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Both Liberals and Nationals to run in Farrer byelection, Littleproud confirms
Tom McIlroy
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has confirmed the junior Coalition partner plans to contest the upcoming byelection in Farrer, where former Liberal leader Sussan Ley is preparing to retire.
Before Ley won the rural NSW seat in 2001, Farrer was held by former Nationals leader Tim Fischer, who first won it in 1984.
Littleproud told Sky News that both the Nationals and the Liberals would run. A One Nation candidate and a teal independent, Michelle Milthorpe, are also set to run.
“The NSW National party made a decision at an executive meeting on Saturday to run a candidate,” Littleproud said.
They’ve opened nominations, but we’ll be working as a team. We want to see a Coalition candidate get up.
Littleproud said the Liberals and Nationals would send preferences to each other.
That gives us protection and allows choice within the Coalition. We only do this in transition seats. There’s usually a transition when there’s incumbency, and we respect that.
Key events
Catie McLeod
Coles will argue changes in price were ‘not illusory’
Coles will defend the ACCC’s allegations by arguing the changes in pricing was a response to suppliers’ requests for “cost price alterations” or changes to promotional funding arrangements.
In the supermarket’s concise statement, filed with the court, Coles said the third prices referred to by the ACCC (eg the $4.50 price for the dog food) were real discounts.
The non-promotional, higher prices were the “genuine, undiscounted shelf price” and the discounts were “not illusory” the supermarket said, adding that:
Coles denies the allegation that it has made false or misleading representations in breach of ss 18 and 29(1) of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
ACCC cites price of dog food to argue Coles misled shoppers as court case begins
Catie McLeod
The landmark federal court case between the competition regulator and supermarket giant Coles has begun in Melbourne this morning, on the first day of a 10-day block of hearings.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges Coles misled shoppers with “illusory” discounts on hundreds of products between February 2022 and March 2023.
Justice Michael O’Bryan has heard the ACCC’s opening submissions this morning. Barrister Garry Rich SC, acting for the regulator, gave the court the example of Coles’ pricing of 1.2kg cans of Nature’s Gift wet dog food.
Coles had sold the dog food for $4 for 296 days between April 2022 and February 2023, Rich told the court. The supermarket then increased the price of that product by a “whopping 50%” to $6 and sold it at the higher retail price for just 7 days.
After a week, Coles changed the price of the dog food to $4.50 and told customers it was on sale as part of the “Down Down” promotion, claiming that price “was” $6.
Rich said while Coles’ claim $4.50 was a discounted price for the dog food was “literally true”, it was also “utterly misleading”.
He told the court:
A consumer who knew the real facts would not think the price of the dog food had gone down. Nor would they think the price of $4.50 was a genuine reduction or discount.
Greens welcome ACCC court battle over Coles’ grocery prices
The Greens said this afternoon they welcome a court challenge by the ACCC against Coles over allegations of misleading “specials”, with the competition regulator seeking large penalties and community service orders against the grocery giant.
The Greens’ leader, senator Larissa Waters, said the court action reflected a need for the Labor party to “stand up” to big corporations, saying in a statement:
Labor must stand up to their big corporate donors who are making massive profits while everyone else struggles to get by.
The Greens are proud to have led the charge on supermarket price gouging with our inquiry and divestiture Bill in the last parliament and we will continue to fight for a system that doesn’t put profits before people and farmers.
The Greens’ economic justice spokesperson, senator Nick McKim, went on to say the action confirmed what “people across Australia already know – when corporations have too much power, they use it to squeeze everyday people”.
We need laws that make price gouging illegal across the economy, not just in supermarkets, so corporations can’t exploit times of financial pressure to hike prices with impunity.
Coles is defending the claims, and has argued its pricing was a response to increased costs from suppliers.
Both Liberals and Nationals to run in Farrer byelection, Littleproud confirms
Tom McIlroy
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has confirmed the junior Coalition partner plans to contest the upcoming byelection in Farrer, where former Liberal leader Sussan Ley is preparing to retire.
Before Ley won the rural NSW seat in 2001, Farrer was held by former Nationals leader Tim Fischer, who first won it in 1984.
Littleproud told Sky News that both the Nationals and the Liberals would run. A One Nation candidate and a teal independent, Michelle Milthorpe, are also set to run.
“The NSW National party made a decision at an executive meeting on Saturday to run a candidate,” Littleproud said.
They’ve opened nominations, but we’ll be working as a team. We want to see a Coalition candidate get up.
Littleproud said the Liberals and Nationals would send preferences to each other.
That gives us protection and allows choice within the Coalition. We only do this in transition seats. There’s usually a transition when there’s incumbency, and we respect that.
Luca Ittimani
No ransom note or underworld ties for kidnapped 85-year-old
The elderly Sydney man believed to be mistakenly kidnapped had no connection to the underworld, police said.
