Many Australians love a drink or two over the Easter holidays, but the country's liquor trading laws restrict what can and can't be sold over the long weekend.

Good Friday and the Easter weekend are some of the only days of the year that have specific restrictions on alcohol sales.

If you're in the mood for a tipple, here are the best options and what you need to know.

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New South Wales

On Good Friday there is a blanket ban on all takeaway sales, whether you want a bottle from a shop, pub or restaurant – which means most liquor retail outlets will be closed in New South Wales.

Most licensed premises will offer drinks in-house on Good Friday, though for some you may need to sit down with a meal.

Saturday will see regular trading hours for licensed premises and retail outlets.

On Easter Sunday normal trading hours resume for licensed premises but most retail outlets will be restricted again and closed.

Victoria

Similar to New South Wales, Good Friday closes bottle shops unless specifically permitted otherwise.

On-premise purchases are allowed and will be offered at venues, restaurants and cafes.

Venues are generally allowed to top up your glass from noon, but if your local go-to is a brewery or a distiller, you can head over at 10am.

It's safe to say regular trading hours resume Easter Saturday and Sunday – Victoria's liquor laws don't mention any particular restrictions.

READ MORE: When shops will be open and closed this Easter around the country

Queensland

Similar to Victoria, Good Friday affects trading hours of licensed premises in Queensland.

Takeaway alcohol can't be sold, so retail outlets will be closed.

However, you can buy drinks at venues from 10am to midnight, but only with a sit-down meal – as per the state government's website.

They even go as far to specifically tell us what a meal is.

"A meal is food that can be eaten with cutlery while seated— for example, roast beef with vegetables"

"It is not light takeaway food like snacks, hot chips, an entrée or kid's meal."

Regular trading hours resume Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

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South Australia

After legal reforms several years ago, South Australia has had all alcohol sale restrictions lifted.

Currently, South Australia has no restrictions on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday, and for the rest of the weekend.

This means venues can choose to be open over the weekend for purchases and takeaways.

Western Australia

In the west of the nation, liquor stores will be closed on Good Friday.

However, people will be allowed to have a Good Friday drink with a meal in most clubs, hotels, pubs, and restaurants.

Clubs will remain open until 3am.

Regular trading hours resume for the rest of the weekend.

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Northern Territory

Takeaway sales are restricted on Good Friday.

You can still buy drinks at venues like restaurants, bars and clubs between 11am to 9pm so long as you buy a full, sit-down meal as well.

No finger foods, sandwiches and pies for those bargaining for a drink too – the territory's website says.

Australian Capital Territory

For the territory where you can find the federal government, you would expect there to be harsher restrictions over the quiet, long weekend.

But patrons can keep partying over the weekend as there are no restrictions on alcohol sales or trading hours on Good Friday.

Tasmania

The Apple Isle will see an equally, loosely restricted Easter weekend.

Tasmania remains much the same with no restrictions on sales or trading hours over the long weekend.

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The construction industry accounts for almost nine per cent of the total workforce in Australia. With some roles in short supply and high demand, there are opportunities to earn high salaries.

An election war of words has broken out over negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount as new data reveals the multibillion-dollar cost of the tax breaks.

Voters are split over the controversial concessions and both major parties have been grilled over their plans this federal election.

While the Greens have lobbied hard for a reform and leader Adam Bandt blamed the capital gains discount for the housing crisis, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have denied there will be any changes made to either.

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Reports first emerged last year that federal Treasury had investigated a potential overhaul of the tax concessions awarded to property owners.

"It certainly wasn't commissioned by us to do so," the PM said when asked during the second debate on Wednesday night about the Treasury modelling.

But Treasurer Jim Chalmers had publicly stated back in September that he asked Treasury for "advice" about the subject, leading Dutton to claim in the debate that Albanese had a "problem with the truth".

Chalmers yesterday sought to strike a clear difference between that advice and "modelling".

"I've said on a number of occasions now that I sought a view," Chalmers said.

"Now that's different to commissioning modelling. The prime minister was asked about commissioning modelling. I sought a view."

Chalmers said it was "normal practice" to seek advice on such a matter and that the Treasury's view was a change to negative gearing "wouldn't get the sort of improvement that we desperately need to see in our economy when it comes to supply".

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He said Labor was "not proposing any changes in this area".

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor claimed Albanese "lied" about plans to raise housing taxes during the debate.

"The prime minister last night denied his government had modelled negative gearing changes. The treasurer confirmed in September it had," Taylor said.

"The prime minister lied to the Australian public on camera about his hidden plans to raise taxes on housing."

Dutton argued cutting negative gearing would worsen the rental market.

