Alyx Gorman

Australian attorney general Michelle Rowland asked the privacy commissioner to examine risks posed by discreetly recording smartglasses, warning that women and children could face harassment, surveillance and other harmful conduct. The live coverage also reported major political and legal developments: NSW Liberal figures faced ICAC and parliamentary scrutiny over alleged factional activity, while Victoria rejected a proposed “Free Palestine Party” because its name could confuse voters with Avi Yemini’s registered party. Bird-flu outbreaks prompted Victoria to require larger poultry producers to house birds and South Australia to cancel bird exhibits. More than 100 charges against protesters from Rising Tide’s 2024 Newcastle coal-port blockade were withdrawn, while the Alan Jones indecent-assault trial continued. Sydney airport experienced widespread delays linked to Airservices Australia staffing shortages, and new data showed parent-visa applicants can wait decades, with more than 1,500 dying before receiving visas during a 21-month period.

A photo-led roundup presents five award-recognized Australian sustainable architecture projects: a converted wool store in Melbourne, an Aboriginal cultural centre in Port Adelaide, an environmental education facility in St Kilda, compact low-carbon housing in Canberra, and a reused university campus in Hobart. Their notable features include adaptive reuse, reduced embodied carbon, renewable energy, recycled materials, water harvesting, thermal efficiency, cultural consultation and habitat-focused design.

Guardian Australia editors and critics recommend twelve Australian books due out in August 2026. The selection spans fiction, science, music, history, travel writing and memoir, including Meg Mason’s novel about obsession and parasocial relationships, Max Easton’s working-class portrait of western Sydney, Michael Dulaney’s account of zoonotic disease, and Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich’s interviews with women and gender-diverse musicians. Other books examine labour and environmental exploitation in Tasmania, witch-trial history and eco-feminism, the legacy of Aboriginal hospital segregation, Pacific Islander slavery in Australia, and Alan Joyce’s controversial tenure at Qantas.

Australian romantasy author and BookTok creator Stacey McEwan discusses her unconventional teenage attempt to impress a crush, her dislike of certain sex-scene terminology, and her recommendations for introducing men to fantasy romance. She describes the nightmare trope as her favourite romance micro-trope, advocates rejecting patriarchal expectations, and explains how she tailors recommendations to readers’ preferences for explicit or implied sexual content. McEwan also reflects on criticism, social-media use and her connection with Katherine Heigl, and is scheduled to appear at the State Library Victoria while promoting her latest book, A Forsaken Prophecy.

Practical, low-energy strategies for coping with heatwaves include closing curtains and blinds before rooms heat up, opening windows at night for cross-ventilation, using fly screens and large fans at safe temperatures, shifting outdoor activities to early morning, wearing loose natural-fibre clothing, staying hydrated, seeking shade, and using cool water or wet clothing to lower heat stress. The article also recommends adapting sleep, meals and daily schedules, taking extra precautions for vulnerable people, and using heat shelters or air-conditioned public spaces during extreme heat. Air conditioning can be lifesaving, while air-to-air heat pumps and evaporative coolers offer more efficient alternatives; portable air conditioners are described as a less efficient last resort.

The Australian men's football team arrived for its World Cup opener against Turkey in MJ Bale suits and a mix of designer pouches from brands including Goyard, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Burberry. Fashion commentators viewed the players' coordinated arrival as evidence that football is adopting the pre-match style culture long associated with the NBA, while noting that the Socceroos' choices remain more practical and understated than those of wealthier international stars. The team's accessible Australian tailoring and lack of personal stylists were presented as reflecting both financial differences and a broader national humility.

A Guardian photo gallery examines Cartier’s animal-inspired jewelry and decorative objects, from a 1929 pelican brooch to panthers, reptiles, birds, mythical beasts and exotic animal sculptures. It highlights Jeanne Toussaint’s caged-bird designs, which symbolized occupied France during the Nazi occupation and led to her questioning by the Gestapo, as well as Cartier’s use of colored gemstones, carved stones, articulated mechanisms and antique elements. The collection, including pieces made for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Maria Félix and Daisy Fellowes, is displayed at NGV International in Melbourne from 12 June to 4 October.

