Sunrise

Hugh Bonneville, renowned for his role as the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, will make his first-ever trip to Australia in February to star in Noël Coward's classic play Private Lives at the Theatre Royal Sydney. The actor will perform alongside Australian four-time Gold Logie winner Lisa McCune in the comedy about relationships and marriage. The limited season production marks a significant t...

A boat carrying approximately twelve asylum seekers, believed to be Chinese nationals, has been intercepted by Australian Border Force and Queensland Police off the coast of Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland. The people on board have been taken into custody as part of a possible people smuggling operation. According to the Refugee Council of Australia, this is among twelve b...

A Sydney man, a former Commonwealth Bank consultant, has been charged with allegedly accessing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's personal banking details by bypassing security systems. The incident has raised serious concerns about the vulnerability of banking data and whether similar breaches could affect ordinary Australians. Cyber security experts emphasise the need for stronger auditing proces...

New South Wales launches a comprehensive dawn-to-dusk year-round drone surveillance programme to monitor beaches for shark activity. The programme will conduct approximately 900 flights daily across the state, scaling up to 1,500 flights per day during summer, with drones flying twice per hour for up to 30 minutes at a time. Trained pilots can identify shark species in real-time, communicate direc...

Australian home values have recorded their biggest monthly drop since December 2022, declining 0.4% nationally with Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra experiencing the largest falls. The housing market is entering the early phases of a downturn driven by multiple factors including three interest rate hikes, unaffordable housing, low consumer confidence and the recent federal budget. CoreLogic's resear...

Australian home values fell by 0.4% in June 2024, marking the biggest monthly decline since 2022. Sydney and Melbourne led the drop with falls of at least 1%, while Brisbane and Perth experienced sharp slowdowns in growth and Adelaide's market flatlined. Housing Minister Claire O'Neill and Shadow Attorney General Michaelia Cash debate the causes and impacts of the decline, with O'Neill attributing...

The 2024-25 financial year introduces several economic changes for Australians. Tax cuts reduce the lowest bracket from 16% to 15%, saving workers $268 annually, while 2.8 million workers receive a 5% minimum wage increase to over $1,000 per week. Additional changes include payday superannuation payments, expanded paid parental leave to 26 weeks, and fuel excise increases adding approximately $10...

Millions of Australian workers on award and minimum wages will receive a 4.75% pay increase from the first full pay period in July, raising the minimum wage to $26.44 per hour. The changes affect approximately 2.8 million workers on awards, with an additional 2 million covered by collective agreements that also commence on 1 July. Workers are advised to check their pay slips to ensure the increase...

The East Malvern Junior Footy Club in Melbourne has over 1,000 children participating, including approximately 320 girls in what is believed to be Victoria's largest junior girls' program and the second largest in Australia. The club brings together families from 45 different schools and features a premium clubhouse facility where parents gather on Friday training nights, with Piper Champagne bein...

Type 2 diabetes affects more than a million Australians, with conditions like insulin resistance also rising rapidly. Nutritionist Sarah Di Lorenzo's new book, The Blood Sugar Repair Plan, provides recipes and nutritional strategies to help stabilise, prevent and improve blood sugar conditions through proper diet. Key dietary approaches include prioritising protein and healthy fats, consuming fibr...

British actress Dame Penelope Keith has died at the age of 86 after a battle with cancer. The two-time BAFTA winner was best known for her roles in To the Manor Born and as Margot Leadbetter in The Good Life, which aired from 1975 to 1978. Her family confirmed she passed away peacefully at home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers defends the federal government's capital gains tax reforms in response to billboard campaigns claiming the changes punish ambition and side hustles. The reforms aim to reduce the 50% capital gains tax discount to create fairer conditions for first home buyers and better align tax treatment between wage earners and asset investors. Property values are falling in Sydney and Me...

