ABC News Top Stories

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By: ABC Australia

ABC News Top Stories delivers the biggest breaking news and headlines from Australia and around the world, updated throughout the day. Get fast, trusted coverage of politics, business, extreme weather, and major national events from the ABC's newsroom direct to your podcast feed.  Whether you're catching up on the morning's top headlines or need a quick update between meetings, ABC News Top Stories gives you the essential news of the day. You can also hear the biggest stories of the day explained in-depth in just a few minutes. Follow now for daily Australian news briefings from the ABC, Australia's most t...

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Blanche d'Alpuget, wife of former PM Bob Hawke, dies aged 82 | ABC News Top Stories
Today at 2:09 AM

The wife of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, Blanche D'Alpuget, has died at the age of 82.

The federal education minister Jason Clare has flagged an overhaul of parts of the school curriculum and says schools need a digital detox.

Jordan says its air-defence ​systems have destroyed 18 of ​20 ‌ballistic missiles coming from Iran, with two falling ​in ‌unpopulated areas 

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What is pork-barrelling?
What is pork-barrelling? episode artwork
Yesterday at 10:45 PM

Labor's use of grants is raising eyebrows.

A Centre for Public Integrity investigation found the $560 million so called 'Major and Local Community Infrastructure' grants program was overwhelmingly directed into safe Labor seats and marginal seats the party wanted to win at the 2025 federal election. 

Chair Anthony Whealy called it as he saw it: pork-barrelling. 

So what exactly is it?

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Australian unaccounted for after Nepal-Tibet floods found alive | ABC News Top Stories
Yesterday at 8:53 AM

Another Australian who had been unaccounted for following the Nepal-Tibet floods has been found alive. The person was not in the disaster zone. The discovery brings the number of Australians still unaccounted for to 35.

There are calls for more athletes to donate their brains to science with a landmark study revealing thirty-one rugby league players have now been diagnosed with CTE. Players in their 20s, 30s and 40s have all had the degenerative brain disease which can only be diagnosed after death.

Family members of Victoria's One Nation leader Warren Pickering have taken aim at...


The crackdown on social media algorithms revealed
The crackdown on social media algorithms revealed episode artwork
Yesterday at 8:45 AM

Will you boot the social media algorithms if you get the chance? 

The government has revealed a draft of the Digital Duty of Care in Australia law that would force digital platforms to block certain content from children, take proactive measure to prevent harm and give everyone the option to opt-out of the algorithm that picks what comes up next on your feeds. 

The federal government insists a global reckoning is coming for big tech. 

How will it work?

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The degenerative brain disease CTE and rugby league explained
The degenerative brain disease CTE and rugby league explained episode artwork
Yesterday at 8:35 AM

New research on the degenerative brain disease CTE, has revealed its prevalence in former rugby league players.

The Australian Sports Brain Bank can now confirm that 31 players both professional and amateur had the condition when they died.

That result came from studying the 51 brains that have been donated so far.

The wife of one late rugby league footballer is calling for more players to agree to donate their brains to research. 

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Government slams One Nation superannuation proposal | ABC News Top Stories
Last Monday at 11:11 PM

The federal government has slammed One Nation's proposed changes to superannuation as 'irresponsible', warning it could leave Australians worse off in retirement.

The trial of three Mexican men accused of murdering Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson two years ago has begun. 

The UN rights chief has warned that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity. 

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What do we know about the murders of Jake and Callum Robinson?
What do we know about the murders of Jake and Callum Robinson? episode artwork
Last Monday at 10:45 PM

A trial is underway in Mexico over the murders of two young Australians two years ago.

Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad were murdered while on a surfing holiday in Baja in April 2024.

So what do we know about what happened to them?

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Hanson's early super access scheme derided as 'economically disastrous' | ABC News Top Stories
Last Monday at 8:54 AM

The peak body for superannuation funds says One Nation's plan to allow people greater access to their retirement savings is "economically disastrous" and will drive up inflation. One Nation is proposing a radical change to the superannuation system that would allow Australians who rent or pay a mortgage to divert a portion of their super payments as salary for up to three years.

Triple murderer Darryl Valroy Young has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 40 years. Last week, the 63-year-old was convicted by a Townsville Supreme Court jury for the 2022 murders of his...


