At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. The Australian Government has unveiled a massive $10.7 billion fuel security package ahead of next week’s federal budget, aiming to strengthen the country’s fuel reserves after recent supply disruptions linked to conflict in the Middle East. The plan includes $7.5 billion for a new Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility, designed to boost local fuel storage and supply through loans, guarantees and industry support. Another $3.2 billion will go towards creating an Australian Fuel Security Reserve. The reserve is expected to store around one billion litres of diesel and aviation fuel to improve long-term energy security. The government also plans to increase minimum fuel stockholding requirements by about 10 days. Australia currently holds around 43 days of petrol supply and 33 days of diesel supply still well below the 90-day target required for members of the International Energy Agency. Australia remains heavily dependent on imported fuel and now operates only two oil refineries, located in Brisbane and Geelong. Concerns intensified after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz triggered fuel shortages and panic buying earlier this year. The package also includes funding for new fuel storage projects, refinery feasibility studies, and ongoing industry coordination to prepare for future supply shocks. Additional emergency measures already introduced by the government include temporary fuel excise cuts, relaxed fuel quality standards, support for fuel imports, and the removal of some heavy vehicle charges. The opposition has criticised the government’s response, arguing Australia needs even larger fuel reserves and more domestic energy production to avoid future shortages. Source : carexpert.com 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. Meta Platforms is rolling out new AI tools to identify and remove underage users from its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, as part of efforts to comply with Australia’s upcoming social media rules for users under 16. The system will scan public profiles for signs of age. This includes analysing posts, captions, comments, and bios for clues such as birthday references or school-related information. It will also review photos and videos for visual indicators like appearance and physical development. According to Meta, the AI can combine these signals to assess whether an account likely belongs to a minor. The company says testing will begin in the United States, with wider global use planned for users under 13 first, followed by expansion to under-16 users in Australia in the coming months. Meta’s safety chief Antigone Davis said the company has heavily invested in AI to detect and remove underage accounts and improve online safety for young users. She added that while the tools are important, the most effective long-term solution would be age checks at app store level, allowing parents to manage access across all apps in one place rather than relying on each platform separately. 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. Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved a new ground handling contract for SriLankan Airlines at Sydney Airport, ensuring services continue without disruption. The previous agreement ended on April 30, 2026, prompting a limited international tender. Three bids were reviewed, with Menzies Aviation (Australia) Pty Ltd selected as the best-qualified and most cost-effective option. The contract, approved on the recommendation of the procurement committee, runs for three years from May 1, 2026, and is valued at approximately AUD 8.32 million. Source : Daily Mirror More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A burst of polar weather is set to bring rare snowfall to parts of south-eastern Australia this week including areas outside the usual alpine zones. According to Weatherzone, the cold front will move in from tonight, delivering snow across the mountains of Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. What makes this event unusual is how low the snow could fall. Forecast levels include: Around 500m in Tasmania 600m in Victoria 700m in the NSW Snowy Mountains 800m in the ACT and NSW Central Tablelands Alpine regions could see up to 20cm of snow, while lighter flurries may reach lower-lying towns. Places like Orange and areas outside Canberra have a chance of seeing snow. Best spots to catch a glimpse: NSW: Blackheath is a good option, especially with road access issues near Oberon. Victoria: Mount Macedon often sees light snowfall and is close to Melbourne. ACT: Corin Forest Mountain Resort offers one of the best viewing chances. Tasmania: Snow is expected widely, including on Mount Wellington. While snowfall at lower elevations will be light, the event is rare for late autumn and could create scenic and potentially disruptive conditions across several regions. 