Anika Wells has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 in claimed travel expenses and fines after the communications and sport minister faced an extensive audit of her taxpayer-funded claims.

Wells has repaid $10,116 to taxpayers, $8093 in wrongfully claimed expenses and a $2023 penalty, according to audit documents published by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA).

The IPEA found four trips out of a total of 25 which were claimed under the government's family reunion rule "did not fully satisfy the requirements of the Parliamentary Business Resources (PBR) regulation".

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One of the expensed trips took place in February 2022, while the rest occurred between May and October 2025.

In a statement shared with Nine.com.au, Wells said the audit "found no misconduct or ethical breaches" and that she had repaid the cost of her "honest mistakes" in full.

"The audit found, over four years of travel, involving nearly 250 separate trips, I made four mistakes," Wells said.

"These were four cases where I chose what I thought was the more sensible, cheaper option, but those choices were not allowed according to the rules, which I accept and respect.

"I accept IPEA's assessment and I am sorry for making these honest mistakes."

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Wells first faced public scrutiny over her taxpayer spending in December last year after it was revealed she spent nearly $100,000 on a three-day trip to New York City.

Wells stung the public purse with $94,828.75 on return flights for herself and two staffers to attend the United Nations General Assembly in early September.

It was later revealed that Wells had also flown her husband Finn McCarthy to several cricket events, including two Boxing Day Test matches, and logged the $4000 expenses under the Commonwealth's family reunion provision.

The IPEA found the New York trip and Boxing Day Test matches to be appropriate claims of travel expenses.

When asked about the cost of the NYC trip during a National Press Club address, Wells said her office had been "transparent" about the flights.

"The reason you know all those things is we're transparent about them, we'll disclose them and we'll continue to disclose them and we'll continue to disclose information about that trip through the usual processes," Wells said at the time.

She later defended the cricket-related flights, saying "every parliamentarian has family reunion entitlements".

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wells had paid back the money.

"We have IPEA. We have an independent parliamentary expenses authority, who's in charge of this," Albanese said.

"She referred herself to it, which was appropriate, and it was appropriate that she pay back the money.

"That has been done, and she has paid back the money in accordance with the rules."

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Three women have alleged the Xero founder made unwanted advances towards them.

Kiwifruit orchards typically host eight to 10 beehives per canopy hectare.

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More cases of a deadly, rodent-borne illness could emerge in the coming weeks but the risk to public health is "low", according to the World Health Organisation.

Cases of hantavirus, the term for a group of viruses carried by infected rodents that can pose a severe disease risk in humans, emerged on luxury cruise ship MV Hondius last month.

The vessel had been marooned in quarantine off the coast of Cape Verde in West Africa since Sunday.

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WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said eight cases of the Andes strain of the virus have been reported so far, including three deaths.

Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as Hantavirus, while the other three are suspected.

"Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it's possible that more cases may be reported," Ghebreyesus said in the latest briefing.

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"While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low.

"It's possible that more cases may be reported."

Ghebreyesus said the first two people with the confirmed virus had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip.

He said the excursion included visits to sites where "the species of rat known to carry the virus was present".

The first case was in a man who developed symptoms on April 6 and died on the ship on April 11.

No samples were taken, and because his symptoms were similar to those of other respiratory diseases, Hantavirus was not suspected.

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The man's wife, who was also symptomatic, went ashore when the ship docked at the island of Saint Helena.

She deteriorated on the flight to Johannesburg on April 25 and died the next day.

Samples were taken, which was taken to South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

Ghebreyesus said the third death was a woman on the ship who developed symptoms on April 28 and died on May 2.

Another man, who remains in intensive care, presented to the ship's doctor on April 24.

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Doctors boarded the ship to provide care for the three other passengers.

Two are in a stable condition and one is asymptomatic in Germany .

The eighth man disembarked at Saint Helena and reported himself with symptoms in Zurich, Switzerland.

No remaining passengers or crew on the ship are currently symptomatic, according to Ghebreyesus.

"WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of the passengers," he said.

