ABC News Top Stories

Trump rejects Iran's proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz | ABC News Top Stories 27.09.2026 1m

The Brisbane Lions have met with fans at Brunswick Street Oval. The Fremantle Dockers led by 17 points MCG, but the Lions kicked the game's final four goals in the final minutes to secure their third consecutive premiership.

Drivers wince as diesel threatens to hit $4 a litre 25.09.2026 3m

Drivers, farmers and the transport industry can't help but notice the price of diesel at the moment. It's been rising again as the war in Iran shows no sign of stopping and now Donald Trump is considering cutting off US exports of diesel. But could it really hit four dollars a litre?

What Albanese and Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly 25.09.2026 2m

Australia wants a say on the biggest issues in the world as it pitches for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the world must unite to tackle climate change, the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of international rules. Despite the huge issues being discussed by Australia's Prime Minister, most attention at the United Nations was on Benjamin Netanyahu and his firey defence of Israel, in the face of global concern about Israel's actions in its war in Gaza.

Why Fat Bear Week is about personalities, not just fatness 25.09.2026 4m

It's Alaska's most-watched popularity contest: Fat Bear Week is back for its 12th year at Katmai National Park. Sixteen brown bears are competing and millions of people worldwide are voting online for their favourite after watching them on the park's live webcams. Mike Fitz, the former park ranger who started the tradition in 2014, says fatness isn't the only thing that matters - a bear's story counts too. So what does it actually take to become a Fat Bear Week champion?

Could training AI models in Australia make us safer? 25.09.2026 3m

Is Australia at the "mercy" of foreign AI? The Open Ai breach has exposed Australia's current reliance on voluntary disclosure of incidents and raises questions around protections against overreach in Australia. Now, there's suggestions one way the government could better succeed in regulating and shaping the technology's use in Australia, is by hosting the frontier AI learning models themselves here. So could that make a difference?

Lions' three-peat bid meets Fremantle's first shot at glory 25.09.2026 3m

It's the AFL Grand Final, and this one's steeped in history. The Fremantle Dockers are chasing a maiden premiership after 30 years in the league, while the Brisbane Lions are one win away from a feat no team has managed since the AFL began in 1990. Here's what you need to know ahead of Saturday's showdown.

What the OpenAI agent accessed in the Medicare portal breach 24.09.2026 4m

An artificial intelligence agent built by OpenAI has accessed non-public Medicare data, in a breach Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says is extremely concerning. The agent got into a Services Australia statistics portal in June after being blocked from public data, and OpenAI didn't tell the government until three months later. The government stresses no individual's personal Medicare details were exposed.

Could screening new dads' mental health help families? 24.09.2026 3m

Fathers would be screened for perinatal depression alongside their partners under a new proposal. Many pregnant women are offered mental health screening as part of their care but only about two per cent of men are screened.

What do we know about the OpenAI-Medicare breach? 24.09.2026 4m

A swarm of artificial intelligence agents has hacked into protected data on Australia's Medicare portal, one of the first breaches of its kind on a government database. The prime minister says it took OpenAI three months to say anything about it. So what was accessed, and why did it take so long for the government to find out?

Daylight saving is upon some of us, so how can you prepare? 24.09.2026 3m

The days are getting longer and warmer, and for the majority of the country that means daylight saving is upon us. About two thirds of us will lose an hour of sleep on Sunday the 4th of October, while for others the clock won't move. And as Josie Sargent from the Top Stories podcast explains, the spring forward has its lovers... and haters.

What does Australia's largest longitudinal study say about us? 24.09.2026 3m

Australia's cost of living crunch is showing up in more aspects of our lives than ever, including how long adult kids are sticking around at home and what's ending up on the dinner table. But the latest HILDA longitudinal study results show when it comes to our relationships, we might actually be getting happier as the years go on.

Rock legend Angry Anderson dies at 79 23.09.2026 2m

Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson has died just weeks after being admitted to a hospital in Germany during the Australian rock band's European tour. The 79-year-old singer spent 50 years in the music industry and also became a television presenter, charity worker and youth advocate. Rose Tattoo's hits included Bad Boy for Love, Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw and We Can't Be Beaten, while Anderson found solo success with the song Suddenly.

The million dollar plea to help find Gus Lamont 23.09.2026 3m

South Australia's Premier has announced a $1 million reward for anyone who can provide critical information about the disappearance of Gus Lamont. It has been almost a year since the four-year-old was reported missing from his home at Oak Park Station, a vast property near Yunta in South Australia's outback. The boy's parents have released a video statement desperately urging anyone with information to come forward.

Why did Tones and I really pull out of the NRL grand final? 23.09.2026 2m

The NRL grand final is set to go ahead without its traditional pre-match entertainment after negotiations with Australian artist Tones and I broke down. Her management says a prior commitment was the sticking point, but the Sydney Morning Herald reports she refused to play her hit song Dance Monkey, despite the NRL's insistence. The NRL boss Peter V'Landys now says the $1 million usually spent on the show will instead fund grassroots rugby league for children who can't afford to play. So who might step in and does it even matter if there's no pre-match show at all?

Are Australia's alcohol warning labels too easy to ignore? 23.09.2026 4m

When's the last time you noticed the warnings on alcohol labels? New research suggests they're too small, too easy to miss, and don't spell out risks like cancer. With Ireland and the UK about to make health warnings compulsory, the question is whether Australia's next.

Should Australians be able to use super to buy a home? 23.09.2026 2m

Home ownership and retirement savings are often held up as two of the biggest financial goals Australians can achieve. But could those goals be coming into conflict?

What did Donald Trump say to the UN? 23.09.2026 3m

US President Donald Trump has addressed the UN General Assembly in New York - and has used his speech to justify his war in Iran and attempt to rebrand AI. His appearance comes just six weeks out from the US mid-term elections in November. So, has that impacted what he's spoken about?

Why WA schools are banning smart glasses 23.09.2026 4m

Western Australia is introducing what it says is the nation's toughest ban on smart glasses in schools. Students, staff, parents and visitors will be prohibited from possessing or using devices capable of recording audio and video, amid growing concerns about privacy, deepfakes, and covert filming.

The new search in the Nannup Four missing persons cold case 23.09.2026 4m

It's been almost 20 years since four people, including a child, went missing from the small regional West Australian town of Nannup. Their disappearance sparked a police investigation and an inquest that heard details of an online cult and a murder suicide pact. So why are volunteers suddenly searching an area just south of where the four were last seen?