Category: Australian News

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenage boy from the state’s Lake Macquarie region.

Zachary Rouse, aged 15, was last seen in Whitebridge about 7.30pm today (Saturday 29 November 2025).

When he could not be located or contacted, officers attached to Lake Macquarie Police District were notified and immediately commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.

Police and family hold concerns for Zachary’s welfare as he lives with autism.

Zachary is described as Caucasian appearance, 174cm tall, thin build and brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a black hat, red shirt, army cargo pants, white shoes and carrying a grey backpack.

Zachary is known to frequent the Whitebridge, Charlestown, Dudley, Gateshead and Windale areas.

The Albanese Government continues to invest in the shared health security of our region. Through a new $48 million program, Australia will support the Pacific family to manage increasing rates of HIV infections.

This funding will assist Pacific governments to contain the spread of HIV through technical assistance, disease surveillance and co-investment in their national public health responses.

Rising rates of HIV, and co-infections like tuberculosis, place increased pressure on Pacific health systems, societies and economies. COVID has been an important reminder in recent years that communicable diseases, such as HIV, cost lives and ignore borders.

Ahead of World AIDS Day, acknowledged on 1 December each year, Australia reaffirms its support to ending the global AIDS epidemic by 2030. This latest announcement complements broader and longstanding Australian support to strengthen national health systems in our region and beyond.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong:

“We are partnering with the Pacific to tackle the growing public health threat of HIV, including by sharing Australian knowledge and expertise and investing in community-led responses.

“Australia is continuing to work with our Pacific partners to reduce HIV transmission and support people living with HIV.”

Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy:

“As rates of HIV in the Pacific rise, Australia stands ready to co-invest with Pacific partners to strengthen nationally led HIV responses.

“As a member of the Pacific family, we will always be ready to support local leadership and community led responses to HIV in the region.

“Australia is committed to working with our regional partners to advance strong, resilient health system capable of responding effectively to HIV.”

Minister for International Development Anne Aly:

“Australia is proud to share our expertise in containing HIV as a public health threat, drawing on our decades of research and hard-won experience.

“By supporting resilient, equitable and inclusive health systems across the Pacific, we are investing in the shared health security of our region.”

The Greens have negotiated significant wins to protect forests and stop Labor’s fast-track for coal and gas; and with the EPBC now better than the status quo, will support the passage of the package through the Senate this week.

Labor’s first draft was a wish list for corporate environmental destruction: it would have gutted Australia’s environment laws, given corporations the green light for new coal and gas projects in as little as 30 days, and introduced new loopholes to an already weak Act. 

While Labor had clearly hoped to pass a bill on behalf of big corporations, the Greens held firm during negotiations on protections for nature and the climate – boosted by community opposition to a bill that took us backwards. 

Holding firm with community support, the Greens negotiated wins that include:

• Ending decades-long exemptions for forestry destruction in 18 months,
• Removing the ability for coal and gas projects to use fast-tracked approvals or the ‘national interest loophole’,
• Powers to stop illegal land clearing
• Saving the Water Trigger,
• Ensuring the Federal Minister can always step in to protect the environment

Despite significant wins for nature, the bill is still woefully short of what the climate needs – with Labor’s refusal to take meaningful climate action showing that the coal and gas lobby still runs both major parties. 

Labor has pointedly refused to support a climate trigger, despite majority public support and strong evidence in Inquiry, preventing the Environment Minister from considering climate damage when approving projects.

However, with three coal and gas fast-tracks removed, and the government clearly captured by corporations, this deal prevents fossil fuel giants from winding back these loopholes via agreement with the Coalition.

Sen. Larissa Waters, Leader of the Australian Greens:

“The Greens have won changes to better protect native forests, closed loop-holes for land clearing and stop Labor from fast-tracking coal and gas.

“Greens pressure made this bill better than the weak laws we have now, and infinitely better than if the government had done a deal with the climate deniers in the Coalition.

“This outcome was only possible because the Greens are in parliament. We’ve been able to hold off the worst of Labor’s plans – we need more Greens in parliament to get better outcomes. 

“Labor has again refused to take meaningful climate action.

“The Greens stopped Labor’s fast-tracking of coal and gas, but their straight up refusal to add climate to these laws shows Labor puts coal and gas corporate profits ahead of the millions of people who want to protect the climate.”

Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens Environment spokesperson:

“The community trusts the Greens to deliver real outcomes for nature, and today that is what we have done. 

“Today, with hard work and negotiation we have secured new protections for our beautiful native forests and bushland that will protect our wildlife and biodiversity, and stopped fossil fuels being fast tracked. 

“Labor started this process with a bill that was clearly written to get a deal with the Coalition. It was full of carve outs and loop holes that would have allowed big corporations to trash our environment.

“We said from the start that the Greens wouldn’t accept a bill that would take nature backwards, and would fight to protect forests and the climate, and we’ve done just that.

“Now, this is an environmental protection bill that does what it says on the tin. 

Sen. Nick McKim, Greens Forests spokesperson:

“This is the best we could do in negotiation with a Labor Party that couldn’t care less about the environment, and cares more about corporate profits than protecting nature.”

“Ending the RFA exemption is a spanner in the works of the native forest logging industry which has trashed our beautiful forests with impunity for far too long.”

“We have ended an outrageous legal carveout for logging that’s resulted in devastation for forests and threatened species habitats across the country.”

“Forest campaigners have fought for decades to stop the special treatment for logging, but this is by no means the end of the fight to finally end native forest logging.

“There are now some extra tools to fight the forest industry and save our native forests. See you in the streets and on the blockades.

APRA has announced today that the regulator will intervene in the housing crisis by introducing limits to stop high risk loans from 1 February 2026.

The Greens welcome APRA taking action in response to the Greens’ and community concerns for the massive spike in investor lending. However, this alone won’t cool investors’ stampede of the housing market. The Greens say Treasurer Jim Chalmers must direct APRA to use all the available levers to curtail runaway investor lending.

Greens spokesperson for finance, housing and homelessness Senator Barbara Pocock:

“I’m pleased to see that APRA is listening to the Greens. This is an important first step in limiting runaway investor lending that outcompetes first-home buyers but it’s not enough. 

“$40 billion has gone to investors in the last 3 months and APRA and Chalmers need to stop the tens of billions flowing to investors.

“APRA must use all the tools in their toolbox to rein in investor lending that is exacerbating the housing affordability crisis.

“Investor lending is growing at an unsustainable pace, outstripping loans to owner-occupiers. First-home buyers are being priced out by investors at weekend auctions, house prices are surging, and the banks are profiting handsomely.

“This housing crisis is heading toward a point where it may be impossible to reverse without immediate, decisive action. We urgently need to cool the overheated credit market for property investors. The Treasurer has the authority to issue directions to APRA and he should do so immediately.

“APRA has used its toolkit in the past to cool investor lending and it led to the greatest stabilisation of house prices in 30 years, they need to take that decisive action again. 

“This market is rigged in favour of wealthy property investors, and you only need to look at the latest ABS data, which shows investor lending skyrocketing by 12.3% over the year compared to only a 0.9% increase for first-home buyer loan commitments for the same period. It’s out of control!

“House prices are forecast to increase by 9 percent next year on top of more than 6% this year, which will only worsen unless more pre-emptive action by APRA is taken.” 

The Australian content requirement for online streaming services bill will pass the Senate today. The Greens negotiations have delivered an additional $50 million in funding to the ABC to invest in Australian-made children’s and drama content. 

Greens communications spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young: 

“Today we are delivering an important reform for our screen industry. Big tech companies like Netflix, Amazon and Disney will now be regulated and required to invest in local Australian stories. 

“This is a win for our local screen industry and the incredible storytellers that we have in Australia. It is also a win for Australian audiences who deserve to see themselves and their communities reflected on our screens.

“As part of our negotiations, the Greens have secured an extra $50 million for the ABC to invest in local Australian stories, including children’s programming.

“This funding is about giving Australian kids the opportunity to see themselves and hear their own voices on their screens. 

“For decades, the ABC has been the heart of Australian story telling. By strengthening its capacity to make more children’s and drama content, we’re ensuring that heart keeps beating strongly. 

“Bluey, Bananas in Pyjamas, Playschool and many other successful shows have entertained and educated our kids for decades. This is the new chapter of quality kids content that parents can trust. 

“Homegrown content matters. It shapes how kids understand the world, gives them stories grounded in Australian experience, and keeps our creative industries thriving. 

