August 26, 2026
Pat Conaghan crosses the floor on gambling Nationals Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan sits with members of the crossbench as he crosses the floor during a division on the Gambling Reform Bill 2026 in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra. Photo: Lukas Coch, AAP Image.
Community, Government, Health, Local News, National

Pat Conaghan crosses the floor on gambling

COWPER MP Pat Conaghan crossed the floor in the Federal House of representatives for the first time in his parliamentary career on Tuesday, 18 August, to vote against watered-down legislation governing gambling advertising. Mr Conaghan said he did not believe the legislation adequately considered the findings of the ‘You win some, you lose more’ parliamentary […]

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Gendered abuse is a threat to democracy Women should not have to choose between public office and personal safety. Photo: Magnific.
Community, Government, Local News, National, Regional

Gendered abuse is a threat to democracy

GENDERED abuse and intimidation is discouraging strong female candidates from standing for office or applying for executive roles, a NSW survey has revealed. The Women for Election survey found 89 per cent of respondents, or almost nine out of 10, had experienced online abuse. Three-quarters said it had worsened over the past two years, and […]

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Seven bird flu cases in native species Seven confirmed cases of bird flu have been detected in greater crested terns, a common coastal species in Australia. Photo: AAP Image/Andrew Stafford.
Business, Community, Health, Local News, National, Regional

Seven bird flu cases in native species

THE poultry industry is on alert after seven cases of bird flu found in native species, marking a new phase for the outbreak. Five were collected from Southend in what is the outbreak’s first known cluster of cases in Australia. “This is the announcement conservationists have been dreading,” the Invasive Species Council said. Australia has […]

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Magpies ‘swoop’ into top spot in national bird count Magpies are Australia’s most-seen bird according to the latest national count. Photo: Kim Duggan.
National

Magpies ‘swoop’ into top spot in national bird count

THE results of the 12th national bird count are in, with the Australian Magpie taking out top spot. The Aussie Bird Count was held last October and saw a record breaking five million birds counted over one week. Organiser, Birdlife Australia, said 64,000 citizen scientists took part in the event. Half of all surveys included […]

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Bellingen residents learn about home battery benefits at ‘electrification of everything’ workshop Workshop presenter Geoff Tosio shows off his 1976 11-watt solar panel. Photo: Jessica Miller.
Community, Government, National

Bellingen residents learn about home battery benefits at ‘electrification of everything’ workshop

Workshop presenter Geoff Tosio shows off his 1976 11-watt solar panel. Photo: Jessica Miller. Workshop presenter and owner at BetterVolt, Geoff Tosio. Photo: Jessica Miller. COMMUNITY interest in home renewable energy systems continues to rise across the region. Homeowners, business owners and government agencies are taking full advantage of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which […]

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Australian social media ban both a success and failure While gaining global traction, Australia's social media ban might not be ideal in addressing harm. Photo: Nadir Kinani/AAP PHOTOS.
Government, National

Australian social media ban both a success and failure

WHEN Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez revealed plans to ban children younger than 16 from social media, he did so based on a precedent set in Australia. His announcement at the World Governments Summit came two months after an Australian law directing tech giants including Google, Facebook and TikTok to take “reasonable steps” to prevent […]

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Australian social media ban both a success and failure While gaining global traction, Australia's social media ban might not be ideal in addressing harm. Photo: Nadir Kinani/AAP PHOTOS.
Government, National

Australian social media ban both a success and failure

WHEN Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez revealed plans to ban children younger than 16 from social media, he did so based on a precedent set in Australia. His announcement at the World Governments Summit came two months after an Australian law directing tech giants including Google, Facebook and TikTok to take “reasonable steps” to prevent […]

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CSU study reveals the ‘ecosystem’ feeding on great whites
National, School

CSU study reveals the ‘ecosystem’ feeding on great whites

A WORLD-FIRST study by Charles Sturt University (CSU) has identified an ecosystem of parasites inside great white sharks. The global study by researchers in CSU’s School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, and the Gulbali Institute for Agriculture Water and Environment, found evidence of at least 116 parasites inside the apex predator. Professor in Veterinary […]

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Weather Bureau updates unpopular $96.5m website The rain radar and weather map were at the top of the Bureau’s list of fixes. Photo: Sue Stephenson.
Government, National

Weather Bureau updates unpopular $96.5m website

THE Bureau of Meteorology has implemented the first round of changes to its heavily-criticised $96.5m website. Since launching, the site has attracted 400,000 “items of feedback”. As a result, the rain radar and weather map have been improved and there is more information about daily temperature highs and lows on state, territory and district pages. […]

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