Australia

An Australian judge fined X Corp 650,000 Australian dollars (USD 465,000) on Thursday for failing to provide information to an online safety watchdog in 2023 about how it tackled child sexual exploitation content. Federal Court Justice Michael Wheelahan also ordered the Texas-based social media giant to pay AUD 100,000 (USD 71,000) of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant's court costs within 45 days. The ruling ends a three-year legal battle in which X had argued it was not obliged to answer eSafety's questions. X admitted it contravened Australia's Online Safety Act by failing to provide a report that fully answered questions posed by eSafety in a transparency notice issued on Feb. 22, 2023, the agency's lawyer Christopher Tran said. X had to provide the answers by March 29 that year. X's lawyer Perry Herzfeld told the judge eSafety did not allege that the contravening conduct continued after May 5, 2023. "That was a period of change and transition for the company," Herzfeld sa

Country's long-term migration roadmap signals continued demand for global talent even as it makes visa grants stricter

Green added that Australian visa system does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, and Indian students comprise the largest or the second-largest group there

ABS data shows Indians overtaking England-born residents in Australia, as migration patterns shift and political debate intensifies

Some 971,020 people in Australia - or 5.2 per cent of the population - were born in India, narrowly surpassing the 970,950 born in England, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics

A proposed News Bargaining Incentive would tax the three big tech companies 2.25% on their local revenues unless they struck agreements

Australia cancels registration after probe finds misleading applications and breaches; experts say applicants must verify agents before filing visas

University of Western Australia highlights regulatory and operational constraints as it opens applications for India campuses, while taking a long-term view on growth

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar and discussed various aspects of the West Asia crisis amid a US naval blockade of Iran's ports. The external affairs minister also held a phone conversation with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and exchanged views on the situation arising out of the war between Iran and the US-Israel combine. After his call with Jaishankar, Sa'ar said Iran's action harming freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz requires "action". "Had a telecon this afternoon with Israel FM @gidonsaar. Our discussion covered different aspects of the West Asia situation," Jaishankar said on social media. The phone conversation between the two foreign ministers came amid reports of efforts by the US and Iran to hold a fresh round of negotiations after the collapse of the initial dialogue in Islamabad. "We discussed Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Lebanon. I said that the firm American stance in the ...

Australia sees record student visa refusals in 2026, with Indian applicants facing stricter checks, higher evidence requirements and rising post-study visa costs

Planning to work in Australia? New salary thresholds for Subclass 482 visas from July 2026 may affect eligibility and employer hiring plans

From UN chief Antonio Guterres to European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas, UK PM Keir Starmer, and several other leaders welcomed US-Iran ceasefire and push for de-escalation

Australia student visa: India moved to high-risk category as visa refusals rise and scrutiny tightens for students applying to Australia

Indian students may face stricter checks and longer processing times as Australia moves India to Evidence Level 3 under its visa risk framework

Australia's online safety watchdog said Tuesday it was considering court against Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube alleging they are not doing enough to keep Australian children younger than 16 off their platforms. Experts say the Australian courts could decide what steps the platforms can reasonably be expected to take under the laws that took effect on Dec. 10 banning young children from holding accounts. eSAfety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on Tuesday released her first compliance report since those laws took effect demanding 10 platforms remove all Australian account-holders younger than 16. While 5 million Australian accounts had been deactivated, a substantial number of Australian children continued to retain accounts, create new accounts and pass platforms' age assurance systems, the report said. Inman Grant said in a statement her office had "significant concerns about the compliance" of half of those 10 platforms. Her office was gathering evidence against

Halving the tax would reduce the cost of fuel by 26.3 Australian cents per litre, PM Albanese said

Australia blocks around 7,000 Iranian visitor visa holders from entry amid conflict. Who is affected, exemptions, and how the rules will work

Australia visa update: Australia rolls out a new visa processing system from March 25, 2026, aiming to cut wait times and speed up approvals across key visa categories

The deal follows intensified talks amid sharply higher US tariffs under the Trump administration and growing Western concerns over China's dominant position in rare earths and other critical minerals

The facility, which has hosted a continuous "Australian Defence Force (ADF)" presence for many years, was hit during the early hours of the day