What we learned – Friday 1 May
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Australia’s housing market is growing at its slowest rate for almost 18 months as buyers stick to cheaper properties and abandon interest in the top end of the market. While house prices may be slowing but rents are rising at their fastest rate since October 2024, adding to inflation pressure before the Reserve Bank’s next interest rate decision on Tuesday.
Australia has agreed to work together with South Korea to strengthen energy supply chain resilience and to maintain stable, safe and reliable supply of energy resources, including diesel and LNG, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, confirmed.
Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, spoke on ABC RN after grief and anger ripped through Alice Springs overnight after the arrest of a man in connection with the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
The Coalition urged Labor to implement its post-Bondi attack gun reforms, frontbencher Jonno Duniam said, after the laws were backed by the royal commission established after the shooting.
Six Australians that were detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while attempting to transport aid to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud flotilla are being transported to Crete, Israel’s foreign minister said. Twenty-two ships were intercepted on Wednesday evening off the coast of Greece, containing about 175 activists, including the Australians.
The construction industry association Master Builders Australia said the cost of materials has grown to a two-and-a-half year high. The association released a statement pointing to today’s release of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Producer Price Indexes data, showing the cost of building materials rose by 2.5 per% over the year to the March 2026 quarter.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us.
Updated
Lidia Thorpe urges people to call out racism after Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe urges people to call out racism and racist comments posted online in the wake of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s “deeply distressing” death.
Thorpe has just been interviewed on ABC Afternoon Briefing, where she said “keyboard warriors” had been posting offensive content relating to the tragedy and that:
The racism online, the videos online, our children are watching that, the racists are becoming more emboldened, and this is not a joking matter.
This is not a time where you become a perpetrator on top of an absolute tragedy.
I think if anyone is seeing that, then we all have a responsibility to call that out, because it is causing harm, not only for that family and that community, it is causing harm to this nation.
Thorpe said there should be an inquiry into the “absolute system failure” that led to Little Baby’s death, including what happened when her accused killer was previously released from prison.
She said:
The systems are failing us, and particularly in the Northern Territory, where I have heard stories this week from women where there are no safe refuges, there are no places to go, the women’s domestic violence service closes at 5pm and women have to go back to the perpetrator after that.
Thorpe called on the government to respond to the national antiracism framework, which she said had “been sitting on [the prime minister’s] shelf for over a year”.
You know, there are really tangible actions we can be doing as a nation to bring people along on a journey and to understand the harmful effects of racism.
Updated
I’m going to sign off from the blog now. My colleague, Cait Kelly, will see you through to the end of the day. Thanks for reading.
Master Builders Australia urges government to act as material costs rise
The construction industry association Master Builders Australia says the cost of materials has grown to a two-and-a-half year high.
The association has released a statement pointing to today’s release of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Producer Price Indexes data, showing the cost of building materials rose by 2.5 per% over the year to the March 2026 quarter.
Master Builders says this is the largest annual cost deterioration since September 2023, and partly reflects the increases in transport and production costs resulting from the war in the Middle East as well as disruption to supply chains.
The association’s chief economist, Shane Garrett, said the affordability of new homes was “already deteriorating” as a result of growing inflation caused by the war, and that the cost of a new house had increased by 4.1% over the past year.
Garrett said almost every category of home building material had increased in price over the past 12 months, with electrical equipment up 6.3% and installed gas/electrical appliances having risen by 5.7%.
The Master Builders CEO, Denita Wawn, has called on the federal government to “do all it can” to improve the affordability of building materials, saying that:
Construction productivity is 21.5% lower than it was just over a decade ago and continued escalations in labour and material costs will only make the situation worse.
The government needs a strong plan to address these pressures.
Australia must support local manufacturing by reducing input costs while also not impeding the flow of good quality and compliant building materials from overseas.
The association’s wish list for the government, released ahead of the upcoming federal budget, includes “a radical red tape reduction”, increased private and public funding for housing infrastructure, investing in all apprentice training pathways, and “embracing” skilled migration.
Updated
Vic premier responds to Bondi royal commission interim report
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has issued a statement after the release of the interim report into antisemitism and social cohesion, saying it contains “lessons for all of us”.
She said that while the first key recommendation is directed to New South Wales police, the Victorian government would also ensure its police force applies it. She said Victoria would also advance the recommendations relevant to states on counter-terrorism planning, preparedness and cooperation.
Regarding firearms, she said the government commissioned Ken Lay to conduct a rapid review. The government received the review on 30 March and will release it later this month along with its response.
Allan said:
Firearm safety is paramount, but this issue goes beyond firearms. Antisemitism was a crisis before Bondi and remains one now.
I would not be doing justice to the victims of every other antisemitic attack in Australia, including the Adass Israel Synagogue, if I did not make that clear. My thoughts are with each of those victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community.
We will continue to take tangible action to prevent what they have endured. We remain hopeful this process delivers the truth we need to hear – and the steps we must take next.
Updated
‘Barely a street’ in Dubbo without trees poisoned by pesticides, NSW Greens say
The NSW Greens upper house member Sue Higginson says there is a ‘barely a street’ in the Central West town of Dubbo which is not showing evidence of die-back from exposure to agricultural chemicals.
Higginson, who visited the town yesterday, has joined with local advocacy groups to call on the state’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to launch an investigation to determine the potential impact on human health.
Higginson says:
The sheer scale of the evidence that agricultural poisons are present in Dubbo and Narromine is shocking, and worse, this has been going on for decades. There is barely a street in Dubbo that doesn’t have a tree dying from the top down as these chemicals blow across town from season to season. ...
It’s time for the EPA to act in the interests of community health and safety in the towns of the Central West. We have a right to know the chemicals that are settling on the trees and streets of Dubbo and Narromine, and the concentrations that people are being exposed to.
The Dubbo and Narromine councils and the EPA have been contacted for comment.
