Communities across north-west Queensland are battling some of the worst flooding in decades, with thousands of cattle lost, towns isolated and emergency fodder drops underway as governments roll out an initial $2 million support package for graziers.

Queensland has achieved a major milestone in building its future healthcare workforce, welcoming a record 930 first-year graduate doctors into Queensland Health hospitals across the state the largest intake in the state’s history.

NSW and South Australian health authorities are urging recent travellers and holiday‑season shoppers to watch for measles symptoms after infectious adults returned from South‑East Asia and moved through busy airports, hospitals and shopping centres in late December.

The Albanese Government has introduced a suite of major Medicare changes from 1 January 2026, promising cheaper medicines, free 24/7 health advice through 1800MEDICARE, and a new national mental health support gateway. The reforms are designed to strengthen the Medicare system, reduce pressure on overcrowded emergency departments and make it easier for Australians to get help when and where they need it.

Multiculturalism is being placed firmly at the heart of Australia’s national story as the federal government enters 2026 with a clear message:

Australia has begun a major reset of its skilled migration system, phasing out the long-running Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa and rolling in a new “Skills in Demand” visa that promises faster, fairer and more flexible routes to long-term work and permanent residency.

The Walk for Peace 2026 in the United States has become an extraordinary grassroots spiritual pilgrimage, led by roughly two dozen Buddhist monks and their rescue dog Aloka, walking more than 2,300 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. Their journey is drawing massive crowds, viral social media support, and a growing sense that communities across the country are hungry for a more peaceful and compassionate national conversation.

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard has redesigned what business success looks like, turning a multibillion-dollar outdoor brand into a permanent engine for climate action rather than personal wealth.

Australia is stepping into 2026 with a clear message from Canberra: multiculturalism is not an optional extra, but central to who the country is and how it will succeed in the years ahead.

Queensland’s property market has entered a phase that even seasoned analysts describe as unsustainable great for those already on the ladder, punishing for everyone else. Brisbane’s meteoric rise now places it among the country’s least affordable capitals, while regional centres from Toowoomba to the Granite Belt are being dragged into the same affordability crisis once associated mainly with Sydney and Melbourne.​