How One Nation would change your superannuation
How One Nation would change your superannuation episode artwork
Last Monday at 3:50 AM

One Nation is selling a superannuation policy that some economists think is a bad idea, but would see workers able to get access to more of their retirement savings, sooner. 

The minor party wants to allow Australians to divert a quarter of their super payments to their bank account for up to three years.

It's being pitched as a solution to the cost of living crisis.

While it may appeal to some voters, there are warnings about what it would mean for people's savings in retirement and what it could do to inflation a...


How to avoid becoming a magpie swooping victim this spring
How to avoid becoming a magpie swooping victim this spring episode artwork
Last Monday at 3:40 AM

It's magpie swooping season.

But how can you avoid becoming the target of a cranky magpie that's just trying to protect its young?

Magpie experts have a few tried and tested methods to make sustaining a pecking injury less likely. 

One hot tip, it doesn't involve running or waving your hands around. 

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The 'feminisation' of schools claim explained
The 'feminisation' of schools claim explained episode artwork
Last Monday at 2:00 AM

A political debate's emerged over a school program that teaches students about consent and relationships.

The discussion started when Nationals Leader Matt Canavan said the Respectful Relationships curriculum is contributing to a culture that's alienating young boys.

So, what's it all about?

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How a far-right party won in Germany for the first time since WWII
How a far-right party won in Germany for the first time since WWII episode artwork
Last Sunday at 11:00 PM

The Alternative for Germany party has won more than 44 per cent of the vote in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, led by 35-year-old former fragrance salesman Ulrich Siegmund.

It's the first time a far-right party has won a major election in Germany since World War II, when the Nazi Party was in power.

So, how did they win over voters? And what does it mean for the rest of Germany?

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One Nation reveals plan to divert super to mortgages or rent | ABC News Top Stories
Last Sunday at 9:39 PM

The Gippsland community in Victoria's east is being urged to stay away from a man who allegedly attacked his family with an axe.One Nation is promising to give Australians the choice to use some of their superannuation to pay their mortgage or rent aimed at giving Australians 'breathing room' amid cost-of-living challenges.

Trump administration envoys have met in Kyiv to try and revive efforts to end the four and a half year war between Ukraine and Russia.

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Will Australia make opt-in social media algorithms the law?
Will Australia make opt-in social media algorithms the law? episode artwork
Last Sunday at 8:00 PM

Australians could soon have more control over what they see on social media under proposed digital duty of care laws. 

The reforms would force major platforms to reduce harm and could expose companies to significant fines, while debate continues over algorithms, online safety, and freedom of speech.

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ABC News
Last Sunday at 9:17 AM

Listen to the latest updates from ABC News

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Hope remains in Nepal as two more rescued after floods
Hope remains in Nepal as two more rescued after floods episode artwork
Last Sunday at 1:45 AM

Aid agencies are warning that health services in Nepal are stretched, more than 10 days after devastating floods in the region.

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Temporary 'ceasefire' in Russia and Ukraine | ABC News Top Stories
Last Saturday at 10:14 PM

At least 1,300 people have died and more than five thousand remain missing, including 36 Australians, more than 10 days after deadly floods in Nepal and Tibet.

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ABC News
Last Saturday at 12:48 PM

Listen to the latest updates from ABC News

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What happens now after the Lindsay Clancy mistrial?
What happens now after the Lindsay Clancy mistrial? episode artwork
Last Saturday at 5:29 AM

The six-week criminal trial of Lindsay Clancy has collapsed without a verdict, with the judge declaring a mistrial.

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Data shows housing affordability at all-time low
Last Saturday at 12:09 AM

New data shows housing affordability has hit an all time low, despite falling property prices.

36 Australians are still unaccounted for in the wake of the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods.

Britain's Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, claims the party has done nothing wrong, after an undercover investigation alleged it broke electoral law by arranging for a foreign donor to pay for political polling.

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Hopes further survivors will be rescued from tunnels in Nepal | ABC News Top Stories
Last Friday at 8:15 AM

Two people have been rescued from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal, nine days on from a devastating flash flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border region. They've been taken to a Kathmandu Hospital, one with non-critical injuries, while the other is unable to move his hands and legs. It's hoped at least 39 others will be saved, after rescuers heard voices through a 50 to 60 metre tunnel they had to dig to reach the workers.

