Aussie

A great breakdown from glasshouse.aus on Australia’s 5% deposit scheme and the risks facing first-home buyers. Well worth a watch Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ MACQUARIE UNI ALLOWS PALESTINE EVENT ON OCTOBER 7 Macquarie University is facing backlash for allowing a Palestinian student event to go ahead on October 7, the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies has called the timing “deliberately provocative” and urged the university to move it. Macquarie says it supports lawful, peaceful expression and that student club views do not represent the university. Join @Aussie 🙂

🚨 OPENAI AGENT ACCESSES ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SYSTEM A rogue OpenAI agent accessed a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service web application containing historical and bushfire data in June. The NSW government says no personal information appears to have been accessed, but OpenAI did not notify authorities until October 1. It follows separate OpenAI agent incidents involving Medicare and NSW crime data systems. Join @Aussie 🙂

🚨 STAKE WALL ST CUSTOMER DATA EXPOSED IN CYBER BREACH DriveWealth, the US broker used by Stake Wall St, says attackers accessed historic customer data during a breach on September 4–5. Exposed information may include names, emails, phone numbers, addresses and partial Stake account numbers. Passwords and bank details were not compromised. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ NEW IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN STARTS TODAY New student visa rules are now in force, restricting visa hopping, course changes and family members joining international students. The government is also targeting migration agents and lawyers accused of lodging baseless visa and protection claims. Net overseas migration was 292,100 in the year to March, with Labor aiming to reduce that to 225,000 next financial year. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ NSW APPROVES MASSIVE COAL MINE EXTENSION NSW has approved the Hunter Valley Operations coal mine to continue operating until 2045, protecting around 1,500 jobs in the Hunter. The project is expected to extract roughly 429 million tonnes of coal and inject more than $1 billion a year into the economy. Climate groups are furious, while Premier Chris Minns has backed the economic benefits. The project still needs final federal environmental approval. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ FORMER MINISTER WHO BACKED ONLINE CASINO BAN LATER CO-FOUNDED ONE Former Howard-era minister De-Anne Kelly has been revealed as a co-founder and major shareholder of offshore casino LuckyBet. Kelly voted for Australia’s 2001 online gambling laws and previously warned gambling websites were “exploiting the vulnerable”. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ GUNS, DRUGS AND POLICE UNIFORMS SEIZED IN NSW ORGANISED CRIME BUST Four people have been charged after police allegedly seized 3kg of meth, 1kg of cocaine, six rifles, ammunition and Queensland Police uniforms at Banora Point. A 29-year-old man faces 31 charges, including large commercial drug supply, firearms offences and participating in a criminal group. Join @Aussie 🙂

🚨 NSW MOVES TO BACK QUEENSLAND BAN ON PRO-PALESTINE SLOGANS The NSW Government has sought to join Queensland in defending laws banning phrases including “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada” in a High Court challenge. Queensland’s laws can carry up to two years in jail when the slogans are used in circumstances expected to menace, harass or offend. NSW has not introduced the same ban, but is now seeking to intervene in the constitutional case defending it. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ SYDNEY MAN ACCUSED OF TRAPPING WOMAN IN EGYPT A 44-year-old Ryde man has been charged with allegedly arranging for a woman to travel to Egypt, then cancelling her return flight and visa while she was overseas. The AFP also alleges he impersonated the woman online and changed account login details to stop her accessing them. He has been charged with exit trafficking, an offence carrying up to 12 years in prison. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ TAXPAYERS PUT UP $200M FOR RIO TINTO SMELTER Canberra and Tasmania have announced a $200 million support package for Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay aluminium smelter, contributing $100 million each over five years. The plant employs 550 people and faced uncertainty as its electricity agreement approached expiry. Rio and state-owned Hydro Tasmania have also struck a separate five-year power deal. The electricity price has not been disclosed. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ SYDNEY SOLAR COMPANY COLLAPSES OWING $3.4M AFTER TAKING BATTERY DEPOSITS Macarthur Solar has collapsed after customers paid thousands of dollars in deposits for battery systems that were never installed. Building Commission NSW says it is investigating after receiving more than 100 complaints, while liquidator records show the company owes almost $3.4 million to more than 79 unsecured creditors. Some customers reportedly paid deposits as high as $17,600. Join @Aussie 🙂

🚨 AUSTRALIAN INFLATION JUMPS TO 4% AFTER RBA RATE HIKE Australia’s annual inflation rate has surged from 3.5% to 4.0%, according to fresh ABS data released today. The figures come just one day after the RBA lifted interest rates to 4.60%, their highest level in 15 years. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ CITY OF MELBOURNE DROPS PUSH TO CHANGE AUSTRALIA DAY DATE Melbourne City Council has voted to abandon its official campaign to move Australia Day from January 26, reversing a position adopted in 2022. The council will recognise January 26 as Australia Day and investigate bringing back the city’s Australia Day parade. Join @Aussie 🙂

🚨 NSW GOVERNMENT RESISTS COURT REVIEW INTO ALLEGED $3.5B STAMP DUTY OVERCHARGE The NSW Government is resisting calls for a Supreme Court review into claims home buyers have been overcharged billions in stamp duty since 2022. The Real Estate Institute of NSW says tax brackets were indexed incorrectly, while the government maintains its calculation is legally sound. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ RBA HIKES INTEREST RATES TO 15-YEAR HIGH The Reserve Bank has lifted the cash rate by 0.25% to 4.60%, its fourth rate hike of 2026 and the highest level since 2011. The RBA says inflation remains too high and warned rates could rise further if needed. Join @Aussie 🙂

🚨 AUSTRALIAN ACTIVIST ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTED BY VIETNAM Melbourne man Hiep Tran, 50, has been missing since September 18 after travelling to Cambodia to meet Vietnamese human rights activists. His group, Viet Tan, alleges Vietnamese authorities abducted him in Cambodia and forcibly took him across the border into Vietnam. Vietnamese state media reportedly claims Tran was detained after illegally entering the country. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ OPENAI APOLOGISES TO AUSTRALIA OVER MEDICARE BREACH OpenAI has apologised after one of its autonomous AI agents gained unauthorised access to non-public Medicare statistics, admitting it took too long to properly notify the Australian Government. The company says it is working to rebuild trust, with chief strategy officer Jason Kwon set to front a parliamentary inquiry in Sydney next week. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ $1.2B SYDNEY AI DATA CENTRE SCRAPPED Goodman Group has abandoned plans for a $1.2 billion AI data centre in Lane Cove West after strong local opposition. The 90MW facility was planned near homes and Lane Cove West Public School. Join @Aussie 🙂

⚠️ GINA RINEHART TRIED TO RECRUIT LIBERAL MP TO ONE NATION Billionaire Gina Rinehart allegedly asked federal LNP MP Henry Pike whether he had considered joining One Nation during a January lunch at her Sunshine Coast home. Pike reportedly viewed the conversation as an attempt to recruit him, but says he will remain with the Liberal Party. Join @Aussie 🙂