Younger people are drinking less alcohol in Australia, with Gen Z leading a cultural change that could be long-lasting, a new study has claimed.

A study of more than 23,000 Aussies found abstaining from alcohol is on the rise, as is weekly alcohol consumption, with stark numbers of both in Gen Z and Millennials.

The authors from Flinders University in Melbourne argue it is not just a short-term phase, but could be a wider shift that could be reflected for years to come.

READ MORE: Major Sydney university suffers huge email scam with students told degrees 'revoked'

"This isn't just a phase; it appears to be a sustained change in behaviour," Dr Gianluca Di Censo said.

"Our research shows that over the course of their lives, Gen Z are nearly 20 times more likely to choose not to drink alcohol compared to Baby Boomers."

The authors suggested multiple reasons for the changing attitudes, and say part of it is the changing world younger people are now a part of.

"For decades, alcohol has been deeply embedded in social life, but that's changing," Dr Kirrilly Thompson said.

"Digital socialising, rising living costs, and health awareness are reshaping how people spend their time and money."

READ MORE: Ex-NFL star Mark Sanchez now facing felony charge in Indianapolis fight that left him hospitalised with stab wounds

The study also found Millennials and Gen X people drink more per occasion than Baby Boomers, but overall consumption is lower.

Whilst this indicates potential problems with binge drinking, regular drinking itself may be on the decline.

Thompson also believes it could be used as a reflection on society as a whole.

"Generation Z are redefining what it means to socialise and celebrate, and they're doing it with less alcohol," she said.

"That's something we should be paying attention to, not just as researchers, but as a society."

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Inside the surprise gig that left the crowd screaming for more.

Media personality and prominent Greens supporter Abbie Chatfield has been accused of unleashing abuse and hatred on a former close friend over views on Israel's war in Gaza.

Heath Kelley claims in a lawsuit he was defamed through an Instagram story published to Chatfield's 550,000 followers on May 7, days after the federal election.

The post contained private messages between the pair after Kelley sent her a video about then-Greens leader Adam Bandt, according to court documents released to AAP today.

READ MORE: Search for boy scaled back after nothing found in 11 days

Bandt lost his lower house seat of Melbourne in the federal election while Chatfield had fronted some Greens events and ads.

"I'm going to sleep better at night knowing the Jewish population of Melbourne will feel safer with him gone," he wrote.

"As a supporter of gay and women's rights, I am pro-Israel."

READ MORE: Trump considers bombshell Ghislaine Maxwell move

In Chatfield's posts, she accused her former friend of 10 years of being a "right wing troll" who supported Israel's genocide and the "slaughter of children" in Gaza, the lawsuit says.

"Any of my friends from high school watching this, just so (sic) Heath Kelley supports genocide if you want to reconsider your friendships," she said.

These comments allegedly defamed Kelley by claiming he supported the killing of children, gay men and women in Palestine.

READ MORE: Half of Aussies think it's OK to commit this 'risky' WFH breach

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2-ZwkVlqGx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp

Kelley, for whom Chatfield professed her love in a post in 2019 of the pair dancing, said the pair were friends from high school until at least 2021, at times in Chatfield's "closest friendship circle".

But the Instagram story triggered a legal concerns notice to the Bachelor Australia runner-up on May 20.

In it, his lawyer highlighted concerns from Melbourne's Jewish population about Bandt's "politicisation of their community" and suggested LGBTQI people and women enjoyed stronger protections in Israel than in occupied Palestine.

Kelley categorically denied the claims in the May 7 Instagram story.

"Our client does not, and never has, supported genocide or the slaughter of children," lawyer Paul Svilans wrote.

"He finds the concepts abhorrent."

READ MORE: 'Much loved' Aussie actor dies in second tragedy for family

The allegedly defamatory statements were "inherently serious" and came from private messages shared in a breach of confidence, the lawsuit in late September reads.

"The harm caused or likely to be caused by the story is exacerbated by the fact that the current conflict in Gaza is a subject of intense political and social controversy in Australia," Svilans wrote.

After the story was published and Kelley tagged, he was exposed to hatred, ridicule and contempt, the lawsuit said.

"You chose to publicly vilify our client in the most abusive and extreme manner to your hundreds of thousands of followers," Svilans wrote.

Branding Kelley a "troll" was hypocritical and would be relied on to seek aggravated damages, the lawsuit says.

He has engaged high-profile defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC to represent him in court.

As well as damages and compensation, the case seeks court orders barring the podcaster from repeating the allegedly defamatory statements.

An offer that Chatfield apologise to her former friend and pay him $95,000 was not taken up before the lawsuit was filed, court documents reveal.

In response to the May 20 concerns notice, the TV star accused Kelley of "extortion" and claimed he was trying to benefit financially from their former friendship, the lawsuit says.

Chatfield has not responded to a request for comment.

The 30-year-old rose to fame as runner-up on The Bachelor in 2019 before carving out a notable position as a commentator, particularly on issues affecting young women.

An electoral commission investigation in April cleared her of breaching authorisation laws when interviewing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and hosting a gig with Bandt at a Melbourne nightclub.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

The woman said she still fears leaving home more than two years after the attack.