"In each case we're in close contact with the relevant authorities.

The cruise ship is now sailing to the Canary Islands following a request by the WHO to Spain.

"We're confident in the capacity of Spain to monitor the risk and we're supporting them to do so," Ghebreyesus said.

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Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has quit as chancellor of Australian National University (ANU) following calls for her to step down from the "troubled" institution.

Bishop reportedly tendered her resignation to the university and the Albanese government last night, seven months before her tenure was due to expire in December, saying it was untenable for her to continue.

In a statement shared with Nine.com.au, a spokesperson for ANU confirmed Bishop's resignation and said pro-chancellor Dr Larry Marshall will act in the position until a permanent replacement is appointed.

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"In her six years in the role and through her advocacy, the Hon. Julie Bishop has raised the university's profile domestically and internationally and strengthened global connections, including during the COVID pandemic," the spokesperson said.

"The council thanks the Hon. Julie Bishop for these contributions and wishes her well for the future.

"The council is committed to providing a new period of strong and positive governance and leadership.

"The ANU is one of Australia's and the world's great universities. It has a remarkable and proud history of the highest levels of teaching, research and innovation."

Bishop told the ABC she was "deeply privileged" to serve as chancellor.

"I continue to regard the ANU as a truly national treasure," Bishop said.

Bishop spent a tumultuous period at the top of the cash-strapped institution, a term that was plagued by governance concerns and a controversial $250 million cost-cutting plan which included slashing jobs.

Bishop faced growing calls to resign from her post for months from some staff and students following the resignation of her colleague, ANU Vice-Chancellor Genieveve Bell, in September last year.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said Bishop's decision to leave is "long overdue" and described it as a chance for the "troubled university to heal".

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"Julie Bishop falling on her sword is long overdue and closes one of the darkest chapters we've seen at any Australian university," NTEU national president Dr Alison Barnes said.

"Staff have suffered enormously during her disastrous reign," she claimed.

Union members had been calling for a leadership change at ANU for the past 18 months, NTEU ANU branch president Millan Pintos-Lopez said.

Bishop was appointed ANU's first female chancellor in 2020 and her term was due to end on December 31, 2026.

Her replacement has not yet been named.

The ANU is a government-owned, not-for-profit university and is regarded as a national asset.

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Thousands of staff at Australia's most valuable technology company have stopped work for an entire week, swapping their usual duties for an intensive artificial intelligence (AI) experiment.

Over 5300 people at multi-billion dollar software giant Canva's global workforce joined the company's second-ever "AI Discovery Week", which kicked off on Monday.

During the optional week-long program, staff ditched meetings and paused all projects to "go deep on AI" and upskill in the rapidly developing technology.

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It involves over 60 talks from speakers at fellow tech behemoths Open AI, Anthropic and Google, workshops and "hackathons".

While it was not a mandatory program, it is understood so many staff at Canva's Sydney headquarters opted in that the office ran out of desk space.

"We see this as an opportunity for folks to tune out of the noise and tune in to what it is they've been wanting to achieve with AI, but haven't been able to crack yet," said Canva's co-founder and chief product officer Cameron Adams.

"The part I'm most excited about this year is the company-wide Hackathon at the end of the week.

"The brief is to build something that would have been impossible without AI. Not faster workflows, but genuinely new ones that didn't exist as a realistic option before."

The first Canva Discovery Week took place in July last year.

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Adams said at the time that the idea was to help upskill Canva employees into an "AI-savvy workforce".

"The potential to get left behind in the AI age is real, and leaders absolutely need to provide clear vision and instruction around where AI fits into their team's daily work," he said.

Canva, which made its Rich List co-founders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams multi-billionaires, has invested heavily in AI over the past few years.

The $60 billion dollar Sydney start-up snapped up two local AI companies last month in an undisclosed deal.

The deal brought the number of Canva's AI acquisitions to eight since 2024, with a reported total of $400 million investment made in the rapidly-growing technology so far.

Canva reached its highest-ever valuation of more than $60 billion last year following an employee share sale in August.

