Australia news live: cold snap brings snow to Thredbo and Falls Creek; NSW health system ‘not safe for Jewish people’, royal commission hears | Australia news

Gas companies will be forced to set aside 20% of export volumes for domestic use under a reservation scheme designed to shore up supplies and bring down prices for households and businesses on the east coast.

The federal government announced the final design of the gas reservation on Thursday after consultation with industry and other stakeholders.

More frosty scenes this morning, this time from Falls Creek, Victoria. A light dusting of snow fell over the village this morning, with local temperatures dipping as low as -5.6C overnight.

A nurse manager for a New South Wales health district has said her department has left the healthcare system “not safe for Jewish people”.

The Sydney resident and dual Australian-Israeli citizen, under the pseudonym “AAV”, told the antisemitism royal commission her cousin was killed and was the last hostage to be returned to Israel after being taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023.

AAV said she put posters of the hostages on the wall in her office space in the hospital, and wore a necklace and yellow ribbon in memory of the hostages in the weeks after the attack. She said her manager told her to remove them “because of the likelihood of them upsetting or offending other people”.

As recently as December 2025, her request to share a “happy Hanukah” message was rejected by her hospital’s media team over sensitivities about the Gaza war, she said, adding:

NSW Health …. having tolerated this behaviour, it means that the health care system is not only not safe for Jewish people. It’s potentially not safe for anyone that comes from some sort of diverse background.”

AAV said some of her colleagues in NSW Health had made offensive comments to her:

They’ll pass me in a corridor and just sort of say, ‘Oh shame on you’ or ‘you must be really ashamed to belong to a group of child killers’. I’ve also been called Zionist scum. I’ve had staff pass me and try to justify the response of Hamas on Israel. … It made me feel very targeted, at times very disempowered.

Jewish climate justice director was encouraged to resign, royal commission hears

Stephanie Cunio, a Sephardi and Mizrahi Jew, has told the antisemitism royal commission she felt she had to step down from her role in a climate group after 7 October 2023.

Cunio said she had been a board member on an environmental non-government organisation, which she chose not to name. After Hamas’ attack, younger and migrant members of the climate movement argued with leaders and older members to advocate for Palestine, while the board began meeting without her, she said. Cunio said:

I got called up by a board member and the board member said: ‘I know this is getting very difficult for you, um, you know, maybe you should consider leaving.’

She compared her reaction to a previous experience of sexual harassment:

You know what to say but the words don’t come out. The words are: ‘Actually, you need to keep me safe. I’m a board member and I deserve safety’ … It all really got too much so I did what I was advised and it was very liberating.

Cunio said she had also founded a chat group to organise climate activists of diverse backgrounds but felt she had to leave the chat after 7 October when the members began speaking about Israel’s response with no acknowledgment of the 1,200 people killed.

She said Jewish people were seen as “white” and separate to multicultural Australia:

I really enjoyed being in solidarity with these people … it was really heartbreaking.

No timeline on fixing controversial job ready graduates scheme, Labor says

The education minister, Jason Clare, says he has no timeline on fixing the job ready graduates program, despite repeatedly calling the controversial Morrison-era scheme a “failure” in its attempt to discourage students from undertaking humanities degrees.

The scheme was introduced in 2021 to incentivise students to take degrees such as science, nursing, education and IT, and disincentivise humanities, law and creative arts degrees by significantly increasing fees. It’s been in place longer under the Albanese government than under the Liberals.

Clare, speaking to reporters in Sydney this morning, said it was expensive and complex to fix, but that the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission, established under legislation earlier this year, would be able to look at it. When it will do that, is still unclear.

I’ve said that JRG is a failure if the purpose of the former government was to get people to not study the things that they are passionate about.

I’ve also said that it is expensive and complex to fix. The Atec, the Australian Tertiary Education Commission has got the ability now to be able to look at the costs across the whole system. And I said that this is unfinished business and that there is more work to do, but I won’t set a timeline on that today.

Treasury modelling revealed earlier this week found it will take one quarter of humanities students more than 25 years to repay their degrees.

Owners of closed kosher kitchen tell royal commission of ‘devastating’ blaze

The owners of a kosher restaurant in Bondi that burnt down in 2024 have spoken at the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion as it begins its fourth day of hearings.

