At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Millions of Australians are set to receive some relief on their electricity bills, with energy prices expected to fall in several states from July 1, 2026. The Australian Energy Regulator has confirmed lower default electricity prices for households in NSW and south-east Queensland. NSW customers are expected to save between 3.4 and 5 per cent, while bills in south-east Queensland will drop by 7.2 per cent. That means average annual savings of around $66 to $137 in NSW and about $155 in Queensland. South Australian households, however, are expected to see a small increase of around 1.4 per cent, or roughly $33 a year. Small businesses across all three regions are also set to benefit, with electricity costs forecast to fall by up to 11.3 per cent. Victoria has also announced lower power prices, with typical households expected to save between $50 and $160 annually under new flat-rate plans. Energy experts say the default market offer acts as a safety-net price and consumers may still find cheaper plans by comparing providers. New energy pricing will take effect from July 1, alongside a new Solar Saver-style offer that allows eligible households with smart meters to access free daytime electricity during selected hours. Industry analysts say the price reductions have been helped by lower wholesale energy costs, cheaper delivery charges and reduced environmental costs. Source : 9 News More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Heavy rain and stormy weather are expected to affect every Australian state and territory over the coming days, with south-eastern regions likely to see the heaviest falls. According to Weatherzone, a combination of low-pressure systems and colder upper-level air is creating unstable conditions across much of the country. Rain, thunderstorms and strong winds have already impacted South Australia, Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and parts of the Northern Territory this week. Forecasters say conditions are expected to worsen across eastern Australia by Friday, with further showers and storms spreading through the south-east over the weekend. Eastern and northern NSW, along with eastern Tasmania, are facing the highest risk of heavy rainfall and possible flooding. Parts of the ACT, eastern Victoria and southern Queensland could also receive significant rain. Strong winds and dangerous surf conditions are also expected along the NSW, Victorian and Tasmanian coasts. Hazardous surf warnings have already been issued for several areas in northern NSW. Western Australia is also set for wet weather, with rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds forecast for the state’s south-west from tomorrow. A stronger low-pressure system later this week could bring severe storms, damaging winds and heavy rain. Source : 9 News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. The Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Melbourne has invited the Sri Lankan community and friends of Sri Lanka to join its official Vesak 2026 commemorations. The event will celebrate the sacred Buddhist festival of Vesak, bringing Sri Lankan cultural and spiritual traditions to Victoria. The main programme will be held on Saturday, 30 May 2026 at the consulate premises in Melbourne. A key highlight of this year’s celebration will be a large illuminated Vesak Pandol (Thorana), featuring traditional Jataka story themes. It will be open for public viewing over two evenings. Dates: 30–31 May 2026 Time: 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM daily Venue: Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Melbourne, 432 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004 The consulate says the celebration will offer visitors a chance to experience Vesak traditions, cultural displays, and a peaceful community gathering. Entry is open to all who wish to attend. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Hon. Vijitha Herath, will host an open community dialogue with Sri Lankans in Melbourne this coming Sunday, 31 May, at Springvale City Hall. The event, scheduled from 2.30 PM to 5.00 PM, is being held at 18 Grace Park Ave, Springvale, and is open to members of the Sri Lankan community across Melbourne. The forum is designed as a two-way conversation, allowing attendees to raise concerns, share ideas, and engage directly with the minister on issues affecting Sri Lankans both locally and in the homeland. Topics are expected to span areas under the future of Sri Lanka, national progress, and the ideas and contributions of the Sri Lankan expatriate community. Those wishing to attend or seeking further information can contact community organisers directly: Sunil — 0418 309 417 Nalin — 0406 765 601 Nadeera — 0421 819 315 The event is free to attend and no registration has been indicated as required. