SBS News In Depth

In the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack over the weekend, the Albanese government is fast-tracking a suite of legislative reforms aimed at cracking down on hate speech and tightening migration laws to avert individuals with extremist views. While the government faces pressure to introduce harsher border policies, it has rejected calls for a Royal Commission, arguing that immediate executiv...

Australia's social cohesion has come under scrutiny in the wake of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, while multicultural communities have come together in vigils and public acts of solidarity with Jewish Australians. The tragic mass shooting, deemed a terror attack by New South Wales Police, saw 15 people killed at a Hanukkah festival on Sunday. As leaders debate tougher laws against hate speech and...

In the wake of the Bondi beach tragedy last weekend, Sydney has welcomed new mental health support systems. New South Wales Health is offering support for anyone affected - both directly and indirectly.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled a mid-year budget update marked by fiscal restraint, highlighting a $5.4 billion improvement to the deficit alongside critical new funding for the CSIRO and community security. However, the outlook remains fraught as rising inflation threatens real wage growth and persistent spending pressures in childcare and the NDIS continue to squeeze the bottom line.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Shane Oliver from AMP about the implications the government's Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook will have on inflation as Kyle Rodda from Capital.com looks through the day's sharemarket action including Westpac's change of heart on interest rates

On the 14th of December, as an antisemitic mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach, several heroes emerged, most notably Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Muslim man of Syrian origin who courageously disarmed one of the attackers. But he was not the only Middle-Eastern Muslim to risk his life to put a stop to the attack. There was another Middle-Eastern Muslim man who risked his life to disarm t...

High-level diplomatic talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are gaining momentum, with United States and European leaders hoping to secure a path to peace before Christmas. US President Donald Trump says negotiations on a draft peace plan have made significant progress. While Ukraine has welcomed the proposal, key issues remain unresolved, including the future of Russian-occupied territory and...

The deadly Bondi mass shooting has intensified the national debate over Australia's gun laws. However, some prominent figures, including former Prime Minister John Howard, caution against letting the debate be diverted from the growing threat of antisemitism. So what are the opposing arguments from gun control advocates and pro-gun lobbies on whether current laws are adequate? The tragedy is fuell...

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Jonathan Shead from State Street Investment Management about the day's market action including where interest rates are going and the opportunities for investors in 2026.

.A mass shooting at one of Australia's most famous beaches, targeting revellers at a Jewish holiday celebration, has generated shock and grief around the world. As condolences pour in, the Jewish diaspora and supporters have held vigils for those impacted by the tragedy -and a message of defiance against hate.

The Bondi Beach shooting has seen state, territory and federal politicians agree that Australia's already stringent gun laws need to be reviewed and strengthened. The National Firearms Agreement was introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre to standardise rules about who could own a gun - and why. But experts on firearms legislation say some holes in the rules have become apparent. In New Sou...

.Australia has long been held up across the world as the gold standard of gun control. Firearms laws are the responsibility of the states and territories, and the National Firearms Agreement was introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre to standardise rules about who could own a gun - and why. Now, National Cabinet has decided that even tighter rules around gun ownership should be rapidly rol...

Leaders of Australia's Jewish community have condemned the mass shooting on Bondi Beach. The shooting took place as people gathered for Chanukah by the Sea, a community event to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah. 15 people are dead and one of the two gunmen was also killed. A statement from the Jewish Council of Australia says the organisation is horrified and shaken. Jillian Segal is Australia'...

Police have declared a mass shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday a terrorist attack, after two gunmen opened fire on hundreds of people gathered for a Hanukkah celebration. At least 16 people have been killed, including a child, in Australia's deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The event has prompted global condemnation, heightened security at Jewish sites, created fear amon...

This week, human rights experts from United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention were blocked from inspecting detention facilities in the Northern Territory and West Australia. As they wrapped up a 12-day tour of facilities across the country, preliminary findings raise substantial concerns around the over-representation of First Nations people, punitive policies that target children, risi...

A company in the UK has unveiled a new prototype electric air taxi, promising to bring urban air transport to the masses. It's the next step in a globally burgeoning industry, for which the Australian aviation regulator is already planning. But there are many challenges lie ahead.

In recent weeks, bushfires have claimed homes and property on the New South Wales mid-north coast, in Geraldton in Western Australia and in Tasmania's east. Experts are warning this is only the beginning of the fire season and anyone travelling for the holidays needs to be aware and prepared when they're away from home.

A wheelchair can be life changing for people with disability. And that’s motivated a group of volunteers in Australia to turn old bicycles into wheelchairs, for charities worldwide.

ASX soars to a four week high as investors eye Santa rally. SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Marcus Bogdan from Blackmore Capital about what's driving the sharemarket and whether to expect the so-called Santa rally.

State and territory health ministers have unanimously rejected the Commonwealth's latest hospital funding offer, stating it fails to meet the commitment for increased federal contributions needed to handle Australia's growing and ageing patient population. This funding standoff has caused a critical bottleneck, leaving over 3,000 federally-funded aged care patients stranded in public hospitals and...

The United States has defended the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker as a major US naval build-up in the region continues. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described the seizure as illegal with the US also imposing further sanctions on relatives of Maduro and other targetted naval vessels.

Thailand’s escalating border conflict with Cambodia has entered a deadly fourth day, with artillery exchanges killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds, and driving massive evacuations on both sides of the border. Amid the violence, Thailand's prime minister has dissolved parliament and called early elections after a political rift with the opposition People’s Party.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government has spoken with the United States about possible security guarantees for Ukraine. He says those security guarantees would be impossible without support from the US, Europe and all members of the coalition of the willing, including Australia and New Zealand.

In the final episode for 2025, Elfy and Rania take a trip down memory lane looking at what happened in the federal election, some of the silliest moments of the year and a certain portrait of an ex Prime Minister Elfy hasn't gotten to talk about yet.

Australia has recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in custody in four decades. Data from the Australian Institute of Criminology finds 33 of the 113 people who died in police or prison custody in the last financial year were First Nations.