Up to three offenders were believed to have taken Baghsarian from his home at 5am on Friday, with police suspecting a wider network was involved, according to NSW police’s Andrew Marks.
Baghsarian and his family, though, were not connected to that world and had not even received a ransom note, as would be usual during a kidnapping case, Marks said. Their lack of connection to “any criminal world” had led police to believe his abduction was a case of mistaken identity. He said:
It’s not an instance where they were randomly taking people for the sake of it. They were intending to take somebody, but they have taken the wrong person.
Police had not determined who the intended victim of the kidnapping was and were investigating the persons involved, Mark said, adding:
We are throwing every resource that we have at this kidnapping case so we can get the safe return of Mr Baghsarian.
Luca Ittimani
Police appeal for information on Chris Baghsarian’s location
Police urged alleged kidnappers to share where they have taken an 85-year-old Sydney man, who investigators say was abducted by mistake.
Investigators do not know where Chris Baghsarian is being held or even if he remains in Sydney, Detective Acting Supt Andrew Marks said. He said:
This is a very strange appeal but we appeal to those who are responsible to release Mr Baghsarian somewhere safe … [and] inform somebody [so] that we can get to him and get him the medical treatment he needs.
The elderly widower and grandfather requires daily medication, Marks said.
Every hour is very important. We need him returned now.
Luca Ittimani
Taylor open to endorsing nuclear energy
Angus Taylor has left the door open to endorsing nuclear energy, saying “every technology” was needed to support Australia’s energy system.
Asked on 2GB whether the Liberal party would again pursue the opening of nuclear power stations after its failed effort at 2025’s election campaign, Taylor said:
We need every technology available to get prices down, to get reliability back, and get our energy system working again. I’ve always believed you’ve got to have the full range.
Taylor also described planned closures of coal-fired power stations as “absolute madness” and suggested “net zero obsession” was responsible for electricity price increases.
Asked separately how he planned to rein in government spending without cutting public service jobs, Taylor put funding for electricity poles and wires first on the chopping block:
You have to make sure you get rid of unnecessary waste. I mean, spending billions and billions on thousands of kilometers of power lines in this country for Labor’s net zero obsession has got to go.
Luca Ittimani
Taylor discusses migration numbers in talkback session
The new opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has cited a migration figure of 500,000 people during a talkback session on Sydney radio as a level that was “way too high”.
Appearing on 2GB radio this morning, Taylor said:
“Half a million a year, forget about it. That’s just way too high. And that’s where we’ve been.”
Net overseas migration to Australia, in the year to June 2025, including people on temporary visas, was 305,000 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Net overseas migration has not been above 500,000 people annually for more than two years.
The “half a million” figure was also cited by Tony Abbott, the former prime minister, in a recent interview with the ABC.
Taylor declined to endorse a pause on migration when prompted by the interviewer, instead saying levels of intake should “get back to the levels that we know we can cope with”.
Construction yard for nuclear subs will cost at least $30bn
At least $30bn will be spent building a construction yard to eventually build nuclear submarines for Australia under the Aukus agreement, AAP reports.
The federal government announced on Sunday it had pledged $3.9bn as a down payment to secure the future of the Submarine Construction Yard in the northern Adelaide suburb of Osborne. The government hopes the project will create 10,000 jobs in design and construction as well as up to 1,000 apprentices per year at an on-site training facility.
The future of Aukus has been under a cloud for months since the US announced it would review the terms of the agreement. But the prime minister dismissed concerns that the promised shipyard would never see an Aukus vessel.
The price tag comes from an estimate provided by Australian Naval Infrastructure, the government’s hand-picked company tasked with delivering the Aukus facility. As well as construction, the new yard will include capability for the testing and commission of the submarines.
Read more here:
Accused Bondi shooter makes brief court appearance
Accused Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram made brief remarks to a court as the names of some victims remain sealed, AAP reports.
The 24-year-old called in from prison to face Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on Monday morning on 59 charges, including murder and terrorism offences. He is accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest terror attack, when 15 people were killed and 40 injured during beachside Hanukah celebrations at Bondi Beach.
The younger man spoke after a magistrate on Monday continued suppression orders protecting victims and survivors of the attack who have not chosen to identify themselves publicly.
Akram was dressed in a green prison-issued jumper, with his hands in his lap as he listened to the otherwise uneventful case mention.
He was asked several brief questions, responding either “yeah” or “yep” to the court. He is next due to appear on 9 April.
Record number of Australians to start university degrees in 2026
Caitlin Cassidy
A record number of Australians will begin a university degree this year, the federal government has announced, as it seeks to meet an ambitious target for tertiary participation.
According to preliminary data from the Department of Education, university applications for commencing undergraduate students are up 4.6% compared with the same time last year, while offers are up 2.5%.
