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NSW Health<\/a> has issued a public health warning after discovering a dangerous batch of MDMA tablets with high dosages and ketamin.<\/p>\n Authorities are concerned the substances are still in circulation and will be available at the Hypersonic festival at Sydney showgrounds on Saturday:<\/p>\n The first warning concerns multiple MDMA (ecstasy) tablets and capsules containing a higher dose than usually circulates in tested community samples.<\/p>\n Ketamine-like substances, or analogues, have also been detected in white powder and crystalline matter. Both substances were detected by the NSW government\u2019s drug checking trial at last weekend\u2019s Strawberry Fields event in Tocumwal, in Southern NSW.<\/p>\n NSW Health\u2019s chief addiction medicine specialist, Dr Hester Wilson, has also raised concerns about the impact of these drugs given warm temperatures expected in Sydney this weekend.<\/p>\n High doses of MDMA can cause severe agitation, raised body temperature, seizures or fits, irregular heart rhythm and death.<\/p>\n Hot environments, such as at music festivals, increase the risk of harm from MDMA. Taking a break from dancing, seeking shade and drinking water are important measures to reduce the risk of overheating.<\/p>\n At music festivals there are experienced onsite medical providers and teams of well-trained peer volunteers from programs such as DanceWize NSW who are ready to support you at many major festivals. Other event staff are also trained to help patrons.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> That\u2019s all from me. Henry Belot will take things over from here. Enjoy your weekends!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Some more details from the public place shooting in Sydney\u2019s west<\/p>\n NSW police held a press conference a few minutes ago to discuss the public place shooting that left one man dead.<\/p>\n The victim is a man in his 20s, and police currently have two people \u2013 a man in his late teens and another in his early 20s \u2013 in custody. No charges have been laid so far.<\/p>\n Supt Brendan Gorman said all three men were known to police, but said an investigation into the matter had just begun and there was no further information. Gorman praised officers who responded to the scene \u201cwithin seconds\u201d of the shooting.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone with any information or any dashcam footage is encouraged to contact NSW police force,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sussan Ley is \u2018still up for the job\u2019 of opposition leader \u2013 Australian Politics podcast<\/p>\n Ever since she was elected opposition leader, Sussan Ley has faced strong criticisms from within her party and across the parliament. Some commentators even predicted she\u2019d be out of the job already.<\/p>\n But she has made it to the last sitting week of parliament for the year. On the other side of the aisle, the Albanese government managed to meet their own deadline to legislate changes to outdated nature laws \u2013 by settling on a deal with the Greens.<\/p>\n Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to Ley about her disappointment about the long awaited reforms, Barnaby Joyce resigning from the Nationals and why she thinks \u201cit\u2019s never been about me\u201d.<\/p>\n Take a listen:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Fire and Rescue NSW responds to 100th e-bike battery fire this year<\/p>\n Fire and Rescue NSW says it has responded to 100 lithium-ion battery fires involving e-bikes this year so far.<\/p>\n Officials said a fast-moving blaze \u201ctore through\u201d a two-storey terrace in Sydney\u2019s Redfern early Friday morning. Firefighters arrived to find \u201cintense flames erupting from the ground floor and pushing up over the second-storey balcony\u201d.<\/p>\n The fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes.<\/p>\n Initial investigations suggest the fire likely originated from an e-bike fitted with a lithium-ion battery.<\/p>\n Fire and Rescue NSW issued renewed advice for safety after the blaze, saying users of such devices should always use the correct charger; only use e-bikes and e-scooters from reputable retailers; never charge batteries overnight or while you\u2019re asleep; and that the should not modify the batteries or devices to increase speed or range.<\/p>\n REDFERN | ***VISION ALERT*** 100th e-bike battery fire sparks terrace blaze. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has responded to its 100th lithium-ion battery fire involving an e-bike this year, after a fast-moving blaze tore through a two-storey terra… https:\/\/t.co\/MCdoxg41T2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) November 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a> APAN launch anti-Palestinian racism nationwide register<\/p>\n A Palestinian advocacy group is launching a national register to document anti-Palestinian racism.<\/p>\n The Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network\u2019s dual-language national website will go live on Sunday. The website will be available in English and Arabic.