Former Australian lawmaker sentenced to prison for rape and sexual abuse of two men

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Indigenous Australians celebrate historic state treaty

Australia's state of Victoria has passed the country's first treaty with Indigenous peoples, a landmark act of recognition long denied to the country's first inhabitants. Cheers and applause rang through Victoria's parliament as lawmakers passed...

World AFP Indigenous Australians celebrate historic state treaty

Australia's state of Victoria has passed the country's first treaty with Indigenous peoples, a landmark act of recognition long denied to the country's first inhabitants. Cheers and applause rang through Victoria's parliament as lawmakers passed...

First Peoples’ Treaty passes parliament

Victoria has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to establish a legally binding Treaty with First Peoples. The Statewide Treaty Bill has passed through parliament, formally recognising the rights, cultures, and histories of Aboriginal and...

Australia's human rights commissioner 'concerned' by Nauru deportation secrecy

SYDNEY (Reuters) -The first deportation of a person from Australia to the Pacific Island nation of Nauru under a billion-dollar deal to resettle non-citizens with criminal records raises "serious human rights concerns", Australia's Human Rights...

Tom Elliott reacts to the Victorian Treaty Bill passing through Parliament

Overnight, the Victorian Treaty Bill was passed through Parliament. The historic move makes Victoria the first Australian state to legislate a treaty with its Indigenous people. Press PLAY to hear Tom Elliott’s reaction to the news The 3AW...

2025 Queensland Parliamentary Reception celebrates community pharmacists

The reception was attended by the Premier, Ministers, Shadow Ministers as well as Members of Parliament, industry representatives and community pharmacists from across the state. Attendees heard keynote addresses from Minister for Health and...

Victoria makes history as Treaty legislation passes Parliament

Victoria has made history as the first state or territory in Australia to pass legislation paving the way for a Treaty with First Peoples. The landmark Statewide Treaty Bill passed through Parliament on Thursday, setting the stage for Australia’s...

Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban: Tech Giants Yield

SYDNEY—In a surprising turn of events, major social media companies including Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok, and Snap Inc. have announced their intention to comply with Australia’s groundbreaking law banning users under 16 from their platforms. The...

Australia’s Social Media Ban is Coming Fast: Meta, TikTok, Snap Preparing to Block All Users Under 16

Photo Credit: Arvin Wiyono Instagram owner Meta, TikTok owner ByteDance, and Snapchat owner Snap confirmed they will comply with an Australian ban on users under the age of 16. The social media firms said they will start deactivating accounts once...

Vietnamese students in Australia join tech webinar on cloud, quantum computing

Sydney (VNA) – The Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia on October 30 attended a scientific webinar on cloud and quantum computing, and big data. The event was co-hosted by the Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students...

Australia celebrates ‘humpback comeback,’ but a main food source is under threat

News of Australia’s “humpback comeback” is making waves globally. Numbers of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the nation’s east coast have rebounded to an estimated 50,000 from a historic low of just a few hundred before commercial...

Royal Alexander: Trump Makes Historic Trip to Meet Chinese President

7 President Trump has now returned from a precedent-setting summit with an overarching accomplishment: every time President Trump and Chinese President, Xi Jinping, meet I believe America’s economic and military primacy is reasserted and that, in...

Morning Mail: Ken Henry’s nature laws warning, Australia knocked out of Women’s Cricket World Cup, and will interest rates go up?

Morning everyone. Ken Henry has become the latest heavyweight to weigh in on the nature laws debate, warning that the government will be exposed to a “conga line” of developers pleading for special dispensation unless the legislation is more...

Australia’s social media ban is “problematic,” but platforms will comply anyway

Social media platforms have agreed to comply with Australia’s social media ban for users under 16 years old, begrudgingly embracing the world’s most restrictive online child safety law. On Tuesday, Meta, Snap, and TikTok confirmed to Australia’s...

Government introduces environment laws to Parliament - but hurdles remain

Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts. The historic overhaul of Australia's national environmental laws has been formally tabled in the House of Representatives. Leader of the house Tony Burke...

Victoria votes through landmark treaty with Indigenous Australians to establish Voice-like authority two years on from failed referendum

By NICHOLAS WILSON, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 10:00 EDT, 30 October 2025 | Updated: 11:23 EDT, 30 October 2025 Victoria has made history by passing Australia's first treaty with Indigenous people, prompting celebration in parliament and...

Meet the celebrated SA nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards

Australia's first qualified astronaut, a beloved cook and a sound designer behind some of the nation's most recognised film soundtracks are among the inspiring South Australian nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards. Clinical...

Sensitive parliamentary documents handed to private company against risk advice

Exclusive: More than 100,000 sensitive parliamentary emails and documents were handed to a private company that had been the victim of a massive cyber hack by Russian criminals, despite warnings that granting such access posed an "extreme" risk....

Australian-first bill to ban use of NDAs to silence sexual harassment victims introduced in Victoria

A long-awaited bill to curb the use of non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment cases will be introduced to Victorian parliament, in an Australian-first move the government says will prevent victim-survivors from being silenced. The premier,...