Updated
Greens say response to Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death must be ‘evidence based’ and led by Aboriginal women
The Australian Greens have released a statement about Kumanjayi Little Baby, the five-year-old girl found dead near Alice Springs on Thursday.
The statement said:
Our hearts ache for the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby and their community. The pain and grief being felt in Mparntwe Alice Springs and across the nation for the loss of this little girl is immense, and words cannot express the heartbreak of this loss.
We support the family and community of Kumanjayi Little Baby and their right to grieve in accordance with cultural practices. The community must be given the respect it needs during this time of Sorry Business.
There will be questions about how to prevent anything like this happening again. The response must be evidence based and led by Aboriginal women and their communities.Aboriginal self-determination and leadership is critical to women and children’s safety.
We condemn all violence against First Nations women and children. It is a human rights abuse and an epidemic. We must take leadership from and work in solidarity with First Nations women to address it.
After years of dedicated First Nations advocacy, a community-led plan to end violence, Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices, was launched in March 2026. Governments must ensure funding and commitment to specialised services, and support the national peak body, Our Ways Strong Together.
Federal intervention in First Nations communities has at best failed to deliver lasting change and at worst been harmful to those communities.
Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14
Kids Help Line on 1800 551 800
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
Headspace on 1800 650 890
ReachOut Australia at au.reachout.com
13YARN Crisis Support on 13 92 76
Updated
Hello, I hope you’ve had a great day so far. It’s Friday! I’ll take you through the rest of the afternoon’s news on the blog.
I’m going to hand you over to my colleague Catie McLeod now, who will take you through the rest of the news this afternoon. Thanks for your company today!
Albanese rejects speculation about CGT discount changes
Tax changes in the upcoming budget are designed to help young people own a home, the prime minister says, while claiming speculation about changes to the capital gains tax are wrong.
Asked about reported changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount at an event in western Sydney on Friday, Anthony Albanese said young people felt the system was working against them, eroding trust in the economy and democracy, AAP reports.
Media reports have ramped up expectations the 50% capital gains discount will be reverted to the pre-1999 regime, which taxed real gains on assets adjusted for inflation.
Albanese said:
I know there’s been a bit of speculation, all of it wrong.
When people see what we’re actually going to do in the budget, people will be able to make their own assessments, but I can assure you that it is aimed firmly and squarely at aspiration.
Updated
‘Sliding doors’ moment for Australian-owned AI, Labor minister says
Labor minister Andrew Charlton has given an interesting speech today in Sydney, imploring businesses to back Australian-owned AI firms and saying the country faced a “sliding doors” moment between adopting locally made AI models or foreign-owned ones.
Earlier, the peak body for the datacentre industry in Australia made a similar argument to a NSW parliamentary inquiry, which we reported here.
The assistant minister for science and the digital economy said it was an argument about national resilience, and whether Australia would have to rely on overseas models instead of homegrown ones.
“If we fail to build a strong AI industry around our own data and ingenuity, we will be a more vulnerable and less prosperous country,” Charlton told a forum at the University of Technology Sydney.
He went on:
Australia is in a critical window in which we will determine whether this country builds a strong domestic AI industry, or whether we become an importer of foreign AI and a permanent renter of intelligence from abroad. This distinction matters. In the last few months we have seen how dangerous it is to be reliant on foreign imports of a commodity that is critical to our economy.
Charlton said in his speech that Australia had more than 1,500 AI-focused companies, and that many businesses and researchers were world-leading – but needed support to grow.
We all need to lean into buying Australian AI technology and services. The government has an important role to play, but so do Australian businesses.
The assistant minister made the case for businesses to “lean Australian” when choosing AI technology and companies.
Updated
Capital gains and negative gearing tax breaks likely to be scaled back
The Albanese government is widely expected to scale back tax breaks for investors in its May budget, under the banner of fighting intergenerational inequity.
Investors, including landlords, only pay tax on 50% of their capital gains on investments held for at least 12 months.
Experts say the concession, alongside rampant negative gearing, has helped fuel soaring home prices, locking many young Australians out of the property market.
Treasury has reportedly modelled cutting the discount to 33%, or returning to the pre-1999 regime where the capital gains were adjusted by inflation.
Just under two weeks out from the 12 May budget, bets have firmed that the Albanese government will opt for the second of these options.
With an eye to lifting housing supply – and to fend off opposition attacks about housing supply – the budget could include more generous tax breaks for investment in new builds.
There could also be changes to negative gearing – where landlords claim rental losses against their taxable income – which could involve limiting the number of negatively geared properties, or abolishing it altogether.
Will these things actually make homes cheaper?
Read the full story here:
Updated
Israel says six detained Australians being moved to Crete
Six Australians that were detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while attempting to transport aid to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud flotilla are being transported to Crete, Israel’s foreign minister says.
Twenty-two ships were intercepted on Wednesday evening off the coast of Greece, containing about 175 activists, including the Australians. More than 40 are continuing to attempt to sail to Gaza.
Posting to X, Gideon Sa’ar said the IDF had “successfully blocked attempts to breach the lawful naval blockade on Gaza and the arrival of vessels from the provocative flotilla”:
All participants in the provocative flotilla who were taken off the vessels were taken off unharmed. In coordination with the Greek government, the individuals transferred from the flotilla vessels to the Israeli vessel will be disembarked on a Greek beach in the coming hours. We thank the Greek government for its willingness to receive the flotilla participants.
The Global Sumud flotilla says the IDF’s actions were unlawful as the boats were intercepted in international waters hundreds of kilometres from Israel.
Updated
Coles suppliers requesting supermarket put up prices amid Iran war, executive says
Coles says it is receiving at least as many supplier requests to increase product shelf prices, due to the flow-on effects from the war in the Middle East, as it did during the pandemic.
In a call with investors this morning announcing Coles’s financial results for the third quarter of this financial year, Anna Croft, the supermarket’s chief commercial and sustainability officer, said fresh groceries had already become more expensive to reflect high fuel costs.
