At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia could soon be home to its largest AI data centre, with plans unveiled for a massive project in remote Western Australia. Known as Project Meridien, the facility is proposed for the Kimberley region, south of Broome. It’s designed to support advanced AI systems such as ChatGPT and other large-scale computing platforms. The project will be built in stages and is expected to begin operations around 2032. Its initial capacity is set at 240 megawatts far larger than typical Australian data centres and could eventually expand to a massive 1 gigawatt. The site will be powered by a mix of wind, solar, batteries, and some natural gas. Developers say it will use a water-efficient cooling system that recycles water instead of consuming large volumes. Project Meridien is a joint venture involving the Karajarri Traditional Lands Association, Dutch company Fugro, and Longreach Capital Investment. It will be built on Karajarri country, with traditional owners involved as project partners. Supporters say the project could bring jobs, investment, and position Australia as a key player in global AI infrastructure. It may also attract international clients, including companies in nearby Asia. However, not everyone is on board. Some community members have raised concerns about environmental and cultural impacts, with further consultation planned. Environmental assessments are expected to begin soon, with construction targeted for around 2029 or 2030. Source : ABC News 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. නිල දත්ත වලට අනුව, 2026 අප්‍රේල් 16 වන විට ශ්‍රී ලංකා රේගුව රුපියල් බිලියන 765.7 ක ආදායමක් වාර්තා කර ඇත. රේගු නිලධාරීන් පැවසුවේ මෙය එම කාල සීමාව සඳහා ආදායම් ඉලක්කය රුපියල් බිලියන 71.8 කින් ඉක්මවා ඇති බවයි. ශ්‍රී ලංකා රේගුව 2025 දී එහි ඉහළම ආදායම රුපියල් බිලියන 2,557.5 ක් වූ අතර, 2026 සඳහා රුපියල් බිලියන 2,207.0 ක ආදායම් ඉලක්කයක් පවරා ඇත. රේගු මාධ්‍ය ප්‍රකාශක චන්දන පුංචිහේවා පැවසුවේ, පර්යන්ත ක්‍රියාකරුවන්ට අනුව, මැද පෙරදිග අර්බුදය ශ්‍රී ලංකාව හරහා ප්‍රතිඅපනයන භාණ්ඩ ප්‍රවාහනය වැඩිවීමට දායක වී ඇති බවත්, එහි ප්‍රතිඵලයක් ලෙස ඔවුන්ගේ අවසාන ගමනාන්ත වෙත නැව්ගත කිරීමට පෙර දේශීයව බහාලුම් ප්‍රමාණය වැඩි වී ඇති බවත්ය. “මුලින් මැද පෙරදිගට සෘජුවම නැව්ගත කිරීමට නියමිතව තිබූ බහාලුම් දැන් ගොඩබා ඒවායේ අදාළ ගමනාන්ත වෙත හරවා යවනු ලැබේ,” ඔහු පැහැදිලි කළේය. Source : Newswire 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. Millions of Australians will soon be able to claim a $1,000 tax deduction instantly no receipts required. Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed the plan will be written into law and is expected to apply from the 2027 tax season. The change means eligible workers can claim up to $1,000 in work-related expenses with a simple tick no paperwork or detailed records needed. Around 6.2 million people are set to benefit. The actual tax saving will vary. The maximum benefit is about $470, with the average closer to $205. The measure is part of the government’s broader push to reduce income tax and simplify the system. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously said the goal is to make tax returns faster and easier. However, there’s a catch. Choosing the flat $1,000 deduction means you can’t claim your real expenses. If your work-related costs are higher, you could miss out on a bigger refund. The announcement comes ahead of the May federal budget, which has been reshaped due to global economic pressures, including the Middle East conflict. More policy updates are expected in the lead-up to the budget, including potential changes to other major programs. Source : 9News 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. All consular services for Sri Lankan citizens residing in Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania are managed by the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Melbourne. Applications for these services can be submitted either by post or in person by scheduling a prior appointment. Please note that appointments are mandatory for all attestation services, including document