Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast · Original source
A new Sydney rail timetable from 15 November will increase services on the T4, T8 and South Coast lines, with the NSW Government saying more than a million people will benefit. The T4 and South Coast lines will get separate express tracks between Arncliffe and Central, peak Wollongong to Sydney CBD services rise to four trains an hour, and off-peak and weekend South Coast services double to every 30 minutes. T8 peak trains will run about every four minutes between Green Square and Wolli Creek.
Deb Frecklington, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity · Original source
Queensland Parliament has passed the Queensland Protection Commission Bill 2026, establishing the Queensland Protection Commission from 1 February 2027 as the state's first dedicated child and vulnerable person safeguarding authority. It brings the Reportable Conduct Scheme, Blue Card and Yellow Card schemes under one regulator, lays the groundwork for an Intelligence Hub and raises maximum penalties for some offences. Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the reforms respond to the Child Death Review Board's In Plain Sight report.
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority · Original source
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand have completed the 2026 Trans-Tasman Stress Test, their first joint stress testing exercise since 2017. Results indicate both banking systems would remain resilient and keep lending through a severe downturn combining regional geopolitical tensions, an oil price shock, deep recession, falling property prices, a funding shock and a cyber-attack. The RBNZ has published findings for New Zealand banks, and APRA will publish its detailed findings later this year.
Sonya Kilkenny, Minister for Planning · Original source
The Victorian Government has approved the Warracknabeal Energy Park, which it describes as the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere. Once complete, the 219-turbine project would deliver more than 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy, around 11.8 per cent of Victoria's future energy needs, and power up to 1.2 million homes. The site will also host battery energy storage, and the project, which went through the state's Environment Effects Statement process, is expected to create almost 950 construction jobs.
Australian Bureau of Statistics · Original source
Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.7 per cent in September, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said, with 39,000 fewer people employed and 9,000 more unemployed. The participation rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 66.8 per cent, the employment-to-population ratio fell 0.3 points to 63.6 per cent and underemployment rose to 6.3 per cent. Trend employment grew 0.1 per cent, and the ABS flagged a possible residual effect from its new Supplementary Survey collection model.