Croft said:
We are starting to see that come through in some of the other categories, but really the vast majority at this time is fresh, which would be kind of bakery, produce, meat, dairy, as you would expect.
[It’s] starting to come through in some of the grocery categories, but not to the scale at which we’ve seen on fresh.
We are seeing [supplier requests for price increases] at Covid levels and in some cases in certain categories more elevated than Covid.
Coles recorded a 3.1% rise in its quarterly revenue to $10.7bn, with strong supermarket sales offsetting a pullback in liquor purchases.
The release of Coles’ quarterly results comes two days after the government’s latest inflation data was released, showing the cost of living had jumped to 4.6% in the year to March.
Updated
Man charged four decades after woman’s alleged rape and abduction in Melbourne
A man has been charged over the alleged abduction and rape of a young mother after she left a suburban milk bar more than four decades ago, AAP reports.
The woman, then aged in her 30s, was returning from a university lecture on 24 June 1985, when she stopped at a milk bar on Colby Drive at Belgrave Heights in Melbourne’s outer south-east.
When she returned to her unlocked car, it is alleged a man armed with a knife appeared from the back seat, threatened her and directed her to drive. She drove for about one to two kilometres, before the man ordered her to pull into a secluded bush area on Courtneys Road in Belgrave South.
Police allege the man forced the woman out of the car and raped her while obscuring the victim’s vision, placing items over her head and face in a bid to conceal his identity.
She was left tied up and partially clothed in the rain as the man fled in the vehicle, where it was abandoned about 100m from where she was allegedly abducted.
The woman ran several hundred metres to the nearest house where she sought refuge and emergency services were called.
At the time, the offender was described as in his 20s, about 183cm tall, with short hair, a deep voice and wearing a dark military-type overcoat.
The cold case was reviewed by Sexual Crimes Squad detectives in 2023.
On Thursday afternoon, a 65-year-old Bendigo man was taken into custody and later charged with abduction, common law assault, attempted aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, aggravated rape, common law assault, theft and theft of motor vehicle.
He is expected to appear at Bendigo magistrates court on Friday.
• In Australia, support is available at Full Stop Australia (1800 385 578).
Updated
Locusts on move in South Australia
Plague locusts are on the march in South Australia – but it’s not yet an official outbreak.
The Australian plague locust is a significant agricultural pest that can devastate crops.
In SA there have been multiple reports of swarms in recently sown paddocks, after rain in February and warm days created favourable conditions.
The SA plague locust commissioner, Michael McManus, from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (Pirsa), said they had not yet reached outbreak levels. Pirsa is sending out survey teams to assess the locusts’ movement, numbers and distribution.
Immature locusts (nymphs) form bands that move over pastures, while adult locusts create swarms which can cover several square kilometres.
According to the federal agriculture department, an outbreak is when there are multiple bands or swarms in one region, a major outbreak is when there are many bands or swarms in several regions. A plague is when several hundred thousand hectares are infested in several regions, and a major plague is when more than 500,000 hectares are infested.
Updated
Poliovirus detected in Perth wastewater
The poliovirus has been detected in a wastewater sample taken from a catchment in Perth in mid-April this year.
The wastewater detection demonstrated evidence of a vaccine-derived poliovirus Type 2 strain, similar to what has been detected in the wastewater of various countries globally in recent years, including in Africa, Europe and Papua New Guinea.
Western Australia’s chief health officer, Clare Huppatz, said it was low risk to the population.
Huppatz said:
The potential for this strain to circulate in a highly vaccinated population is very low, and the poliovirus vaccination coverage in WA children is 92%.
This finding is most likely from someone who has travelled overseas and is shedding this virus strain.
Fortunately, Australia has an excellent vaccination program against poliovirus, which will protect the community against this strain.
Updated
Former NSW Liberal MP continues fight against child sex charges
A former NSW state Liberal MP will face a retrial over child abuse charges after continuing to deny allegations he sexually assaulted a teenage boy in a communal toilet, AAP reports.
Rory Amon, 36, has consistently argued he thought a 13-year-old boy was of legal age before meeting him at the youth’s apartment block in 2017.
After a NSW Supreme Court trial, jurors were discharged in March having failed to reach a verdict over separate counts of indecent assault and the rape of a child.
Amon again pleaded not guilty these two charges as he was arraigned on Friday.
An estimated two-week retrial will commence on 9 November.
In March, the jury acquitted Amon of four counts of child rape, two counts of attempted child rape and two counts of indecent assault of a child.
These charges related to an alleged second meeting with the teen which Amon denied occurred. He was 27 years old at the time and aspiring for a life in politics. He would go on to serve two terms on Northern Beaches Council before being elected as the Liberal MP for the state seat of Pittwater in 2023.
The charges killed Amon’s fledgling career in state politics, forcing his expulsion from the Liberal party and his resignation after his election in March 2023.
His exit had implications for the state Liberals, who lost the formerly safe seat to a teal independent at the subsequent by-election.
Updated
Liddle also discussed the consequences of last night's violence. He said:
Ambulances were taken off the road last night, and the ambulance workers went on lockdown for five hours, so if you had a bleed out or you had a heart attack at that time, you couldn’t call the ambulances.
Now these are these consequences from the bad choices that were made for going to act out.
Losing Kumanjayi Little Baby ‘really appalling’, elder says
Elder Warren Williams said the community was in grief:
I feel devastated by what happened all this week and losing our grandchild was enormous, really appalling.
People are very emotional about what happened there.
It’s something that we’ve never seen before,
He said what happened at the hospital last night was “very severe”.
Updated
Elders speak in Alice Springs
Authorities and elders are addressing the media in Alice Springs.