A selection of Australia’s notable apartment and townhouse projects demonstrates how thoughtful renovation, adaptive reuse and compact planning can improve functionality, comfort and sustainability. Projects in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and elsewhere use custom joinery, flexible layouts, passive design, durable or recycled materials, and improved natural light and ventilation. Several schemes increase housing density or enable residents to remain in place, while others focus on ageing in place, build-to-rent models and reducing demolition, construction waste and carbon-intensive rebuilding.

Generative AI is reshaping fashion marketing through digital twins and computer-generated models. Australian retailer The Iconic says AI-generated product imagery should be clearly labelled and accurately represent the items sold, while designer Atoir argues that responsible use can help independent brands compete more efficiently without compromising creativity or product integrity.

A visual roundup of standout looks from Australian Fashion Week 2026 covers collections by leading Australian labels and a TAFE student designer. Highlights include sculptural silver tailoring by Maticevski, inventive tote styling by Nagnata, playful reworked garments by Alix Higgins, bolder colour at Carla Zampatti, draped dresses, opera gloves, aviation-inspired styling, a flowing L’IDEE kaftan and Luke Rutherford-Durney’s industrially structured finale look. The commentary is broadly enthusiastic while noting concerns about the week’s limited size inclusivity.

L’Idee Woman staged a high-profile Australian Fashion Week show in Sydney featuring former Victoria’s Secret Angels Taylor Hill and Shanina Shaik alongside Gemma Ward, Jessica Gomes and Montana Cox. Co-founder Breeana Smith said the costly and logistically difficult casting investment paid off, while Fashion Week chief executive Kellie Hush praised the lineup’s ability to sell the brand’s eveningwear. The show also emphasized an age-diverse customer base and showcased L’Idee Woman’s metallic gowns, kaftans, sequins and satin dresses, with creative director Pip Edwards helping create a Studio 54-inspired spectacle.

Australian Fashion Week has featured a growing number of mature models, including returning stars Gemma Ward and Shanina Shaik and models in their 40s and beyond such as Kate Bell and Emma Balfour. Designers Toni Maticevski and Carla Zampatti are using broader age ranges to reflect their customers and maintain long-standing creative relationships. Models welcome the reduced pressure to conform to a single youthful ideal, but argue that the industry still underrepresents older women and often describes them through outdated labels such as “classic” or “ageless.”

A new wave of Australian female designers is bringing gothic, dark-romantic aesthetics to Australian Fashion Week through corsetry, floor-length gowns, sculptural silhouettes, unusual textures and black palettes. The Frontier group show spotlighted six emerging labels, including Haluminous, Ouse, Madre Natura, Rose Guiffre and Paris Jade Burrows, whose work combines experimentation, theatricality, sustainability and technical innovation. Courtney Zheng’s first solo show similarly marked a shift toward more daring designs, reflecting growing confidence among emerging Australian fashion businesses.

Jim Chalmers delivered Labor’s 2026 federal budget, including changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and discretionary trusts, a $250 worker tax offset, and measures aimed at improving housing affordability and small-business investment. The government expects to save more than $36 billion through reductions in NDIS spending and forecasts smaller deficits, while Treasury estimates the property-tax changes could reduce home construction by 35,000 dwellings over a decade. Business groups and opposition figures criticised the reforms’ potential effects on investment and housing supply, while the Greens argued that the budget preserved advantages for wealthy corporations and did too little for renters. The government presented the package as a response to housing pressures, inequality and economic resilience, but ratings analysts questioned its impact on the underlying fiscal position.

Indigenous designers and arts organisations presented an independent runway featuring contemporary garments, textile art and costumes ahead of Australian fashion week. Collections by Merrepen Arts, Grace Lillian Lee, KingKing Creative, Nungala Creative, Tjarlirli and Kaltukatjara Art, MumRed and Ulupna combined traditional materials, cultural stories and modern silhouettes. The show concluded with a spoken-word performance by Luke Currie-Richardson, accompanied by William Barton, and a chant affirming Aboriginal sovereignty.