authentication and Power of Attorney. To book a time slot, applicants must send a formal request to mail@slcgmel.org . In the event of an urgent consular matter, you may also contact us via the same email address ( mail@slcgmel.org ) to request an expedited appointment. Consulate General of Sri Lanka Melbourne, Australia More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A new report from the Planning Institute of Australia says Australia’s rapid population growth is happening without a clear national strategy and it could cost the economy billions. The group is urging the federal government to introduce a long-term, coordinated plan to manage growth. Without it, Australians may face rising housing costs, longer commutes, and more pressure on infrastructure. The report projects Australia’s population will grow by more than 14 million people, reaching over 40 million by 2065. According to the institute, poor planning means everyday challenges from expensive housing to overcrowded services will continue to worsen. A national plan would better align key areas like housing, infrastructure, population growth, and economic development. The goal is not to control where people live, but to ensure growth is managed in a smarter, more sustainable way. The report outlines five possible paths for Australia’s future: Mega city expansion: Major cities like Sydney and Melbourne continue to grow rapidly, with surrounding regions becoming part of larger urban networks. Connected regions: Faster transport links could connect cities with nearby regional areas, boosting jobs and housing options. New cities: Planned developments could create fully serviced communities — not just commuter suburbs. Regional growth: Cities like Townsville, Cairns, Ballarat and Bendigo could play a bigger role in easing pressure on capitals. Climate-ready planning: Future development could focus on safer areas to reduce disaster risks and long-term costs. The institute says better planning can deliver more affordable homes, improved transport, and stronger communities. It is now calling on the government to act, warning that without a clear strategy, Australia risks falling further behind as its population continues to grow. Source : Realestate.com.au 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. 2025 දී අ.පො.ස. උසස් පෙළ විභාගයට පෙනී සිටින ඉහළ දක්ෂතා දක්වන සිසුන් සඳහා ජාත්‍යන්තරව පිළිගත් විශ්ව විද්‍යාලවල උපාධි අධ්‍යයන කටයුතු හැදෑරීමට අවස්ථාව ලබා දෙමින් අධ්‍යාපන, උසස් අධ්‍යාපන සහ වෘත්තීය අධ්‍යාපන අමාත්‍යාංශය විසින් ගෞරවනීය පූර්ණ අරමුදල් සහිත විදේශ ශිෂ්‍යත්ව වැඩසටහනක් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කර ඇත. “සමෘද්ධිමත් ජාතියක් - ලස්සන ජීවිතයක්” යන රජයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති රාමුවට අනුකූලව දියත් කරන ලද මෙම වැඩසටහන ගෝලීය වශයෙන් තරඟකාරී උපාධිධාරීන් සංවර්ධනය කිරීම සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ මානව ප්‍රාග්ධනය ශක්තිමත් කිරීම අරමුණු කරයි. මෙම වැඩසටහන යටතේ, 2026/2027 අධ්‍යයන වර්ෂය සඳහා ආසන්න වශයෙන් සිසුන් 25 ත් 50 ත් අතර පිරිසකට ශිෂ්‍යත්ව ප්‍රදානය කෙරෙන අතර, 2025 සිට 2029 දක්වා වසර පහක කාලය තුළ ශිෂ්‍යත්ව 200 ක් දක්වා යෝජනා ක්‍රමය පුළුල් කිරීමට සැලසුම් කර ඇත. QS ලෝක විශ්ව විද්‍යාල ශ්‍රේණිගත කිරීම්, ටයිම්ස් උසස් අධ්‍යාපන ලෝක විශ්ව විද්‍යාල ශ්‍රේණිගත කිරීම් සහ ලෝක විශ්ව විද්‍යාලවල අධ්‍යයන ශ්‍රේණිගත කිරීම් වැනි පිළිගත් ජාත්‍යන්තර ශ්‍රේණිගත කිරීම් මත පදනම්ව, ගෝලීය වශයෙන් ඉහළම 500 තුළ ශ්‍රේණිගත කර ඇති විශ්ව විද්‍යාලවල උපාධි වැඩසටහන් සඳහා අයදුම් කිරීමට සුදුසුකම් ලත් සිසුන්ට ආරාධනා කෙරේ. ශ්‍රී ලංකා රාජ්‍ය විශ්වවිද්‍යාල මගින් දැනට පිරිනමනු නොලබන, විශේෂයෙන් රටේ ආර්ථික වර්ධනයට සහ තිරසාර සංවර්ධනයට දායක විය හැකි, නැගී එන ගෝලීය ක්ෂේත්‍රවල හෝ විෂයයන්හි අධ්‍යයන කටයුතු හැදෑරීමට අදහස් කරන සිසුන්ට ප්‍රමුඛතාවය දෙනු ලැබේ. Source : Eduwire More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. The Australian government has stepped in to secure extra fuel, confirming the purchase of 100 million litres of diesel under new emergency powers. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government backed two diesel shipments about 570,000 barrels from Brunei and South Korea. The fuel was purchased by Viva Energy, with financial risk covered by the government. The move comes as global supply remains under pressure due to the Middle East conflict. These new powers allow fuel companies to import supply while the government absorbs the cost risks. Albanese said this is just the beginning, with more shipments expected to strengthen Australia’s fuel reserves. The announcement follows a major refinery fire in Geelong. The prime minister is cutting short his overseas trip to visit the site and assess the impact. While no injuries were reported, he warned fuel supply could be affected. Australia is also strengthening energy ties across the region. During talks in Kuala Lumpur, Albanese and Anwar Ibrahim agreed to improve cooperation and ensure stable fuel trade. Malaysia remains a key supplier, providing a significant share of Australia’s diesel, petrol, and jet fuel. The government has now secured similar energy agreements with multiple Asian partners, aiming to keep supply chains stable during ongoing global uncertainty. Officials say the strategy is focused on protecting Australians from fuel shortages and price shocks as the crisis continues. Source : ABC 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 could be heading for another interest rate hike in May, as early signs of economic pressure begin to emerge. New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows unemployment held steady at 4.3% in March. Around 18,000 people joined the workforce, pointing to continued strength in the jobs market. The solid result is increasing expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia may lift the cash rate again from its current 4.1% at its May meeting. Economists say the figures only capture the early phase of the Iran conflict, meaning the full economic impact especially from rising fuel costs has yet to be seen. Analysts warn the strong labour market gives the RBA room to act. Inflation remains a key concern, and policymakers may prioritise controlling prices over supporting employment. While Australia’s jobless rate is still low by global standards, some experts say cracks could appear in the coming months. Industries that rely heavily on fuel are already under pressure. Construction, transport, farming, and manufacturing are among the most exposed, with rising diesel costs squeezing margins. Regional businesses may also feel the strain due to higher transport expenses. Economists caution that the real impact of the conflict will take time to flow through the economy, with effects on hiring and investment likely to become clearer in the months ahead. Source : News.com.au 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. 2026 අප්‍රේල් 21 සිට 28 දක්වා ජාත්‍යන්තරව පිළිගත් “සාමය සඳහා පා ගමන” වන්දනා ගමන ශ්‍රී ලංකාව විසින් පැවැත්වීමට නියමිත අතර, එය අතිපූජ්‍ය පඤ්ඤාකර හිමියන් සහ බෞද්ධ භික්ෂූන් දොළොස් දෙනෙකුගෙන් යුත් දූත පිරිසක් විසින් මෙහෙයවනු ලැබේ. දින හතක අධ්‍යාත්මික ගමන අනුරාධපුරයෙන් ආරම්භ වී කොළඹින් අවසන් වන පූජනීය ස්ථාන කිහිපයක් හරහා විහිදේ. සාමය සහ එකමුතුකම සංකේතවත් කරන පූජනීය ධාතු සමඟ ජය ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධි පූජනීය පැළයක් වන්දනා ගමනේදී රැගෙන යනු ඇත. රජයේ පිරිසිදු ශ්‍රී ලංකා වැඩසටහනේ සහාය ඇතිව මෙම වැඩසටහන පවත්වනු ලැබේ. මෙම උත්සවය කොළඹදී පැවැත්වෙන රාජ්‍ය උත්සවයකින් සහ සංස්කෘතික ප්‍රදර්ශනයකින් අවසන් වන අතර එහිදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පොහොසත් බෞද්ධ උරුමයන් සහ සාම්ප්‍රදායික අත්කම් දේශීය හා ජාත්‍යන්තර ප්‍රේක්ෂකයින්ට ප්‍රදර්ශනය කෙරේ. Source : News.lk More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Emergency crews were called to the Viva Energy Corio Refinery late Wednesday night after reports of explosions and flames. The facility supplies about half of Victoria’s fuel and around 10% nationally. No injuries have been reported. However, the fire is still burning and residents have been warned about air quality in the area. The refinery remains partly operational. Diesel and jet fuel production will continue at reduced levels, but petrol output is expected to be affected. Authorities