# Australia daily digest — 16 Oct 2026

Housing and infrastructure led Australia's government releases on 16 October, as Queensland opened applications for a $2.4 billion joint housing infrastructure fund. In Victoria, the government said construction will begin on the Marinus Link converter station in the Latrobe Valley and announced $66 million to staff the expanded Royal Children's Hospital emergency department. The Australian Federal Police reported arrests in Australia and Chile over an alleged 23kg cocaine import plot, and NSW passed its fourth tranche of strata reforms.

Source-local date: Friday 16 October 2026 (Australia/Sydney). 5 release(s). Canonical: https://mediarelease.co/digests/au/2026-10-16/

## Releases

### [Apartment owners get better protections and greater rights as fourth strata bill passes Parliament](https://mediarelease.co/au/mr02031-apartment-owners-get-better-protections-and-greater-rights-as-fourth-16102026.html)

Issued by: Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading · Original source: https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/strata-schemes-amendment-reduces-red-tape

NSW Parliament has passed the Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Bill) 2025, the fourth tranche of strata reforms for the 1.2 million people living in apartments and duplexes in the state. Two-lot schemes will no longer need committees, meetings or annual reports, owners gain the right to install electric vehicle charging on their own lot, and fair limits apply to bonds and fees. NSW Fair Trading will be able to publish compliance action against owners corporations, Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said.

### [Global drug plot foiled in joint investigation between AFP and Chilean police](https://mediarelease.co/au/mr02030-global-drug-plot-foiled-in-joint-investigation-between-afp-and-16102026.html)

Issued by: Australian Federal Police · Original source: https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/global-drug-plot-foiled-joint-investigation-between-afp-and-chilean

Four people have been arrested in Australia and Chile over an alleged plot to import 23kg of cocaine into Australia by commercial aircraft, after a joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police and Chile's Policia de Investigaciones. Chilean police seized the cocaine, estimated at $17 million in street value, and the AFP carried out a controlled delivery to a Port Botany car park on 13 October, arresting two men aged 33. Searches in Liverpool and Georges Hall found about 5kg of MDMA.

### [Royal Children’s To Treat An Extra 13,000 Kids A Year](https://mediarelease.co/au/mr02029-royal-childrens-to-treat-an-extra-13-000-kids-a-year-16102026.html)

Issued by: Ben Carroll, Premier · Original source: https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/royal-childrens-treat-extra-13000-kids-year

The Victorian Government is investing $66 million to staff the expanded Royal Children's Hospital Emergency Department, which opens in December. The larger ED adds 20 treatment spaces, including cubicles, short-stay beds and fast-track bays, plus a new procedure room, allowing an extra 13,000 children a year to receive emergency care. The funding supports more than 85 additional full-time equivalent positions, including up to 25 graduate nurses, Premier Ben Carroll and Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said.

### [Marinus Link To Power More Jobs In The Latrobe Valley](https://mediarelease.co/au/mr02028-marinus-link-to-power-more-jobs-in-the-latrobe-valley-16102026.html)

Issued by: Jaclyn Symes, Minister for Energy and Resources · Original source: https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/marinus-link-power-more-jobs-latrobe-valley

Construction is set to begin on Marinus Link's Victorian converter station at Hazelwood North in the Latrobe Valley, the Victorian Government said. Stage 1 will deliver a 750-megawatt electricity connection between Victoria and Tasmania, supporting around 1,000 Victorian jobs annually and around $1 billion in economic activity. The link will run about 255 kilometres beneath Bass Strait, and the station will use grid-forming technology from Hitachi Energy. The project is jointly owned by the Commonwealth, Victorian and Tasmanian governments.

### [Applications open for landmark $2.4 billion housing infrastructure fund](https://mediarelease.co/au/mr02027-applications-open-for-landmark-2-4-billion-housing-infrastructure-fund-16102026.html)

Issued by: Jarrod Bleijie, Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations · Original source: https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/106240

Builders, councils and utility providers in Queensland can now apply for a share of $2.4 billion in grants and interest-free loans under a joint Queensland and Commonwealth housing infrastructure fund. It combines $399 million in Commonwealth grants, matched by Queensland, with nearly $1.6 billion in Commonwealth-backed interest-free loans for roads, water, sewer and other catalyst infrastructure. The fund aims to unlock more than 50,000 new homes, including over 20,500 for first home buyers, with proposals submitted to Economic Development Queensland.

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