Australians are being hit with a potato shortage, with growers having experienced what they say has been one of the toughest seasons in a decade. 

Extreme weather is affecting crop yields and creating widespread shortages in South Australia, which grows about 80 per cent of the nation's potatoes.

It has led to a reduced supply on supermarket shelves.

READ MORE: Deloitte to partially refund the government after using AI in $440,000 report

Mitolo Family Farms is Australia's biggest potato producer with crops in the Riverland, Murray Mallee and Adelaide Plains regions.

It grows and supplies more than 200,000 tonnes of market-washed potatoes all year round, but has been facing difficulties in recent months.

According to today's Bureau of Meteorology's drought report, parts of South Australia saw some of the lowest rainfall on record between January 1 to September 30.

Mitolo Family Farms Head of Marketing and Sales Josh Tselekidis said the season had been "one of the toughest in over 10 years".

READ MORE: The first supermoon of 2025 will light up Australian skies tonight

"A hot summer and late-season heat raised soil temperatures, followed by cold, wet, and windy conditions, resulted in lower volumes and more defects such as cold cracking, harvest damage, skin staining, and prominent lenticels," he said.

"While staining is only cosmetic, overall quality and marketable supply have been affected."

Coles and Woolworths have notices up across some of their stores, alerting customers to the shortage and changes to appearance of potatoes.

READ MORE: Last drinks? We could be on the cusp of a great Australian cultural change

The supermarket giants attributed the shortage to a natural dip caused by the seasonal transitional windows and expect supply to be refilled in the coming weeks.

Tselekidis said he expected the low potato supply to last for another month, despite the upcoming season harvest.

"There's been widespread shortages from late-August all the way through to now and will continue for at least another three or four weeks," he said. 

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

The penguin was found injured on the night of Sunday, September 28, but died soon after.

OPINION: Peters’ dog, Kobe, was caught up in last night’s incident.

The unsolved murders of three friends on an outback adventure almost five decades ago are being re-examined with information uncovered by cold case detectives.

Karen Edwards, 23, Tim Thomson, 31, and Gordon Twaddle, 21, disappeared on the trip of a lifetime in 1978 after leaving Alice Springs with their dog "Tristie".

Travelling on motorbikes, the three best friends planned to travel down Australia's east coast to spend Christmas with loved ones in Melbourne.

READ MORE: Search for boy scaled back after nothing found in 11 days

They never made it.

Their journey ended in tragedy with the gruesome discovery of their bodies near a dry waterway in remote bushland at Spear Creek, 12 kilometres north of Mount Isa in October, 1978.

After almost 47 years to the day, family and friends returned to the Brisbane Coroners Court hoping for answers. 

An inquest in 1980 failed to provide closure, finding "unknown person or persons" were responsible for the triple murder. 

Coroner David O'Connell reopened the inquest today to explore the original evidence and information from a cold case investigation.

The last known sighting of the three friends was at the Moondarra Caravan Park in Mount Isa on October 5 when they were seen with an unidentified man driving a brown and white Toyota Land Cruiser. 

READ MORE: 'Quite lovely': Albanese reveals surprise gift from White House

Thomson's decomposing remains were later discovered by a couple out for a walk at Spear Creek on October 24, 1978, counsel assisting Amelia Hughes said. 

It would be another day before the remains of Edwards and Twaddle were found hidden nearby in a clump of Spinifex grass.

Post-mortems revealed all three had been executed with a bullet to the head fired from a .22 calibre weapon.

"When the bodies were first discovered, they were already in an advanced state of decomposition, and police were not able to identify them straight away," Hughes told the coroner. 

It was only after the police launched a nationwide appeal to identify a lady's watch found at the scene that authorities were able to identify Edwards through dental records. 

Forensic officers needed fingerprint evidence to positively identify Thomson and Twaddle. 

READ MORE: 'Much loved' Aussie actor dies in second tragedy for family

The mystery deepened when Thomson's dog Tristie was found abandoned at the Mount Isa dump, along with their motorcycle helmets and personal belongings, hidden in a 44-gallon drum. 

Twaddle's motorcycle was abandoned at a Mount Isa service station with the keys still in the ignition, while Thomson's red BMW bike was discovered at the home of local man, Bruce John Preston.

Preston, who was also travelling around Australia in 1978, admitted stealing the BMW bike and was fined $300, but was not initially linked to the murders. 

Cold case detectives would eventually charge Preston with three counts of murder in 2019, only to drop the case in 2023. 

Preston has agreed to give evidence at the inquest. 

The hearing has accepted the cause of death findings that Edwards, Thomson and Twaddle had been shot in October 1978.

"We are satisfied that the person responsible for this heinous crime is a dark-haired, bearded man in the Toyota Land Cruiser station wagon who picked up the victims at the Lake Moondarra caravan park on the morning of October 5, 1978," Hughes read from the earlier findings.

"He probably shot them to death on the same date."

While the court has accepted the original finding, O'Connell will also take into account new material gathered by cold case detectives.