Sydney Airport's annual lost property auction features over 2,300 unclaimed items including laptops, jewellery, wedding dresses, ski boots, fishing rods, and a Batman Lego set. Bids start at $10 and the auction is open to anyone in Australia online. All proceeds will fund free swimming lessons for local families through Bayside Council. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multiple weather systems are bringing widespread rain across Australia this week, with northern Victoria, northern Tasmania and inland New South Wales expected to receive the heaviest falls of 50 to 100 millimetres or more. Flood watches are in place for six to eight rivers across northern Victoria, including parts of the Upper Murray, Goulburn, Kiewa, Ovens and King Rivers, with minor flood warni...

Liverpool Council in New South Wales has spent $5,000 on a digital photo wall displaying all past and present mayors, deputy mayors and councillors at their headquarters. The decision sparked criticism from residents and a former councillor who argued the funds should address community needs like park maintenance and street repairs during a cost-of-living crisis. The council debated the photo wall...

Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh has proposed the Liberal Party rebrand and potentially change its name following a historic low News Poll result showing just 17% primary support. Party President Tony Abbott and other Liberal MPs have rejected the suggestion, with one dismissing it as a 'brain fart'. The debate centres on whether the party needs a name change, new leadership, or better policy...

The Australian government's budget tax reforms are being linked to historic low auction clearance rates, despite official claims that the high 4.35% cash rate is primarily responsible. Property intelligence firm PropTrack analysts note an obvious decline in auction clearances since the budget announcement. Logan City Mayor John Raven and Western Sydney Women founding director Amanda Rose debate wh...

Australian households are adopting new supermarket shopping strategies to combat rising food costs, with inflation pushing grocery prices up 5% over the past year. Over two-thirds of Australians are purchasing imperfect produce ranges that cost 30-50% less per kilogram, while more than half have adjusted their diets by reducing meat, seafood and snacks. A third of shoppers now visit multiple super...

Venezuela has experienced two deadly earthquakes, with the death toll exceeding 1,700 six days after the disaster and approximately 70,000 people remaining missing. Rescue operations continue as teams search for survivors amidst the devastation. Christian Perez, a Venezuelan living on the Gold Coast, shares his emotional response to the tragedy affecting his homeland, with no confirmed Australian...

The Adelaide Aquatic Centre opened at the start of 2024, offering multiple pools, wellness facilities, and programmes for all ages and abilities. YMCA Aquatic operates the centre with a focus on physical fitness, mental health, and community engagement. The facility accommodates everyone from young children to seniors, including competitive swimmers and Olympians who train alongside recreational u...

Australia's under-16 social media ban faces significant challenges, with new research showing more than 80% of children continue using social media platforms months after the law's implementation. The government has announced plans to double fines for non-compliant tech companies from $49.5 million to $99 million, though no tech giants have been fined yet. Cyber safety experts criticise the rushed...

Sydney's ocean beaches will now have year-round shark-spotting drone patrols, representing a 500% increase from the current programme. The drones will conduct approximately 500,000 flights annually, covering 4.5 million kilometres along the New South Wales coastline, with capability to alert swimmers through sirens and direct communication. The $120 million shark mitigation initiative by the NSW g...

Bird flu strain H5N1 has been confirmed in four cases across Australia, primarily in South Australia and Western Australia, prompting health authorities to warn pet owners about potential fatal risks to cats and dogs. The highly contagious virus has devastated wildlife populations in the northern hemisphere, killing millions of birds and tens of thousands of sea mammals, with the UK losing 30 perc...

Australian property markets are experiencing significant declines, with Domain projecting Sydney homes to lose over $120,000 in value and Melbourne homes around $84,000 over the next 12 months. Auction clearance rates have plummeted to levels not seen since the Global Financial Crisis, with some auctions reporting no attendees. The government argues these changes are enabling first home buyers to...

The latest Newspoll shows Labor jumping three points to 33% in primary vote support, while One Nation dropped two points to 29% and the Coalition fell to a new low of 17%. Anthony Albanese leads as preferred leader on 49%, ahead of Pauline Hanson and Angus Taylor who sits on 20%. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek and Nationals Leader Matt Canavan debate the results, with Plibersek highlight...