Elders have acknowledged the loss of the family and called for calm. Michael Liddle said:
All week, the community of Alice Springs come together, service providers, business-owners, searching for a little baby … and that hard work was undone last night by some people who are very angry with the systems, the same systems that create safety and less harm, keeping people safe in Alice Springs.
Updated
Farley defends previous attempts to join Labor and become an independent
The One Nation candidate for Farrer, David Farley, has defended previously trying to join the Labor party and donating to his rival and independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe at the last election.
Nine newspapers also reported Farley called Milthorpe a “straight shooter” and a “good woman” in social media posts uncovered in recent weeks.
At a candidates’ debate last night for Farrer, hosted by veteran political journalist Barrie Cassidy, Farley said he explored the pathway to joining Labor, because “you don’t get those answers unless you get in the door”.
He said:
When I got in the door, it was obvious that, culturally, I didn’t fit. My comments on Gillard don’t fit them, and I got out of the door. So I said, that is a closed door.
I explored the path of independence down there. And looked at can you go into Canberra as an independent without the machinery behind you? And said, no.
He said ultimately One Nation was the “only one party” that had tenacity and courage and that aligned with his views.
Updated
Australia up for ‘anything that can assist’ in Hormuz reopening
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed Australia is in discussions about an operation to reopen the strait of Hormuz but was keeping his cards close to his chest about what the government would offer.
Albanese said at a press conference today:
We’ll have those discussions privately. We’ll engage in anything that can assist.
We’re engaged with the United States but we’ve also been participating in meetings that have been convened in London as well. We want to see the strait of Hormuz open. We want to see international trade resume because this is having a devastating impact on the global economy. It’s impacting inflation here, as it is right around the world.
Asked what Australia specifically would contribute, Albanese said:
There hasn’t been that determination.
We’ll discuss those things respectfully. What we want to see, though, is for a de-escalation. We want to see peace in the region.
Updated
Stopping Australian datacentres won’t stop AI, peak body says
The peak body for the datacentre industry in Australia has told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the sector that preventing new datacentres being built in Australia will just mean AI will be imported from overseas, rather than developed here.
The Data Centres Australia chief executive, Belinda Dennett, told the inquiry in its first hearing on Friday morning that community anxiety about AI is being conflated with datacentre builds happening across the country:
We get that there is a real concern in the community about artificial intelligence and what that means for society. But we won’t stop that coming. So we either become an importer of someone else’s technology, that has no Australian culture, values or laws built into that, or we build that here and we have some say, control, over what that looks like.
The Greens chair of the committee, Abigail Boyd, revealed that individual datacentre operators were due to make submissions to the inquiry but withdrew, leaving the peak body as the sole participant. Dennett said Data Centres Australia did not stop them from making submissions, and it was a decision for each individual company.
Dennett’s appearance came after a number of Sydney councils made submissions raising concerns about the high number of new datacentre projects planned in NSW.
Dennett said most of her role is “mythbusting” about the datacentre industry. She said datacentre investment in Australia is important to reduce latency – the amount of time data takes to travel – and also the increasing requirement from governments in Australia to keep sensitive data onshore:
Australia is such a attractive market for datacentre investment … because we’re a strong, politically stable, law-abiding country where people feel safe about data and applications.
Updated
PM: death of Kumanjayi Little Baby 'breaks your heart'
Anthony Albanese said the federal government understands the “anger and frustration” in Alice Springs at the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby but called for the community there to come together.
“It breaks your heart,” the prime minister said this morning when asked about the incident at a Sydney press conference.
Albanese continued:
This is a community that are hurting. One of the things that [Indigenous affairs minister Malarndirri McCarthy] said to me, though, was that we must remember that literally hundreds and hundreds of people came together to search for this young girl before the tragic result where she was found.
Albanese added:
We want to see the community come together but we certainly understand people’s anger and frustration and that that was expressed.
Updated
Whale carcass to be towed from NSW beach
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has provided an update on its endeavour to remove a sperm whale carcass from the rocks of Era beach.
The carcass washed up last Saturday. You can read more about it here:
NPWS coordinated with other agencies all week to devise a removal plan for the whale, which they now estimate is 8m long and weighs 20 tonnes. A NPWS spokesperson said:
The location of the carcass is proving to be very difficult for removal.
NPWS has engaged a contractor to tow the carcass … to a suitable loading point for retrieval.
The carcass will be disposed of in a licensed waste facility.
The date of removal, the loading point for retrieval, and the licensed waste facility were not named.
Beaches at Sydney’s Royal National Park, including Era, Wattamolla, Garie and Burning Palms, remain closed due to reports of sharks in the area. NPWS and Surf Life Saving NSW continue to advise people to stay out of the water until the beaches reopen.
Updated
NT chief minister calls for calm in Alice Springs
The NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, has called for calm in Alice Springs today. She said:
Attacks on frontline workers are never acceptable and while we appreciate and understand that people are very angry and grieving, there is never an excuse or acceptability of violence as a response. Now, police and our emergency services have a very important job to do and we have to let them do that job. And so we are very hopeful that isolated incident. It should not define what has been an incredible community effort this week.
Finocchiaro said the alcohol sales restrictions have been made to free up police resources from bottle-shop monitoring, not because they had made links between alcohol sales and the unrest on Thursday night.
Finocchiaro said:
I do not know that we are necessarily making links around the events last night with shops being open, but today it is very important that things do not escalate and that we have an important reprieve.
Here in Alice Springs and in the Northern Territory – for people who are not from the Northern Territory, you might not be aware – but we have police standing on bottle shops as part of our precautionary measures. So when we have that it is resource-intensive drain. So today we need boots on the ground where they are needed – we need our community supported – and not standing in front of bottle shops.
Our licensees have completely shown leadership in this space recognising that they want police where community want police, and that’s not standing outside bottle shops.
Updated
Jefferson Lewis was unconscious when apprehended, police say
Jefferson Lewis was unconscious and being treated by St John Ambulance when he was apprehended by police but has since been cleared fit for custody, the NT police commissioner has confirmed.
