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Unemployment climbed to 4.6% in August, the highest since November 2021 and above the Reserve Bank's forecast.

Where people land

RBA Governor Michele Bullock: Bullock "still believed the labour market was a little tight" and backed all nine board members voting to raise the cash rate to 4.6% in September.
Westpac economist Ryan Wells: Wells says "slack is continuing to build in the labour market" even as headline employment growth looks solid, suggesting rate rises are having unexpected effects.

Next · Tuesday: RBA September meeting minutes released, showing whether board members discussed rising unemployment against the decision to keep tightening.

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Senior Liberals including opposition leader Angus Taylor addressed CPAC in Brisbane while Pauline Hanson dominated the crowd with conservative messaging.

Where people land

Angus Taylor (Liberal opposition leader): Taylor urged fractured conservatives at CPAC to focus on ditching the Labor government, attending as the first sitting opposition leader to address the conference.
Pauline Hanson (One Nation senator): Hanson got two standing ovations and called Taylor a "smarmy management consultant", saying the public would not endure him replacing Albanese as PM.

Next · Sunday: Sarah Henderson, Dan Tehan, and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price are due to speak at CPAC in Brisbane.

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Australia rejected Russian diesel despite Trump's deal with Putin to supply 300,000 tons immediately, 500,000 tons in November and up to 3 million tons later.

The number · Australia has 31 days' worth of diesel in reserve and 43 days' worth of petrol, with 51 ships on the way carrying fuel.

For you: If you rely on diesel in Australia, the government says 51 ships are on the way with fuel and it has arrangements to keep Russian diesel out of Australian markets.

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A 13-year-old suffered 90 per cent burns after a firebombing in Taylors Hill backfired, exposing how young people are recruited into serious crimes via social media for cash.

The number · 90% · body surface burned

Why it matters: The case exposes how young people are being recruited into serious crimes for cash via social media, risking their lives.

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Pauline Hanson wants to let workers cash out part of their super as a pay rise, but modelling by the Super Members Council says higher age pension costs could reach almost $4.5 billion a year.

Key facts

1. $4.5 billion · peak annual cost to taxpayers
2. $3,700 · extra lifetime tax per 20-year-old
3. $25,000 · worker's retirement loss in today's dollars

Where people land

Pauline Hanson: That's a real boost to help you pay the rent or the mortgage, leaving more room for groceries, power bills and the costs of raising a family.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers: This will end superannuation as we know it and make millions of Australians poorer as a consequence.

Why it matters: A full-time worker on about $90,500 would get around $44 a week more now, and the Super Members Council says the higher age pension bill would fall on taxpayers later.

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Grant Stevens, South Australia's police commissioner since 2015, has been appointed the state's next governor, with King Charles confirming the appointment and swearing-in scheduled for December 9, 2026.

How it unfolded

Before · Grant Stevens has served as Police Commissioner since 2015 and was the state coordinator during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The spark · Stevens will succeed outgoing governor Frances Adamson, whose five-year term expired today.
What happened · His Majesty King Charles confirmed that Stevens will become South Australia's next governor.

Why it matters: Grant Stevens becomes South Australia's 37th governor on December 9, with Linda Williams acting as police commissioner from October 23.

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Hobart mayoral candidate Harvey Lennon wants the city council to help turn vacant upper floors and underused commercial spaces into inner-city housing.

Key facts

1. Harvey Lennon · Hobart mayoral candidate
2. Hobart City Mission · Lennon's former CEO role
3. Council-owned land · offered for community housing
4. State government · proposed incentive partner

> "Not every space will be suitable. We need a clear and efficient assessment process, not lower standards"
> Harvey Lennon, Hobart mayoral candidate

Why it matters: Australian cities face housing shortages, and ideas to unlock empty upper floors could shape how fast councils help more homes get built.

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Labor will restrict lawyers and migration agents who pursue visa claims with no reasonable prospect of success, as part of a broader push to cut net overseas migration from 292,100 to 225,000.

Key facts

Net overseas migration to March 292,100
NOM target by next financial year 225,000
People on bridging visas this year 413,000
International education export value $55 billion

The story

Assistant Citizenship Minister Julian Hill will use a speech in Sydney on Friday to flag plans to restrict lawyers and migration agents who help clients pursue visa claims with little or no prospect of success, the ABC reports. Mr Hill will say he has "no confidence" in the current regime, operated by states and territories, governing lawyers' involvement in migration cases, and that Home Affairs has been ordered to develop options to close the regulatory gap. He will point to online advertising he says coaches people on false protection claims, calling it "a misuse of the migration system for profit". The ABC notes about 90 per cent of protection applications are refused at primary stage, with almost 37,000 rejected claims before the Administrative Review Tribunal as of June.

Higher education stakeholders say the sweeping migration changes will jeopardise an export industry worth $55 billion, with international students likely to choose other destinations. Industry groups have warned Australia's skills shortages are being made worse by lengthy waits for workers including nurses and teachers, prompting the government to sharpen the focus of the skilled migration program with two new ministerial directions last week.

> Migration shapes who comes to Australia and who stays, and this crackdown touches students, employers waiting on skilled workers and the 413,000 people now on bridging visas.

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Labor's 5% deposit scheme has helped 102,000 first home buyers in the year since its October 2025 expansion removed income caps.

Key facts

First home buyers helped 102,000
Total beneficiaries since 2022 280,000
Interest rate high 4.6 percent

How it unfolded

1. Scheme launched four years prior. Labor introduced its first home buyer scheme in 2022, and more than 280,000 Australians have used it.
2. October 2025 expansion. Labor removed income caps and increased property price limits when expanding the 5% deposit scheme.
3. 102,000 buyers in one year. The expanded scheme helped 102,000 first home buyers since October last year, making it the primary entry point for half of all first home buyers nationally.
4. Mortgage insurance savings. The scheme has saved Australians more than 2.5 billion dollars in mortgage insurance, with 1.4 billion saved in just the past year.
5. Economic backdrop worsens. Inflation reached 4% in August, and the Reserve Bank raised interest rates to a 15-year high of 4.6% on Tuesday.
6. Government seizes on success. Treasurer Jim Chalmers highlighted the scheme's figures amid ongoing criticism over cost-of-living pressures and economic management.

> As inflation and interest rates climb, first home buyer support is one policy where the government claims measurable success.

Read Less, Know More: The rest of it · 48 second read.

Xavier Clarke is one of five contenders presenting to North Melbourne's coach selection panel this week to replace Alastair Clarkson.

Key facts

Clarke age 43
Coaching experience more than a decade
Final contenders 5
Clarkson departure September

How it unfolded

1. Clarkson departs in September. Alastair Clarkson left North Melbourne at the start of September after four premierships and a turbulent tenure.
2. Formal presentations begin. North Melbourne moved from informal catch-ups to formal presentations with its coach selection panel.
3. Five contenders shortlisted. Xavier Clarke, Nathan Buckley, Daniel Giansiracusa, David Hale, and Jaymie Graham are the final five candidates.
4. Clarke valued for transition work. Clarke is highly regarded inside North Melbourne, especially for his role during the challenging period after Clarkson's departure.

> The next Kangaroos coach will shape the club's direction after Clarkson's successful but turbulent tenure. The field is now down to five strong candidates.

Read Less, Know More: The rest of it · 32 second read.