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. A nationwide free school lunch program is being proposed in Australia, aiming to ease pressure on families and improve student wellbeing. Australia is one of the few wealthy countries where students are not guaranteed a daily meal at school. But a growing push could change that. In Tasmania, the School Food Matters initiative already provides around 21,500 freshly cooked lunches each week across 60 public schools. The program, launched in 2020, is largely funded by the state government. Founder Julie Dunbabin wants to expand the model nationwide. Early feedback suggests better student behaviour, improved attendance, and stronger social connections. Each meal costs about $10 to prepare. While currently free, a national rollout may include a small parent contribution around $5 per meal to help cover costs. This is still cheaper than the average lunch box, which can cost $7 to $11. Experts say the issue is urgent. Rising living costs are making it harder for families to provide healthy food. Katherine Kent from the University of Wollongong notes many parents are struggling to pack nutritious lunches, which can affect children’s focus and learning. Miriam Williams adds that missing a proper meal can impact students’ health, concentration, and overall wellbeing. Countries like Japan, Sweden and Estonia already run universal school meal programs, highlighting what could be possible in Australia. 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. ප්‍රවාහන, මහාමාර්ග සහ නාගරික සංවර්ධන අමාත්‍ය බිමල් රත්නායක මහතා, දුර ගමන් බස් මගීන් සඳහා කලින් ආසන වෙන් කරවා ගැනීමට හැකි වන පරිදි මාර්ගගත ආසන වෙන්කරවා ගැනීමේ ක්‍රමයක් හඳුන්වා දෙන බව නිවේදනය කළේය. බත්තරමුල්ලේ “මගනේගුම මහමැදුර” හිදී අද (05) පැවති මාධ්‍ය හමුවකදී අමාත්‍යවරයා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ, දෛනික ප්‍රවාහන පහසුව වැඩිදියුණු කිරීම රජයේ ප්‍රධාන ප්‍රමුඛතාවයක් බවයි. පෞද්ගලික බස් රථ සඳහා නියමු ව්‍යාපෘතියක් ලෙස දියත් කරන ලද නව ක්‍රමය මඟින් මගීන්ට කාලසටහන් පරීක්ෂා කිරීමට සහ නිවසේ සිට ආසන වෙන්කරවා ගැනීමට ඉඩ සලසයි. ප්‍රමාදයන්, වෙන් කර ඇති ආසන අහිමි වීම, හදිසි ගමන් අවලංගු කිරීම් සහ අධික සේවා ගාස්තු වැනි පොදු ගැටළු අඩු කිරීමට අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ. නව ක්‍රමය යටතේ, වෙන්කරවා ගැනීමේ ගාස්තුව පෙර පැවති රුපියල් 200–300 ගාස්තුවට සාපේක්ෂව ආසනයකට රුපියල් 30 ක් පමණ දක්වා සැලකිය යුතු ලෙස අඩු කර ඇත. SLT-MOBITEL හි තාක්ෂණික සහාය ඇතිව වේදිකාව සංවර්ධනය කර ඇත. එහි සභාපති ආචාර්ය මෝතිලාල් ද සිල්වා මහතා සඳහන් කළේ සාම්ප්‍රදායික විදුලි සංදේශ සේවාවලින් ඔබ්බට මහජන අවශ්‍යතා සඳහා ඩිජිටල් විසඳුම් ලබා දීමට සමාගම කැපවී සිටින බවයි. ඩිජිටල් ආර්ථික අමාත්‍යාංශයේ උපදේශක සුමුදු රත්නායක මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ, අනාගතයේදී සියලුම වෙන් කිරීම් මධ්‍යගත පද්ධතියකට ඒකාබද්ධ කිරීමට සැලසුම් සකස් කරමින් පවතින බවයි. මෙම සේවාව දැනට මාකුඹුර, ගාල්ල සහ මහනුවර ඇතුළු තෝරාගත් ප්‍රවාහන මධ්‍යස්ථානවල ලබා ගත හැකි අතර, සාර්ථක ලෙස ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමෙන් පසු දිවයින පුරා ව්‍යාප්ත කිරීමට සැලසුම් කර ඇත. www.busticket.gov.lk වෙබ් අඩවිය හරහා හෝ 0112001266 අංකයට ඇමතීමෙන් මගීන්ට ආසන වෙන්කරවා ගත හැකිය. මාකුඹුර බහුමාධ්‍ය ප්‍රවාහන මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ ද පහසුකම් තිබේ. QR සහ ජංගම මුදල් පසුම්බිය ගෙවීමේ විකල්ප ඉක්මනින් හඳුන්වා දීමට අපේක්ෂා කරන VISA සහ Master කාඩ්පත් භාවිතයෙන් ගෙවීම් කළ හැකිය. Source : News.lk More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australians could receive up to $300 in tax relief under a possible measure in the upcoming federal budget, though the government has not confirmed it. Jim Chalmers says the May 12 budget will deliver a broad reform package focused on tax changes, spending cuts, and boosting productivity. The plan aims to ease cost-of-living pressures and address growing inequality, especially for younger Australians. Reports suggest a one-off tax offset may reduce annual tax bills by $200–$300. However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has cautioned that budget details remain uncertain. The government has already flagged savings measures. Electric vehicle tax incentives will be scaled back from 2027, with full benefits limited to cars under $75,000. This change is expected to save $1.7 billion over five years. Spending cuts are also a key focus. The government plans to reduce costs across departments, including major savings from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, where tighter rules aim to control rapid growth. At the same time, defence funding will rise significantly, with an extra $53 billion committed over the next decade to strengthen military capability. Housing-related tax reforms such as changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing are still under consideration. While not confirmed, these measures are being explored as part of efforts to make the system fairer. Overall, the budget is expected to prioritise careful spending, targeted relief, and long-term economic stability as global uncertainty and inflation continue to impact Australia. 