Martin Dole said:
Mr Lewis was subject to a sustained attack. He did receive treatment at the Alice Springs hospital. At the time of his apprehension by us, he was unconscious and in the process of being treated by St John’s Ambulance when they were set upon, as were the police.
He has been given a “fit for custody” and has been released from Northern Territory Health and he is now with NT police in our custody. His injuries are not significant enough to keep him in hospital.
Updated
One community member arrested after violent scenes in Alice Springs
The NT police commissioner has also confirmed one woman has been arrested in relation to the unrest in Alice Springs last night.
The police commissioner, Martin Dole, told media just now that the woman had been arrested for allegedly “attempting to set fire to one of our sedans”.
Dore said:
She’s in custody at the moment and is being investigated for attempted arson.
Updated
Police commissioner says those involved in confrontations with police will ‘face the law’
The NT police commissioner, Martin Dole, has said that those involved in the confrontations with police and emergency services will “face the law”, and that he expects arrests to occur today and tomorrow.
Dore, speaking at a press conference with the chief minister in Alice Springs just now, said:
Let me say, the behaviour we saw last night cannot be explained away, excused or accepted. There is absolutely no excuse for violence against emergency services that are just doing their job so for those people involved, you will face the law as Jefferson Lewis is facing the law and your behaviour will not be accepted by us.
… There is one law and that one law applies to everybody, including the people involved in the violence last night.
Updated
Alice Springs imposes restrictions on takeaway alcohol in wake of unrest
NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, has announced there will be a ban on takeaway alcohol sales in Alice Springs today, and limited takeaway sales on Saturday in the wake of unrest in the community last night.
Speaking to media just now, Finocchiaro said the move would bring “a reprieve” to the community and frontline workers:
Today, there will be no takeaway alcohol here in Alice Springs. I want to thank the leadership from our bottle shops and the hospitality industry for leading that charge.
It is very important and it will bring important reprieve to the community and frontline workers. Tomorrow, there will be limited takeaway between 11am and 2pm. Sunday is a really highly restricted and Monday and Tuesday are already grog-free days.
Updated
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy diagnosed with neurodegenerative disorder
Craig Bellamy has been diagnosed with an unspecified neurodegenerative disorder but will remain as coach of Melbourne Storm in the immediate future, the club has said.
The club issued a statement on Thursday night, 24 hours out from Melbourne’s NRL clash with the Dolphins in Brisbane, with the 66-year-old Bellamy recently undergoing a series of medical tests.
The club said in the statement:
Over recent weeks, in consultation with specialists, Craig has undergone a series of medical tests and has since been diagnosed with a form of neurodegenerative disorder.
He is receiving the best possible medical treatment and has been advised by specialists that his diagnosis will not have an impact on his ability to coach the team in the immediate future.
You can read more on this story here:
Updated
Kumanjayi Little Baby's grandfather calls for calm
Robin Granites, senior Yapa (Warlpiri) elder, grandfather of Kumanjayi Little Baby and spokesperson for the family, has appealed for calm across the central Australian community.
In a statement this morning, Granites said:
It is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and have space for grieving and remembering.
Everyone is feeling very upset and emotions are very high, I understand that.
What has happened this week is not our way. Our children are precious, of course we are feeling angry and hurt at what has happened.
This man has been caught, thanks to community action, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn Kumanjayi Little Baby and support our family.
Granites has asked people in bush communities to carefully consider their need to travel to Mparntwe/Alice Springs at this time:
If you need to come to join sorry business, that’s fine. But just come for that, then return home please.
Now is not the time to be heroes on social media or make trouble.
We must be mindful Mparntwe is traditional country for central Arrernte, and east and western Arrernte as well. We must respect that and their ways.
We need to be strong for each other, we must respect family and cultural practice. This is the Yapa way.
Updated
Seven fighting for lives after four-car pile-up
Seven people have been left fighting for their lives after a 14-year-old boy lost control of the vehicle he was driving, causing a horrific four-car pile-up, AAP reports.
Police said the boy was driving north with three other teenagers along Maryborough-Hervey Bay Road on Queensland’s Fraser Coast at 6.10pm on Thursday when he veered on to the opposite side of the road.
The Mitsubishi Lancer then swiped a small Suzuki Swift before colliding with an orange Kona, which was then hit from the rear by a following Volkswagen Polo.
There were lengthy delays as emergency services rushed to the scene, with multiple people needing to be freed from their vehicles.
All four teenagers in the Mitsubishi sustained potentially life-threatening injuries, with a 16-year-old girl later airlifted to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a critical condition.
The driver, a 14-year-old Urangan boy, and two other passengers – a 14-year-old Granville boy and a 16-year-old Maryborough girl – were transported to Hervey Bay hospital with various head, limb, abdominal and pelvic injuries.
The driver of the Suzuki, an 18-year-old Wondunna woman, was airlifted to Maryborough hospital with limb injuries in a stable condition. Her 58-year-old passenger was taken to Maryborough hospital with chest and abdominal injuries in a stable condition.
The driver of the Kona, a 40-year-old Eli Waters man, was trapped along with a 40-year-old woman and a two-year-old girl, all of whom were taken to Hervey Bay hospital in potentially life-threatening conditions.
The sole occupant of the Volkswagen, a 19-year-old male, was taken to Maryborough hospital in a stable condition with limb injuries.
Drivers must be at least 17 years old to qualify for a provisional driver’s licence in Queensland.
Police have urged anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward.
Updated
Australian who is part of the flotilla to Gaza says ‘many boats have been broken’
An Australian who is part of the flotilla convoy attempting to transport aid to Gaza says multiple boats have been broken as about 175 activists remain detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Anny Mokotow, who is onboard the ship Bye-Luby, said their boat had to do search and rescue to find stranded boats and passengers after the flotilla was intercepted on Wednesday evening off the coast of Greece in international waters:
Many boats have been broken, engines destroyed and rigging cut. Some like Tam Tam have passengers. Others are unknown.