“The Greens have long campaigned for local content quotas on streaming platforms to support Australian stories on our screen, and we’re happy to see this bill pass the Senate today. 

“The Greens have secured a commitment from the 

NSW Parliament has launched an inquiry into indoor air quality, looking at its impact on our health, productivity, work health and safety, and equity of access to public spaces.

The Chair of the inquiry, Dr Amanda Cohn MLC, said that indoor air is not regulated, unlike outdoor air, despite Australians spending about 90% of their time indoors.

“There are many spaces at risk of poor air quality due to lack of regulation, such as classrooms, offices, medical centres and public buildings, such as libraries and museums,” Dr Cohn said.

“We would like to hear from groups and individuals who have insights into the impact of poor indoor air quality. We’re interested in lived experience, expert evidence and organisational submissions.”

According to a report released this month by the Australian Academy of Science, exposure to indoor air pollution affects respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive and mental health.

“The quality of indoor air has a big impact on our health, including the spread of airborne illnesses like COVID-19, measles, whooping cough and influenza,” said Dr Cohn.

“Research has linked poor indoor air quality to increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Poor air also exacerbates existing conditions, such as asthma, allergies and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” Dr Cohn said.

“We’re keen to learn about potential solutions to improve indoor air quality in a range of buildings including schools, health services and public buildings,” Dr Cohn said.

Find out more and make a submission online by 29 January 2026.

More than 3 million Australians will have their student debt cut by 20 per cent by the end of next week, wiping almost $16 billion in total.

Today alone, more than 1.5 million Australians will see their student debts cut by 20 per cent. That’s around half of all people with a student debt.

It continues the ATO’s roll out of the Albanese Labor Government’s cut to student debt.

For someone with the average HELP debt of $27,600 this will see around $5,520 wiped from their debt.

Backdated to 1 June 2025 before the last indexation, it will reduce the burden for Australians with a student debt – including HELP, VET Student Loans, Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans, Student Startup Loans, and other student loans.

Australians do not need to do anything to receive the one-off reduction, it will happen automatically. 

In addition to cutting student debt by 20 per cent, we have also raised the minimum amount people earn before they have to start making repayments from $54,435 to $67,000. We have also reduced minimum repayments.

For someone earning $70,000 it has reduced the minimum repayments they have to make by $1,300 a year.

This builds on our reforms to fix the indexation formula, which has already cut more than $3 billion in student debt.

This means all up, the Albanese Labor Government is cutting close to $20 billion in student debt for more than three million Australians.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“This is another way my Government is continuing to deliver cost of living relief to Australians.

“Our Government promised to cut student debt, it was the first thing we did after the election in Parliament, and now we’re rolling it out.

“Getting an education shouldn’t mean a lifetime of debt.

“No matter where you live or how much your parents earn, my Government will work to ensure the doors of opportunity are open for you.”

Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“We promised it, Australia voted for it, and now it’s happening.

“This is the biggest cut to student debt in Australian history.

“It means millions of young Australians will have thousands of dollars taken off their back.”

Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles:  

“We want Australians to get the skills they want, for the jobs our country needs.

“The student debt cut means students and apprentices will have more money in their pocket and less stress to pursue qualifications for their future.

“Students and apprentices have told me time and time again about how big a difference this will make in their lives.”

Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino:

“The ATO is rolling out the biggest cut to student debt in Australia’s history.

“It means billions wiped from the debts of young people when they need it.

“This will make a big difference as they get started in their lives.”

The Albanese Government’s landmark environmental law reforms will pass the Parliament this week, heralding a new era for the environment and productivity in Australia.

More than five years after Professor Graeme Samuel handed down his independent review into the nation’s 25-year-old environmental laws, the Government’s Environment Protection Reform Bill will be passed with the support of the Greens in the Senate.

The Bill will amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, providing a balanced set of reforms that not only protect the environment for future generations but also deliver for business and the community by helping speed up decision-making for projects in key areas of national priority like housing, renewable energy and critical minerals.

