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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered his first National Address since being elected in 2022, calling on Australians to remain calm amid the ongoing fuel crisis. The Prime Minister acknowledged the impacts the war in the Middle East is having on rising petrol and diesel prices, and says farmers, truck drivers, small businesses and families are especially vulnerable to rising costs. He's urged Australians not to take more fuel than is needed, and to use public transport wherever possible to keep fuel available where it's needed most. SBS World News host Janice Petersen speaks afterwards to Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson for more on what it means.
Australia and the European Union have signed a landmark $10 billion trade and security pact to eliminate industrial tariffs and strengthen co-operation on cyber and maritime defence. The Prime Minister has hailed it as an economic win, but the deal has faced criticism from the National Party regarding agricultural access. SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson has been talking to National Party leader Matt Canavan about their objections to the deal and also about the Government's actions over the fuel crisis.]]
The Federal Government has authorised a temporary 60-day easing of sulphur standards to inject high-sulphur petrol into regional communities facing critical fuel shortages. While Energy Minister Chris Bowen maintains that national reserves are stable, critics and analysts warn that Australia’s decade-long failure to meet international stockpile obligations leaves the country vulnerable to prolonged geopolitical shocks.
Queensland Senator Matt Canavan has been elected leader of the Nationals following David Littleproud's resignation, appointing Darren Chester as his deputy. The conservative leader aims to challenge net-zero targets, address fuel crises, and advocate for child care reform.
Australia is deploying an E7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and 85 personnel to the United Arab Emirates to bolster regional air defences. The government is maintaining the mission is strictly defensive, while the Greens warn it risks entangling Australia in an illegal conflict.
Today is International Women's Day, with the theme of 'Balancing the Scales' which calls for accelerated progress toward gender equity. SBS World News Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson has spoken with Irish Ambassador Fiona Flood, German Ambassador Beate Grzeski, and Croatian Ambassador Betty Pavelich on their experiences as senior diplomats. The conversation covers a range of important issues, including gender equality in world diplomacy, the conflict with Iran, and the struggles women have in getting ahead in a traditionally man's world of diplomacy.
A federal parliamentary inquiry has opened into racism in Australia, with advocates calling for the probe to be not 'another exercise in diagnosis'. The Australian Human Rights Commission says the government already knows what needs to change, and the inquiry must turn that knowledge into action, with timelines and accountability. Meanwhile the federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malandirri McCarthy is encouraging big social media platforms to make submissions to the inquiry. She's told NITV some Indigenous people are feeling scared after a string of reports of racist attacks in public. She's talking here to NITV's John Paul Janke
The emergency evacuation of the Prime Minister from his Canberra home due to a targeted bomb threat has prompted warnings of a heightened security environment, where online hostility is increasingly manifesting as high-harm physical threats. It follows comments by the Federal Police Commissioner late last year, noting a trend of escalating violence against public officials.
The Federal Government has moved to the next stage of Australia's inaugural high-speed rail project, launching a two-year development phase for the Sydney-to-Newcastle link. Construction is slated to begin in 2028. While the project faces a nearly $90 billion price tag and public scepticism over its long history of delays, proponents argue the 180-kilometre network will eventually transform regional housing and productivity across the entire East Coast.
A Senate inquiry into housing affordability has heard urgent calls for tax reform, with advocates warning that current capital gains concessions favour wealthy investors while locking the younger generation out of the property market. The Australian Council of Trade Unions argues that reducing these tax breaks could boost home ownership by four per cent. The Grattan Institute maintains the primary benefit would be a $6.5 billion budget windfall to fund public housing and support struggling renters.
The last remaining Australian women and children with links to the IS Group have been sent back to a Syrian camp after attempting to repatriate themselves home. The group of 34 left al-Roj in the country's northeast overnight - but a communications issue with Damascus forced their return to the camp.
Angus Taylor has seized the Liberal Party leadership in a decisive party room vote - 34 to 17 - ending Sussan Ley’s nine-month tenure as the party’s first female leader. Backed by new deputy Jane Hume, the Rhodes scholar and former Shadow Treasurer now faces the challenge of rebuilding a fractured base while navigating a political history marked by significant past controversies.
Former Shadow Minister for Defence Angus Taylor has triggered a formal leadership challenge against Sussan Ley, prompting a wave of coordinated frontbench resignations. The coalition is reeling from historic polling lows. While Mr Taylor campaigns for a "decisive" reset of the party’s values, a loyal faction of Liberals is fighting to protect Ms Ley’s position, arguing she deserves more time to stabilise the party room before Friday’s high-stakes ballot.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and Australian Federal Police have been questioned about their actions before and after the Bondi terror attack, with Australia's top spy agency defending its failure to prevent it. During a senate estimates hearing late on Tuesday night, the AFP also warned it will take a more aggressive approach to tackling hate and extremism.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has ended a two-year hiatus by raising interest rates to 15 per cent, sparking a fierce political debate over whether government spending or private demand is fuelling persistent inflation. While the Treasurer defends the budget and points to external pressures, the Opposition and the Greens argue that current policy settings are punishing everyday Australians and ignoring alternative economic levers.
The Coalition’s unity has reached a new low following what's being described as a 'terminal' breakdown between key frontbenchers, marking their third significant split since the 2025 election. While leadership maintains that the door remains open for future cooperation, analysts suggest the in-fighting is further alienating a public that is increasingly turning toward minor parties and independent alternatives.
The Coalition has reached a breaking point as the National Party officially splits from the Liberals, following a mass frontbench walkout over controversial hate speech legislation. While Opposition Leader Sussan Ley attempted to block some of the resignations to maintain unity, former colleagues and political rivals alike are labeling the fallout a "smoking ruin" that threatens the future of the alternative government.
New gun control and anti-hate laws have passed the lower house of parliament in response to the Bondi terror attack at a Jewish festival, which killed 15 people last month. They are expected to pass into law, but the process has been far from harmonious.
The Albanese government has amended its proposed response to the Bondi Beach shootings, splitting its wide-ranging hate speech and gun reform package in two in a bid to secure passage through Parliament. Facing resistance from both the Coalition and the Greens over the breadth and rushed nature of the laws, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made changes in hopes of receiving support from both political groups to pass each set of reforms.
People who join or support government-designated hate groups will face 15 years jail, under new legislation in response to the Bondi terror attack. Some Coalition MPs have already voiced concern about the laws' impact on freedom of speech - while one prominent extremist group has announced it will disband.