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A toddler was rushed to hospital yesterday after she was bitten on the neck by a dog at a home in Beaudesert, in Queensland's Scenic Rim, west of the Gold Coast.

Paramedics were called to the home shortly after 5pm yesterday and found the girl in a potentially life-threatening condition with a "significant neck injury".

The girl was taken to Queensland Children's Hospital where she is in a stable condition this morning.

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More to come.

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A deadly, rodent-borne illness known as hantavirus has killed three people and infected others after an outbreak aboard a cruise ship – but Australia could be among the safest places in the world from the deadly disease.

Luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, which has 150 people on board, is believed to be the source of the outbreak, and the vessel had been marooned in quarantine off the coast of Cape Verde in West Africa since Sunday.

The boat has since left the coast and is bound for Spain with a plan to dock at the Canary Islands after three people with suspected Hantavirus were evacuated, Reuters reports.

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There are now fears the deadly virus has not been contained to the cruise ship.

One of the three deaths is a 69-year-old Dutch national who disembarked the ship when it stopped on an island off St Helena on April 24.

She then travelled to South Africa.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has confirmed the woman then "briefly" boarded a plane in Johannesburg on April 25.

"Due to the passenger's medical condition at the time, the crew decided not to allow the passenger to travel on the flight," KLM said in a statement.

"The passenger sadly later passed away in Johannesburg."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is now attempting to conduct contact tracing on this flight and the flight she took to South Africa.

WHO said eight cases of hantavirus – three confirmed and five suspected – have been confirmed on people who were aboard the ship.

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South Africa has since identified 65 people who have been in contact with confirmed or suspected hantavirus cases, while another 12 have been identified in other countries.

Director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at WHO, Maria Van Kerkhove, tempered fears that the hantavirus outbreak was the "next COVID".

"But it is a serious infectious disease," she told Associated Press.

"Most people will never be exposed to this."

So what exactly is hantavirus and how does it spread?

Is there hantavirus in Australia?

Australia is "unique" as it is the only inhabited continent where no confirmed human cases of hantavirus have ever been recorded, the CSIRO says.

But that doesn't mean hantavirus does not exist here.

"However, antibodies to hantavirus have been detected in some Australian rodents, suggesting related viruses are likely present at low levels," CSIRO Senior Communication Advisor, Health and Biosecurity and ACDP Eliza Keck said.

The lack of reported cases in Australia has mystified health officials – and one explanation could be that the Australian strain of the virus is too mild to be diagnosed.

There were four Australians on board the MV Hondius cruise ship, and one of them has reportedly returned home already.

Can hantavirus spread from person to person?

The particular strain of virus detected on MV Hondius is the Andes strain, which is notable for its ability to spread between humans.

According to WHO, human-to-human transmission has been reported in previous outbreaks of Andes virus.

Human hantavirus infection is primarily acquired through contact with the urine, faeces, or saliva of infected rodents.

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How long does it take for hantavirus symptoms to show?

Hantavirus can cause two syndromes: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

Symptoms of hantavirus can vary between the two, but illness onset symptoms include fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that symptoms of HPS usually start to show one to eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent.

Symptoms for HFRS can develop faster, often within one to two weeks of exposure.

Is hantavirus fatal?

The Andres strain of hantavirus can cause a severe lung-focused type of disease, which can be fatal.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) estimates that between 35 to 50 per cent of this virus is fatal.

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Byelections in regional NSW do not usually become national political events.

But as voting day approaches in Farrer, the sprawling rural seat has become one of the most closely watched contests in the country.

Held by the Coalition in one form or another since 1949, it's long been hailed as a safe conservative seat. 

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That 75-year streak faces a historic challenge as the contest to fill Sussan Ley's seat turns into a tight battle.

For voters outside the electorate, Saturday's result could signal where regional Australia – and arguably the country as a whole – is heading politically.

So, why is everyone suddenly talking about Farrer?

What is Farrer?

Farrer is a massive federal electorate covering south-western NSW, stretching from Albury on the Victorian border across the Riverina and out towards the South Australian border.