<\/p>\n It comes after the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, in September called an inquiry into anti-Palestinian racism. Malik said anti-Palestinian racism should not be \u201cabsorbed by Islamophobia\u201d but noted there appeared to be a connection between the two.<\/p>\n Nasser Mashni, president at APAN, said the register would give people a \u201csafe place\u201d to report their experience and help push for action against racism.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Man dies after shooting in public place in Sydney\u2019s west<\/p>\n A man has died after a public place shooting in western Sydney.<\/p>\n As we reported earlier in the blog, New South Wales<\/a> police have been responding after the shooting in the suburb of Blacktown and established a crime scene.<\/p>\n Police now say they arrived and found a man with gunshot wounds to his neck, chest and leg on arrival. The man was treated by paramedics, but died at the scene.<\/p>\n At the same time, officers tried to stop a vehicle in the area that was allegedly attempting to leave the scene. The car did not stop and police began a pursuit, which ended when the car crashed a short time later.<\/p>\n Two occupants ran from the scene and were arrested a short time later. They have been taken to Blacktown police station. No details about any pending charges were available.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.17 EST<\/p>\n Perth beach closed after shark sighting<\/p>\n Lifeguards in Western Australia have closed a public beach after reports of a shark in the water.<\/p>\n Surf Life Saving WA said Floreat Beach in Perth is closed along a large stretch.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Police operation under way after public place shooting in Sydney\u2019s western suburbs<\/p>\n A police operation is under way in Sydney\u2019s Blacktown after a public place shooting, NSW police has said.<\/p>\n Emergency services are currently treating one person in the area. Two others have been arrested after a short pursuit, police said.<\/p>\n There is no threat to the public but police are urging the community to avoid the area as there is a large emergency service presence.<\/p>\n More information will be provided as it becomes available.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.47 EST<\/p>\n Watt rules out environmental standard on a project’s climate impact While environmentalists broadly welcomed the final package of laws<\/a>, most note the one major omission: any requirement for decision-makers to consider a project\u2019s climate impact when weighing up whether to approve or reject it.<\/p>\n Watt steadfastly refused to consider the Greens\u2019 demand for such a measure during the negotiations, insisting that greenhouse gas emissions were regulated through other ways \u2013 principally the safeguard mechanism.<\/p>\n The only climate-related inclusion was a new requirement for some proponents to disclose their expected emissions as part of the application process, even though it can\u2019t be factored into the decision-making.<\/p>\n Guardian Australia asked the minister if he thought climate impact would ever be inserted into the EPBC Act \u2013 possibly as a future standalone national environment standard.<\/p>\n In response, Watt was unequivocal.<\/p>\n We will not be producing a national environmental standard along those lines. We\u2019ve been very clear that we don\u2019t support the idea of a climate trigger in this legislation. That\u2019s a widely held view within our government, that we do need to take serious action on climate change, but that we should do that through the range of climate legislation, climate policies that my colleague (minister) Chris Bowen is doing such a good job of implementing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.20 EST<\/p>\n Watt blasts critics of nature laws<\/p>\n The environment minister, Murray Watt, has fired back at state premiers after they criticised the new federal nature laws as \u201cdisastrous\u201d and a threat to jobs.<\/p>\n The Albanese government\u2019s deal with the Greens to re-write the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation<\/a> (EBPC) Act provoked an angry response from Liberal premiers in Tasmania and Queensland, who claimed it would damage their state\u2019s forestry and mining industries respectively.<\/p>\n Under a concession to win the Greens\u2019 support, the government agreed to subject native forest logging to national environment standards in 18 months\u2019 time \u2013 effectively removing a long-running and contentious exemption for the industry.<\/p>\n Murray Watt. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAP<\/p>\n The government announced a $300m to support the forestry industry although details of the package have yet to be thrashed out.<\/p>\n In a statement <\/a>on Thursday, the Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, claimed the deal would \u201cput jobs in regional Tasmania at great risk\u201d and said the support package was \u201cwoefully inadequate\u201d.<\/p>\n At a press conference after the bill passed parliament on Friday morning, Watt accused the Tasmanian government of peddling \u201cmyths and lies\u201d about the implications of the changes for the state\u2019s forestry industry.