63-year-old Darryl Valroy Young has been found guilty of killing three neighbours at Bogie in north Queensland in 2022. Mervyn and Maree Schwarz and her son Graham...


How Trump got Apple and Google Maps to eliminate Lake Ontario
How Trump got Apple and Google Maps to eliminate Lake Ontario episode artwork
Last Friday at 8:05 AM

US President Donald Trump has struck out at long time ally Canada after trade talks collapsed, renaming one of the Great Lakes of North America.

It's Lake Ontario, which borders the two countries. Or, as Trump would have you now call it, Lake America.

Can he just do that and why did Apple and Google Maps fall into line so quickly? 

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The course international students are accused of gaming for visas
The course international students are accused of gaming for visas episode artwork
Last Friday at 8:00 AM

The Federal Government's accusing thousands of international students of abusing the visa system, entering on a course they're not really committed to just to come to or stay in Australia.

As political pressure from One Nation mounts on the government and Labor delays outlining a new approach to immigration policy, it hasn't launched a broad reworking of the international student system.

Instead - it's targeting one particular course and the students who've signed up to it. 

It's called The Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning).

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What a 'very strong' El Niño means for summer
What a 'very strong' El Niño means for summer episode artwork
Last Friday at 1:55 AM

The World Meterological Organisation says the world is facing a "super-sized" El Niño event that could be the strongest in more than 70 years.

The climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months and persist through until February next year.

And while its no guarantee of extreme conditions through summer, experts here say it raises the odds of hot and difficult conditions.

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What Canada did to tackle its illegal tobacco problem
What Canada did to tackle its illegal tobacco problem episode artwork
Last Friday at 12:15 AM

The tobacco excise debate has intensified, with the Coalition proposing to slash the tax by 80 per cent.

Throughout this debate, many health experts have cited Canada's success quashing the illicit market by slashing its tobacco taxes by around 50 per cent in the 1994

So what can we learn from the Canadian example? 

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Trump hints he wouldn’t help UK in future Falklands conflict | ABC News Top Stories
Last Thursday at 10:58 PM

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Australia is sending some of its "best people" to search for citizens missing in the Nepal flood disaster.

The Shadow Health Minister says reducing smoking rates is not the first priority of the Opposition's illicit tobacco policy. 

US President Donald Trump has hinted he wouldn't come to the UK's aid in a potential future conflict with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

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Feminist activist Gloria Steinem, dead at 92
Feminist activist Gloria Steinem, dead at 92 episode artwork
Last Thursday at 10:30 PM

Women's rights trailblazer and feminist icon, Gloria Steinem, has died at 92.

She rose to prominence as a leader of second wave feminism in the 60s and 70s and dedicated her life to activism in the pursuit of gender equality.

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Victorian girl dies after potential petting zoo bacteria exposure | ABC News Top Stories
Last Thursday at 8:51 AM

A Victorian girl has died after a weeks-long battle against an infectious disease that her parents say may have been caused by bacteria she contracted at a petting zoo. The girl's family confirmed she had been in hospital with a brain injury and kidney failure caused by haemolytic uraemic syndrome. The syndrome is caused by a type of bacteria known as STEC which can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Barnaby Joyce has accused the Coalition of copying One Nation's policy to cut the tobacco excise. One Nation is promising to slash the excise by 75 per cent...


Raygun documentary divides critics
Raygun documentary divides critics episode artwork
Last Thursday at 4:05 AM

A new Netflix documentary chronicling Rachael "Raygun" Gunn's controversial Paris 2024 Olympic breakdancing routine is dividing critics.

Is it a raw and honest reckoning with what was an amusing, perhaps cruel, and at times embarrassing affair, or is it a puff piece?

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The cost of classroom misbehaviour revealed
The cost of classroom misbehaviour revealed episode artwork
Last Thursday at 4:00 AM

Research reveals almost one third of lesson time in Australian classrooms is being lost to student misbehaviour.

A survey conducted by the Centre for Independent Studies asked nearly 400 primary and secondary teachers about how these disruptions are affecting learning.

It also found this was having a significant impact on teacher health.

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Why are ski fields wrapping up their season early?
Why are ski fields wrapping up their season early? episode artwork
Last Thursday at 12:15 AM

Australian ski fields have been forced to wrap up the 20-26 season early, after a warmer than average winter seriously impacted snow conditions.

