AFL State of Origin to return next year, WA to host Victoria in Perth
Mike Hytner
The AFL’s marquee State of Origin fixture will return next year to end a 27-year hiatus, with Western Australia to host Victoria in Perth on Valentine’s Day. After a clamour from fans and players for the state-based rivalry’s return, the 2026 game will be played at Optus Stadium.
The Big V jersey will be on display once again when Victoria meets Western Australia in Perth. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
The last time an Origin game was contested between state teams was in 1999, when Victoria beat South Australia by 54 points at the MCG, but South Australia was overlooked this time after strong lobbying from the Western Australian government.
It follows a successful Indigenous All-Stars clash at Optus Stadium earlier this year, when 37,865 fans turned out to watch the representative side beat the Fremantle Dockers. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon says:
State football is one of the great traditions of our game, with fans and players alike calling for its return for some time and we are thrilled to see it back.
Origin inspires passion, state pride and draws upon years’ old rivalries that are central to the history of our game and our very greatest players. It will be a special moment to see a Big V and a Sandgroper jumper back on the field before we start our 2026 AFL premiership season.
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Updated at 21.42 EDT
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Andrew Messenger
Man charged after allegedly making Nazi salute at Lions-Suns AFL game
A 39-year-old man has been charged with allegedly making a Nazi salute at the weekend’s Lions-Suns AFL game in Brisbane, according to Queensland police.
The man allegedly made the salute during the national anthem and welcome to country before the game, according to Mark Kelly, acting deputy commissioner for regional operations. He was arrested at the ground during the game, Kelly says.
Kelly says police acted on reports from other people at the match.
He says the man is not believed to have planned to commit the act in advance and police have not identified any links he has with far-right groups.
He was charged with one count of public display of giving Nazi salute and has been issued with a lifetime ban from the AFL.
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Updated at 21.57 EDT
AFL State of Origin to return next year, WA to host Victoria in Perth
Mike Hytner
The AFL’s marquee State of Origin fixture will return next year to end a 27-year hiatus, with Western Australia to host Victoria in Perth on Valentine’s Day. After a clamour from fans and players for the state-based rivalry’s return, the 2026 game will be played at Optus Stadium.
The Big V jersey will be on display once again when Victoria meets Western Australia in Perth. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
The last time an Origin game was contested between state teams was in 1999, when Victoria beat South Australia by 54 points at the MCG, but South Australia was overlooked this time after strong lobbying from the Western Australian government.
It follows a successful Indigenous All-Stars clash at Optus Stadium earlier this year, when 37,865 fans turned out to watch the representative side beat the Fremantle Dockers. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon says:
State football is one of the great traditions of our game, with fans and players alike calling for its return for some time and we are thrilled to see it back.
Origin inspires passion, state pride and draws upon years’ old rivalries that are central to the history of our game and our very greatest players. It will be a special moment to see a Big V and a Sandgroper jumper back on the field before we start our 2026 AFL premiership season.
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Updated at 21.42 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Queensland government to appeal Emma Lovell killer’s sentence to high court
Queensland attorney general Deb Frecklington will appeal to the high court to increase the sentence for Emma Lovell’s killer.
The man – who cannot be identified because he was 17 at the time of offending – was convicted of Lovell’s murder, on Boxing Day, 2022. He was initially sentenced to serve 14 years in prison, and was set a non-parole period of 70% of the total.
Queensland attorney general Deb Frecklington. Photograph: Darren England/AAP
But in August, the Queensland court of appeal reduced the non-parole period by about a year-and-a-half, to 60% of his total sentence.
Frecklington says the state government will argue that the court was wrong to find that “special circumstances” existed. Frecklington says:
I’m not ever going to apologise for my direction here to ensure that we do apply for special aid to the high court, irrespective of the outcome, because we have made a commitment to the people of Queensland that we will keep them safe, and that is exactly what we do.
What this is about is to ensure that [Emma’s husband] Lee Lovell and his daughters know that we will leave no stone unturned in relation to the offender’s sentence.
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Updated at 21.14 EDT
Hiker found safe in Snowy Mountains after eight days
Penry Buckley
A man who went missing while hiking in the Snowy Mountains has been found safe, eight days after he was last heard from, police say.