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia’s immigration debate is back in focus, with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor proposing a plan to link migration levels to the number of new homes built each year. The idea has drawn comparisons to Australia’s long history of population planning, dating back to the post-war “populate or perish” policy introduced by former immigration minister Arthur Calwell in 1945. Under the Coalition proposal, migration numbers would be tied to housing supply in an effort to ease pressure on affordability and rental demand. However, current data suggests Australia is already building enough homes to match recent population growth. In 2024–25, around 419,000 people were added to the population, while nearly 175,000 new homes were completed almost equal to the number needed based on average household sizes. Economists say the policy may not deliver the major migration cuts being promised, especially as net overseas migration is already forecast to slow slightly this year. The debate highlights growing concerns around housing, infrastructure and population growth, with both major parties under pressure to balance economic needs with affordability challenges facing Australians. Source : ABC News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Sri Lankan community informed with timely updates. ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව (CBSL) රත්‍රන් ඇපයට තබා සහ මෝටර් රථ මූල්‍යකරණය සඳහා ලබා ගන්නා ණය සඳහා ණය දීමේ නීති දැඩි කිරීමට තීරණය කර ඇති අතර, නව නීති අද සිට ක්‍රියාත්මක වේ. බැංකු සහ මූල්‍ය සමාගම් විසින් වඩාත් ප්‍රවේශමෙන් ණය දීම ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම සහ මූල්‍ය පද්ධතියේ ස්ථාවරත්වය ආරක්ෂා කිරීම මෙම පියවරේ අරමුණයි. මෑත මාසවලදී, රත්‍රන් ඇපයට තබා සහ වාහන මූල්‍යකරණයේදී ලබා දෙන ණයවල තියුණු වැඩිවීමක් දක්නට ලැබේ. මෙම වේගවත් වර්ධනය දිගටම පැවතුනහොත්, එය අනාගතයේදී ණය දෙන්නන්ට සහ ණය ගැණුම්කරුවන්ට අවදානම් ඇති කළ හැකි බවට CBSL හි පාලක මණ්ඩලය කනස්සල්ලට පත්ව සිටී. ඒ සමඟම, ගෝලීය දේශපාලන හා ආර්ථික ආතතීන් අවිනිශ්චිතතාව වැඩි කර ඇති අතර රන් මිල ඇතුළු වත්කම් මිලෙහි විශාල උච්චාවචනයන් ඇති කර ඇති අතර, විනිමය අනුපාතය ද අස්ථාවර වී ඇත. විනිමය අනුපාත චලනයන් සමඟ වාහන ආනයන සඳහා අධිභාරයේ තාවකාලික වැඩිවීමක් යම් කාලයක් සඳහා වාහන මිල ඉහළ යා හැකි බවත්, එය ඇපකරයක් ලෙස භාවිතා කරන වාහනවල වටිනාකමට බලපාන බවත් මහ බැංකුව සටහන් කරයි. මෙම අවදානම් විසඳීම සඳහා, රත්‍රන් මගින් සුරක්ෂිත කරන ලද ණය සඳහා උපරිම ණය-වටිනාකම (LTV) අනුපාතය සියයට 70 ක් හඳුන්වා දී ඇත. මෙයින් අදහස් කරන්නේ බැංකුවකට හෝ මූල්‍ය සමාගමකට දැන් ඇපයක් ලෙස ඇපයට තැබූ රත්‍රන් වටිනාකමෙන් සියයට 70ක් දක්වා පමණක් ණයට දිය හැකි බවයි. මෙම රීතිය නව ණය සඳහා පමණක් නොව, පවතින රත්‍රන් පිටුබලය සහිත ණය 2026 මැයි 25 දින හෝ ඊට පසු අලුත් කරන විට ද අදාළ වේ. මහ බැංකුව මෝටර් රථ සඳහා ණය සඳහා පවතින LTV සීමාවන් ද සියයට 10 කින් දැඩි කර ඇත. මෙය ණයක් හරහා මූල්‍යකරණය කළ හැකි වාහනයක වටිනාකමෙන් උපරිම කොටස ඵලදායී ලෙස අඩු කරයි. Source : NewsFirst Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Sri Lankans.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australians are becoming more cautious about taking risks, with fewer people changing jobs, starting businesses or moving for new opportunities. Recent economic data shows job mobility has dropped sharply over the past few decades. In 1989, nearly one in five workers changed jobs each year. Today, that figure has fallen to about one in 13 workers. Experts say rising living costs, large mortgages and economic uncertainty are making people prioritise stability over risk. Concerns around artificial intelligence, tighter job markets and global instability are also adding pressure. At the same time, self-employment is at its lowest level in 20 years. More Australians are choosing secure wage-paying jobs instead of running small businesses, as employee benefits like superannuation and paid parental leave become more attractive. Economists also warn that growing regulations and higher business costs are making it harder for younger Australians to launch new ventures or move ahead financially. While stable employment offers security, experts say Australia’s slowing workforce mobility could reduce innovation and economic growth in the long term. Source : ABC News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. International military officers are continuing to strengthen regional defence ties through joint training at the Sri Lanka Army War College in Buttala. Australian Army Major Martin Hadley, Pakistan Army Major Muhaymin Maneka, and Maldives National Defence Force Captain Hassan Rasheed are currently taking part in the Junior Officers Course alongside Sri Lankan officers. During the second week of training, the officers carried out field exercises focused on ground appreciation and navigation skills under the guidance of directing staff instructors. The program highlights growing cooperation, professional exchange, and stronger partnerships across Indo-Pacific defence forces. Major Maneka is also a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon’s December 2016 intake. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. North Sydney Council is planning to introduce new fees for weddings, gender reveal parties, pop-up picnics and large gatherings held in public parks. Under the proposal, event charges could range from $10 to $2000 depending on the location, group size and type of event. The changes would apply to 23 council-managed parks and reserves from July 1 if approved next month. Popular harbourside spots such as Blues Point Reserve and Cremorne Point Reserve would attract the highest fees. A wedding ceremony at these locations could cost $1000 for three hours, while receptions with food and drinks may reach $2000. Commercial picnic businesses, fitness trainers and dog walkers would also face annual permit fees. Council officials say the move is aimed at managing growing demand, reducing damage to parks and ensuring fair access to public spaces. Funds raised would go towards park maintenance and upkeep. Some parks will remain free for informal gatherings of up to 60 people. The proposal is expected to be voted on in June. Source : 9 News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka, your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans in Australia and beyond. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ දේශීය ආදායම් දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව රුපියල් ට්‍රිලියන 1 කට අධික බදු ආදායමක් රැස් කිරීමේ සන්ධිස්ථානය පසුකර ඇති අතර එය රටේ මූල්‍ය ස්ථාවරත්වය සහ මහජන සේවාවන් සඳහා සැලකිය යුතු ජයග්‍රහණයක් සනිටුහන් කරයි. 2026 මැයි 21 වන දින දේශීය ආදායම් දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව විසින් නිකුත් කරන ලද නිල ප්‍රකාශයකට අනුව, 2026 මැයි 18 වන දින මෙම සන්ධිස්ථානයට ළඟා විය. "රටේ මූල්‍ය ස්ථාවරත්වය සහ මහජන සේවාවන් ශක්තිමත් කරමින් 2026 මැයි 18 වන දින වන විට රුපියල් ට්‍රිලියනයකට අධික බදු ආදායමක් රැස් කිරීමේ ජයග්‍රහණය දේශීය ආදායම් දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ආඩම්බරයෙන් සනිටුහන් කරන බව මම ඔබට සතුටින් දන්වමි," යනුවෙන් එම නිවේදනයේ සඳහන් විය. කොමසාරිස් ජෙනරාල් රුක්දේවි පී. එච්. ප්‍රනාන්දු විසින් නිවේදනය කරන ලද අතර, ඇය රට පුරා සිටින බදු ගෙවන්නන්ට ද කෘතඥතාව පළ කළාය. "රට කෙරෙහි තම යුතුකම ඉටු කළ සහ සෘජුව සහ වක්‍රව බදු ගෙවීමෙන් මෙම ජයග්‍රහණයට දායක වූ සියලුම ගෞරවනීය පුරවැසියන්ට මම මගේ අවංක ස්තූතිය පළ කරමි," යනුවෙන් එම නිවේදනයේ සඳහන් වේ. Source : News First More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. South-eastern Australia is set for a burst of winter weather next week, with forecasts warning of heavy rain, strong winds, thunderstorms and possible snow. Weather experts say two cold air systems moving across southern Australia will bring a major shift after several calm days. The first system is already moving through parts of Western Australia and South Australia before reaching the south-east early next week. A second cold front is expected to arrive later in the week, increasing the risk of severe weather conditions. Forecast models suggest parts of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania could see heavy rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday, along with icy winds and snow in elevated areas. Meteorologists say forecasts may still change, but early signs point to a significant weather event across several states. The Bureau of Meteorology has already issued damaging surf and strong wind warnings for parts of the NSW North Coast, urging people to stay away from dangerous beaches and coastal waters. Source : 9 News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australian drivers could face higher petrol prices from July, with the federal government yet to decide whether it will extend the temporary fuel tax cut. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government will review the measure closer to June 30, when the current fuel excise reduction is due to end. The temporary cut has lowered petrol prices by around 26 cents per litre since April, saving motorists about $19 on a standard 65-litre tank. Mr Albanese said the policy has helped Australians manage rising fuel costs during ongoing global uncertainty linked to conflict in the Middle East. However, he warned the program is expensive and no final decision has been made. The government also introduced temporary support for truck drivers by reducing the Heavy Vehicle Road User Charge for three months. Meanwhile, the ACCC will continue monitoring petrol stations to ensure fuel savings are passed on to consumers. Some economists have raised concerns that extending the tax cut could increase fuel demand at a time when governments are trying to reduce pressure on supply. Source : News.com Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka – the leading platform for news for Australians.