There has been a particular boost for social work (up 19%) while engineering and science applications are up by 9% and nursing and teaching are up by 6%.
It follows the allocation of an extra 9,500 domestic places to universities this year by the newly established Australian Tertiary Education Commission (Atec) on top of 2025 levels.
The education minister, Jason Clare, said a further 16,000 fully funded commonwealth supported places would be allocated in 2027, rising to 200,000 over the next decade:
The Universities Accord says that, by 2050, 80% of the workforce will need a tertiary qualification. The only way to hit that target is to help more people go to university and Tafe. This will help more people build the skills they need for the jobs of the future.
Andrew Messenger
Queensland gets a new interim police commissioner
Brett Pointing has been announced as interim Queensland police commissioner.
Steve Gollschewki announced his resignation last week. He was promoted to commissioner in 2024 but stepped aside in 2025 after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Pointing served in the QPS for more than 40 years before leaving to the Australian federal police in 2018. He served as an adviser on the recent QPS review which recommended shifting resources away from domestic violence case management and administration to frontline policing.
“Its a great honour and indeed a great privilege to be appointed commissioner of the Queensland police service,” Pointing said.
He said his priorities were to reduce volume crime such as break and entry, domestic violence and car fatalities, and to “remove the unnecessary red tape and complexity” imposed on the frontline, among others.
He will take up the role next week. His interim term will last 12 months.
Sydney man charged after allegedly damaging 35 cars in hotel car park
A Sydney man has been charged after allegedly damaging more than 30 cars in a hotel car park in the city’s CBD on Monday morning.
NSW police said the man, 42, was arrested after they were called to the car park just before 4am. Upon arrival, officers were told the man was allegedly armed with a traffic cone and had damaged the car park’s boom gate. The man then allegedly went on to damage 35 vehicles.
Police estimated the total damage to be worth about $100,000.
The man was arrested after a short foot pursuit and has since been charged with 37 counts of damaging of property. He was refused bail and will appear before court today.
Tom McIlroy
Farmers call for ‘meaningful market access’ as part of any free trade deal with EU
Farmers say any new free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union must deliver “commercially meaningful market access” for producers here.
Over the weekend Australia and the EU appeared on the brink of striking a long sought-after trade deal, ahead of a planned visit to Australia by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, due within months.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, took part in two days of talks in Brussels last week, with the two sides talking up progress. But farmers in the 27-member bloc have long held concerns about greater imports of Australian beef and lamb.
The National Farmers’ Federation president, Hamish McIntyre, said any deal must improve the ability of farmers to sell to about 450 million European consumers. He noted that was a standard set by Farrell himself before travelling overseas.
“Australian agriculture is pro-trade and supports a high-quality agreement with the EU,” McIntyre said, adding:
However, industry expects the government will hold firm to the standard it publicly set.
The final call now rests with the prime minister, who must ensure any agreement delivers genuine, commercially meaningful market access for Australian farmers.
Anything less would fall short of the government’s stated position and undermine confidence in Australia’s commitment to open, liberalised trade.
Meta officials fronting inquiry on climate misinformation
Sarah Basford Canales
Officials from Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, are facing senators at a parliamentary hearing on climate misinformation this morning.
Victorian Labor senator Michelle Ananda-Rajah noted the pieces of content removed by Meta had “literally fallen off a cliff” since 2022. In 2022, 91,000 pieces of content were removed, with 9,700 posts removed in 2023 and 350 posts in 2024.
“We remove misinformation which could, is likely to, cause immediate physical harm or interferes with the political process,” Simon Milner, Meta’s public policy vice president for Asia-Pacific, said.
Meta’s head of policy for Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands, Cheryl Seeto, explained that the sharp drop in content removals was related to the World Health Organization’s decision to lift the Covid-19 public health emergency declaration.
She said:
When that emergency declaration was lifted, we did revise that policy, such that the policy that still remains now, we will only remove Covid-related misinformation in countries where there is an active Covid-19 related emergency.
Meta is trialling the use of community notes, like X, in the United States and said it will likely be introduced to Australia if it is successful. Meta said it had blocked 692m fake accounts globally in the third quarter of 2025.
In Australia, Meta pays news agencies, AAP and AFP, to factcheck articles shared across its platforms but officials did not know how many people worked in those teams.
New search for evidence in missing boy Gus Lamont case
Tory Shepherd
South Australian police have announced a new search for evidence at Oak Park Station, the home of four-year-old Gus Lamont, who went missing last year.
On 5 February, police declared his disappearance a major crime and said someone who lived with Gus was a suspect.
In a statement today, they said:
Members attached to Task Force Horizon conducting inquiries into the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont on 27 September 2025 have returned to Oak Park Station to continue searching for evidence.
It is anticipated that Task Force Horizon detectives will remain in the area for at least the next two days.
An update on the search activities will be provided as they progress.