And the weather bureau is also forecasting a hot spring.

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How Nepal's taking on the huge task of identifying flood disaster victims
How Nepal's taking on the huge task of identifying flood disaster victims episode artwork
09/02/2026

More than 1,100 people have died in the Nepal and Tibet flood disaster, while thousands remain missing, including 38 Australians. 

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Australian specialists sent to Nepal in search and rescue mission | ABC News Top Stories
09/02/2026

Australia will send a team of specialist drone operators to help Nepal's search and rescue efforts amid catastrophic flooding.

The 15-person team includes members of the Fire and Rescue New South Wales and the Queensland Fire Department and will depart in the coming days.

More than 1,100 people died in last week's flood, and thousands remain missing, including 38 Australians.

The federal Opposition has announced its policy to tackle Australia's illicit tobacco market, including slashing the tobacco excise by 80 per cent.

Under the plan, a future Coalition government would also legalise, regulate and...


Police speak with four men over an alleged sexual assault linked to the Sydney Swans | ABC News Top Stories
09/02/2026

Victoria police believe they've identified all the people who were in the Melbourne hotel room the night of an alleged sexual assault linked to the AFL's Sydney Swans. Detectives have spoken with four Sydney men as part of the investigation. It's understood several adult entertainers and a number of Sydney Swans players were present with three women then making a police report. 

A Royal Australian Air Force jet carrying supplies to assist disaster-ravaged Nepal has touched down in the country's capital. Twelve Australian personnel with rapid response expertise have also been deployed to the region, as part o...


Will killing social media algorithms stop misogyny?
Will killing social media algorithms stop misogyny? episode artwork
09/02/2026

Social media algorithms are under fire over what they're serving up to young men.

It's so bad, that Chanel Contos, a sexual consent advocate, thinks it's time to consider switching off the system that offers up content it thinks you'll like.

But how would making the algorithms opt-in reduce the influence of misogynist, so-called manosphere content? 

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How Lindsay Clancy's murder trial put postpartum psychosis in the spotlight
How Lindsay Clancy's murder trial put postpartum psychosis in the spotlight episode artwork
09/02/2026

Jury deliberations in the murder trial of American woman Lindsay Clancy have reached a stalemate after four days.

Clancy is charged with the murder of her three young children.

She doesn't deny killing them, but says a mental health condition called postpartum psychosis led to her actions.

Be aware - the details of this story are disturbing.

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Four more Australians confirmed safe in Nepal-Tibet flood | ABC News Top Stories
09/01/2026

Four more Australians have been confirmed safe in the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster.

America has launched more strikes on Iran, which US President Donald Trump says were in response to recent Iranian attempts to strike commercial ships and American troops in the region.

Australia is being warned it must find more than 70,000 energy sector workers to meet demand being fuelled by the AI boom.

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Supermarkets are trialing facial recognition tech. Why are experts worried?
Supermarkets are trialing facial recognition tech. Why are experts worried? episode artwork
09/01/2026

Face recognition technology is creeping in; most of us use it daily to unlock our phones, but are you comfortable with it being used by your local supermarket??

Well Coles and Woolies are trialling it - they say it's to combat crime but experts argue it raises serious concerns around privacy.

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More than a thousand dead in Nepal and Tibet, as Australian found | ABC News Top Stories
09/01/2026

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she's incredibly thankful another Australian who'd been missing after catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet has now been found. It follows Cara Severino being found over the weekend, but Senator Wong says we "must remain realistic about the days ahead". The disaster's death toll has now surpassed a thousand people  while about 4,000 remain missing, including 42 Australians.

The federal opposition leader has expressed concerns about the absence of several leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau. Tensions have emerged between China and Taiwan at this year's gathering, after the Taiwanese foreign minister a...


How loose lips brought Tupac Shakur's killer undone
How loose lips brought Tupac Shakur's killer undone episode artwork
09/01/2026

The former gang leader who orchestrated the killing of gangster rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas has been found guilty of his murder, nearly 30 years after the drive-by shooting.

Duane Davis has been bragging about his role in the killing for years, making it difficult for his defence team to argue he wasn't to blame.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole and has indicated he will appeal against the jury verdict. 

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