Judith Lewis told the commission she was the managing director of Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, formerly on Bondi’s busy Curlewis Street, and a great-grandmother in a large Jewish family. She, her husband and her parents established the kosher caterer in 1970, before it became a restaurant.

Karyn Lewis, Judith’s daughter, said she had worked at Lewis’ for close to 40 years, joined by her cousins and her children over the years. It had been the first kosher takeaway restaurant in Sydney before catering for airlines, hospitals, jails and offering fine dining, she said.

The restaurant burnt down in October 2024 and has not reopened. Judith Lewis said:

A lot of people came and met there, and were able to sit and eat and then see other people there. It was a communal centre … For us it’s devastating because we’re not seeing all our friends, because the customers very much became our friends.

The commission then moved into a closed session to hear the Lewises’ evidence without prejudicing criminal proceedings over the attack on the restaurant.

Queensland education department hit with ‘international cybersecurity breach’

The Queensland education department has been affected by an “international cybersecurity breach”, the state’s education minister says.

John-Paul Langbroek released a statement on Thursday confirming the names, email addresses and school locations of students in state schools since 2020 may have been exposed in the hack of the third-party provider responsible for the state’s online learning platform, QLearn.

Langbroek says there is no evidence that sensitive information – including password, dates of birth, or financial details – were accessed in the hack.

This incident has impacted thousands of educational institutions, including state schools and universities within Queensland, across Australia and overseas, and early advice is this will impact more than 200 million people and more than 9,000 institutions worldwide.

School principals are in the process of contacting families and teachers to advise them of the breach.

Langbroek said the department was providing “priority support” to families and teachers with known domestic violence or child safety histories.

NSW premier says ‘tactical policing operation’ expected for arrivals from Syria

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says there will be a “tactical policing operation” when Australians linked to Islamic State fighters arrive in Sydney today.

Earlier, the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, would not say if there would be an arrest when a woman and a child arrive as expected this afternoon. Asked this morning what measures were in place for their arrival, the premier said police had “a tactical policing operation that they will need to carry out today”.

I can assure you that NSW police counter-terrorism command, the JCTC, will be working with commonwealth colleagues to take action if they believe a criminal offence has been committed, or they believe that public needs to be made safe as a result of an arrest for example.

If there’s action for the NSW police and charges relating to those individuals upon landing in Australia, that’s exactly what should happen.

Minns said the Department of Communities and Justice would be involved in the reintegration of returning Australians, including children. The police minister, Yasmin Catley, who confirmed the expected arrivals yesterday, would not say if there would be a large police presence today.

In my briefings, they have advised me of all of this information, and I have confidence that the NSW police, along with the commonwealth agencies, will certainly operationalise this as they have planned.

Government to unveil further gas reserve details

The federal government is expected to announce further details on the design of its planned east coast gas reservation scheme later this afternoon.

The government first announced the policy in December, proposing to force gas exporters to reserve between 15 and 25% of their gas production for domestic use.

The final model was subject to consultation with industry and other stakeholders.

The scheme, which green groups and unions have long campaigned for, is designed to lower prices for households and businesses by diverting extra supplies into the east coast market.

The pre-budget announcement is expected to coincide with the release of a Senate inquiry report into the tax settings for gas companies later on Thursday afternoon.

The Greens-chaired committee has been examining the proposal for a 25% tax on gas exporter revenue.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has ruled out such a tax in next week’s budget, in part to avoid a backlash from Asian trading partners that Australia is relying on for fuel amid the global oil shock.

Thredbo resort has a new coat of snow. The resort wrote on Instagram:

Temps dropped to a chilly -6.4 this morning, the village rooftops are dusted in white and the Snow Cams are already looking very wintery 👀Opening Weekend is getting closer, and Mother Nature is giving us a taste of what’s to come – let’s GO!

The Bureau of Meteorology said yesterday parts of Victoria, Tasmania and NSW were all in for wintry conditions over the coming days due to a cold front and chasing high-pressure system.

“It’s a sure sign we really are moving into the cooler months of the year,” BoM senior meteorologist Dean Narramore told AAP.

Tabcorp said this morning it is being investigated by Austrac, the country’s financial intelligence agency.

