Australians are racing to secure electric vehicles during the war-driven fuel crisis, nearly doubling sales to set a national record.
AAP reports motorists bought more than 15,800 new electric cars during March, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries on Tuesday, while sales of petrol and diesel vehicles stalled.
Pure electric cars represented 14.6% of all new-car sales during the month, growing from 7.5% in March 2025.
The tally was the highest number of EVs sold in Australia in a month.
The Australian War Memorial will continue to display Ben Roberts-Smith’s uniform, equipment and medals in its exhibition.
His exhibit has been the subject of significant controversy. The accompanying plaque has been repeatedly updated to reflect the allegations against him, and the outcome of his defamation case.
In light of his arrest today, the war memorial issued a statement saying his uniform would remain on display.
The Memorial acknowledges media reports of the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG.
Accordingly, the Memorial will review the wording of the interpretive panel associated with his display.
The display of his uniform, equipment and medals remains in place.
The Memorial will continue to monitor developments and consider updates as appropriate.
Alleged links to sanctioned ‘scam’ empire revealed in Timor-Leste
An exclusive investigation by Guardian Australia and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project has found that a planned resort beside Dili airport in Timor-Leste is at the heart of a cryptocurrency and blockchain network known as AB.
The promotional material from June last year pitched a sprawling, futuristic development that would hug the coastline of Timor-Leste, one of the world’s poorest countries, and donate a percentage of profits to philanthropy.
But in February, when a joint investigative team visited the proposed site of the AB Digital Technology Resort – separated from Dili airport by a barbed-wire fence – they found an empty plot dotted with shrubs.
Read more here:
Man charged with murder over stabbing on Central Coast
A man is in custody after being charged with murder following an alleged stabbing on the NSW Central Coast overnight.
Emergency services were called to a property on Buff Point Avenue, about 4km south of Doyalson, about 8pm on Monday after reports of an assault.
Police said the two men knew each other and were involved in an altercation, which led to the 42-year-old being stabbed.
Paramedics treated him, but he could not be revived.
A 20-year-old man was arrested nearby and taken to the Gosford police station, where he was charged with murder.
He was refused bail and appeared before a bail division court today.
David Shoebridge says Ben Roberts-Smith arrest demonstrates need for dedicated war crimes investigations unit
The Greens senator David Shoebridge says the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith is a “moment of accountability” for the nation that highlights “the appalling cost of war on all sides”.
Shoebridge released a statement saying troop deployments overseas come with an “enormous cost to people on the ground who face the horror and brutality of war”. He went on:
If justice is to be fully delivered there must be further and closer attention paid to the role of senior officers who directed and oversaw Australia’s deployment in Afghanistan.
The Greens continue to push for a dedicated War Crimes investigation unit within the AFP to build the expertise to rapidly investigate war crimes offences going forward.
No one, whether accused or survivor, benefits from the delays we have seen to date.
That’s all from me. Ima Caldwell will take the blog from here. Take care!
More on the ‘needle-free alternative’ for flu vaccines for NSW kids
As we reported earlier, hundreds of thousands of children, aged 2 to 4, will be able to access a painless, needle-free flu vaccination for free as governments attempt to curb falling vaccine rates.
AAP reports New South Wales has become the latest state to offer a nasal spray flu vaccine to children for free, following Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
The needle-less vaccine is applied with one spray into each nostril, making it a gentle and painless option that could make it easier for parents to get their children vaccinated.
“I know how unsettling it can be for some parents taking a child to receive a vaccine, so being able to offer a needle-free alternative is a real win for those parents,” the NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said on Tuesday.
Read more here:
Greens say Australia needs to distance itself from ‘unstable, bloodthirsty’ Donald Trump
The Greens say Donald Trump’s latest threats directed at Iran underscore the need for Australia to distance itself from the US president, particularly after his criticism of Australia and other Nato allies for not helping his war effort.
Acting Greens leader, Mehreen Faruqi, said in a statement today:
It is time for Albanese to dump Trump, bring the troops home, and focus on helping Australians deal with the fallout of this catastrophe.
Australia must not stay hitched to the wagon of an unstable, bloodthirsty President who even his domestic allies say has “gone insane”. He criticises Australia near daily, yet Labor is unwilling to condemn him and his actions.
Faruqi went on to say “silence is not enough,” adding:
Australians oppose this war, and expect our government to do the same, by actively organising to prevent escalation and war crimes.
Fuel shortages in NSW almost halve in a week
Fuel shortages have continued to drop in NSW after the reduction in the federal excise.
In an update at a press conference this morning, the deputy premier, Prue Car, said there were 34 petrol stations without any fuel type as of this morning, while 125 were out of diesel or premium diesel. That’s down slightly from yesterday when 39 service stations in NSW were without fuel of all types, and 142 were out of diesel.
On Tuesday last week, 61 stations were without fuel of any kind, while 247 stations were out of diesel. Last week, the premier, Chris Minns, attributed the drop to people waiting for the excise to kick in before filling up. The federal cut, as well as an additional reduction from states agreeing to forgo increased GST from fuel sales, kicked in last Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
As we reported earlier, major fuel companies have complied with a NSW government order, made under emergency powers, to provide information about their distribution of fuel.
Australians are racing to secure electric vehicles during the war-driven fuel crisis, nearly doubling sales to set a national record.
AAP reports motorists bought more than 15,800 new electric cars during March, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries on Tuesday, while sales of petrol and diesel vehicles stalled.
Pure electric cars represented 14.6% of all new-car sales during the month, growing from 7.5% in March 2025.
The tally was the highest number of EVs sold in Australia in a month.
Accused Pinochet agent turned Bondi nanny Adriana Rivas to be extradited to Chile
A former Sydney nanny and cleaner accused by Chile of being a torturer and kidnapper for Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship in the 1970s will be extradited to Chile to face court over kidnapping allegations after losing her seven-year battle to remain in Australia, AAP reports.
Adriana Elcira Rivas, now in her 70s, is accused of participating in the disappearances of seven people in 1976 – including a woman who was five months pregnant – while working for Pinochet’s secret police force.
Rivas emigrated to Australia in 1978 and worked as a nanny in Bondi before she was arrested by New South Wales police in 2019 at the request of the Chilean government.
She has been in custody for seven years as she resisted attempts to extradite her to the South American nation to face trial for seven counts of aggravated kidnapping.
She denies the allegations and has argued that her extradition to Chile should be blocked because it would result in her being tried for crimes against humanity.
Read more here:
Police rescue cyclist stranded in Victoria’s Snowy River for four hours
Victoria police rescued a cyclist stranded in the Snowy River for four hours last night.
Police said the experienced rider was cycling through the Suggan Buggan area when they began to cross the river around 8pm. The water level, however, had risen higher than they expected, and they became stranded with their bike halfway across the waterway.
The rider activated a satellite beacon and was rescued by an air wing crew. The 31-year-old was brought to safety just after midnight and taken to hospital for assessment, but they were uninjured.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
