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 Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra has officially launched the Sri Lanka–Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group, marking another step forward in strengthening ties between the two countries. More than 25 Australian Federal MPs and Senators from across the political spectrum attended the event on 26 May 2026, highlighting strong bipartisan support for Sri Lanka–Australia relations. Assistant Minister for Immigration and Foreign Affairs, Matt Thistlethwaite MP, attended as Chief Guest and praised the Sri Lankan community for its valuable contribution to Australia’s multicultural society through culture, skills and professional achievements. The Friendship Group is chaired by Sri Lankan-born MP Cassandra Fernando, with Senator Wendy Askew serving as Vice Chair. Sri Lankan heritage MP Ash Ambihaipahar also joined the gathering. Made up of 34 Members of Parliament, the group aims to strengthen cooperation between Sri Lanka and Australia while building closer engagement with the Sri Lankan Parliament and diplomatic representatives. Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, Yasoja Gunasekera, briefed members on Sri Lanka’s current economic, political and security developments, while Defence Counsellor Captain Sagara Udayanga presented on growing defence cooperation between the two nations. The event concluded with renewed commitments from both sides to further deepen the long-standing partnership between Sri Lanka and Australia. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒓𝒊 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂 - 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂 More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A severe weather warning has been issued for parts of New South Wales as heavy rain and thunderstorms impact several regions across the state. The Bureau of Meteorology says the Hunter and Mid North Coast areas could see intense rainfall over the coming hours, with severe storms also possible across the north-east. Rainfall totals of 20mm to 40mm are expected in many areas, while slow-moving storms could bring isolated falls of up to 80mm. Some locations around Barrington Tops may record as much as 95mm today. Authorities have warned of possible minor flooding along the Paterson and Williams rivers from tonight, with other waterways including the Manning, Gloucester, Goulburn and Hunter rivers also being monitored. Large hail, damaging winds and flash flooding remain a risk as a developing low-pressure system moves across southern Queensland and northern inland NSW. The NSW SES is urging residents to avoid flooded roads and stay updated with the latest weather alerts and emergency warnings. Flood warnings are also active in parts of Tasmania, particularly along the South Esk River in the state’s north-east. Conditions are expected to gradually ease over the weekend as the weather system moves offshore. 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. Australia’s inflation rate eased slightly in the year to April 2026, offering some positive signs for households and financial markets. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show annual inflation slowed to 4.2 per cent, down from 4.6 per cent in March. However, underlying inflation closely watched by the Reserve Bank of Australia edged up to 3.4 per cent from 3.3 per cent. The latest numbers were largely in line with expectations and have strengthened predictions that the RBA may keep interest rates unchanged at its June meeting. The update comes just days after Australia’s unemployment rate increased to 4.5 per cent, adding further pressure for rates to remain on hold. Economists say inflation is easing, but not as quickly as many Australians had hoped. Housing and transport costs continue to drive price increases, rising 6.3 per cent and 6.6 per cent respectively over the past year. Market analysts also noted that ongoing pressures from rent and wages are proving harder to reduce, making inflation more difficult to bring under control in the short term. 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. ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල අද, 2026 මැයි 27 වන දින, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ විස්තීර්ණ අරමුදල් පහසුකම (EFF) වැඩසටහනේ පස්වන සහ හයවන සමාලෝචන පිළිබඳව තීරණය කිරීම සඳහා එහි විධායක මණ්ඩලයට නියම කර ඇත. මෙය ඉතා අවශ්‍ය මූල්‍යකරණයෙන් දළ වශයෙන් ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 700 ක් විවෘත කළ හැකි පියවරකි. මණ්ඩලය සමාලෝචන දෙකම අනුමත කළහොත්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව IMF ගිවිසුම යටතේ හයවන සහ හත්වන වාරික ලබා ගැනීමට සුදුසුකම් ලබනු ඇත. ඊයේ, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ මහ බැංකු අධිපති ආචාර්ය පී. නන්දලාල් වීරසිංහ මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ, මිලකරණ ප්‍රතිපත්ති සහ සහනාධාර පිළිවෙත් පිළිබඳ වර්ධනය වන මහජන කනස්සල්ල මධ්‍යයේ, විශේෂයෙන් පිරිවැය පිළිබිඹු කරන ඉන්ධන මිලකරණය සම්බන්ධයෙන්, ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ (IMF) වැඩසටහන් කොන්දේසිවලට රට අනුකූලව සිටින බවයි. පසුගිය සතියේ, IMF සන්නිවේදන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජූලි කොසැක් මෑතකදී පැවසුවේ වැඩසටහන මණ්ඩලයට ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට පෙර පූර්ව ක්‍රියාමාර්ග කිහිපයක් සම්පූර්ණ කළ යුතු බවයි. විදුලිය සහ ඉන්ධන සඳහා පිරිවැය-ප්‍රතිසාධන මිලකරණය ප්‍රතිස්ථාපනය කිරීම, අවදානමට ලක්විය හැකි කණ්ඩායම් සඳහා ආරක්ෂාව සහතික කිරීම මෙන්ම මූල්‍ය සහතික සමාලෝචනය සම්පූර්ණ කිරීම මෙයට ඇතුළත් විය. Source : News First More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A new university alliance has been launched in Australia with a major goal helping 80 per cent of working-age Australians gain a tertiary qualification by 2050. Known as the 2050 Alliance, the group brings together nine universities from metropolitan, regional and outer suburban areas across the country. It replaces the former Innovative Research Universities (IRU) network. The alliance was officially launched by Education Minister Jason Clare and aims to play a key role in shaping higher education reforms and improving access to university education, especially for students in regional and under-represented communities. The founding universities include Australian Catholic University, Flinders University, Griffith University, James Cook University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University, University of Canberra, Victoria University and Western Sydney University. Together, the institutions support more than 285,000 students across 65 campuses nationwide. The Federal Government’s Universities Accord has set a target for 80 per cent of Australia’s workforce to hold a university or tertiary qualification by 2050. The new alliance says reaching that goal could add an estimated $240 billion to the national economy. Education Minister Jason Clare said the alliance would help expand opportunities in areas where university participation remains low, particularly in regional Australia and outer suburbs. 2050 Alliance Chair Professor George Williams described the current period as one of the biggest transformations in Australia’s higher education sector in decades. He said universities must work together to support students, communities and future workforce needs. The alliance also plans to work closely with the new Australian Tertiary Education Commission to help build a more accessible and inclusive university system for future generations. Source : TheKoalaNews 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. Victoria residents will soon pay half-price fares on public transport under a major temporary travel discount announced by the state government. From 1 June 2026 until 1 January 2027, fares on trains, trams and buses across Victoria will be reduced by 50 per cent for all passengers. The discount applies automatically statewide, including for concession card holders, whose already reduced fares will be cut even further. The government says regular commuters could save more than $850 during the seven-month period. Passengers can continue using public transport as normal by tapping on or purchasing tickets through existing systems. Trials of contactless “tap and go” payments will also resume on selected train lines for full-fare customers from 1 June. More details are available through the Transport Victoria website. ~Victoria State Government More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

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.