The company said in an ASX announcement that Austrac had informed the betting giant that it has “serious concerns” with Tabcorp’s ability to “effectively identify, mitigate and manage its money laundering / terrorism financing (ML/TF) risks”. The investigation will focus on Tabcorp’s compliance with federal finance laws and obligations.

AUSTRAC has advised that its investigation is at an early stage and its approach will be determined once sufficient evidence has been collected and assessed. AUSTRAC has also advised that all potential outcomes remain open, including the possibility that no further enforcement action will be taken.

Brett Chenoweth, the chair of Tabcorp, said in a statement:

Tabcorp takes its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations very seriously. The Board and Executive are fully committed to collaborating with AUSTRAC in the continuing uplift in Tabcorp’s ML/TF risk maturity.

Two men charged after fatal car crash into weir near Sydney

NSW police have charged two men after a fatal crash into a weir in the Royal national park near Sydney yesterday morning.

Official said emergency services were called to Audley weir about 1.15am amid reports a vehicle had gone into the water. The driver of the car, a 20-year-old man, was able to escape the vehicle. But the passenger, a man also aged 20, was not able to escape. Police divers recovered the passenger’s body later that day.

The 20-year-old driver and the driver of another vehicle, a man, 18, were taken to the hospital after the incident for mandatory testing. After inquiries, both men were arrested.

The older man was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death and negligent driving occasioning death. The 18-year-old was charged with driving with a suspended licence, and several offences for not complying with p plate restrictions.

Both men were given conditional bail and will appear before court next month.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, says she’s “overturning” a decision not to broadcast Socceroos matches at Federation Square.

In a statement posted on her social media she said the bad behaviour of a “few dickheads” shouldn’t stop the World Cup events going ahead:

Yesterday, Melbourne Arts Precinct decided that Fed Square won’t show Socceroos matches on the big screen. I disagree with that decision – and I am overturning it. The government will ensure Fed Square has the support it needs to put on the matches this year.

We’re also looking at additional events and live sites, so Victorians have more options to watch.

Now, more than ever, people deserve more free stuff to do together in the city.

There’s always a risk of bad behaviour from a few dickheads at every public gathering but police and security will be on site and there’ll be zero tolerance for it.

The World Cup should bring us together, not keep us apart.
Good luck Socceroos – Victoria is behind you.

You can read more about the original decision here:

Lenders all have an ‘edge of cliff’ mortgage interest rate. Here’s how to push them to it

After three consecutive interest rate hikes, mortgage holders are being squeezed.

If you are seeking a better interest rate, it’s time to push your lender to reveal their “edge of cliff” price to keep you as a customer.

Here’s what to do:

James Paterson speaks about ‘bit of excitement’ at pre-polling booth after confrontation with One Nation volunteer

Liberal senator James Paterson said there was a “bit of excitement” yesterday after he clashed with a One Nation volunteer at a pre-polling booth in Albury before the Farrer byelection. Paterson was in Albury to campaign for the Liberal candidate, Raissa Butkowski.

Video of the incident shows a One Nation volunteer confronting Paterson about a sign that criticised One Nation’s own candidate, David Farley, before the volunteer allegedly grabbed Paterson’s phone.

The One National leader, Pauline Hanson, apologised for the volunteer’s behaviour in an interview with Sky News last night, saying Farley had reached out to make sure Paterson was “OK”, adding the party had apologised “for what happened”.

Hanson added to Sky that the volunteer had been “dismissed and sent home straight away”. One Nation’s chief of staff, James Ashby, later walked back the leader’s remarks, telling Sky while he didn’t condone the behaviour Paterson had been “rage-baiting a pensioner”.

Woolworths brings back soft plastics collection points at some stores

Soft plastics recycling collection points are returning to Woolworths stores more than three years after the Australia-wide REDcycle supermarket scheme collapsed, AAP reports.

Woolworths says more than 700 of its stores across five states will accept chip packets, lolly wrappers and similar packaging.

“With this initiative, we have made it easier for Aussie families to recycle their soft plastics as part of their weekly shop,” Woolworths says.

The supermarket giant started a trial of the new scheme in five Victorian Woolworths in February 2024, and several stores in South Australia were the latest to join this week.

Some of the plastic collected through the scheme is recycled and turned into in-store wall panelling and Woolworths-brand bread bags.