say it’s too early to determine the full impact. Chris Bowen said the incident comes at a difficult time, with global fuel supplies already under strain due to tensions in the Middle East. Early findings suggest the fire was caused by equipment failure. An investigation is underway. Viva Energy says safety is the top priority. Some petrol units were damaged, while others remain intact. Production will only return to normal once it is safe to do so. Australia relies heavily on imported fuel from Asia, which may help limit immediate shortages. But experts warn the incident reduces the country’s buffer against ongoing global disruptions. The refinery produces about 120,000 barrels per day and employs more than 1,100 workers. Around 50 to 100 staff were on site at the time and were safely evacuated. Local officials described the incident as highly unusual, with the fire expected to take several hours to fully burn out. Source : BBC 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. Virgin Australia says its fuel bill will be $30–$40 million higher than expected for the second half of the financial year. In response, the airline will reduce domestic capacity by 1% over the next three months and increase revenue per seat targets. The airline says jet fuel prices have more than doubled since late February, driven by global supply disruptions. It is using fuel hedging and adjusting fares and flight schedules to manage the impact. Meanwhile, Qantas has taken stronger action, cutting domestic capacity by 5%. It expects to spend up to $3.3 billion on fuel, with rising refinery costs adding a potential $500–$800 million hit to profits. Both airlines say they are closely monitoring supply chains and working with suppliers to secure fuel in the coming months. The pressure comes amid ongoing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments. Disruptions in the region have pushed up fuel prices worldwide. A recent report by Morningstar DBRS warned that Australian airlines could be among the hardest hit if fuel shortages worsen, due to their reliance on imported jet fuel. For travellers, this means fewer flight options and higher fares, at least in the short term. Source : 9News 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 global economy is facing fresh uncertainty as the Middle East conflict disrupts growth and pushes inflation higher, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund. Before the conflict, global growth for 2026 was expected to reach 3.4%. That outlook has now weakened due to rising energy prices and supply disruptions, especially around the Strait of Hormuz. The IMF says the crisis is impacting the economy in three key ways: Higher energy and commodity prices are driving up costs and inflation Supply chains are under pressure Financial markets are becoming more volatile In its base scenario, global growth could slow to 3.1% this year, while inflation rises to 4.4%. If the conflict worsens, the outlook becomes more serious. Growth could fall to 2.5% or even 2% in a worst-case scenario while inflation may climb above 6%. Countries that rely on imported energy are expected to be hit hardest, especially developing economies with limited financial support. At the same time, major oil-exporting nations may also face losses due to damaged infrastructure and reduced production. The IMF warns that the situation is similar to the global price shock seen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but with added risks due to ongoing global instability. To limit the damage, the IMF says ending the conflict quickly is critical. Central banks may need to tighten policies if inflation rises further, while governments are advised to avoid broad subsidies and instead provide targeted support to vulnerable households. Looking ahead, the report highlights the need for stronger global cooperation, investment in renewable energy, and long-term growth strategies to reduce the impact of future shocks. Source : NewsFirst More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .