Australia news live: NSW axes heritage protection for brumbies; PM hails ‘yes-olition’ as environment laws pass parliament

12.58am GMT Invasive Species Council’s chief executive, Jack Gough, said the removal of feral horses from Kosciuszko national party was a proof that “we can put truth, science and care for nature above politics and fear”: No one likes to see animals killed, but the sad reality is that we have a choice to make between urgently reducing the numbers of feral horses or accepting the destruction of sensitive alpine ecosystems and habitats, and the decline and extinction of native animals. Independent MP for Wagga Wagga, Joe McGirr, whose electorate covers one third of Kosciuszko National Park, said: Today the NSW Parliament has corrected a serious mistake. The Wild Horse Heritage Act put symbolism ahead of science and ideology ahead of evidence – and our most fragile alpine landscapes paid the price. Repealing this law restores integrity to environmental decision-making in New South Wales. It puts the protection of endangered species, alpine wetlands and drinking-water catchments back where it belongs – in the hands of our professional national parks staff. 12.49am GMT Environmental groups say removal of brumbies from Kosciuszko national park a turning point for conservation Environmental groups are celebrating a hard-fought win to remove feral horses from Kosciuszko national park, saying it marks a turning point for fragile alpine landscapes and the native wildlife, like the southern corroboree frog and broad-toothed rat, The Kosciuszko wild horse heritage repeal bill 2025, first introduced by Wagga Wagga MP, Dr Joe McGirr, and supported in the upper house by Legalise Cannabis MLC Jeremy Buckingham, passed with bipartisan and crossbench backing from Labor, Liberal, Greens, Legalise Cannabis and independent MPs. It was opposed by the NSW Nationals, which saw the Coalition again split over a controversial policy issue. At a press conference a few moments ago Snowy River guide, Reclaim Kosci co-founder and Invasive Species Council Indigenous ambassador Richard Swain said: Today, Country can breathe again. This is a victory for truth over mythology, and for those who have fought for generations to protect these high places and the life they hold. For years, we’ve watched the alpine wetlands dry out, the snow-grass trampled, the frogs and fish vanish. To finally see our parliament stand with Country and the people who have fought for it – that’s something to be proud of. It shows that courage and compassion can walk together. Updated at 12.55am GMT 12.41am GMT Australian Iranian community welcomes listing of IRGC as state sponsor of terrorism The Australian Iranian Community Organisation has written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, praising a decision to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism. The listing was formalised on Thursday after the domestic intelligence agency Asio found the IRGC had orchestrated attacks against the Australian Jewish community in late 2024. Siamak Ghahreman, the president of the Australian Iranian Community Organisation, said he’d welcome “strong enforcement action against intimidation, coercion and foreign directed violence”: For many Australians of Iranian background, this decision is also deeply personal. Our community includes refugees, former political prisoners, human rights defenders, and families who have directly experienced harm and intimidation linked to the IRGC. For years, AICO and many community members have consistently called on successive Australian governments to use all available legal mechanisms to formally designate and restrict the IRGC. [This] decision meaningfully reflects those long-standing concerns and advocacy. Updated at 12.52am GMT 12.20am GMT Monash IVF to face new conditions from Victoria health department after bungled embryo implants Victoria’s Department of Health has imposed conditions on Monash IVF’s registrations in the state, effective today, after a series of bungled embryo implants. Related: Monash IVF chief executive resigns after company’s second embryo transplant bungle The company said today it had already implemented process changes required by the health department, including actions and obligations related to the confirmation of the intended biological sources for each cycle; requirements to Monash IVF’s patient management system; changes to record keeping; and staff education and training. The changes also include periodic auditing and reporting to health officials. Monash IVF’s board of directors said in a brief release this morning: The Company will continue to prioritise the care and safety of its patients and will keep ASX informed of any material developments in accordance with its disclosure obligations. Updated at 12.28am GMT 12.04am GMT How Instagram’s age assurance fares As part of my reporting on what the platforms show to various age demographics, I’ve had a phone set up with dummy social media accounts. I set up one on Instagram recently for someone under 16 to see what would happen when the under-16s social media ban came into effect. A notification popped up today stating “due to laws in Australia, soon you won’t be able to use social media until you’ve turned 16”. I was then