A photo-led gallery surveys the Met Gala 2026 red carpet, highlighting celebrities and models in elaborate looks inspired by the theme “fashion is art.” The outfits draw on painting, sculpture, performance, historical fashion and surrealism, with frequent references to artists including John Singer Sargent, Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt and Artemisia Gentileschi. Designers such as Saint Laurent, Valentino, Prada, Dior, Thom Browne, Robert Wun and Chanel dominate the presentation, while the exhibition’s inclusion of disability advocates and diverse body representations forms an important part of the event’s broader cultural context.

Toni Maticevski will return to Australian Fashion Week in 2026 after a decade away, planning an intimate presentation. The schedule includes more than 20 established and emerging labels, First Nations designers and the return of TAFE NSW’s Innovators student showcase. The event is moving from Carriageworks to Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art after 13 years, with strong international buyer interest and new ticketed consumer shows. The Australian Fashion Council is again running the event with support from Destination NSW and the City of Sydney after IMG withdrew from administration.

A Guardian conversation reviews Coles’ cheesy jalapeño, “Doritos-inspired” hot cross bun amid Australia’s expanding market for novelty Easter pastries. Most staff tasters dislike its artificial smell, claggy texture and incongruous flavour, while one reviewer finds it surprisingly enjoyable and acceptable as an office lunch after toasting. The bun becomes a playful example of how food brands use culinary novelty and controversy as clickbait, prompting a debate between traditional hot-cross-bun purism and ever more experimental variations.

Choice found that Cadbury’s largest boxed hollow Easter egg pack fell from 408g in 2024 to 374g in 2025 and 340g in 2026, while its price rose from $12.50 to $18. The changes mean consumers pay almost 73% more per 100g than two years ago, and Choice says Cadbury’s boxed hollow-egg range has shrunk by at least one egg per pack. Mondelēz International attributes the adjustments to persistently high cocoa and other input costs, although cocoa prices have recently declined. Choice says transport and other costs mean lower Easter chocolate prices are not guaranteed next year.

Guardian Australia editors and critics recommend ten Australian books released in March, spanning memoir, literary fiction, speculative fiction, psychological thriller and food writing. Highlights include Bob Carr’s grief memoir about the death of his wife, Johanna Bell’s fragmented eco-fiction about extinct species, Erin Vincent’s formally inventive account of lifelong grief, Eva Hornung’s environmentally charged speculative novel and Cameron Sullivan’s violent, sexually explicit queer retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Other selections explore family history, nihilism, social media, toxic masculinity, gendered violence, Afghan heritage and food. The overall list is highly enthusiastic, presenting the books as ambitious, emotionally resonant and formally adventurous.

A photo-led roundup of celebrities attending the 2026 Actor Awards, highlighting their red-carpet outfits, designers and playful styling details. The gallery features nominees, presenters and winners including Kristen Bell, Michael B Jordan, Keri Russell, Noah Wyle and Seth Rogen, while noting nominations and wins across film and television categories.

Kathy Lette reflects on returning to Cronulla, where her difficult adolescence and the success of Puberty Blues made her famous, and describes how family, laughter and time have helped her reclaim the place. Discussing her novel The Sisterhood Rules, menopause, aging and sexuality, she urges women to pursue a joyful and unapologetic second act. She also argues that pleasure and frivolity build resilience, but insists women must become more organized, militant and angry in response to threats to their rights, particularly in the United States.

The Guardian’s live coverage reports that Barnaby Joyce distanced himself from Pauline Hanson’s remarks questioning whether there are good Muslims, while saying he was unaware that the Australian Federal Police had received crime reports about her comments. Sky News Australia announced it will rebrand as News24 after losing the rights to its name. Other major developments included debate over a potential republic referendum following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, the government’s continuing consideration of Donald Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace, and Angus Taylor’s opposition to net-zero policy. The blog also covered a prisoner's mistaken early release in the Northern Territory, growing measles exposure warnings in Melbourne, the search for missing man Chris Baghsarian, charges over the shooting of former NRL player Matt Utai, QBE’s increased profits amid climate-risk criticism, Nine Entertainment’s decision to end print distribution of The Age and Australian Financial Review in Tasmania, and warnings that Woodside’s Browse gas project could contribute to extensive coral deaths on the Great Barrier Reef.