Key environmental measures in the Government’s amended Bill:

• For the first time, Australia will have a National Environment Protection Agency (EPA) – a strong, independent regulator with a clear focus on ensuring better compliance with and stronger enforcement of Australia’s new environmental laws.
• In another first, Australia will have National Environmental Standards, to ensure clear, strong guidelines to protect the environment.
• Higher penalties for the most significant breaches of environmental law, as well as environment protection orders for use in urgent circumstances to prevent and respond to major contraventions of the law.
• Removing and sunsetting the exemption from the EPBC Act for high-risk land clearing and regional forest agreements, so that they comply with the same rules and standards as other industries.
• Requiring proponents of large emitting projects to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and their emission reduction plans.
• Maintaining federal approval of “water trigger” coal and gas projects.

Key measures to speed up decision-making for business and the community:

• A new Streamlined Assessment Pathway, to significantly reduce the timeframe for proponents who provide sufficient information upfront, providing incentive to meet the standards upfront. This will deliver faster decisions, saving businesses time and money.
• New and improved bilateral agreements with states to remove duplication for the assessment and approval of projects.
• Regional planning, to deliver ‘go’ and ‘no go’ zones, delivering greater certainty to business, and future planning at a landscape scale, rather than project-by-project assessment.
• Clarifying definitions of “unacceptable impacts” and “net gain” for the environment and restraining the operation of Environmental Protection Orders.

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese

“Everyone agrees that the laws as they stand are broken and need to be reformed.

“Getting these laws passed is vital to protect our environment and to boost productivity in our economy.

“These reforms will help us meet our national priorities of building more homes, rolling out more renewables and accessing more critical minerals. They are also crucial to our Future Made in Australia agenda.”

Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt

“This is a landmark day for the environment in our country.

“These reforms will deliver tangible benefits for the environment and protect what is precious.

“But these reforms will also be a power surge of productivity for our economy, cutting approval times for key projects and injecting up to $7 billion into the economy.”

The Australian Government will invest a further $25 million over five years to strengthen frontline services in the Pacific as part our ongoing commitment to end gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence impacts two out of three Pacific women – more than double the global average, with lasting effects including injuries, disability, unwanted pregnancies, disease and lost productivity.

Pacific Strong: Amplifying Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls (PAVE) is a five-year initiative to expand and strengthen essential response services to support survivors of gender-based violence.

PAVE will partner with 11 crisis centres across 9 Pacific island countries in the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong:

“Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we reaffirm that every woman and girl in our region has the right to live free from fear and violence.

“Violence against women and girls undermines communities, economies and long-term security. By strengthening frontline services through PAVE, Australia is helping build safer families and more resilient societies across our region.

“This investment reflects our commitment to Pacific-led solutions and shows that supporting women’s safety is not only the right thing to do, but in Australia’s national interest.”

Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy:

“The additional investment from Australia will provide support to survivors of violence and reflects our commitment to end gender-based violence and create safer environments for all.

“Australia stands firmly with the Pacific in efforts to prevent violence against women and girls and we will continue to join Pacific voices on the issues that matter most to our region.

International Development Minister Anne Aly:

“All women and girls, no matter where they live, should be able to live life free from gender-based violence.”

“No one should live in fear or in violence, which is why we’re investing in Pacific-led programs to strengthen response services that support survivors of gender-based violence.”

Assistant Pacific Island Affairs Minister Nita Green:

“Australia’s increased investment in survivor services and prevention underpins our commitment to safer, healthier communities at home and across the Pacific – changing lives for the better.

“Addressing the disproportionately high rates of gender-based violence requires a concerted, comprehensive and long-term effort and investment”.

The Victorian Greens are calling on the government to urgently intervene after the Cotality report shows that housing is more unaffordable than ever. 
The report found it will take 11.7 years to save for a house in Melbourne. While median households are spending over 30% on rent which puts them into housing stress. 

It comes just a day after the Rental Affordability Index reported regional Victoria has become even less affordable over the past year, while Melbourne remains at record-low levels of affordability.

The Victorian Greens warn without urgent intervention to control how much rents can go up, this will only get worse. 

Victorian Greens Renting and Housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“The Allan Labor Government has their head in the sand as renters and aspiring first home buyers suffer.

“Yesterday’s Rental Affordability index proves that rent controls work, ACT is the only place with rent controls in the country, and it’s the only place with rent controls. If the Allan Labor Government were serious about supporting renters, they should be taking notes.

“How can renters even start to put together a savings plan when they are being smashed by rents across the state with no reprieve in sight – it’s time the Allan Labor Government comes to the table when it comes to rent controls.”