A new bill follows Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s damning inspection of a prison unit.

A weather system building towards parts of south and south-eastern Australia is expected to bring a mixed bag of conditions.

The deep low-pressure system brewing below Western Australia is expected to bring rain, storms, strong winds, heat, and then cold temperatures to Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.

Weatherzone flagged the system on Monday, predicting it would bring wind gusts of more than 89km/h to Australia's south-east on Friday morning.

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Storms and showers are expected to move in an easterly direction from South Australia tonight and into tomorrow.

Severe thunderstorms are a possibility on Thursday across South Australia's south, NSW's south and Victoria.

At the same time, temperatures are expected to rise beyond 30 degrees in some parts of Australia's east.

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The intense heat is set to begin tomorrow in Victoria, with tops of low 30s in the state's far north-west and in NSW's west.

Sydney is expected to cop the brunt of the heat with highs of up to 34 degrees expected on Friday, nudging the state's hottest ever April day of 35.6 degrees.

Meanwhile, parts of Tasmania are being told to prepare for snowfall as low as 700 or 800 metres by Friday, with conditions expected to continue into the weekend.

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has urged people to ‘stock up’ on supplies.

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Auckland’s biggest ferry company says fuel costs jumped 92% in just two weeks.

Embattled former rugby league star Curtis Scott has been given the green light to fight in a bare-knuckle boxing match less than a month after he allegedly assaulted two people.

The 28-year-old former Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders player was granted bail with strict conditions after he was arrested over an alleged altercation at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March.

Police allege he and his 55-year-old mother, Dianna Allen, assaulted an 18-year-old following an argument after a Sydney Swans AFL game.

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The teen was treated by paramedics for facial injuries before being taken to a hospital.

Police stopped a tram at Moore Park and attempted to speak to Scott but he allegedly assaulted a police officer – who sustained minor injuries – before fleeing the scene.

Scott wore all black as he faced Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday to plead not guilty to affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assaulting a police officer.

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His solicitor Paul McGirr asked the court to vary Scott's bail conditions to allow him to fight in an upcoming bare-knuckle boxing match in Brisbane.

The former centre, once among the NRL's brightest young stars, pivoted to boxing after his NRL contract was cancelled in 2021 following an altercation at a nightclub.

"He has a job and his main income is from fighting, sanctioned fights," Mr McGirr said.

"This is his craft and this is what he's good at."

He noted Scott, like many rugby league players, had the potential to "go by the wayside" after his career ended because the "sugar hit" of the high income had suddenly dissipated.

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But the one-time premiership winner has redirected his talents and found steady employment, Mr McGirr said.

Scott has abstained from alcohol and embraced weekly treatment, his lawyer said, but the night-time curfew should be removed to allow him to work in Queensland.

The suggestion was opposed by the prosecutor, who said the former NRL player has been charged over a "significant incident of violence" and has a history of violence.

The alleged confrontation with the teen involved "significant ferocity and force", Judge Michael Allen noted.

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He acknowledged concerns about the safety of the community and the commission of further offences but highlighted Scott's adherence to treatment.

The judge lifted the curfew, clearing the way for the former NRL player to fight later this month.

Scott will return to court in May and his mother will face court on Thursday.

She has been charged with common assault and hindering a police officer in the execution of duty but has not yet entered pleas.

Her son played 84 NRL games during his career, including a stint in the Storm's 2017 premiership-winning side.

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Nationals Leader Matt Canavan has called for new cities, more babies and a domestic space industry as part of his "Australia on steroids" economic plan.

In his first major address since winning party leadership last month, Canavan criticised the federal government for the state of the economy and called for a big shake up.

"I am proposing an Australian economic revolution, not a replay or a reset," he told the National Press Club this afternoon.

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Canavan laid out his six-point economic plan he dubbed the "Patriot Agenda for an Australian Economic Revival":

1. Scrap net-zero and invest in all forms of energy, including nuclear
2. Close borders to mass migration
3. Encourage a new baby boom
4. Build new cities
5. Protect manufacturing and key industries through all tools, including tariffs
6. Create a national works program to build space ports, dams, roads, rail

A key part of his plan is to ditch the 2030 net-zero target, which he has been a vocal opponent of, and unlock nuclear energy.