given two options: to go through downloading my data and prepare for my account to be deactivated, or review the age on the account and take a video selfie to prove I’m over 16. I chose the latter, and the app accessed my front-facing camera, and made me move my head from side to side, similar to how one might set up face-unlock on their phone. I was then presented with a notification stating it would likely take between one and two minutes but could take 48 hours. But shortly after I received a notification that I was in the clear. Obviously the age-assurance trial data shows that people closer to the age of 16, as well as minority groups, may have more difficulty in this technology getting it right, and given I am an adult with a moustache it was fairly seamless and quick. Related: Facebook and Instagram to start kicking Australian teenagers off platforms as social media ban looms Updated at 12.11am GMT 11.49pm GMT Watt cheers changes to nature laws, calling it a ‘great day’ for environment and industry Murray Watt, the environment minister, is speaking in Canberra about changes to the country’s nature laws. He described the effort as a “balanced package of reforms” that would deliver “real wins for the environment and real wins for the business community”. Watt said: As a result of these laws being passed, Australia’s natural environment will be better protected for generations to come … This is a great day for Australia’s environment. This is a great day for getting the housing, renewables and critical minerals we need and I’m really looking forward to getting on and implementing them now. Related: Labor strikes deal with Greens on nature laws overhaul amid criticism ‘dirty deal’ being ‘rammed through’ Updated at 11.57pm GMT 11.34pm GMT Environmental groups to speak about brumby protections later this morning The NSW parliament has finally repealed laws which limited culling of wild horses in Kosciusko national park and environmental groups will be talking at 11am about what it means. The Heritage Horses Act was introduced by former Nationals leader John Barilaro after businesses involved in tourism in the region campaigned to protect brumbies from aerial shooting by national park officers. Brumbies were given special “heritage status” based on their role in early settler history as recorded in the poetry of Banjo Patterson. But the ban on culling brought an explosion in the number of horses. In 2023, populations were estimated at 17,000, before a new program of aerial culling reduced the population to about 3,000. The repeal of the bill will mean that horses can be reduced further. Animal Justice party MP Emma Hurst and the Nationals attempted to amend the bill to protect smaller herds and opposed the end of the heritage bill. The repeal was passed by the Liberals, the government and the Greens. More to come. Updated at 11.40pm GMT 11.18pm GMT Australian diet set to worsen as national food policy is drawn up by profit-driven industry, experts warn Cheap and unhealthy foods are set to become further entrenched in the Australian diet, according to health experts, who warn the federal government is developing a national food policy with heavy influence from profit-driven food and agriculture industries. Dr Matt Fisher from the University of Adelaide’s Stretton Institute’s health equity department said the policy could “compromise crucial public health considerations”. On Friday, the government announced the appointment of a National Food Council, which is dominated by representatives from the farming, agriculture and food production industries. The council will advise the National Food Security Strategy (Feeding Australia) on identifying food production priorities, creating resilient food supply chains, managing climate-related disruptions and ensuring food is affordable. Read more here: Related: Australian diet set to worsen as national food policy is drawn up by profit-driven industry, experts warn 10.57pm GMT Ley condemns Labor-Greens deal as ‘economy wrecking’ Just before the final vote, the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, decried that the “Labor-Greens alliance is back in business” after the two parties struck a deal to pass the nature laws. The government was negotiating with the Coalition as late as Wednesday but said a deal between the major parties – which industry was calling for – ultimately wasn’t possible because Ley’s team couldn’t settle on what it wanted. In a fiery speech on Friday, which prompted rowdy cheers from her Coalition colleagues, Ley said the Labor-Greens deal was “economy wrecking”. We’re here not for lazy deals with the Greens. We’re here for the people of Australia. We’re here for the people we care about. Updated at 11.12pm GMT 10.46pm GMT Nature protection laws pass parliament And there you have it, the government’s overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act has officially passed the parliament. Updated at 11.01pm GMT 10.44pm GMT PM heralds Labor-Greens ‘Yes-olition’, with nature laws poised to officially pass parliament A very relaxed looking prime minister, Anthony Albanese, heralded a “good day for the environment” as he strolled into Parliament House for a special Friday morning sitting to officially pass Labor’s nature laws. The