In a statement, New South Wales police say the man, 57, set out backcountry skiing and hiking from Guthega power station in Kosciuszko national park on 4 September, and was last heard from two days later.
Police launched a land and air search that found him near Valentine Hut, in the Snowy Mountains back country area at 1pm yesterday. He has not required medical treatment.
NSW police:
Police would also like to remind members of the public that when heading out for a hike or a bush walk, people should have a fully charged mobile phone, along with additional charging devices.
A man who went hiking and skiing in the Snowy Mountains has been located safe.
Following ongoing searches, at 1.00pm on Sunday, 14 September 2025, the man was located safe in the Snowy Mountains back country area near Valentines Hut, in the Kosciuszko National Park.
MORE… pic.twitter.com/oBpqGGdgWu
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) September 14, 2025Share
Updated at 21.16 EDT
Head of Asic says ANZ has ‘betrayed the trust of Australians’ and ‘needs to change’
Joseph Longo, the chair of Asic, is speaking after announcing a landmark penalty against ANZ earlier this morning. Longo said:
Time and time again, ANZ has fallen short. Time and time again, ANZ has betrayed the trust of Australians.
Trust is essential in financial services. Customers, government and regular need to be able to trust that banks will deliver what they promise and uphold appropriate standards of behaviour. Today, many Australians will be questioning their trust in ANZ.
The fundamental and significant issues require urgent attention and the ANZ board and its executives need to reflect upon them. ANZ needs to change.
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Updated at 20.48 EDT
‘The cost of action is smaller than the cost of inaction’
Chris Bowen maintained there is still time to rein in the worst effects of climate change, saying that while Australians are already living in a changed world, “it’s not too late to avoid the worst of the impacts”.
He said:
As the report makes clear, the difference in terms of impact between 1.5 to 2 degrees [Celsius warming above preindustrial levels], let alone 3, is very real for Australia.
It’s also important that we remember while this report is clearly confronting, the economic evidence of action for our country is one with the best renewable energy resources in the world is very real. We have the best renewable resources, we have great jobs and investment opportunities so if we get it right, the opportunity for our country is enormous, just as a risk if we get it wrong is very real.
Bowen added:
The cost of action is smaller than the cost of inaction, under any scenario.
. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 20.32 EDT
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The report finds millions of Australians are at risk from rising sea levels
The number of heat-related deaths in Sydney could surge by almost 450% if global heating surpasses 3 degrees, according to a landmark report that finds no Australian community would be immune from the “cascading, compounding and concurrent” risks of a worsening climate.
The report also lays bare the heightened risk from rising sea levels on Australia’s populous coastal communities, including flooding, erosion and inundation.
It found that by 2050, 1.5m coastal residents would be at risk, rising to more than 3m by 2090.
The federal government on Monday released the long-awaited national climate risk assessment, providing the most detailed picture of the severe and far-reaching social and economic impact of the climate crisis for Australia.
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Bowen says ‘every Australian has a lot at stake’ in climate crisis
Chris Bowen, the climate change minister, is holding a press conference after the release of a major new report that finds no Australian community would be immune from the “cascading” risks of worsening climate change.
Bowen said:
One thing that is very clear from this climate assessment is that the whole country has a lot at stake. Every Australian, regardless of where they live, has a lot at stake.
Importantly, the report makes clear that the pattern of natural disasters that Australians are used to is not a reliable guide into the future.
The minister added: “It’s important that we don’t gild the lily or downplay its impacts in any way. We have to be honest to the Australian people”.
Climate change minister Chris Bowen. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 20.14 EDT
Rooftop solar generated 12.8% of Australia’s electricity in first half of 2025
The rooftop solar boom hit a new milestone in the first half of the year, with 12.8% of all electricity generation coming from the panels, according to a new report from the Clean Energy Council. That’s an increase from 11.5% in the same period a year ago, and up from just 6% in 2020.
There were more than 115,000 rooftop solar units installed across Australia in the first half of 2025, an 18% decrease from the same period a year ago. Rooftop solar remains on track to deliver what’s needed to the national target of 82% of electricity coming from clean energy sources by 2030.