Canavan called to build new cities and infrastructure, including for a domestic space industry, but did not reveal how he would fund it.

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He compared Australia's singular orbital launch last year to New Zealand's 50 and said the space industry has become increasingly important for communications, defence and national security.

Canavan also hoped that building new cities in regional areas and embracing work from home measures would encourage people to move out of the major cities, afford a home and create a baby boom.

"If we've got people with homes and backyards, they would probably decide to have children," he said. 

Canavan did not reveal how he would fund any of his measures but criticised Labor's policies for failing to address the problem.

"We just need more of this country. Everything that is wrong with the country can be fixed by what is right," he said as he concluded his speech.

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Exclusive: Melanie Harris arrived in Fiji this week hoping for a serene tropical holiday, instead she's trapped on the edge of a category 3 cyclone.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Vaianu has been wreaking havoc on the western side of the island, near the tourist centre of Nadi.

Harris and her young son are currently at a hotel about an hour south of Nadi and have witnessed the cyclone's "terrifying" power.

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"The wind is loud, relentless, and completely unpredictable," Harris told nine.com.au.

"You can hear it constantly, even through the walls.

"It just puts you on edge."

Fiji has been buffeted by strong winds and rain, and local authorities have issued flash flood warnings in several provinces.

Harris said she heard objects being tossed around in damaging winds just last night while eating dinner at the resort where she's staying.

She also reported multiple power outages at the resort, which have been particularly alarming at night.

"Everything suddenly goes dark and the wind is still howling outside," she said.

"It just didn't feel safe."

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Trying to reassure her young son and remain calm herself has been difficult.

"At one point, my son slipped on the wet tiles in the wild weather and smashed his head, which was absolutely terrifying," Harris said.

"You're already on edge, and then something like that happens.

"It just takes everything to another level."

Nearly all of the activities and day trips Harris had booked have been cancelled, and she is waiting for refunds.

Hotel staff have been helpful but appear overwhelmed and under-resourced, Harris claimed.

"They have almost been downplaying the cyclone and don't have much information to give," she said.

Harris has been struggling to sleep and fears the situation could escalate without warning.

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Tomorrow she plans to move to a different hotel in a more protected location.

She just hopes the cyclone won't impact her flight home to Australia on Sunday.

A flight from Sydney to Fiji was diverted to Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa, yesterday due to bad weather and travellers are being warned to expect significant disruptions.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has urged travellers to be on high alert, warning parts of the country could be smashed by strong winds, heavy rain and flash flooding.

Another tropical cyclone, Cyclone Maila is currently tracking off the Solomon Islands and could hit Papua New Guinea.

The category 3 storm could still hit Australia, experts have warned.

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Many renters in New South Wales were left to swelter in dangerously hot homes this past summer, with new data showing indoor temperatures in some rental properties reached extreme temperatures of up to 40°C.

Rental advocacy group Better Renting tracked 50 rental homes across the state between December 2025 and March 2026. 

While the World Health Organisation considers indoor temperatures above 25°C to pose an overheating risk, many NSW study participants spent an average of 12 hours per day between 25°C and 30°C. 

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Renters reported extreme levels of fatigue, headaches, nausea, anxiety, and worsening of existing health conditions due to the suffocating temperatures.

The health impacts became so severe that the extreme heat even drove two renters participating in the study to visit the hospital emergency departments.

'It's pretty gross: A renter's nightmare

Bel Langford, 19, was one of the participants in the study.

Langford, a part-time student and worker, lives with a flatmate in a Dulwich Hill apartment, in Sydney's inner west.

The older-style brick unit has large, west-facing windows and no trees for shade.

"For most of summer, from about 11am until sunset, we have direct sun streaming into our windows," she said.

