Guardian AU
Ben Roberts-Smith’s comrades say he ordered them to execute unarmed civilians, court documents show
Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, faces five war crimes murder charges after fellow SAS soldiers told prosecutors he ordered the execution of unarmed civilians in Afghanistan. Court documents allege Roberts-Smith personally placed one man on his knees before directing a fellow soldier to shoot him. The case represents a dramatic fall from grace for a figure once celebrated as the pinnacle of Australian military heroism.
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Sydney Morning Herald
When a politician talks about ‘Australian values’, my brown skin crawls
When politicians invoke "Australian values," the phrase rarely lands the same way for everyone. For people of colour, the rhetoric can feel less like an embrace and more like a measuring stick — one calibrated to a standard they had no hand in setting. The question it raises is pointed and unresolved: inclusion on whose terms, and at what cost to identity?
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Ben Roberts-Smith released from prison on bail after being charged with five counts of war crime murder
Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, has been granted bail after being charged with five counts of war crime murder relating to alleged killings of civilians in Afghanistan. The former SAS corporal must meet strict conditions while awaiting a potential trial. The case marks a landmark moment for Australian military accountability, following a 2023 civil court finding that supported reporting of war crimes allegations against him.
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Australia news live: Geelong refinery fire results cuts petrol production at plant by 40%, PM says
A fire at Geelong's oil refinery has cut petrol production at the facility by 40%, Prime Minister Albanese confirmed, though diesel and aviation fuel production remain largely intact at 80% capacity. Australia has moved quickly to secure an additional 100 million litres of fuel and extra fertilizer supplies as the country navigates disruption caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The government is working with regional allies to shore up imports and manage supply chain pressure.
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Housing affordability fixes will take 'decades', commissioner warns
Australia's housing crisis has no quick fix, with Productivity Commissioner Danielle Wood cautioning that meaningful affordability improvements are a generational challenge, not a near-term policy win. The federal government's target of 1.2 million new homes is already slipping out of reach as residential construction activity declines. The warning signals a widening gap between political ambition and structural reality in Australia's housing market.
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