Another key findingwas battery sales hitting record highs, with 85,000 units sold in the first half of 2025, bolstered by government incentives making the systems more affordable. That figure is a 191% increase over the same period last year.
Solar panels on the roof of a house in Sydney. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPShare
Updated at 20.10 EDT
Petra Stock
Scientists fear this ‘cute’ and ‘chonky’ flying fox could be one cyclone away from extinction
It’s the last native mammal on the island, but the “incredibly cute and fluffy” Christmas Island flying fox is critically endangered with no recovery plan and severely outdated conservation advice.
The flying fox is smaller and fluffier than many of Australia’s mainland flying fox species, according to animal ecologist Dr Annabel Dorrestein, from Western Sydney University, who has studied the species for nine years.
The number of Christmas Island flying foxes, which is considered a’keystone species’ due to its important role in pollination and seed dispersal, is declining. Photograph: Chris Bray
The bats are “incredibly cute” and “chonky”; a bit like teddy bears, Dorrestein said.
Christmas Island, located 1,550km off north-west Western Australia, originally had five native mammals – two rodents, two bats and a shrew. The rodents disappeared in the early 1900s. The shrew has not been seen since 1985 and is probably extinct.
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Taylor says Liberal party ‘absolutely’ wants Nampijinpa Price to stay
Angus Taylor says that while Jacinta Nampijinpa Price had made mistakes, “by her own admission”, the Coalition “absolutely” wanted to keep her in its corner.
He spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, after Nampijinpa Price’s saga surrounding her remarks on Indian migrants, including her sacking from the shadow ministry:
We absolutely want her to stay with the Liberal party. We want more people in the National party, the Liberal party, whether it’s senators, members of the House of Reps, volunteers, members, we want more support for the Liberal arty across the board. We desperately need to rebuild the party at a difficult time. Jacinta is a talented member of the Senate, a valued member of our team.
She made mistakes by her own admission, I mean, there’s no doubt about that and Jacinta has said that. It’s disappointing, there’s no doubt, but it is critical now we get back on track, we rebuild the party, and we bring as many people into the party as we possibly can.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 19.20 EDT
Coalition support slumps to all-time low in latest polls
Infighting and the sacking of a frontbencher have left the federal Coalition with its worst-ever primary vote result in Newspoll history, with One Nation appearing to have scooped up disaffected voters, AAP reports.
The Coalition’s primary vote collapsed to 27%, the lowest since the poll began tracking first preferences in 1985, the Newspoll conducted last week and published in The Australian on Monday found.
Labor’s primary vote was steady at 36%, giving prime minister Anthony Albanese a commanding 58% to 42% two-party-preferred lead, his biggest margin since taking office.
The result comes in the wake of opposition leader Sussan Ley’s sacking of senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the frontbench, a move that exposed bitter internal divisions over migration, climate change and net zero policies.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley. Photograph: Ethan James/AAPShare
Updated at 18.45 EDT
What misconduct did ANZ admit to?
Asic filed four proceedings related to the misconduct, including:
Acting unconscionably in its dealings with the Australian government while managing a $14bn bond deal, including incorrectly reporting its bond trading data and overstating the volumes by tens of billions of dollars for nearly two years.
Failing to respond to hundreds of customer hardship notices, in some cases for more than two years.
Making false and misleading statements about savings interest rates and failing to pay the promised rates to tens of thousands of customers.
Failing to refund fees charged to thousands of dead customers and not responding to families dealing with deceased estates within required timelines.
ANZ has admitted to the allegations.
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Updated at 18.27 EDT
‘We made mistakes’: ANZ chair apologises for bank’s misconduct
The penalties must be approved by the federal court, but Asic said their size reflects the gravity of the misconduct.
ANZ’s chair, Paul O’Sullivan, issued an apology to customers and assured them the company had taken “the necessary action, including holding relevant executives accountable”, adding:
While we have worked hard to get regularity certainty on these matters, the reality is we made mistakes that have had a significant impact on customers. On behalf of ANZ, I apologise.
Photograph: Darren England/AAPShare
Updated at 18.25 EDT
ANZ bank fined $240m for ‘widespread misconduct’ in Asic’s biggest ever penalty
ANZ has said this morning it will pay $240m in penalties to settle five misconduct claims with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic).
The bank admitted to engaging in unconscionable conduct in services provided to the Australian government, incorrectly reporting bond trading data to the government by overstating the volumes by tens of billions of dollars and to widespread misconduct across products and services that affected about 65,000 customers.
Asic said the “widespread misconduct” occurred over many years and was marked by ANZ’s “significant failure to manage non-financial risks across the bank”. Joe Longo, the chair of Asic, said in a statement:
Time and time again ANZ betrayed the trust of Australians.
The total penalties across these matters are the largest announced by ASIC against one entity and reflect the seriousness and number of breaches of law, the vulnerable position that ANZ put its customers in and the repeated failures to rectify crucial issues.
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Updated at 18.09 EDT
Opposition welcomes shipyard funds but says defence remains underfunded and ‘under prepared’
Angus Taylor, the shadow defence minister, says any extra money for defence, including Aukus, is “welcome” but he believes the government had not spent nearly enough to create “a fit-for-purpose defence force at a time which is more dangerous than any time since the second world war”.
Taylor told RN Breakfast that the opposition still wants to see defence spending increase to 3% of GDP:
We just saw in the last week or so the Chinese Communist party on display, their propaganda parade, and it is clear that they have an influence that they haven’t had in the past. They’re militarising at an unprecedented rate. But we’re also seeing authoritarian regimes right across the globe flexing their muscles. And so it’s crucial that we see the investment necessary and we need to see it urgently.
Right now, this government is underfunding defence in a very substantial way.
We need this government to shift from rhetoric to readiness. We are under prepared.
Angus Taylor says the government is ‘underfunding defence in a very substantial way’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 18.03 EDT
Government ‘very confident’ Aukus will deliver subs after extra $12bn for WA shipyard
Tim Ayres, the minister for science, industry and innovation, says the government remains confident Australia will get nuclear-powered submarines from the US after announcing a $12bn “downpayment” on a shipbuilding facility in Western Australia to prepare for them.
Ayres said this morning that getting the submarines remains the absolute objective of the Aukus deal, rejecting assertions that the US could back out of the deal. He told RN Breakfast:
I’m very confident that this agreement between Australia and the United States and the United Kingdom will be delivered upon in full and it is already well and truly under way. The arrangements between us and the United States on the submarines in particular is deep.
We are well on the pathway. There is a long way to go, but this is an important step for our national security, and we’re following it through diligently in the national interest.
Tim Ayres: ‘We are well on the pathway’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Read more about the shipyard here:
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Updated at 17.55 EDT
Closure of Albanese’s Marrickville electoral office is ‘very sad’, Marles says
Richard Marles says the closure of Albanese’s electoral office in Marrickville is “very sad”, saying a spate of protests there had not helped any causes but deprived locals of their ability to go to their local member.
The prime minister said the site would close after serving as Grayndler’s electorate office for more than 30 years. Albanese cited a string of protests there, many related to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Marles, the deputy prime minister, told RN Breakfast this morning of the decision:
I think it’s very sad. I think the kind of protests that we’ve seen outside of the prime minister’s electoral office over the last couple of years have been a complete disgrace. It does nothing to advance the arguments associated with any of these issues. It really, I think, ends up being much more about the protesters than the cause that they pretend to espouse.
It is certainly denying the constituents of Grayndler being able to go to their local member and the office of their local member and receive basic services. I mean, I think there is an intimidatory degree to what’s been going on here, but it is appalling behaviour that it has resulted in this moment.
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShare
Updated at 17.53 EDT
Good morning
Good morning, and welcome to Monday. Here’s what’s on deck this morning as we get the live blog rolling.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is due to travel to Port Moresby for Papua New Guinea’s 50th anniversary of independence as the countries prepare to sign a major defence treaty. The deal will reportedly allow PNG nationals to serve in Australia’s defence force with similar pay and a pathway to citizenship.
Rooftop solar accounted for 12.8% of all electricity generated in Australia for the first half of 2025, the highest rate ever, according to the Clean Energy Council. More than a third of Australian households now have rooftop solar and the first half of the year also recorded a record-breaking 85,000 batteries sold amid new programs meant to encourage uptake.
We’ll see what else the day has in store. Stick with us.
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