7+ hour, 12+ min ago (430+ words) The newly minted boss of Australia's national weather agency has tried to shut down a brewing political storm over its $96.5 million website overhaul. Bureau of Meteorology chief executive Stuart Minchin, who is two weeks into the job, defended the cost on Tuesday, saying the website redesign was part of a broader system overhaul prompted by a 2015 cyber-attack. He says improvements are under way to help users navigate the site, including a new rain radar shortcut expected to appear on the homepage by the end of the week. "(The cost) has been quite open within the bureau and it's part of a larger program," Minchin told ABC Radio National on Tuesday. "I can commit that [as] I am taking the helm of the bureau, I wanted to make that as transparent as possible and be open and honest with the Australian…...

1+ hour, 25+ min ago (446+ words) A South Australian woman who lost out on a multimillion-dollar mansion after failing to realise she was ineligible to win Adrian Portelli's hugely popular LCMT+ lottery has been given a cash gift by the billionaire. Donna, from Murray Bridge, last week won the $3.5 million renovated mansion as part of the reality show The Block. However, LCMT+ does not have the correct licence in SA for her to be eligible for the major prize. Portelli took to Facebook on November 19 to announce there would need to be a redraw for the mansion due to South Australia's strict gambling laws not allowing her to take home the major prize. Portelli doesn't hold a licence to operate his giveaways in South Australia, which is written in his terms and conditions. South Australians remain fully able to buy tickets, however, with no location lock…...

2+ hour ago (385+ words) Hot chips have been crowned Australia's "unofficial national dish" for 2025, dominating delivery orders across multiple states. The newly released Uber Eats Cravings Report, which took delivery and order statistics from across the country, revealed Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and WA all ordered hot chips more than anything else this year. NSW and the ACT broke away from the trend, choosing Pad Thai instead, while people in SA and the NT turned to comfort carbs like garlic bread and naan. The report also suggested Aussies were trying to be healthier. Orders for acai bowls have doubled over the past two years, and zero-sugar soft drink orders have also doubled. Matcha is booming too, with orders jumping 217 per cent, and NSW is leading the green-tea takeover. Millions of cups were ordered nationwide, although the iconic Aussie flat white didn't top a single state....

5+ hour, 15+ min ago (191+ words) A beloved horse has been found shot dead on a Queensland family's rural property south of Brisbane. The pregnant palomino mare's body was discovered by her owner with a gunshot wound in a paddock on Ripley Rd, South Ripley, last month. Queensland police and Detectives from Rural and Stock Crime Squad were called to the scene and have begun investigating the "unlawful killing" of the family horse, they said. "Initial investigations indicate the horse was shot by an unknown person or persons sometime in the early hours of Saturday, October 25," police said. "Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area or has information about the incident to come forward." Anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage of the area around the time of the incident is urged to contact police. RSPCA Queensland has…...

20+ hour, 22+ min ago (221+ words) An Australian street turned into party central on Monday as two extraordinary neighbours celebrated milestone birthdays together " one turning 100 and the other 102. Iris Wynter and Joan Gibson, who have lived on the same street in Melbourne's Wheelers Hill for more than 50 years, marked their centenarian birthdays with friends and family in a heartwarming celebration. Great-great-grandmother Wynter, who reached the century mark, says she puts her remarkable longevity down to simple luck. Meanwhile, 102-year-old Gibson holds the distinction of being one of only a few surviving female World War II veterans who served in Japan during the conflict. Gibson met her husband Doug while both were serving, beginning a love story that would span more than six decades. "From that time on every night he came to the hospital and we were fortunate we had over 65 years married," she said. Despite…...

20+ hour, 22+ min ago (138+ words) 7NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS. The world's first saliva pregnancy test is now available on Sydney pharmacy shelves, marking the first major breakthrough in pregnancy testing since at-home urine tests were introduced in the 1960s The innovative mouth swab detects the presence of HCG, the pregnancy hormone, offering women a new alternative to traditional testing methods Salistick claims the saliva test has a 95 per cent accuracy rate, making it a reliable option for women seeking to confirm pregnancy The groundbreaking technology has already gained international recognition, with Time Magazine naming it as one of the best inventions of 2023....

20+ hour, 22+ min ago (433+ words) A major Australian university is looking for a new deputy vice-chancellor amid a work-from-home storm. Paula Ward resigned from her role as Adelaide University's deputy vice-chancellor " People and Culture after claiming staff working from home on Fridays and Mondays were effectively getting "four-day weekends. The remarks were made during an all-staff "town hall meeting on October 28, attended by about 1000 university employees, where Ward outlined stricter work-from-home rules. In a video obtained by The Advertiser, Ward said the rules would apply to professional staff, not academics. "Up to two days per week you can elect to work from home, and that's by agreement with your manager, in alignment with what your workload is and what's going on at any particular point in time, and obviously always in alignment with legislative obligations, she said. "And then one day during your week must…...

4+ hour, 20+ min ago (596+ words) A 15-year-old accused of fatally stabbing another teenager has allegedly told police, "I stabbed another boy in the leg. The 17-year-old victim was found with a stab wound to his thigh at Bruce Purser Reserve on Caballo St in Rouse Hill, northwest Sydney, about 4.20pm on Monday. Despite paramedics" efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Teen charged with murder after fatal Rouse Hill stabbing. About three hours later, the younger boy arrived at a police station with a parent and was subsequently charged with murder. He appeared in a children"s court on Tuesday. Magistrate James Viney read a police application for DNA samples in the courtroom, which contained sworn declarations from an officer. "It is asserted in the affidavit the victim was a 17-year-old with no criminal charges, Viney said. "It is asserted the…...

3+ hour, 2+ min ago (606+ words) Australia's prestige property market is shifting once again, with new data revealing Sydney and Melbourne may be on the verge of a luxury rebound after years of underperformance against fast-rising lifestyle markets. For the past five years, luxury growth has been dominated by places once considered fringe contenders, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the coastal hotspots of Southeast Queensland. The pandemic reshaped buyer priorities, giving high-end purchasers permission to chase beachfront living, lifestyle space and relative value outside the traditional blue-chip capitals. But according to a new report by Ray White the tide may now be turning. Sydney's luxury market grew 6 per cent between 2024 and 2025, building on a modest 2 per cent rise the previous year to finally hit a new peak price of $4.5 million. Melbourne, while still yet to reclaim its pandemic-era peak, recorded a 5 per cent lift in 2025 following a…...

8+ hour, 52+ min ago (418+ words) Half a dozen schools and daycare centres across Sydney's north-west were plunged into lockdown on Monday after a man was spotted with what looked like a gun. The sight sparked widespread panic and a rapid police response until it was discovered the so-called weapon was just a toy. The incident unfolded about 11am on Monday when the man was seen walking down Guardian Avenue near Malek Fahd Islamic School at Beaumont Hills, reported by a resident fearing the worst. "Heaps of police officers there running around all over the place," one witness said. At least six schools and early learning centres were locked down at 10am across Beaumont Hills, Rouse Hill and North Kellyville. In one email from Beaumont Hills Public , parents were told "all children and staff are safe" and "there is no need to panic". Despite the email, anxious families…...