"It's a bit like a pizza oven … it just heats and heats and heats and then it can't cool down overnight either. It's pretty gross"

During the summer, the peak temperature recorded in her apartment was 35.7 degrees.

Langford, who is neurodivergent and takes medication that increases sweating, told nine.com.au the heat became a sensory nightmare which left her physically and mentally exhausted.

Desperate for a bit of relief, Langford said she slept with ice packs and set up three fans in her room.

"Unfortunately for us, most nights, especially in January, were above 25 degrees. During two of the heat waves, it didn't drop below 27.7 overnight for three nights," she said.

Langford resorted to sleeping with ice packs and running three separate fans in her bedroom just to stay regulated. 

But the physical toll was still visible; with Langford developing an uncomfortable heat rash all over her body.

Call for mandatory standards

The report argues that these conditions are a direct consequence of policy failure. New South Wales currently has no mandatory minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes, meaning landlords are not legally required to provide basic features like insulation or effective ventilation.

Meanwhile, the ACT implemented mandatory standards for insulation, draught-proofing, and efficient heating/cooling in 2023 and Victoria is set to follow suit in 2027, leaving NSW is under pressure to follow suit.

NSW Rental Commissioner, Trina Jones, has been tasked with investigating how to improve energy efficiency in rental properties.

Bernadette Barrett, Deputy CEO of Better Renting, said it was time for the government to step in.

"After reading survey responses from renters who can't sleep, can't function properly in their homes, and in some cases are ending up in hospital because their homes are too hot, you have to ask — how are we allowing this to continue?" she said.

Barrett said the NSW Government has a clear opportunity to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards so that renters can sleep, work, and live safely. 

Currently, the only way for a tenant to claim a property is uninhabitable due to temperature is to take the matter to the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, a process that is often too slow and intimidating for young or vulnerable renters.

Langford said it would come as a huge relief if her landlord decided to install an air conditioning unit in their rental property, but they did not want to ask for it in case it led to an increase in their rent.

"We're very nervous that if we ask for aircon to be installed, that will risk a rent increase, and we just don't want to be priced out of our unit," she said.

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Iran has issued a gloating statement declaring victory over the US after President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire in their war.

Trump announced a two-week ceasefire hours before a self-imposed deadline to begin destroying civilian infrastructure in Iran.

Now, Iran's Supreme National Security Council has celebrated Trump's actions.

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"The enemy has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat in its cowardly, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation," the council said in a statement.

"Iran achieved a great victory and forced the criminal America to accept its 10-point plan.

"We congratulate all the people of Iran on this victory and emphasise that until the details of this victory are finalised, there is still a need for perseverance and prudence on the part of the authorities and for maintaining the unity and solidarity of the Iranian people."

Trump did not address the specifics of the plan, but described it as a "workable basis on which to negotiate".

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Accepting the proposal would mark a dramatic victory for the regime and would leave the US and its allies much worse off than they were at the start of the war.

The plan would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium while forcing the US to withdraw all combat forces from the region.

The plan did not specify what would be counted as "the region", but the US has military bases throughout the Middle East.

It would force the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions on Iran and require a US guarantee of non-aggression.

It would also require "compensation for damages inflicted on Iran".

Iran would retain its $US2 million ($A2.85 million) toll for ships to exit the Strait of Hormuz, under their 10-point peace proposal issued to the US.

The toll would be split between Iran and Oman, the Arabian nation on the other side of the strait.

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Iran said it would use the proceeds of their half of the toll to rebuild the country.

As a consequence of the toll, oil and other exports from the Persian Gulf would be able to be sold, but at a more expensive price. Six weeks ago, ships could pass through the strait without charge.

Iran has made no concessions in its 10-point plan.

"By accepting these conditions as the basis for negotiations, Trump has retreated from his desperate threats and bluffs," a statement from the Supreme National Security Council has read.

Negotiations between the two nations are set to begin this week in Pakistan, the council said.

Not mentioned in either countries' announcements is the position of Israel on the ceasefire.

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