre during the outage were just experiencing technical difficulty.

She said:

Listening to the calls is particularly distressing because, with the exception of the first caller, the callers had distress.

They had managed to get through to 000 on some other line or call. But they were actually ringing to alert Optus that there was a problem, with 000, and all of them described the problem accurately, which was they couldn’t get through and all they had on their mobile was silence. And they had been through considerable personal distress and were basically doing a public service by ringing up to say what was wrong, and then to have people trying to discuss with them a technical fault at that time.

The calls are just terrible to listen to.

She said that after the call centre raised the issue higher up in Optus following awareness of two fatalities, staff were “extraordinarily distressed”, and senior staff spent an hour calming staff down.

Schott said management of the call centre was inadequate and changed soon after. Optus is due to appear later this morning.

AI data centres should power operations with new renewables, energy groups say

Operators of AI data centres should be required to invest in new renewable energy to power their operations, according to a proposal put to the government by a coalition of energy and environment groups.

The plan, whose endorsers include the Clean Energy Council, Electrical Trades Union, Australian Conservation Foundation and Climate Energy Finance, warns that a surge in energy demand from data centres “risks pushing up retail power prices, significantly increasing climate pollution, slowing the transition to renewables”.

It proposes:

To ensure the maximum public benefit with the lowest amount of public harm all new data centre developments must: be powered by 100% additional renewable energy; strengthen grid stability; be appropriately sited to minimise impacts on nature and land use.

Data centre power demand is forecast by 2030 to exceed the energy used by electric vehicles.

The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said on Wednesday:

People who are building data centres do need to build new energy to go with it, and that energy will be renewable. But we also want to ensure that energy use has flexibility and redundancy built in.

Shen Yun says performances will continue despite bomb threats

Shen Yun, the traditional Chinese dance and music group, says it will continue its Australian tour despite claims that it received bomb threats against Anthony Albanese unless its performances were cancelled.

Albanese was evacuated from The Lodge after threats were reported to the federal police. Falun Dafa, a spiritual group banned in China which is associated with Shen Yun, said it received threats in Mandarin – from unknown senders – that The Lodge would be targeted if the dance tour went ahead. Reports emerged on Thursday of an earlier bomb threat against a Gold Coast venue due to host one performance.

“We will not be intimidated. Shen Yun performances in Australia will proceed safely and successfully,” a Falun Dafa spokesperson told Guardian Australia.

We call on the Australian government to conduct a comprehensive investigation, publicly address the national security implications of these incidents, strengthen counter-foreign interference safeguards, and hold responsible actors accountable under Australian law.

The spokesperson alleged the Chinese Communist party was linked to the threats. Shen Yun performances worldwide have been the subject of bomb and threats, the Falun Dafa spokesperson said.

In an emailed response, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canberra rubbished the claims:

We have noticed relevant reports but have no knowledge with what happened. China always opposes all forms of violent attacks.

eSafety study to follow 4,000 children and families in social media ban

eSafety has started an evaluation of the under-16s social media ban to understand how it is working in practice and the impact it is having on children and families.

The study will follow more than 4,000 children and families for more than two-years, including surveys of children and young people between 10 and 16, their parents and caregivers.

There will also be opt-in smartphone use tracking, capturing information on app use, time spent and time of day use.

The assessment will also build on external data including Naplan data, Medicare data, and PBS data.

The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said:

The study will explore a wide range of outcomes, including children’s wellbeing and mental health, their exposure to online risks and harms, and their digital habits and social media patterns.

It will also examine help-seeking behaviour, family relationships and parenting experiences and, the early experiences and impacts on young people under 16.

The findings will be released progressively starting later this year.

Autumn bushfire outlook shows heightened risk for much of Victoria

Large parts of Victoria face a heightened bushfire risk through autumn due to long-term rainfall shortages.

Some parts of eastern, central and southern NSW, southern Western Australia and South Australia could also experience increased fire danger, according to the seasonal outlook.

Rob Webb, chief executive of the Australian and New Zealand council for fire and emergency services (AFAC) said:

The increased bushfire risk is driven by increased long-term dryness and persistent soil moisture deficits.

For many parts of southern Australia, autumn sees the gradual reduction in fire risk and opportunities for prescribed burning can increase. However, these programs may be delayed in some areas because of the underlying conditions.

Webb said even with anticipated rains in the south-east of the country in the short term, much more would be required to overcome the long-term moisture deficits.

He said fires could and would still occur in areas across Australia identified as being at average risk. He urged communities to stay alert and follow advice from their local fire authorities.