legislation cleared the Senate late on Thursday with changes following a deal between Labor and the Greens, meaning it had to return to the House of Representatives before it could be enshrined in law. Inside the chamber, Albanese said: These reforms are a win for business, a win for our natural environment and a win for the country. They mean more investment, more jobs, more housing and more infrastructure and they protect something that every Australian values and has a deep connection to – our treasured and unique natural environment. Albanese lambasted the Coalition for failing to land a deal despite the wishes of industry, accusing it of changing its position “from hour to hour” during negotiations. In contrast, he praised the Greens for not allowing the “perfect be the enemy of the good” – a criticism he often makes of his longtime political rivals. This was a Yes-olition! For some context, Albanese loves to describe the Greens and Coalition as the “No-alition” when they team up to oppose Labor’s legislation. Updated at 10.53pm GMT 10.30pm GMT Hundreds moving back into once-vacant public housing towers in Sydney Hundreds of residents are beginning to move back into public housing units in the Sydney suburb of Telopea after the Minns government began refurbishment works earlier this year. About 240 people will soon live in the three towers, known as the “Three Sisters”, which were vacant and set for demolition under the previous Liberal government. The towers were empty for almost a decade amid a growing housing crisis in the state. The refurbishment includes renovated kitchens and bathrooms, new flooring and painting, security systems and new community spaces for residents. The NSW housing minister, Rose Jackson, said: We’re getting on with the job of delivering homes people can move into today, while laying the foundations for long-term renewal that will transform Telopea into a thriving community. The former government signed a dud deal and left these towers empty for years during a housing crisis – locals started calling Telopea a ghost suburb because the Wade Street Towers were left vacant for so long. NSW is also set to begin another project encompassing 423 new homes across the road. Updated at 10.40pm GMT 9.55pm GMT Laws protecting brumbies in NSW national park axed Controversial laws that gave a wild horse population heritage protections in a famed alpine park are a thing of the past, AAP reports. A late-night parliamentary sitting repealed laws introduced by the NSW Nationals in 2018, which protected the “heritage value” of the brumby population within the Kosciuszko national park. Advocates have long argued the protection has helped destroy the park and preference the brumbies over native species. The repeal bill finally passed NSW parliament’s upper house nearing midnight on Thursday with backing from Labor, the Liberals and crossbench members, although the Nationals maintained their opposition. Park operators have a mandated target of 3,000 feral horses over nearly one-third of the park by mid-2027, with a controversial cull putting latest estimates at between 1,579 and 5,639 brumbies. Updated at 10.51pm GMT 9.40pm GMT What’s changing in Australia’s nature laws? Carrying on from Murray Watt’s and Sarah Hanson-Young’s comments this morning about environmental laws … My colleague Lisa Cox has a rundown of the seven major changes to Australia’s nature laws after their deal with the Greens. They include national environmental standards, ministerial discretion and the closure of logging exemptions. Read more here: Related: Seven ways Australia’s nature laws are changing after Labor’s deal with the Greens Updated at 9.48pm GMT 9.24pm GMT Swiss tourists victims of NSW shark attack The woman who died yesterday after being mauled by a bull shark is believed to be a tourist visiting from Switzerland, officials said this morning. NSW police said the woman, believed to be 25, is yet to be formally identified. A 26-year-old man was also seriously injured in the attack and remains in hospital in a stable condition. He, too, is thought to be from Switzerland. The shark attack took place at Crowdy Bay in NSW’s mid-north coast, about 6.30am on Thursday morning. The beach remains closed and inquiries are continuing. Read more here: Related: Large bull shark kills woman and injures man in attack at NSW beach Updated at 9.33pm GMT 9.06pm GMT Hanson-Young says environmental action and business interests linked Hanson-Young was asked if she could guarantee the targets wouldn’t damage the economy or business. She said the Greens were looking at the connection between the two, pointing to the devastating algal bloom in South Australia that had smashed local industry, fishing and tourism. She said: You cannot continue to pretend that somehow the economy is off over there while the environment has nothing to do with it and that the climate has nothing to do with it. If we want a strong economy, we have to transition. We’ve got to do it faster. And the community wants it. No one told South Australians that when the climate crisis hit, they wouldn’t be able to go to the beach in the 40C heat over summer. That is what we are facing this summer. And South Australians want action. Australians want action. The world needs action. Updated