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. Residents in Cranbourne East say they are still waiting for a promised train station nearly 20 years after first contributing funds toward it. Council records show about $4.9 million has been collected through rail levies as of June 2025. Every new home in the area includes a contribution starting from $700, aimed at funding the Cranbourne East station and electrification of the Clyde rail line. These costs are usually passed on to homebuyers. Around $2.8 million remains held by council, while $2.1 million has already been used to secure land for the station on Godfrey Avenue, transferred to the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. Long-time resident Selda Nunuvero says the delay has been frustrating. Living in the area since 2007, she still relies on buses to reach Cranbourne Station, adding extra time to daily travel. Community leaders are also raising concerns. Anthony Tassone from the Casey Residents and Ratepayers Association says the delay is unfair, noting residents have already paid specifically for this infrastructure. The project includes extending and electrifying the Cranbourne line to Clyde, along with building four new stations. Infrastructure Victoria estimates the full plan could cost between $2 billion and $3 billion. With the state election approaching, residents and advocates continue to push for action, saying the community deserves the transport upgrades it has already funded. Source : Star 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. සමාජ ආරක්ෂණ දායකතා බද්ද (Social Security Contribution Levy - SSCL) 2.5% කින් වැඩි කිරීම සහ ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලරයේ අගය තවදුරටත් ශක්තිමත් වීම හේතුවෙන්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආනයනය කරන වාහනවල මිල මැයි 1 දිනෙන් පසු ඉහළ යාමට අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ. ලංකා වාහන ආනයනකරුවන්ගේ සංගමයේ (Lanka Vehicle Importers Association) සභාපති ප්‍රසාද් මැනේජ් මහතා පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ, වැඩි කළ බදු සහ විනිමය අනුපාතයේ වෙනස්වීම් එකට එක්වීම ජනප්‍රිය වාහන මාදිලිවල සිල්ලර මිලවලට සැලකිය යුතු බලපෑමක් ඇති කරන බවයි. ඔහුට අනුව, Honda Vezel වාහනයක මිල රුපියල් 300,000 කට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයකින් ඉහළ යා හැකි අතර, Toyota Raize වාහනයක මිල රුපියල් 250,000 කට ආසන්නව ඉහළ යා හැකි බව සඳහන් වේ. එසේම, Suzuki Wagon R වාහනයක මිල රුපියල් 150,000 කට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයකින් වැඩි වීමට ද අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ. වාහන ආනයනකරුවන් අනතුරු ඇඟවීමක් කරමින් කියා සිටින්නේ, මෙම මිල ඉහළ යාම දැනටමත් ජීවන වියදම් ඉහළ යාමෙන් පීඩාවට පත්ව ඇති පාරිභෝගිකයින්ට අමතර බරක් විය හැකි බවත්, ඒ සමඟම වාහන වෙළඳපොළේ ඉල්ලුම ද පහත වැටීමට හේතු විය හැකි බවත්ය. Source : Daily Mirror 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. Police in Melbourne have launched a major taskforce after a series of suspicious fires targeted hospitality venues across the city. Since April 14, at least 15 incidents including arson attacks and attempted fires have hit restaurants, bars and nightclubs in the CBD, South Melbourne, South Yarra and Prahran. Victoria Police confirmed a specialist operation, known as Operation Eclipse, is now underway. Detectives from organised crime, arson, cybercrime and gang units are working together to investigate possible links to criminal networks. Authorities believe the attacks may be connected to other serious crimes, including two kidnappings, a drive-by shooting, a car theft and a factory fire in Melbourne’s south-east. Police say those behind the attacks may be hiring young people to carry them out. Many suspects appear to have little knowledge of who is directing them. Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly said the incidents pose a serious risk to public safety. He added that investigators are still working to identify the motive and any groups involved. So far, 12 people have been arrested. Investigators say the attacks share similarities with past organised crime activity, including conflicts linked to illegal tobacco trade. However, business owners affected have told police they were not threatened or extorted, making the motive unclear. Police are urging the public to report any suspicious activity, including unusual behaviour around venues or people handling fuel containers. Authorities say protecting the hospitality sector remains a top priority as investigations continue. Source : theguardian More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

This exclusive report is brought to you by AUS NEWS LANKA. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia's Population by Country of Birth, June 2025 (released 29 April 2026) Australia is one of the world's most diverse countries — and it's getting more diverse every year. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), released on 29 April 2026, show just how much the country's migrant communities have changed. For Sri Lankans in Australia, the picture is one of real growth, but also of being outpaced by some fast-rising neighbours. Australia's Population: Now at 27.7 Million By September 2025, Australia's population had reached 27,724,744 people — up by 423,600 in just one year. Most of that growth came from overseas migration, which added 311,000 people, with the rest from natural increase (births minus deaths). The ABS country-of-birth snapshot, taken at 30 June 2025, puts the total at 27.6 million, of which 8.8 million — or 32 per cent — were born overseas. That's the highest share since 1893, and it reflects just how central migration has become to Australia's growth story. India Overtakes England — A Historic First For the first time ever, India has become the number one overseas birthplace in Australia's population, nudging past England by just 70 people. At 30 June 2025, there were 971,020 India-born residents in Australia, compared to 970,950 born in England. It's an incredibly tight margin, but a significant milestone. India's community has more than doubled since 2015, adding 522,000 people in a decade. England, on the other hand, has been slowly shrinking since a peak of over one million in 2013 — largely because that post-World War II British migrant generation is now in its 60s and ageing. The top ten countries of birth in Australia at June 2025 were: India (971,020), England (970,950), China (732,000), New Zealand (638,000), Philippines (413,000), Vietnam (327,000), South Africa (230,000), Nepal (214,000), Sri Lanka (184,800), and Malaysia (184,000). Nepal's Remarkable Rise — and What It Means for Sri Lanka While India's story grabbed the headlines, Nepal's growth has been equally astonishing. In 2015, there were only 50,150 Nepali-born people in Australia. By 2025, that number had soared to 213,580 — a four-fold increase in just ten years. It was last year (2024) that Nepal's population overtook Sri Lanka's for the first time, pushing Sri Lanka down from eighth to ninth place. The Nepali community is very young — average age of just 30 — and made up mostly of international students and skilled workers. Sri Lanka: Steady Growth, Ninth Place At 30 June 2025, there were 184,800 Sri Lanka-born residents in Australia, making it the ninth-largest overseas-born community in the country. That's up from 119,700 in 2015 and 142,700 in 2020 — a 54 per cent increase over the decade. Solid growth, even if it doesn't match the pace of India or Nepal. The Sri Lankan community has a distinct character. The average age is 40.5 years, which reflects a well-established, settled community, many of whom arrived from the 1980s onwards, including those who fled the civil war. The number of men and women is fairly balanced (107 males per 100 females), which is a sign that many Sri Lankans migrate as families rather than solo. Victoria is home to most Sri Lankan-Australians. According to 2021 Census data — the most recent state-level figures available — 72,100 Sri Lanka-born residents live there more than any other state. Sri Lankans also appear in the top ten communities in the Northern Territory and the ACT. One stat worth watching: Sri Lanka (184,800) and Malaysia (184,320) are now separated by just 480 people nationally. The two communities could swap places in next year's figures. The Bigger Picture The data tells a clear story about Australia's changing identity. The old post-war migration story — built on England, Italy, and Greece — is fading as those communities age. Italy dropped out of Australia's top ten birthplaces in 2024 for the first time since 1901. In their place, South and South-East Asian communities are driving growth. India leads, but China, the Philippines, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are all part of a new wave reshaping the country. For Sri Lankan-Australians, the 2025 numbers confirm a community that is established, growing, and deeply woven into Australian life — nearly 185,000 people strong, with families, careers, and roots across the country. All population figures are ABS Estimated Resident Population as at 30 June 2025 (preliminary), released 29 April 2026. The total Australian population of 27,724,744 is as at 30 September 2025, from ABS National, State and Territory Population.

At AusNewsLanka, we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia’s housing market is showing signs of a shift, with prices dipping slightly after months of resilience. The latest data from PropTrack shows national home values fell 0.1% in April the first decline this year. March had surprised with growth, but momentum is now easing. Economists say the market has reached a turning point. Higher interest rates, global uncertainty and possible tax changes are weighing on buyer confidence. A gradual slowdown is expected, rather than a sharp crash. The picture varies across the country. About half of all regions recorded price drops, with declines strongest in premium areas. Parts of Sydney and Melbourne saw notable falls, especially in higher-end suburbs. At the same time, more affordable areas are still seeing modest growth. Cities like Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth posted small gains, though growth is slowing there too. Rising inflation and the likelihood of further rate hikes from the Reserve Bank of Australia are adding pressure. Higher fuel and living costs are also impacting sentiment. Uncertainty is now a key factor. Some buyers are delaying purchases or lowering budgets, while some sellers are holding off listing their homes. Overall, the market is cooling. Prices remain higher than a year ago, but the pace of growth is clearly slowing across most regions. Source : News.com More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.