Stories from Australia

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake occurred near Orange, New South Wales, on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 13:05:25 local time. The earthquake had a depth of 5 kilometers.

Four people were taken to Gosford Hospital in stable condition following an incident at Brisbane Water Secondary College. At least 10 children were treated by paramedics following a medical emergency at a high school on the New South Wales Central Coast.

ABC NewsRadio AU reported that emails showed the Liberal Party sent a false death notice about one of its members to suburban branches. An email was sent to his family offering condolences.

Approximately 6.5 million Australians are currently living with obesity, with 2.5 million classified as severely obese. The data suggests the situation is not improving, highlighting a need for intervention.

The Australian coalition has proposed restricting welfare support exclusively to Australian citizens. Opposition leader Angus Taylor announced the policy, which has drawn criticism from Chinese Australians. The proposal aims to alter eligibility for welfare benefits.

A future coalition government has promised to clamp down on migration. The number of net overseas arrivals would be tied to this policy. This promise was made in reply speeches.

Australia's opposition leader, Angus Taylor, promised to index income tax brackets in line with inflation in a bold budget reply speech. This move is considered a gamble. This move is described as a gamble that would gradually see bracket creep addressed.

The number of young babies hospitalized with RSV in Australia has been nearly halved. RSV is a virus that can cause pneumonia and is a leading cause of hospitalization for infants under 12 months old. This reduction is based on the latest analysis of hospitalization data.

Prosecutors say a man was driving recklessly when he killed a husband and wife in a car crash nearly five years ago.

The New South Wales Blues secured their second consecutive title in the women's rugby league. Key tries were scored by Chapman, Keely Nisra, and Desergis for the Blues, while Rory Owen and Jada Ferguson scored for Queensland. They won the second game of the series.