at 9.10pm GMT 8.54pm GMT ‘It is a good day for the environment’, Sarah Hanson-Young says Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens’ spokesperson for the environment, said she is pleased with the changes to environmental laws even though the party did not get everything it wanted. Hanson-Young told RN Breakfast the changes meant the “writing’s on the wall for fossil fuels”, adding the Greens were prepared to keep pushing the Albanese government to do more. She said: It is a good day for the environment and it’s a good day for our forests and our Australian bushland. A good day for our wildlife. It’s been a long time coming, having to fix some of these major flaws in Australia’s environment laws that have allowed land clearing to go unchecked, to allow the destruction of our forests, even when there’s endangered species living there, that it’s their home. And there’s a lot more to do. Updated at 8.59pm GMT 8.45pm GMT Murray Watt says Sussan Ley and Coalition ‘incapable of reaching a deal’ on environmental laws Murray Watt, the environment minister, is speaking this morning after the government overhauled the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act after a deal with the Greens. Watt discounted criticism over the changes, which improves features including a new federal environment protection agency and national environmental standards. Related: Seven ways Australia’s nature laws are changing after Labor’s deal with the Greens He told RN Breakfast this morning: I’m afraid Sussan Ley has got to just accept the fact that her own side of politics was completely incapable of reaching a deal with us. I’ve lost count of the number of meetings, phone conversations I’ve had with numerous Coalition frontbenchers, not just one, trying to work out some sort of arrangement with the Coalition. But in the end, they just couldn’t be clear with us about exactly what they wanted. So they’ve got no one to blame but themselves if they’re unhappy about a deal being struck with the Greens. Updated at 9.00pm GMT 8.34pm GMT Man charged after allegedly speeding 220km/h in Melbourne without lights on Victoria police charged a driver for allegedly driving more than 220km/h with no headlights on last night. Officials said officers saw a Volkswagen Golf travelling at high speeds in Melbourne’s north-west at about 11pm. Police tried to intercept the vehicle but the driver allegedly failed to stop and continued driving while weaving in and out of traffic. Air support helped follow the car to the suburb of Sunshine, where police were able to stop the vehicle using stop sticks, a tire deflation device. A man, 18, was taken into custody and has since been charged with multiple offences, including reckless conduct endangering serious injury, dangerous driving while pursued by police, failing to stop and excess speeding, among others. He will appear in court today. Updated at 8.43pm GMT 8.21pm GMT Qantas closures threaten ‘lifeline’ in rural Australia Rural Australians fear the closure of three regional Qantas bases will affect access to health, education and business, but the airline insists it is dedicated to supporting the bush, AAP reports. QantasLink announced its bases in Canberra, Hobart and Mildura will shut from April 2026 soon after Rex fell into voluntary administration and budget airline Bonza collapsed. Executives from the flying kangaroo’s regional operation will front a Senate inquiry today examining the reliability and affordability of aviation services in rural Australia. A submission from Mildura rural city council said its airport was a critical link to regional centres in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. Passengers were concerned the base closure would limit access to reliable air travel from the town 550km north-west of Melbourne. QantasLink’s exit also had the potential to discourage investment in the region, the council warned. Updated at 8.24pm GMT 8.07pm GMT Good morning, and welcome to Friday. Nick Visser here to get the blog rolling. Let’s get to it. 7.59pm GMT Centre for Public Integrity says government’s $560m grant scheme ripe for ‘pork barrelling’ The Centre for Public Integrity has raised concerns that a $560m invitation-only grant program established by the Albanese government is ripe for pork-barrelling The major and local community infrastructure program was launched in September after being promised during the election campaign earlier in the year. According to the centre, its guidelines make it clear that only organisations identified by the government will have access to cash. The centre has also raised concerns about a lack of assessment criteria. In a report released today, the transparency group argues the $560m grant scheme has “conditions ripe for politically motivated funding allocations, or pork barrelling”: When election promises are channelled through grants without open or transparent eligibility criteria, the distinction between policy delivery and political patronage becomes blurred. Both major parties have used such mechanisms in the past – including through the community development grants program and Building Better regions fund – to direct taxpayer money toward electorally advantageous projects. 