NT police officers confirm shots fired after incident in Alice Springs CBD

Northern Territory police released a statement confirming officers fired shots overnight after an incident in the Alice Springs CBD where a man allegedly tried to drive a car towards an officer and hit an occupied parked police car.

At around 10:30pm, police responded to reports of a disturbance on Todd Street involving multiple people. Police then alleged a man drove “at speed” towards an officer standing on the road and footpath and hit a parked police car with an officer inside.

A police officer then allegedly fired three rounds that hit the alleged offender’s car. NT police say no one was injured in the shooting.

An officer in the car was transported to the hospital with minor injuries and has now been discharged. The 38-year-old was also transported to the hospital as a precaution.

NT police commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement:

Every time our officers attend an incident, they are putting their lives at risk to keep the community safe. This is a clear example of the split second decisions our officers can be forced to make whilst protecting the community.

Albanese walks back one-word answer describing Grace Tame as ‘difficult’

Anthony Albanese claims he didn’t mean to call former Australian of the Year Grace Tame “difficult” in a derogatory way but has apologised for the misinterpretation.

Speaking in Melbourne, the prime minister walked back his response yesterday at a News Corp event when he was asked to describe Tame in one word.

Albanese said:

I was at a forum. I was asked to describe people in one word and Grace Tame you certainly can’t describe in one word. She has had a difficult life, and that was what I was referring to. And what Grace Tame has done is to turn that difficult experience that she had into being a strong advocate for others, which is why she received quite rightly, the Australian of the Year award …

He continued:

If there was any misinterpretation, then I certainly apologise. I think that Grace Tame has taken what is personal trauma and that awful experience that she had and channelled that into helping, in particular, other young women being a strong and powerful advocate, being quite courageous in the way that she has gone out there.

Now there are other issues, such as the language that Grace Tame used, that I disagree with at the demonstration that was held in Sydney. So, that’s why it’s impossible to describe people in one word, and that wasn’t meant to be taken that way, it was certainly just a word that comes to mind when different people are mentioned. And Grace Tame has had a very difficult life, but she deserves great credit for turning that into a benefit for others.

Albanese was referring to Tame’s comments at a rally earlier this month against the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog when the advocate for sexual assault abuse led the chant “from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada”.

INXS nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Australian rockers INXS have been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The band has been tapped alongside the likes of Oasis, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey and Phil Collins.

The nomination says:

The Australian band’s blend of rock swagger, new wave cool, and funk rhythms made their songs an infectious pleasure, while the sexual energy and charisma of lead singer Michael Hutchence propelled them to new heights on stage and television.

INXS’ musical journey was tragically cut short when Michael Hutchence was found dead on November 22, 1997. While the band made attempts to carry on, it became clear it was impossible to replace his unique heart and soul.

Still, their music continues to inspire fans around the globe, including a multitude of musicians like the Killers, Maroon 5, No Doubt, and Dua Lipa.

Voting will take place over the next two months, with the results announced in April.

Sydney Mardi Gras parade route added to National Heritage List

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade route has been added to the country’s National Heritage List.

The Albanese government moved to add the list after it was nominated by the Heritage Council of NSW in 2024, recognising the route for its centre stage role in the city’s history, including during the marriage equality movement and broader fights for legislative reform.

A press release announcing the news says:

Running through the heart of Sydney, the two kilometre route captures both the history of the original 1978 parade and its role as an enduring cultural event in Australia. The listed site recognises the place where protests in 1978 highlighted the inequality experienced by LGBT people in Australia.

Tanya Plibersek, the member for Sydney, said the listing “acknowledges the pain, violence and discrimination the 78ers fought against, and the celebration of love and diversity at the heart of Mardi Gras every year”.

It’s fantastic to see the Mardi Gras route finally receive the national recognition it deserves.

Qantas will roll out a direct flight from Sydney to Las Vegas

Following up on Qantas’ profit announcement, the airline said it will roll out Australia’s first non=stop route to Las Vegas.

The seasonal Sydney-Las Vegas run will begin in December 2026 and go through to March 2027, saving customers up to five hours of travel time and eliminating the need for a connecting flight in the US. Flight time will be an estimated 13 hours and 55 minutes.

It’ll be the eighth Qantas destination in North and South America.

Flights begin on 29 December and start at $1,099 for an economy return ticket. They end 12 March.

Bridget McKenzie won’t rule out working with One Nation to push back against Labor

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie did not rule out joining forces with One Nation, saying the Coalition is going to have to “deal with what and who the Australian public sends us”.

