Australia

Rex Airlines has cut 26 weekly services across its Victoria and Tasmania network, including reducing Mildura-Melbourne from 24 to 19 services a week. The airline cited soaring jet fuel costs and weak bookings; Sharp Airlines and Qantas have pulled regional routes earlier this year.

Sydney house values dropped 0.6% and Melbourne 0.9% in the first quarter of 2026, according to Cotality data. RBA rate hikes in February and March, combined with the economic fallout from the Iran conflict and rising fuel prices, have spooked buyers who were already stretched. The falls are modest s

The Facebook parent is weighing cuts to offset spending on AI acquisitions and compute

Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG, Australia's most decorated living soldier, was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday and charged with five counts of war crime murder. The Office of Special Investigator alleges he was involved in the unlawful killings of five Afghan nationals in Uruzgan Province between 200

The United States imposed a 100% tariff on pharmaceutical exports from Australia, citing the PBS pricing system as a trade barrier. Health Minister Mark Butler and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor both said the PBS will not change. CSL, Australia's largest pharma exporter, is reviewing the impact.

A year after Trump's Liberation Day tariffs hit 185 countries, Australia remains at the 10% floor rate, the lowest applied globally. Exports have shifted, the trade relationship has held, but new pharmaceutical tariffs and an escalating Iran situation are adding fresh complications.

WiseTech Global down 59%, NextDC falls 34% over six months as Middle East conflict compounds AI disruption fears and forces second RBA rate rise

From September 1, Victorian employees whose roles can be done remotely will have a legal right to work from home. Small businesses get until July 2027.

The first agreement under the National AI Plan gives Canberra access to Anthropic's economic index data and commits both sides to joint safety evaluations.

The Prime Minister's national address on fuel and the compromised gambling reforms reveal a government unwilling to intervene decisively in markets that extract wealth from the lowest income quintiles.

Penny Wong represents Australia at a UK-led virtual summit. The diplomatic track negotiates the reopening of a strait carrying 20 per cent of global oil.