Nepal Floods: 34 Australians Missing, Including Two Boys

Thirty-four Australians remain missing following a catastrophic flash flood along the Nepal-Tibet border that has killed at least 160 people and left hundreds more unaccounted for, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong. The disaster, triggered when a massive chunk of glacier broke off, wiped out entire villages and hydropower projects … Read more

Kogan CEO Defends Environment Despite Share Price Slump & Record Sales

Online retail giant Kogan has posted a record $1.042 billion in gross sales for the financial year, defying a wider sector downturn while facing a sharp 16.41 per cent plunge in its share price. According to company results released to the market, total group revenue rose 5 per cent to $510.7 million, while statutory net … Read more

Meta Urged to Publish Algorithm Amid Online Harms Concerns

Meta faces mounting political pressure to publish its social media algorithms as Liberal frontbencher Sarah Henderson backs calls for algorithmic transparency to combat online harm, according to recent Senate inquiry evidence. This push coincides with an ongoing federal battle in the United States over youth mental health impacts and strict Australian social media minimum age … Read more

Fiji Tax Hike: What Aussie Travellers Need to Know From September

The policy takes effect on September 1 as part of broader taxation adjustments included in the country’s 2026-27 national budget passed last month. Fiji Tourism Tax Implementation and Financial Impact The new levy is designed to generate approximately FJ$70m, or AU$44.7m, in additional tax revenue. Fijian authorities confirmed that all funds raised through this mechanism … Read more

Smartraveller Issues Middle East Insurance Warning for Australians

Australian travellers face significant insurance hurdles when planning trips to or through the Middle East, as major insurers continue to exclude “acts of war” from standard policies. While the Australian government has recently downgraded travel advice for several Gulf nations—allowing for resumed travel to hubs like the UAE and Qatar—industry data confirms that these policy … Read more

Blackbirding: How a Dark Map Rewrites Australian History

Between 1863 and 1904, an estimated 60,000 Pacific Islanders were coerced, kidnapped, or tricked into hard labor on Queensland plantations in a practice known as “blackbirding,” according to author Ryan Butta in his book Blackbirding: A Reckoning with the Australian Slave Trade. Approximately 15,000 of these workers died on Australian soil—a 25 percent mortality rate—driven … Read more

Australia’s Privacy Tsar Warns Smart Glasses May Need New Laws

Discreet, camera-enabled smart glasses like Meta’s Ray-Bans and Kmart’s Anko models may require new laws due to fears they could be used to exploit or surveil vulnerable groups, according to Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind. The proliferation of these wearables threatens to fundamentally alter interpersonal interactions in public and private spaces. Privacy Tsar Warns Smart … Read more