"I have stated very clearly, we want a sustainable housing market, which includes rental stock," the opposition leader when debate moderator David Speers asked why his party wouldn't change the capital gains tax discount or negative gearing.

"If you want to cut out negative gearing, as the Labor Party and the Greens would love to do, you will stop investment taking place for properties that are ultimately rented by young Australians."

READ MORE: When shops will be open and closed this Easter around the country

A report released today by parliament revealed the cost of revenue forgone due to both negative gearing deductions and capital gains discounts was $11.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

It's estimated the combined cost will reach $180.5 billion over the next 10 years from 2026/27 until 2035/36.

Greens spokesperson for housing and homelessness Max Chandler-Mather said the Greens would work to abolish "massive tax handouts" for property investors.

"The Greens will right the wrongs of decades of housing failure and end the tax handouts for investors with more than one investment property that are turbocharging house prices and denying renters the chance to buy a home," Chandler-Mather said.

"How is it fair that a young family loses at an auction to an investor buying their 10th property because that investor has massive tax handouts from the government?"

https://x.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1912706695710798245

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a post on X that negative gearing is "examined by every government".

"It is a major tax concession and always contentious and so it is always looked at – what does it cost?" Turnbull said.

"What would particular changes mean in terms of revenue and housing affordability."

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A portrait of a young Palestinian boy who lost both arms as a result of an Israeli attack in Gaza has been honoured as World Press Photo of the year.

The photo, taken by Qatar-based Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times shows nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour with his arms missing just below each shoulder.

"One of the most difficult things Mahmoud's mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realisation that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, 'How will I be able to hug you?'" Abu Elouf said in a statement released by the World Press Photo organisation yesterday.

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The winner of the 68th edition of the prestigious photojournalism contest was selected from 59,320 entries submitted by 3778 photographers from 141 countries.

"This is a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations," said World Press Photo executive director Joumana El Zein Khoury.

In a statement, the organisation said Ajjour was injured while fleeing an Israeli attack in March 2024.

"After he turned back to urge his family onward, an explosion severed one of his arms and mutilated the other," according to the World Press Photo citation.

"This young boy's life deserves to be understood, and this picture does what great photojournalism can do: provide a layered entry point into a complex story, and the incentive to prolong one's encounter with that story," said jury chair Lucy Conticello, who is director of photography for French newspaper Le Monde's weekend magazine.

Winning photographer Abu Elouf was evacuated from Gaza in December 2023 and she now lives in the same apartment complex as Ajjour in Qatar's capital, Doha.

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Israel launched its devastating attack on Gaza after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, in which thousands of militants stormed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, but says that more than half of the dead were women and children, including at least 876 infants younger than one. It says more than 116,000 people have been wounded.

Israel blames Hamas for the heavy civilian toll because the group carries out attacks and other military activities from residential areas and civilian buildings.

Competition organisers also named two World Press Photo finalists that highlighted the issues of migration and climate change.

A dark photo by John Moore for Getty Images shows Chinese migrants warming themselves after crossing the US-Mexico border, and a picture by Musuk Nolte for Panos Pictures, Bertha Foundation, of a young man carrying food across a dried up river bed in Brazil's Amazon basin region.

A "thoughtless" camping trend in Victoria is costing local communities big money.

The frustrating practice of "ghost camping" – which is when holidaymakers book multiple free camping spots but fail to turn up – is hurting small businesses this Easter.

Some blame Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan for opening the floodgates after she announced campers can stay in every national park and state forest across the state from December 1 last year.

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The move wiped out $7.3 million in annual booking fees for campers but it's come at another high cost.

It might be the middle of the school holidays, but some usually bustling camping grounds are sitting half-empty.

"People are booking them in advance and just not turning up," one camper at Tidal River campground, a popular site in Wilsons Prom in southern Victoria, told 9News.

Brett Beaumont, who operates the Open Air Cinema near the campground, said his business was down 65 per cent on last year.

"There's 484 campsites, roughly 150 would be occupied at the moment," Beaumont said.

"The consequences are my business, which has struggled."

Beaumont claims that, in extreme cases, some families booked out a spot for an entire month when they couldn't decide which weekend to stay.

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Nationals MP Melina Bath said she wasn't pleased to see ghost camping at the popular Tidal River spot.

"Despite the website showing Tidal River as being fully booked, there are plenty of spare campsites and it appears quite a few 'no shows' or multiple party bookings for space," Bath said.

"Ghost camping looks set to continue harming local businesses and abandoning needed revenue."

Back in January, fellow Nationals MP Danny O'Brien also took aim at the state government's free camping initiative.

"It's a shame people are so thoughtless but this could've been avoided with some foresight – require a refundable deposit or re-let sites if someone doesn't show up within 24 hours etc," he said on Facebook.