Edwards' brother said they had not given up hope of finally finding answers.

"We are satisfied with the investigation by the cold case detectives and are confident that the coroner will take that investigation into account," Barry Edwards told AAP.

A $250,000 reward issued in 2019 remains in place. 

The inquest has been set down for nine days and will hear from up to 40 witnesses as it traces the trio's outback journey and explores events at the Lake Moondarra caravan park.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

The federal government has unveiled new triple-zero laws after hauling multiple major telco bosses to Parliament House to address a string of serious outages.

The CEOs of Optus, Telstra and TPG arrived in Canberra this morning for a meeting with Communications Minister Anika Wells.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the minister, I'm sure it'll be a productive meeting," Optus CEO Stephen Rue said as he arrived.

READ MORE: Dezi Freeman's brother reveals theory on accused cop killer

The meeting is the latest please-explain from the government to Optus following a serious outage in its emergency network system across four states, which led to the deaths of three people who were unable to contact triple-zero.

Telstra also suffered smaller outages shortly after.

Wells announced today that new rules will be introduced next, forcing real-time reporting of those emergency breakdowns.

Although there is already a triple-zero custodian, the new laws will strengthen it as a permanent, proactive guardian, allowing it to have more oversight into the emergency services network.

"The law in Australia is clear – if an outage occurs, telcos must make sure that triple zero calls still connect by being redirected to alternate mobile towers – that responsibility rests with them," Wells said.

READ MORE: Aussies still in custody as Israel deports Greta Thunberg

The government will introduce legislation to bolster powers for a triple-zero custodian, which will be able to demand information from telcos to monitor triple-zero performance, identify risks, respond quickly to outages and make improvements.

"We know Australians' confidence in triple zero has been shaken, and it's vital that it's rebuilt," Wells said.

"With these new powers for the triple zero custodian, Australians can be assured of more active and effective monitoring of this most vital of services to make sure it meets the community's needs." 

The new rules, which will come into effect on November 1, will also force telcos to test triple-zero calls during upgrades and maintenance.

"I think resilience is very important, obviously, emergency services are very important, so it was an excellent meeting," said Rue as he exited Parliament House.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Police say they are confident they have done all they can in the search for missing four-year-old Gus Lamont and have revealed a footprint found in the search yesterday has been deemed unrelated to the investigation.

Gus was last seen playing on a mound of dirt about 5pm on Saturday, September 27 by his grandmother at the family's Oak Park Station homestead, about 43km from the town of Yunta in South Australia.

By 5.30pm, Gus – who has been described as shy but adventurous – had vanished and a full-scale ground and air search of the property and surrounding area was launched.

READ MORE: Dezi Freeman's brother reveals theory on accused cop killer

SA Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said the search for Gus would be scaled back from today and the investigation would be managed by the Missing Persons Investigation Section.

"We are confident that we have done all we can to locate Gus within the search area," Parrott said.

"Despite our very best efforts to find Gus we have determined that the search will be scaled back from this afternoon."

Parrott said no evidence had been recovered in the search for Gus.

"At this point, no trace of Gus has been located," he said.

"No tangible pieces of evidence, such as footprints, a hat or clothing, have been located to identify any direction of travel to assist searchers."

READ MORE: Sydney dad accused of 'indiscriminately' firing at passersby charged

SA Police Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams confirmed a footprint discovered yesterday has been found to be unrelated to the missing four-year-old.

9News understand a footprint found 500m from the homestead by searchers last week, however, has not been ruled out of the investigation.

A "significant" aerial search using special drones with infrared technology was used on Friday and Saturday.

It is the same technology police used in the search for the remains of Julian Story in Port Lincoln.

"It's quite complex technology, so the results will take some time to work through, but police will investigate any findings through further searches," police said today.

Police said officers may return to the property once the results of the drone mission are finalised.

Over the past 48 hours, the search for Gus shifted to a recovery mission.

Police spoke to the family last week to prepare them for the grim likelihood Gus has not survived.

READ MORE: Half of Aussies think it's OK to commit this 'risky' WFH breach

"On Tuesday night senior police spoke to Gus' family and prepared them for the fact that Gus may not have survived due to the passage of time, his age and the nature of the terrain he is missing in," Parrott added.

"This assessment was based on medical evidence from a doctor who is recognised by the Australian rescue authorities as an expert opinion on time frame for survival.

"While those involved in the search have been hoping for a miracle, over the past 48 hours the search has shifted to a recovery operation."

Police continue to investigate Gus' disappearance and are working to rule out every option.

A public appeal remains in place for anyone with information.

"If anything is any information comes that directs us to conduct further searches in specific areas, we will be doing that in the coming weeks," Williams said.

"As we've stated, we will never give up hope of finding Gus.

"There are further lines of inquiry being undertaken and the family have continued to cooperate fully with police and have consented to every request that we have made of them thus far."

An average of 30 SES volunteers have taken part in the search for Gus each day.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) also provided 50 personel for two days to assist police.

Before it was scaled back, the search for Gus spanned seven days and an area of almost 500 square kilometres, involving aircraft and teams on the ground.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.