https://www.scmp.com/rss/523710/feed The latest news and top stories on the Australian government. A Capital Territory-based parliamentary constitutional monarchy, the Australian government is dedicated to improving the lives of all Australians and defending national interests. Its main areas of focus include setting national policy, implementing laws and managing defence and foreign affairs. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao China and Australia should intensify exchanges on energy security amid complex global geopolitics, Canberra said on Tuesday as spillover from the US-Israel war against Iran continued to endanger the world economy. In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang discussed the importance of energy security “in light of the current global challenges” and agreed to increase government-to-government communication to support regional energy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349341/neighbours-matter-more-ever-china-australia-vow-more-contact-amid-global-tension?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349341/neighbours-matter-more-ever-china-australia-vow-more-contact-amid-global-tension?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:27:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters The number of firearms in Australia reached an all-time high of more than 4 ‌million in 2025, the centre-left government reported on Sunday, ‍a day after saying it would introduce a gun reform bill in parliament in response to the Bondi massacre. There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with ⁠1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place, the government said, citing Department of Home Affairs data. The Labour government on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340336/australia-faces-record-guns-bondi-massacre-prompts-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340336/australia-faces-record-guns-bondi-massacre-prompts-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:01:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian police are investigating a “suspicious fire” after a car carrying a sign celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was set ablaze on Thursday in Melbourne. The empty car, which had a “Happy Chanukah” sign fixed to the roof, was scorched by the fire while parked in a house driveway, images on national broadcaster ABC television showed. It was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria police said in a statement, describing it... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337683/australia-investigates-after-car-hanukkah-sign-torched-christmas-day-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337683/australia-investigates-after-car-hanukkah-sign-torched-christmas-day-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 04:07:00 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a sweeping crackdown on hate, division and radicalisation on Thursday after a mass shooting killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach. “Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more,” Albanese told a news conference. The prime minister outlined a suite of measures to target extremist preachers, impose stiffer punishments and refuse or cancel visas for people who... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336847/australia-pushes-tougher-hate-speech-laws-after-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336847/australia-pushes-tougher-hate-speech-laws-after-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 02:49:51 +0000 Reuters Reuters Turkey will host next year’s UN climate summit while Australia will lead the conference’s negotiations among governments under a compromise deal taking shape in talks in Brazil, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. The annual Cop conferences are the world’s main forum for driving climate action. The compromise would resolve a stand-off between Australia and Turkey over who would stage Cop31. Both bid in 2022 to host it and refused to stand down. The two sides were now... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3333467/turkey-host-cop31-climate-summit-australia-opts-compromise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3333467/turkey-host-cop31-climate-summit-australia-opts-compromise?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:43:50 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Regional hot-button issues amplified by great power rivalry, such as the South China Sea and Taiwan, have contributed to more Australians “than ever before” being exposed to foreign intelligence operations, Canberra’s top spy has warned. Australia’s social cohesion faced “unprecedented” tests, with international dynamics playing a role, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director general Mike Burgess said in a speech on Tuesday. The country had been among the targets of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331600/hot-regional-issues-south-china-sea-expose-australians-foreign-agents-spy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331600/hot-regional-issues-south-china-sea-expose-australians-foreign-agents-spy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 07:34:51 +0000 The Star The Star Roblox has pledged to improve safety through the use of artificial intelligence technology and human monitoring after a Malaysian boy allegedly stabbed his brother over a dispute linked to the online gaming platform. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the company expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Malaysian government, particularly on data sharing and compliance with regulations. In a social media post on Monday, Yeoh raised her concerns over child safety on the popular... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331283/roblox-vows-step-monitoring-after-malaysian-boy-stabs-brother-game-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331283/roblox-vows-step-monitoring-after-malaysian-boy-stabs-brother-game-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 04:37:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters The CEO of Singapore Telecommunications-owned Optus apologised to Australia’s parliament for an emergency number outage that was linked to four deaths but declined to stand down, citing a need for stability. Stephen Rue started in the role a year ago following a massive cyberattack and separate half-day outage which resulted in the previous CEO leaving. On September 18, Optus said a failure of its “000” emergency line affected thousands of people and four died as a result of the inability to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331263/ceo-singapore-owned-optus-refuses-resign-after-australian-outage-linked-4-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331263/ceo-singapore-owned-optus-refuses-resign-after-australian-outage-linked-4-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:45:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters Optus, Australia’s second largest telecoms carrier, said on Sunday that a departure from regular processes on a network upgrade sparked a technical failure that disrupted emergency call services for 13 hours and has been linked to four deaths. There has been growing outcry in Australia over the glitch, which Optus said occurred during a network firewall upgrade from 12.30am on Thursday until about 1.30pm and potentially impacted 600 customers. The government on Friday said it would investigate... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3326296/australia-investigating-optus-emergency-calls-outage-linked-4-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3326296/australia-investigating-optus-emergency-calls-outage-linked-4-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 09:33:06 +0000 Elizabeth Cheung,Emily Hung,Olga Wong Elizabeth Cheung,Emily Hung,Olga Wong Hong Kong authorities will seek to further limit young children’s use of mobile digital devices, including social media access, by updating the city’s guidelines as part of health initiatives set to be unveiled in Wednesday’s policy address, the Post has learned. The planned review of the guidelines comes amid tightening controls in some countries on minors’ device usage and the ongoing trend of Hong Kong children having the highest myopia incidence rates globally, alongside a notable increase... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3325627/hong-kong-seeks-limit-childrens-digital-device-use-amid-rising-myopia-rates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3325627/hong-kong-seeks-limit-childrens-digital-device-use-amid-rising-myopia-rates?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:30:08 +0000