"Several campers stopped me as I had a look tonight to complain at what a waste it is, with international visitors and many others turned away when there are sites sitting unused. 

"This has been repeated around the state and will certainly have robbed many communities of vital summer income as visitor numbers are artificially depressed."

Victoria Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos said in a statement that Victorians weren't trying to "abuse" the system.

"I don't buy that, Victorians want to do the right thing, that's why Parks Victoria now send out two reminders to people to cancel if they can't make their booking, so that other people don't miss out," Dimopoulos said.

"We introduced free camping to get more Victorian families out having holidays in the regions and putting money back in their pockets."

"We want more Victorians to explore the great outdoors this Easter weekend, in addition to the 131 bookable campgrounds, Victorians can also stay at one of the 1000 free camping areas that are first-come-first-served across the state."

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A team of researchers say they have found the strongest indication yet of extraterrestrial life.

The suggestion of life has emerged, not in our own solar system, but on a planet, known as K2-18b, that orbits a star 120 light-years from Earth.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers have detected two gases – dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS – in K2-18b's atmosphere.

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On Earth, these gases are generated by living organisms, primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton – algae.

The researchers voiced excitement mixed with caution at a press conference yesterday, stressing their discovery was pointing to a biological process rather than actual living organisms and more observations were needed.

Nevertheless, these were the first hints we have had of an alien world that is possibly inhabited, Nikku Madhusudhan, Cambridge University astrophysicist and lead author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

"This is a transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system, where we have demonstrated that it is possible to detect biosignatures in potentially habitable planets with current facilities," Madhusudhan said. 

"We have entered the era of observational astrobiology."

K2-18 b is 8.6 times the size of Earth and orbits in a "habitable zone", also known as the "Goldilocks zone", where the conditions are just right for a planet to potentially support liquid water on its surface – a key ingredient for life.

About 5800 so-called exoplanets, have been discovered beyond our solar system since the 1990s.

Scientists have pointed to the possibility of Hycean worlds, covered with liquid water oceans habitable by microorganisms, existing.

Madhusudhan said if Hycean worlds existed, "we are talking about microbial life, possibly like what we see in the Earth's oceans". 

When asked about possible multicellular organisms or even intelligent life, Madhusudhan said: "We won't be able to answer this question at this stage.

"The baseline assumption is of simple microbial life."

Fifteen complete strangers brought together by chance have become instant millionaires days out from Easter.

A single entry from Queensland claimed the entire $70 million Oz Lotto jackpot but it was split by 15 people who bought shares in the syndicate at different newsagents from Townsville to the Gold Coast.

The winning numbers for tonight's draw number 1626 were 14, 32, 13, 29, 41, 23 and 8 with supplementary numbers 43, 4 and 40.

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If the winner had been a single person rather than a syndicate, they would have become Oz Lotto's second biggest individual lottery winner.

Some of the lucky winners were still yet to learn the good news but others with registered entries were contacted tonight. 

Reactions ranged from sleepy excitement to disbelief.

"I was just asleep! Bloody hell!" a Bribie Island man told The Lott. 

"Oh my God, that's so good. This changes our lives. We've been trying to get our first home, so this will do that."

Another was considering retirement and, almost unbelievably, ruing a missed opportunity.

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"I thought you were shitstirring me!" he laughed.

"I just can't believe it.

"Funnily enough, I went to the outlet today to buy another share into the syndicate but it had sold out. If I had, I would have won double. But I'm still happy with my $4.7 million."

The Lott spokesperson Anna Hobdell said she hoped the winners checked their tickets quickly.

"It's remarkable that 15 Queenslanders became multimillionaires tonight," she said.

"While we've tried contacting those who registered their tickets to The Lott Members Club, some may have yet to discover the good news.

"We're encouraging anyone who purchased a syndicate entry in Queensland for tonight's Oz Lotto draw to check their tickets as soon as possible."

Oz Lotto earlier said thousands of entries per minute were generated at lottery outlets and online.

"The last time we saw a $70 million Oz Lotto draw was in January 2025 when the peak of sales was at 12.06pm on the day of the draw when 4297 tickets were sold in a single minute," Hobdell said.

In February, officials from The Lott contacted a woman from Elizabeth Hills in Western Sydney shortly after the draw to tell her she'd won the $100 million Oz Lotto prize, thanks to her ticket being registered to an online account.