Political pressure needs to be put on US, Australia, Greece and the rest of the world.
The Israel Foreign Ministry said the detained activists, including six Australians, were being transported “peacefully” to Israel. Twenty-two boats have been intercepted, and 45 are continuing to sail to Gaza.
Updated
Qantas reduces capacity and eyes Europe demand
Qantas will reduce its trans-Tasman services, and shift more aircraft on to Europe-bound routes, as it overhauls its schedule to save fuel and take advantage of in-demand flights.
The airline said today that it has extended previously announced schedule changes, with its additional Perth-Rome flights now running until the end of October.
Qantas and subsidiary Jetstar have trimmed capacity across the Tasman, while Qantas’s Sydney to Bengaluru service will be temporarily suspended from August.
Qantas said the decisions were made to mitigate the impact of the Middle East conflict, including high jet fuel prices, while responding to strong demand for travel to Europe.
The new changes will reduce its international capacity by a further 2%. While the Australian airline is benefiting from demand for flights that transit through Asia and avoid the Middle East, its jet fuel bill has risen sharply.
Qantas and Jetstar are also extending capacity reductions on their domestic network, predominantly on major capital city routes, until at least the end of September.
Updated
Call for investigation into correctional systems’ actions that led to release of Jefferson Lewis
The national commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, Sue-Anne Hunter, has said she will call for “a wider investigation into the correctional systems” that led to the release of Jefferson Lewis, who was arrested last night in connection with the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby.
Police previously said Lewis was known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offences, and confirmed he had recently been released from prison but was not subject to any supervision orders.
Hunter said on Friday:
This is an extremely sad day for our people. It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the devastating loss of Kumanjayi Little Baby. Our thoughts are with her family, her community, the wider Northern Territory public, and all those across the nation carrying grief at this time.
As we call for justice, we also call for unity, and we remember the loss that sits at the centre of this. The hope we held for Kumanjayi Little Baby’s safe discovery and return must now be held for the futures of our children. This must compel us to be better and do better for them.
Every child has a right to safety and a bright future. The wellbeing, rights and interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are the grounding principles for the work we do at the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.
We call for a wider investigation into the correctional systems that led to his release.
Updated
Malarndirri McCarthy details support for community after death of Kumanjayi Little Baby
Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, has detailed some of the support work that is planned for delivery to the Alice Springs and surrounding community after the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
Speaking the ABC News, McCarthy said:
We need to make sure that the social and emotional wellbeing programs that we have are up in place in different languages, not just Warlpiri languages, but also the other languages here in central Australia.
We also have families as far as Wave Hill, the Gurindji people, who need to be looked after as well because they are directly impacted here even though they are not physically in this location. This little girl is part of their families too, and my heart goes out to them. And I have been speaking to those families in Kalkarinji as well, conscious they’re really hurting too.
We are trying to make sure through the National Indigenous Australians Agency, these programs of counselling are going out, also through Congress, the Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation here in central Australia, to ensure that all of those appropriate services are out there. And also with 13YARN, that is there in terms of phone counselling.
But it’s not just Aboriginal people as I said from the outset. This has impacted the whole community and this counselling service is for everyone, I really need to make that clear.
Updated
Coles flags grocery price increases as Iran fallout widens
Coles has warned that grocery prices may need to increase further as the fallout from the oil crisis spreads throughout the Australian economy.
Australia’s second-biggest grocery chain said today:
In recent weeks, we have seen an increase in supplier cost price increase requests and higher costs within our own operations, particularly in fuel, freight and packaging. We are actively managing these and will mitigate impacts where possible, while balancing the needs of customers and suppliers.
Coles recorded a 3.1% rise in its quarterly revenue to $10.7bn, with robust supermarket sales offsetting a pullback in liquor purchases.
The supermarket said there had been “elevated demand” for pantry staples in March in response to the geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East.
Food manufacturers have reported increased sales of long-life pantry staples, including canned tomatoes, long-life milk, tinned spaghetti and rice, since the outbreak of the conflict.
The change in buying habits is being driven by several factors, including reigniting cost-of-living pressures, concerns over future prices and a decision by some shoppers to cut down on supermarket trips to save fuel.
Updated
Australian hiker missing in Canada not heard from for two weeks
A search is under way for an Australian woman who went missing while hiking in Cape Breton Highlands national park, Canada.
Denise Ann Williams, 62, was last heard from on 15 April, when she indicated she was travelling to Chéticamp, a town on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Her rental vehicle, a Nissan Sentra, was found at the Parks Canada visitor centre near the Acadian Trail head.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Inverness Country said they received a call at about 9.30am, local time, on 28 April reporting a missing person believed to be hiking in Cape Breton Highlands national park.
Williams was described as “5-foot-4 with greyish blonde, shoulder length hair”. She is believed to have been wearing a dark winter jacket, a powder blue beanie (or toque) with “Antarctica” written on it, an orange and blue scarf, and glasses.
Search efforts began on 28 April and were continuing as of Friday 1 May, Australian time, with RCMP and Department of Natural Resources air services, police dog services, multiple ground search and rescue teams, and many other agencies assisting.
Updated
Australia must assist US with Hormuz planning: Coalition
The shadow foreign affairs minister, Ted O’Brien, says the federal government should clarify any requests from the Trump administration on help reopening the strait of Hormuz, and explain Australia’s capacity to help.
O’Brien said:
It is in Australia’s interest for the strait of Hormuz to be opened and to support freedom of navigation.
This request from the United States should be duly considered, in the context of our own national interests and capabilities.
Just as Australia has openly discussed a coalition led by the UK and France for joint action to reopen the strait of Hormuz, so too we should be constructive in engaging with this request from the United States.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has confirmed talks are under way with the White House.