McKenzie spoke to the Today Show this morning, where she was asked if the party would join forces with a rising One Nation. She said:

No one’s saying that those on the non-Labor side of parliament won’t be doing everything we can to stop a Labor government after both the state election and the federal.

At the least, you’re going to have to deal with what and who the Australian public sends us. We’re a long way from a federal and state election outcome. But there’s an incredible amount of frustration, particularly from Australians working hard, who are at the frontline of the Labor party’s economic agenda.

And it’s up to us on the non-Labor side to make sure we have the policies in front of everyday Australians so that they have a real choice at the next election.

Three-quarters of Australia’s new cars use more fuel than advertised lab rating, testing shows

Another 10 cars have failed to live up to fuel efficiency promises when tested in the real world, adding to Australia’s difficulties in reducing emissions from transport.

The Australian Automobile Association’s latest test confirmed 76% of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles are still using more fuel on roads than in mandatory lab testing.

The AAA tested 141 petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles on roads under strict protocols around Geelong, Victoria, with federal government funding.

GWM’s Tank 300 used 25% more fuel per 100km in the real world than in the laboratory, test results released on Wednesday show. Honda’s HR-V used 19% more fuel and Hyundai’s Santa Fe used 11% more.

Read more here:

Advocate for gambling reform reiterates calls for regulator and ban on ads

Reverend Tim Costello, the chief advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, spoke to RN Breakfast this morning about efforts to combat gambling, including the rollout of BetStop, a self-exclusion register.

Costello said Australians were living in an “extraordinary reality” where you “can’t escape gambling”:

We are literally saturated. You know, sadly, gambling companies now even own our kids …

Right at the moment, you have the farcical situation that under 16, you can’t be on social media, which I support. But they’re inundated with gambling ads online, on TV. 900,000 of young Australians gambled last year, even though it’s illegal now.

Costello reiterated calls to for a national gambling regulator and a ban on gambling ads, saying he believes a majority of the Labor caucus would support those moves. But he said it seems the industry had a stranglehold on society.

More than 53,000 Australians had registered with BetStop between its launch in August 2023 and 1 December 2025, AAP reports. The self-exclusion register blocks access to phone and online gambling providers, and prevents them from contacting the person.

A review of BetStop’s efficacy found areas for improvement, however, as well as “several serious breaches” by gambling companies targeting people on the register.

Costello said it is a “very good program”, but too few people had heard about it.

Boy riding e-scooter allegedly hit by ute in pedestrian crossing in Sydney’s west

A boy riding an e-scooter was allegedly hit by a ute at a pedestrian crossing in Sydney’s west last night.

Emergency services were called to South Granville around 10pm. On arrival, paramedics treated the boy, 10, before he was taken to Westmead Children’s hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The driver, a 29-year-old man, was taken to the hospital for mandatory testing. No charges have been laid.

A crime scene has been established.

‘There will be more savings in the budget’, Chalmers says

Chalmers said the upcoming budget will be “ambitious”, but also recognise the “pressures on people, but also the pressures more broadly on our economy”.

He said those include inflation, productivity and “all this global economic uncertainty”.

These are the key factors and pressures that we’re focused on as we get closer towards making some key decisions about what will be and won’t be in the budget in May.

The budget, he added will include cost savings.

“We’ve made that clear,” Chalmers said. “It’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to help engineer the biggest positive turnaround in the budget since federation. People can expect to see more of that in May. And as part of that, there will be more savings.”

Chalmers said the government is ‘very focused’ on inflation leading up to the next federal budget

Treasurer Jim Chalmers spoke to RN Breakfast amid the latest inflation numbers, which show price rises have persisted into 2026 and boosted predictions for another rate hike. Inflation stayed at 3.8% in January.

Chalmers told RN:

Inflation was steady in January, but it’s higher than we’d like. We’re upfront about that. I don’t make predictions about future movements in interest rates, but I assure your listeners that the government is very focused on this inflation challenge. It’s a big part of our thinking in the lead-up to the budget in May …

But we have made a lot of progress together as a country since the peak of inflation in 2022. But it’s higher than we’d like for longer than we’d like, and that means there’s more work to be done.

Man dies in unit fire in Sydney’s west

A man died and a women was taken to hospital after a unit fire in Sydney’s west last night.

Emergency services were called to a unit in St Marys around 7.15pm. On arrival, officers found the third floor of the unit complex “well alight”.

A woman, believed to be in her 40s, was able to evacuate and taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition. Fire and Rescue later extinguished the blaze, before finding the body of a man, believed to be in his 40s, inside.

A crime scene has been established and an investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.

Good morning, and happy Thursday. Nick Visser here to take you through the morning’s news. Let’s get to it.