The winning entries were bought at the following newsagents:

• Arundel Plaza News, Arundel
• Bellara News, Bellara
• Biota Street News, Inala
• Friendly Grocer Heritage Park, Heritage Park
• Inala Newsagency, Inala
• Luck Lifestyle  Rochedale
• Metro News on 1st, Indooroopilly
• NewsExtra @ Parkinson News & Gifts, Parkinson
• newsXpress Nerang Newsagency, Nerang
• Nextra Bribie Island, Bribie Island
• Nextra Kenmore Village, Kenmore
• Noosa Village News, Noosaville
• Shamrock News & Lotto, Southport
• Supercentre News, Mermaid Waters
• The Lucky Charm Hyde Park, Hyde Park

There are many different ways to get help and information about gambling. You can visit the National Gambling Helpline or call on 1800 858 858

Indonesia has dismissed a report that Russia has lodged a request to base long-range aircraft at a military base just 1300 kilometres away from Darwin.

US military website Janes reported today that Russia had officially requested to base aircraft at the Manuhua Air Force Base at Biak Numfor in the Indonesian province of Papua.

The news made an impact on the election campaign as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sought clarification and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton raised questions about when the Labor leader knew.

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But this evening Defence Minister Richard Marles said he'd spoken with his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

"He has said to me in the clearest possible terms, reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true," Marles said in a statement.

Indonesian Defence Ministry spokesperson Frega Wenas told Reuters "the report is incorrect".

Janes had reported the Indonesian Ministry of Defence was in "consultation with policymakers from other government departments" over how to deal with the request.

Both Australia's leaders forcefully rejected the idea of a Russian President Vladimir Putin having a military presence in the region.

"We obviously do not want to see Russian influence in our region, very clearly," Albanese said.

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"We have a position, which is: we stand with Ukraine, we regard Vladimir Putin as an authoritarian leader who has broken international law, that is attacking the sovereignty of the nation of Ukraine."

Dutton described Putin as a "murderous dictator".

"We don't welcome his presence in our neighbourhood at all," Dutton added.

"It is deeply destabilising."

Earlier today, Albanese said he was seeking "proper clarification" from Indonesia.

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"That's the way you deal with international relations, making sure you're not flying from the hip," Albanese said.

Dutton labelled the reported Russian request a "catastrophic failure of diplomatic relations" if the PM wasn't aware of it until today.

"We need to make sure that the government explains exactly what has happened here," Dutton said.

Speaking before he received the assurances from Sjamsoeddin, Marles said Australia was in contact with its close neighbour on a "senior level".

"We have a very close relationship with Indonesia and we have a growing defence relationship with Indonesia, we have already been engaged with [Indonesia] on this request," Marles said.

"At this point, Indonesia has not responded to this request.

"We will continue to engage with Indonesia in a way that befits this friendship."

The intrigue came after Russian official Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, travelled to Jakarta in February this year to meet with Sjamsoeddin.

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A volunteer rescue team has released video footage of a dog they believe to be Valerie, the dachshund who's been missing on Kangaroo Island for 519 days.

The footage shows the sausage dog walking inside a carefully prepared trap, filled with Valerie's toys and clothing from her owners.

Unfortunately the trap door can't be closed remotely so the dog was able to walk out and it is yet to be reunited with owners Josh and Georgia, who are adamant it is their beloved pet. 

"I was sitting there in bed one night, just going through old photos and comparing all her little marks and everything and being like 'it's 100 per cent her'," Josh said.

The search for Valerie has garnered international attention, with her story featured in major newspapers and social media users commenting from New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United States. 

The increased awareness has brought hope to the rescue team, who believe it could lead to more resources and donations for their efforts.

"The more information that's out there about Val, the more resources they can get, the more donations they get towards the work they're doing," Georgia said.

The search team is planning to install a mechanism that will allow the trap door to be closed remotely by the end of this week.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

South Australian drivers have been fined more than $30 million in six months after being caught on camera using their mobile phones behind the wheel. 

The figures, released by authorities, show that almost 47,000 drivers have been fined since new high-tech detection cameras were installed at five Adelaide locations six months ago. 

Police Minister Stephen Mullighan described the level of mobile phone use among drivers as "unacceptably high" and said the cameras were proving effective in catching offenders.

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"Looking at your mobile phone while you're driving rather than watching the road – you might as well be driving blindfolded," Mullighan said.

The highest number of offences, almost 13,000, occurred on the North-South Motorway at Regency Park. The detection point on South Road at Torrensville was not far behind, followed by the Southern Expressway and Port Road locations. 

The cameras at Port Wakefield Road at Gepps Cross recorded the fewest offences.

However, the rate at which drivers are being caught has slowed.

"It indicates that drivers are becoming aware of the dangers of distractions and that is a good thing," Supt Shane Johnson from SA Police said.

Despite this, some drivers are still not learning their lesson. More than 600 people have been caught using their phones four or more times, with one receiving a staggering 41 fines.

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"We have an ongoing investigation into that driver," Johnson said.

Two more cameras are expected to be operational by the end of the year, with authorities yet to confirm their locations. 

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.