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Australian pop star performs song Eclipse in second semi-final before Sunday’s final. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThere was a harp. There was a sparkly dress. A lot of smoke. A crescent moon.Yes, there was a mid-song key change, in the best traditions of Eurovision cheese. Continue reading...

Deputy Liberal leader says Coalition should listen ‘very carefully’ to results of Farrer byelection. Follow the latest updatesFederal budget 2026: what we know so farSee all our Australia budget 2026 coverageGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAsked last night about a possible Liberal/National alliance with One Nation, Jane Hume refused to reject the idea outright.Pressed on the possible scenario, she said “only One Nation are in favour of that” and wouldn’t talk about “what is going to happen after the next election”.The most important is to get the primary vote up for the Liberal and National party … There are so many hypotheticals … I will say that the Coalition are determined and dedicated to present to the Australian public a platform that they can vote for …There is no-one in the Coalition party room today that is telling us we need to expand the Coalition to include One Nation.The message we sent in Farrer was that the teals vote with Greens, 70% of the time and for the people of Farrer that wasn’t going to represent their interests … We will always put our preferences where we think the national interests lies, where we think the interests of the electorate lies and that is what we did in Farrer.They wanted change. Standing on a booth with teals in orange on one side and One Nation in orange on the other, both of them were saying ‘vote for change’.This is … a byelection that nobody wanted. It occurred only a year after the election, after a local member had retired, after a quarter of a century which is a long time to have a seat … There was no love lost for the Labor party either. It is just that the Labor party didn’t have the balls to turn up … The Liberal party lost its way. The Coalition lost its way. We split twice in the last 12 months. There is frustration out there. We will take the result with humility. Continue reading...

Former Liberal party leader resigned as member for Farrer after she was dumped as opposition leader. Follow updates liveThe upcoming federal budget will include an extra $2bn over four years to fund infrastructure like roads, water, power and sewerage that will help build up to 65,000 new homes, the Albanese government announced on Saturday night.The new funding, to be formally announced on Tuesday, will help fund necessary infrastructure to finish housing projects that would otherwise face expensive hurdles. It will be provided to local governments and state utility providers, and a quarter of those funds, some $500m, will be reserved exclusively for regional Australia.Building more homes is a big focus of this Budget and a big focus of the Albanese Government. …Right now, it’s too hard for too many Australians to get into their own home and get ahead and that’s why we’re investing in supply. Our housing plan is pro-aspiration and it’s pro-investment.We are considering options for the safe repatriation of the four Australians and permanent resident. Our priority is the safety of the community. Continue reading...

Woman arrested at Sydney airport after arriving back from Syria last night; two more women face charges in Melbourne. Follow updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.A woman who arrived back in Australia last night after spending more than seven years in Syrian detention camps will appear at Downing Centre local court this morning charged with allegedly entering a declared conflict zone and joining Islamic State. More coming up. Continue reading...

Mining company cannot appeal against liability for 2015 dam collapse in Brazil. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.A man has been charged by police in New South Wales with an alleged hate speech offence in relation to a protest by a neo-Nazi group outside NSW parliament in November last year. More coming. Continue reading...

Lenders increase borrowing rates by 0.25%; pro-Palestine meeting barred from council venue goes ahead outside in Darlington. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNext week’s federal budget will fund a dedicated national centre to detect and disrupt the evolving threat of online violent extremism and terrorism.The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, will announce the $74m in funding over two years for the project on Wednesday. It is part of the government’s response to the Bondi terror attack in December.A bolstered online threat capability will give AFP and Asio the resources they need to target terrorists and violent extremists online.Just because I, and other people, might find it personally offensive does not mean that governments have unlimited power to constitutionally strike down the right of everybody else to freedom of political communication. Continue reading...

MV Hondius remains off the coast of Cape Verde after a suspected respiratory virus outbreak killed three people and left three more seriously ill. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Stephanie Convery with the main action.Mortgage holders are set to be hundreds of dollars worse off per month than they were at the start of the year as the Reserve Bank prepares to unload a third consecutive interest rate hike on borrowers. More coming up. Continue reading...

Treasurer says next week’s budget will save more than it spends. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government is boasting of making bigger than usual savings in next week’s budget, with Jim Chalmers saying his fourth budget will have “more restraint”.The treasurer said:Responsible economic management has been a hallmark of this Albanese Government and the May Budget will be our most responsible yet.We’re getting the budget in better nick because that helps to fund the things that Australians need and deserve like Medicare, aged care and cost-of-living relief.In this Budget you’ll see more responsible economic management and more restraint from the Albanese Government. Continue reading...

Man, 32, arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning after incident in Rosemeadow. Follow updates liveFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA third victim has died and a man is in police custody following an incident at a home in Sydney’s southwest, AAP reports.NSW police arrived at the house in Rosemeadow on Sunday at 1.30am after reports of a disturbance. Continue reading...

Advertised prices for new rental listings rising at fastest pace since October 2024. Follow updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s housing market is at its slowest for almost 18 months as buyers stick to cheaper properties and abandon interest in the top end of the market.Figures today from the data firm Cotality show Melbourne and Sydney house prices fell 0.6% in April. Melbourne’s home values have now fallen 1.9% since November, with Sydney’s down 1%. Continue reading...