The second-largest electoral division in NSW, it spans more than 120,000 square kilometres. It takes in Albury, Griffith, Leeton and Deniliquin, alongside smaller farming towns and remote communities.

Since its inception, the seat has been held by either the Liberals or the Nationals, making it one of the Coalition's longstanding regional strongholds. 

In 2026, this is not the case. 

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How did we get here?

The byelection was triggered after former Liberal leader Sussan Ley resigned from parliament after losing the party leadership.

She had held the seat for 25 years but stepped down after being defeated by Angus Taylor in a February leadership spill.

Her departure carved out a rare opening in a seat normally protected by the Coalition agreement between the Liberals and Nationals.

Under that arrangement, the two parties usually avoid competing in certain regional electorates to prevent conservative votes from being split. However, when a seat becomes vacant, this does not apply.

This byelection is also the first major test for the Coalition since Taylor took over the Liberal Party following a period of intense internal friction and two brief splits between the Liberal and National parties.

With the Coalition's primary vote under pressure and One Nation surging in regional polling, Farrer is now a flashpoint.

Who is gunning for the seat?

Twelve names will appear on Saturday's ballot paper, though the contest has largely narrowed to four key contenders. Notably, two of the candidates widely tipped to perform strongly are not from the major parties.

Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe will be one to watch this weekend. 

Having built a powerhouse base in Albury and its surrounds, she enters the race following a surge in the 2025 federal election that cut deeply into Ley's once-impenetrable margin.

One Nation candidate David Farley is gaining traction as the party capitalises on anti-major party frustration in the regions.

It would be remiss not to mention the stakes at play for One Nation – the party has maintained Senate representation federally for years but has never secured a lower house seat. 

The Liberals are fighting to retain the seat with Albury councillor and lawyer Raissa Butkowski.

Meanwhile, the Nationals have put forward former Army colonel Brad Robertson in their first tilt at Farrer in decades.

Why this byelection matters nationally

All eyes are on this byelection to see whether conservative politics can recover its footing after months of infighting and electoral setbacks for the Coalition. 

The outcome here could hint at whether the party is starting to regain public trust or if deeper challenges remain.

The Liberals are trying to prove they can still hold seats without long-serving incumbents carrying them over the line. At the same time, the Nationals want to show they remain the voice of regional Australia.

One Nation sees an opportunity to convert rising support into an actual lower house seat, while independents are on a mission to flip the vote and prove that regional voters are willing to ditch the major parties altogether.

Why the Nationals are such a big part of the story

The Nationals' involvement has added another layer of tension, as Farrer sits in territory that many within the party still regard as voter heartland.

Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer held the seat before Ley, and the Nationals continue to wield power in several neighbouring regional electorates across NSW and Victoria.

Although the Coalition agreement kept the party out of Farrer for years, Ley's resignation reopened the door.

The Nats are vying to reassert themselves in a seat with deep regional roots at a time when support for the major parties is dwindling. 

If they perform badly – particularly if One Nation overtakes them in regional booths that would traditionally lean conservative – questions will no doubt arise about how secure the party's rural base really is heading into the next federal election.

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Why people are calling it a warning sign for the Coalition

Farrer has become a focal point because it captures a problem the Coalition has been battling nationally for years: conservative voters are no longer moving in the same direction.

Some are backing independents focused on local representation, accountability and regional issues. Others are drifting towards parties like One Nation, particularly in communities frustrated by cost-of-living concerns, fuel prices, water policy, and distrust of major parties.

That leaves the Liberals and Nationals squeezed from both sides.

In a general election, those patterns can be harder to spot as attention is spread across dozens of seats. In a single-seat byelection, the trend becomes harder to ignore.

What issues matter most locally?

Water policy looms over almost every conversation in Farrer.

The electorate spans parts of the Murray-Darling Basin, meaning debates over irrigation, water buybacks and agricultural access carry significant political weight across the region.

Regional healthcare, roads, fuel prices, farming and the broader cost of living are also dominating the campaign, particularly in smaller communities where access to services remains a concern.

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