O’Brien says Labor should explain what’s going on:
We expect the government to clarify the specific request of the US, and Australia’s capacity to contribute.
Updated
ANZ warns that Iran fallout ‘remains ahead of us’
ANZ has warned that the fallout of the oil crisis “remains ahead of us” after delivering a strong lift in its half-year cash profit to $3.78bn, backed by a highly profitable lending business.
The ANZ chief executive, Nuno Matos, said today that the bank had not seen any material increase in customers entering hardship or significant impact on the bank’s own financial position.
He said:
Much of the potential impact of this crisis remains ahead of us, but the longer the flow of oil is constrained, the greater the chance the crisis shifts from being primarily an inflation challenge to much more a supply and growth challenge.
ANZ’s cash profit increased by 5.9% over the past six-month period. It declared an interim dividend of 83c a share, in line with expectations.
It warned that the Middle East conflict was creating greater economic uncertainty, with “expectations of lower growth, higher inflation and interest rates likely to challenge some customers”.
Consumer prices are now growing at their fastest pace in two and a half years, and financial markets are betting the Reserve Bank will hike interest rates for a third straight meeting next week.
Updated
Australia engaged on strait of Hormuz planning: Wong
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is continuing Australia’s regional fuel diplomacy in South Korea. She has confirmed overnight that Australia is actively involved in diplomatic discussions about US president Donald Trump’s latest proposal to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
Amid the war in Iran, the strategic waterway has been closed, forming a massive chokepoint on as much as 20% of global fuel shipments. The White House has called on countries to form an international coalition for after the conflict is over.
Dubbed the Maritime Freedom Construct, the group of countries could be similar to the 40 nations involved in talks led by France and the UK in recent weeks. Information sharing, sanctions enforcement and monitoring is all planned.
While in Seoul, Wong said Australia was speaking to the US about the plan:
We are working with all of our partners, the United Kingdom, France and the United States.
We are engaging on options, noting that we have already provided defensive and diplomatic support to the region.
Updated
NT Police Association president expresses condolences for Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family
Nathan Finn, president of the Northern Territory Police Association, was also on ABC RN earlier discussing the scenes of unrest overnight in Alice Springs after Jefferson Lewis was arrested in connection with the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
He said two police vehicles had been set on fire, and that officers had sustained injuries, and urged the community to let “fatigued” police do their job.
Finn expressed condolences for Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family.
It’s been a very, very tumultuous week. But the actions we saw come out of Alice Springs last night were nothing short of disgraceful.
I encourage all our members to use whatever force they need to do to protect themselves and protect the community as well. And they’ll have our support in doing their police job that they need to do.
Speaking later on ABC TV, the NT police commissioner, Martin Dole, said violence had been quelled and there was “a sense of calm at the moment across Alice Springs”.
Updated
Martin Dole says Jefferson Lewis not yet charged
Dole has been jumping around the airwaves today but he’s also confirmed on multiple channels that Jefferson Lewis has not yet been charged, though that is expected to occur later today or tomorrow.
He confirmed the extent of injuries and damage to emergency services personnel and equipment, telling RN:
We had a police vehicle burnt to the ground. Four of the five St John’s ambulances in Alice Springs were taken out of action by being damaged, rendering no ambulance availability in Alice Springs. We had police officers injured, we had a fire officer injured, we had two ambulance officers injured, and it’s just unacceptable that those frontline emergency services personnel who are trying to serve the community were targeted in this way.
There were about 400 people involved in the disturbance. Police were forced to use teargas and non-lethal munitions such as beanbag rounds.
Dore continued:
The calm was restored last night through the police response. There is no further disturbances currently in Alice Springs but this is going to require strong community leadership. And what’s even more disappointing is that that’s what we’ve seen in the last five days. We’ve seen support for the police. We’ve seen extraordinary community strength, compassion, and cooperation. And for it to devolve into that last night is extremely disappointing.
Updated
NT police commissioner says Alice Springs violence ‘unacceptable’
Dole says the violent incidents last night were not a representation of the true character of the Alice Springs community:
This does not reflect the Alice Springs community or what we’ve seen over the last four days, where we’ve seen extraordinary strength, compassion and cooperation, and that just is marred by these actions last night that are completely unacceptable.
Updated
NT police commissioner ‘doesn’t accept’ that police contributed to sparking Alice Springs violence
The Northern Territory police commissioner, Martin Dole, says he “doesn’t accept” allegations that the police contributed to sparking the violence in Alice Springs last night, and that such allegations are “totally unacceptable”.
The commissioner has been speaking to ABC Alice Springs this morning. He said police had responded to calls about 9.30pm yesterday that Jefferson Lewis had presented himself to a town camp and was being violently assaulted. Police were themselves attacked when they intervened, Dole said.
Updated
A man has allegedly stolen nearly $3,000 worth of diesel in jerry cans and drums from a South Sydney service station.
Police said they were told a driver of a white ute allegedly filled large drums and jerry cans with 915 litres of diesel, valued at over $2,870 (or about $3.14 a litre), without paying at about 7.15pm on 11 April.
Officers arrested a 22-year-old man in Goulburn on Thursday issuing him a court attendance notice for a charge of “dishonestly obtain property by deception”.
The man was granted conditional bail to appear before Downing Centre local court on 15 June.
NSW man, 45, charged over alleged online death threats to MPs
A 45-year-old man has been charged over allegedly posting death threats toward politicians online.
Five offensive posts were made on social media in March 2026, with one containing alleged death threats against two members of parliament, the Australian Federal Police said.
AFP investigators said that they linked the alleged posts to the 45-year-old man. Officers on Wednesday searched a property in Bellingen, on the New South Wales mid-north coast, and seized an electronic device.
The man was charged with four counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass and/or cause offence, one count of threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official and one count of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill.
He faces maximum penalties of five, seven, and 10 years’ imprisonment for the alleged offences, respectively.
