What we covered today
By Alexander Darling
Thanks for joining our national news live blog for Thursday, June 11 . Here’s what made news today:
Politics: Liberal and National party leaders have denied a plan to collude with One Nation to oust Labor from power, as treasurer Jim Chalmers accused the right-wing parties of working together to entrench a broken status quo. It followed South Australian Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin urging his party to discuss working with One Nation to avoid competing against each other.
Meanwhile, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has made his most full-throated defence of his contentious budget while rounding on the Liberal Party and One Nation for wanting no change to a “generational crisis” in the housing market.
Brittany Higgins is returning to frontline politics , launching a campaign against One Nation and what she describes as a rising tide of “misogyny, extremism and anti-democratic movements” in Australia.
Consumer affairs: Optus breached Australian privacy law by failing to protect customers’ personal information from being wrongly published in the White Pages, the Australian Privacy Commissioner has found. Commissioner Carly Kind finalised a long-running investigation into disclosures that occurred between October 2015 and September 2019, finding Optus failed to take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised publication, despite previous warnings and known weaknesses in its systems.
US: President Donald Trump’s planned UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House (due Monday) has required a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, hundreds of staff working on site daily and at least AU$85.5 million. The plan is subject to an ongoing court challenge.
Middle East: Iran has retaliated against US air and cruise missile strikes as hostilities escalated Thursday with attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain in renewed fighting after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations. The exchange came shortly after the U.S. launched a second round of airstrikes overnight Thursday.
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5.48pm on Jun 11, 2026 US-Iran talks still on track despite trading attacks
By
Talks to reach a deal between Washington and Iran are still on track after overnight negotiations, CNN reported on Thursday, citing a diplomatic source.
The US and Iran traded air attacks for a second straight day on Thursday, with President Donald Trump vowing further strikes if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.
Read more about what happened in the Middle East today here.
Reuters
This concludes our coverage for today. We will return tomorrow morning to continue our rolling news coverage .
5.32pm on Jun 11, 2026 BOM: Hot dry winter for Australia, with El Nino due by spring
By Caitlin Fitzsimmons
The weather bureau is expecting the next few months to be hot and dry – by winter standards – with an El Niño likely to form by spring.
The long-range forecast for July to September put out by the Bureau of Meteorology this afternoon across most of Australia, shows:
Rainfall is likely to be below average across parts of southern and eastern Australia. There is 40-60 per cent chance of unusually low rainfall across parts of south-west Western Australia and south-east Australia.
Temperatures are likely to be above average south of the tropics and overnight temperatures are likely to be above average for much of Australia. The chance of unusually high maximum and minimum temperatures across much of Southern Australia including eastern NSW and Victoria is more than 60 per cent.
Sea surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific now exceed El Niño thresholds, while atmospheric indicators are also starting to align with an El Niño state. The BoM will only declare an El Niño once there is a sustained atmospheric response.
5.19pm on Jun 11, 2026 Ivan Milat: Families of suspected victims face long fight for answers
By Farid Farid
Families who suspect their loved ones were early victims of Ivan Milat have described the roadblocks and missed opportunities in their quest to find answers.
The family of Keren Rowland, who was found dead after disappearing one night in the early 1970s, believe she may have been the first victim of the notorious serial killer.
They argue if police had made the connection early on, he could have been stopped much earlier in his lethal campaign.
Ms Rowland’s younger brother Steve appeared on Thursday at a NSW parliamentary inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons cases between 1965 and 2010.
5.03pm on Jun 11, 2026 Wider watchdog inquiry launched into KPMG
By Andrew Brown
The corporate watchdog has launched a formal investigation into a top-tier consultancy firm following allegations it misused confidential information.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission told a budget estimates inquiry it had begun the investigation into KPMG, one of the big four accounting firms, expanding a preliminary probe.
The firm’s…
Read the full article at The Age →📄Source document: Treasurer Jim Chalmers' statements
5 reports
The Conversation (AU)IndependentCenter3 days agoJonno Duniam, a Liberal frontbencher and former Senator, announced he will leave politics by the end of the year. In a podcast interview, he discussed his decision, reflecting on his career, challenges with One Nation, and the impact of his absence on his family life. Duniam emphasized the difficulty of balancing political work with personal responsibilities, particularly for families.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a balanced discussion of Duniam's reflections without overtly favoring any political perspective. It focuses on personal and professional considerations rather than taking a stance on policy or ideology.
SBS NewsState / PublicCenter7 days agoSenator Jonathon Duniam, an opposition home affairs spokesman, announced he will not seek re-election for his Tasmanian Senate seat. He cited the impact of over two decades in politics on his family as the reason for his decision. Duniam stated that declining poll numbers for the Liberals and the rise of One Nation were not factors in his choice to leave politics.
Bias read (Center): The article presents Duniam's statement without overtly biased language or selective sourcing. It reports his reasons for leaving politics neutrally, emphasizing his personal decisions rather than taking a stance on political parties or policies. The framing remains balanced, focusing on his family,
Official sources cited
- press release Jonathon Duniam's Statement
The AgeParty-alignedCenter10 days agoThe article covers several key developments in Australian politics and consumer affairs. In politics, it reports on claims by Liberal and National party leaders denying collusion with One Nation to remove Labor from power, along with Treasurer Jim Chalmers' criticism of these parties regarding the housing market. Brittany Higgins is also entering frontline politics, targeting One Nation over issues like misogyny and extremism. On the consumer affairs side, the article details findings that Optus violated Australian privacy laws by failing to protect customer data.
Bias read (Center): The article presents multiple perspectives without overtly favoring any particular side. It includes statements from both the Liberal/National parties and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, as well as mentions of Brittany Higgins' opposition to One Nation. There is no clear editorializing or biased language.
Official sources cited
- government Treasurer Jim Chalmers' statements
- government Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind's findings
The Sydney Morning HeraldParty-alignedCenter10 days agoThe article covers several key developments in Australian politics and consumer affairs. In politics, it reports on claims by Liberal and National party leaders denying collusion with One Nation to remove Labor from power, along with Treasurer Jim Chalmers' criticism of these parties regarding the housing market. Brittany Higgins is also entering frontline politics with a campaign against One Nation. On the consumer affairs side, it details findings that Optus violated Australian privacy laws by failing to protect customer data.
Bias read (Center): The article presents multiple perspectives without overtly favoring any particular political group. It includes statements from both the Liberal/National parties and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, as well as mentions of Brittany Higgins' opposition to One Nation. There is no clear editorializing or biased措
Official sources cited
- government Treasurer Jim Chalmers' statements
- government Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind's findings
ABC News (Australia)State / PublicCenter10 days agoSenator Wendy Askew, a Liberal Party member of the Australian Senate representing Tasmania, has announced she will not seek re-election. Her retirement creates an opportunity for both the Liberal Party and One Nation to contest the seat, with One Nation gaining momentum in recent elections. Political analysts suggest that voter preferences may favor parties over individual candidates in Senate elections, potentially benefiting One Nation. Senator Askew was appointed in 2019 following a casual vacancy and secured her position in 2022. She expressed pride in her service and commitment to Tasmanı
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information about Senator Wendy Askew's decision not to seek re-election and discusses potential implications for the upcoming election. It includes quotes from the senator and mentions political analysts' views without overtly favoring any particular side. The language,
Australia