Australia news live: Hume sceptical legal action should follow OpenAI breach; flight cancellation heartbreak for AFL fans 27. September 2026 (03:00) Follow live updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland records five-year high number of deaths in child protection systemQueensland has recorded a five-year high of 92 deaths of children in the child protection system, according to new data.The real alarm bell that was set off this week is the fact that the only reason we knew about this breach of the Medicare archive or data system is because OpenAI told us there was a breach.If they hadn’t told us that there was a breach, would we have known about it at all? That demonstrates that our cyber defences, particularly for Services Australia, were woefully inadequate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Cash grab’: One Nation demands up to $630,000 from Victorian election candidates 27. September 2026 (02:46) Exclusive: Many applicants left feeling ‘used, lied to, misled and gaslit’, complaint letter seen by Guardian Australia saysListen to the Guardian podcast The Populist hereGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation could collect as much as $633,000 from people who have put their hand up to run in the Victorian state election, with potential candidates questioning whether the party is staging a “cash grab”.Guardian Australia has spoken to multiple former councillors, mayors and deputy mayors who expressed an interest in running for the party. They claim they went through what one called a “pay-to-play” application process, after which they were rejected.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian backlash to datacentres is faux import from US, officials say: ‘We are not the United States’ 27. September 2026 (00:00) Pro-datacentre officials argue scale of Australia’s buildout is smaller, more regulated and less damaging than in USAustralian politicians and business leaders are arguing that their populace’s growing resentment of AI datacentres is an inauthentic import from the United States.Like the US, Australia is seeing community resentment grow in response to a surge in the construction of massive AI datacentres. However, pro-datacentre officials and executives argue the scale of Australia’s buildout is smaller, more regulated and therefore less damaging than that in the US. They say the burgeoning negative reaction is being tainted and inflamed by a heated US debate that has arrived down under via social media feeds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Private colleges around Australia offering last-minute discounts for diploma allegedly ‘misused by shonks’ 26. September 2026 (22:00) Federal government to deregister graduate diploma of management in October over fears it was being used by ‘non-genuine’ students to remain in countryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPrivate colleges are offering discounts to rush students into a diploma the federal government is cancelling over concerns it is being “misused by shonks”.The government announced in early September it would deregister the graduate diploma of management (learning) which it suspected was being used by “non-genuine” students to remain in Australia. The course is taught by close to 450 institutions, has over 15,000 students studying currently and more than 40,000 students registered for future enrolment following completion of a different vocational course. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palestinian careers adviser who was allegedly told to stop wearing keffiyeh at Sydney school sues for racial discrimination 26. September 2026 (22:00) Wasim El-Haj alleges NSW government school ordered him to stop wearing symbolic garment as it ‘may cause discord’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Palestinian careers adviser who was allegedly directed to stop wearing a keffiyeh at a Sydney government school because it was a symbol that “may cause discord” has lodged a racial discrimination case in the federal court against the state of New South Wales.Wasim El-Haj, a former careers adviser at Sydney Girls High School – an inner-city selective government school – alleges the then acting principal told him in 2024 that the keffiyeh was seen as a symbol of conflict. He alleges the state’s conduct is unlawful for breaching the Racial Discrimination Act. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Miracle on the Hudson’ pilot Chesly Sullenberger inducted into US Aviation Hall of Fame 26. September 2026 (21:54) Sullenberger landed a disabled passenger plane safely in the Hudson River in 2009 without any loss of lifeCapt Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III – the pilot known for safely landing a US Airways flight in New York City’s Hudson River during a 2009 emergency – has been inducted into the US’s National Aviation Hall of Fame, two months after he went public with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.Sullenberger, 75, received the honor during a ceremony held in Washington DC on Thursday, 17 years after he engineered what has become widely known as the Miracle on the Hudson. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Belfast court injuncts decision to allow Orange Order march down Garvaghy Road 26. September 2026 (19:48) Andy Burnham calls for calm as fears of unrest grow after request for countermarch in mainly nationalist area A controversial loyalist parade down a nationalist street in Portadown has been temporarily injuncted after a high court judge urged all sides to “step back from the abyss” and take responsible decisions for “the sake of everyone in Northern Ireland”.The ruling was made amid rising fears that a parade could unleash fresh sectarian violence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Third person arrested in death of Tasia Fortune, as police say hanging was staged 26. September 2026 (19:20) Eric Clark, 45, charged with murder as autopsy concludes Fortune was dead days before body discovered in treeA third person has been arrested in the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune in Mississippi’s capital city, while investigators said they had determined the scene where her body was found hanging had been staged.Eric Clark, 45, surrendered to authorities on Friday and was charged with murder, according to the Jackson police department (JPD). Clark was scheduled to make a court appearance on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wisconsin police investigating fraternity for hazing after men found in basement 26. September 2026 (18:57) Pledges found covered in food in heated basement of fraternity house near University of Wisconsin-MadisonPolice are investigating suspected illegal hazing after about 30 partially clothed young men covered in food, condiments and other liquids were found recently in the basement of a fraternity house near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.Madison police said some of the men, whom they described as pledges of a fraternity, had signs of being physically assaulted. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Greek authorities seek answers after six killed in Athens apartment block explosion 26. September 2026 (18:54) Emergency teams discovered victims after two-storey building in historic Plaka district collapsed ‘in seconds’Greek authorities say they are trying to discover what caused a two-storey apartment block in the heart of ancient Athens to collapse “in a matter of seconds”, killing six people.Emergency teams found the victims, including four American tourists, on Saturday, more than 24 hours after the early morning explosion in the historic Plaka district. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