The man was granted bail on Thursday when he appeared before the NSW bail division court.
Coalition tells Labor to 'get on' with gun reforms after Bondi report
The Coalition has urged Labor to implement its post-Bondi attack gun reforms, frontbencher Jonno Duniam has said, after the laws were backed by the royal commission established after the shooting.
The inquiry’s interim report, released on Thursday, recommended the gun buyback and law reforms be swept through after being held up by state governments.
The federal opposition had voted against the measures in January, saying the government should be focusing on antisemitism, not gun access.
Duniam said on Thursday that now the laws had passed, despite the opposition’s objections, it was up to Labor to action them. He told the ABC’s 730:
I’d urge my counterpart, Tony Burke and the prime minister, to get on and do what they promised they would, what they’ve passed laws to enable. The ball is in their court …
We as an opposition had concerns about the gun law reforms more broadly that the government had proposed. We moved amendments to try and ameliorate unintended consequences. We failed in our pursuit. Labor and the Greens voted the package through. It is the law of the land, including the mechanism for the gun buyback. It is now over to the government to implement those laws in partnership with state and territory governments. We’re not going to stand in the way of that.
Queensland has rejected key recommendations from the Bondi royal commission’s interim report, insisting plans for a national gun buyback will not keep weapons “out of the hands of terrorists and criminals”.
• This post was updated and amended on 1 May 2026 to clarify the Coalition’s position on Labor’s gun reforms.
Updated
McCarthy calls for community unity after death of Kumanjayi Little Baby
McCarthy reiterated calls for the Alice Springs community to support each other as the investigation continues alongside sorry business.
McCarthy said:
When we were searching for our beautiful little girl here, the whole of Alice Springs came together. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people walked the Todd River. They walked and scoured the bushland and scrub to look for this beautiful girl. And that coming together of this community is what I am going to keep calling for.
We need to stay together as a community, even through this and come out the other side of this. We have a mother still grieving, wanting to bury her child, and let’s be there for her.
Updated
Malarndirri McCarthy calls for calm after Jefferson Lewis’s arrest
Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, is speaking on ABC RN this morning after grief and anger ripped through Alice Springs overnight after the arrest of a man in connection with the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
McCarthy says there will be meetings with community elders and with Northern Territory this morning, and confirmed that the arrested man, Jefferson Lewis, had been transported to Darwin overnight.
McCarthy said:
There needs to be calm and there needs to be a proper process now in terms of this criminal investigation. And it must not be jeopardised by foolishness in terms of the work that has to be done for police and by police to get this investigation done appropriately.
The police have done a tremendous job here with the Alice Springs community and families, and I totally understand the deep grief that people are experiencing. But, you know, we do now have Mr Lewis in custody and he has been taken to Darwin.
Updated
Thanks so much Martin for kicking us off this morning. I’m Stephanie Convery and I’ll be bringing you live news until mid-afternoon today.
Australia and South Korea issue joint energy statement
Australia has agreed to work together with South Korea to strengthen energy supply chain resilience and to maintain stable, safe and reliable supply of energy resources, including diesel and LNG, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has confirmed after talks in Seoul, Reuters reports.
The two nations announced a joint statement on energy resource security last night that lays out their commitment to “preemptively” cooperate to ensure energy security resilience.
Wong, who also travelled to Japan and China on her current trip, said the Asian region has “disproportionately” felt the impact of the crisis in the Middle East and the closure of the strait of Hormuz.
South Korea is a key energy partner of Australia as the largest supplier of diesel and third-largest source of jet fuel, Wong said. Australia is South Korea’s largest source of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“We depend on you, and you depend on us,” Wong said, describing the need for close coordination and Australia’s commitment as a reliable supplier of food, energy and other commodities to South Korea.
Updated
Rent hikes speed up, adding to RBA inflation worries
House prices may be slowing but rents are rising at their fastest rate since October 2024, adding to inflation pressure before the Reserve Bank’s next interest rate decision on Tuesday.
Advertised prices for new rental listings are rising at their fastest pace since October 2024, with Cotality data showing they picked up 5.7% over the year, including a rise of 0.6% (or about $38) in April alone.
The pace of rent increases for houses had been picking up in every major city except Adelaide until recently. Now even Adelaide is rising, with advertised house rents up 4.2% in the year to April. Perth and Hobart are up 7% and Darwin house rents have risen 8.8%
The tight rental market did not help, with vacancy rates below 1.8% in every capital city, well below the 2010s average of 3.3% of rental stock left vacant.
Rents were one of the biggest non-fuel contributors to inflation hitting 4.6% in the year to March, after rising 3.7% across existing and new tenancies. The Reserve Bank will be weighing up whether inflation is too fast as it considers another interest rate hike next week.
Updated
House price growth slows as buyers stick to cheaper homes
Australia’s housing market is growing at its slowest rate for almost 18 months as buyers stick to cheaper properties and abandon interest in the top end of the market.
Figures today from the data firm Cotality show Melbourne and Sydney house prices fell 0.6% in April. Melbourne’s home values have now fallen 1.9% since November, with Sydney’s down 1%.
Prices are still rising at the cheaper end of the market but at a slower pace in both cities. The lower quarter of the market is up 0.1% but outweighed by the top-priced quarter falling 1.2% in April.
Canberra prices stayed flat over the month and Hobart’s rose just 0.2%, with the top quarters of both seeing prices fall.
Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin are still steadily rising but the two-speed market is clear: every capital city is seeing prices rise faster in the bottom quarter of homes than the top quarter.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Stephanie Convery with the main action.
Australia’s housing market is at its slowest for almost 18 months as buyers stick to cheaper properties but rents are rising at their fastest rate since October 2024.
Australia has agreed to work with South Korea to strengthen energy supply chain resilience and to maintain secure supply of energy resources, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said after talks in Seoul last night.
More coming up.