7.53pm GMT Iran denounces Australia's terror designation Iran has denounced Australia’s decision to designate the Revolutionary Guards a terror-sponsoring group, as relations between Canberra and Tehran took another downward turn. In August, Australia blamed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological wing of Iran’s military, for two 2024 arson attacks targeting its Jewish community, and expelled Tehran’s ambassador. In a statement on Thursday, the Australian government said it was using new legislation passed in the wake of the attacks to designate the Guards a “state sponsor of terrorism”. The government added: “These cowardly attacks on Australian soil were designed to undermine and sow division in our multicultural society, by targeting Jewish Australians to inflict harm and stoke fear.” The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said “Iran’s attacks were unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil” and had prompted the listing. Responding to the designation, Iran’s foreign ministry called it “an insulting and unjustified act” and a “violation of international legal rules and norms related to the national sovereignty of states”. “This irresponsible action is in line with the gross error that the Australian government committed based on completely false and fabricated accusations by the security institutions of the Zionist regime (Israel),” Iran’s foreign ministry statement read. It also expressed “indignation at the adherence of certain Australian political officials to the harmful policy of the Israeli regime by spreading lies against Iran”. Relations between the two countries have spiralled in recent months. After blaming Iran for the arson attacks targeting a kosher restaurant in Sydney and a synagogue in Melbourne, Canberra declared the Iranian ambassador persona non grata and gave him and three other Iranian diplomats a week to leave the country. It was the first such expulsion by Australia since the second world war. Canberra also recalled its own ambassador and suspended the activities of its embassy. In June, Australia was one of a small number of US allies to explicitly welcome Washington’s bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities during a 12-day war between Israel and Iran. - AFP, Reuters 7.47pm GMT More storms on the way for south-east Queensland Hail has hammered a storm-hit region with more wild weather ahead as east coast communities brace for damaging winds and heavy rain, Australian Associated Press reports. Storms rolled into south-east Queensland yesterday for the fourth straight day with inner-city Brisbane among the first hit. Although there may be a slight lull today, more rain is forecast for Saturday. Hailstones up to 4cm in diameter peppered the city yesterday as the skies opened with more expected to come as severe storms “bubble along” the east coast last night. Wild weather is set to impact the state from the Sunshine Coast in the south-east to the Cape York Peninsula in the north. “The storms are packing a punch,” Angus Hines of the Bureau of Meteorology told AAP. There’s a fairly extensive risk for today and there is still a number of communities including pretty populated ones on the east coast which could be hit by some pretty severe thunderstorms. The bureau had earlier warned of “giant hail, big enough to cause damage to properties, vehicles and crops” for south-east Queensland. You do not want to be outside in that, so please move your cars under cover and stay inside when a storm approaches. Damaging to destructive winds at and above 100km/h are easily enough to bring down trees and power lines and cause property damage to homes, properties and businesses. More than 10,000 people were without power yesterday afternoon after days of “catastrophic” superstorms in the south-east. Issued at 5:11pm ESTSevere thunderstorms likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding were detected near #Brisbane CBD.More: https://t.co/nu4TEDlk7E pic.twitter.com/XYtYDmncXD— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) November 27, 2025 Cyclonic winds toppled trees, removed roofs and brought down powerlines, shutting roads and forcing schools to close with repairs still under way. At one stage more than 160,000 properties were left without power. There is some relief in sight with a “lull” in storm action forecast for Friday but it will be a “brief reprieve” with stormy weather returning by Saturday, Hines said. Check out our story here: Related: Temperatures to stay up to 8C above average for Queensland and northern NSW into next week after storms wreak havoc 7.30pm GMT Welcome Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the day’s breaking news before Nick Visser guides you through to the weekend. South-east Queensland will be given a brief reprieve today after four days of violent storms bringing huge hailstones and damaging winds. But the wild weather is expected to return again tomorrow. More details coming up. The Centre for Public Integrity has raised concerns that a $560m invitation-only grant program established by the Albanese government is ripe for pork-barrelling. More details soon. And Iran has accused Australia of violating international rules by designating the country’s Revolutionary Guards a terror-sponsoring group. More on that, too, soon