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n I\u2019m not at all surprised that we see a Coalition government in Tasmania that has spent the last 20 or 30 years running culture wars around forestry, getting back to their old tricks.<\/p>\n The Queensland LNP premier, David Crisafulli, was also highly critical of the Labor-Greens deal, describing it as \u201cdisastrous with a capital-D\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n In response, Watt said:<\/p>\n I think that the sorts of statements that are coming out of the Queensland government are wildly exaggerated.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.57 EST<\/p>\n Mark Dreyfus appointed special envoy on international human rights<\/p>\n Former attorney general Mark Dreyfus has been appointed Australia\u2019s new special envoy on international human rights.<\/p>\n Dreyfus lost his position as attorney general in a cabinet reshuffle shortly after the May election<\/a> as Labor party factions battled for frontbench positions.<\/p>\n In a joint statement, Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong said Dreyfus would undertake this new role in addition to his existing work as a backbench MP:<\/p>\n Dreyfus will renew Australia\u2019s tradition as a global champion for human rights \u2013 a role we have played since we were an original signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.<\/p>\n In particular, Mr Dreyfus will take a special advocacy role for the abolition of the death penalty, as well as for the rights and protections of children, older persons, people living with a disability and LGBTIQ+ individuals \u2013 all issues on which Australia has a long record of international leadership.<\/p>\n His high standing as a parliamentarian means he can work effectively with other parliamentary representatives in our region leading their countries\u2019 human rights agendas.<\/p>\n Former attorney general Mark Dreyfus. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.26 EST<\/p>\n Invasive Species Council welcomes removal of feral horses from Kosciuszko national park The Invasive Species Council\u2019s chief executive, Jack Gough, said the removal of feral horses from Kosciuszko national park was a proof that \u201cwe can put truth, science and care for nature above politics and fear\u201d:<\/p>\n No one likes to see animals killed, but the sad reality is that we have a choice to make between urgently reducing the numbers of feral horses or accepting the destruction of sensitive alpine ecosystems and habitats, and the decline and extinction of native animals.<\/p>\n The independent MP for Wagga Wagga, Joe McGirr, whose electorate covers one-third of Kosciuszko national park, said:<\/p>\n Today the NSW parliament has corrected a serious mistake. The Wild Horse Heritage Act put symbolism ahead of science and ideology ahead of evidence \u2013 and our most fragile alpine landscapes paid the price.<\/p>\n Repealing this law restores integrity to environmental decision-making in New South Wales. It puts the protection of endangered species, alpine wetlands and drinking-water catchments back where it belongs \u2013 in the hands of our professional national parks staff.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.28 EST<\/p>\n Environmental groups say removal of brumbies from Kosciuszko national park a turning point for conservation<\/p>\n Environmental groups are celebrating a hard-fought win to remove feral horses from Kosciuszko national park, saying it marks a turning point for fragile alpine landscapes and the native wildlife, such as the southern corroboree frog and broad-toothed rat.<\/p>\n The Kosciuszko wild horse heritage repeal bill 2025, first introduced by the Wagga Wagga MP, Dr Joe McGirr, and supported in the upper house by Legalise Cannabis MLC Jeremy Buckingham, passed with bipartisan and crossbench backing from Labor, Liberal, Greens, Legalise Cannabis and independent MPs.<\/p>\n It was opposed by the NSW Nationals, which saw the Coalition<\/a> again split over a controversial policy issue.<\/p>\n At a press conference a few moments ago Snowy River guide, Reclaim Kosci co-founder and Invasive Species Council Indigenous ambassador Richard Swain said:<\/p>\n Today, Country can breathe again. This is a victory for truth over mythology, and for those who have fought for generations to protect these high places and the life they hold.<\/p>\n For years, we\u2019ve watched the alpine wetlands dry out, the snow-grass trampled, the frogs and fish vanish. To finally see our parliament stand with Country and the people who have fought for it \u2013 that\u2019s something to be proud of. It shows that courage and compassion can walk together.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.08 EST<\/p>\n Australian Iranian community welcomes listing of IRGC as state sponsor of terrorism<\/p>\n The Australian Iranian Community Organisation has written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, praising a decision to list Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism<\/a>.<\/p>\n The listing was formalised on Thursday after the domestic intelligence agency Asio found the IRGC had orchestrated attacks against the Australian Jewish community in late 2024.<\/p>\n Siamak Ghahreman, the president of the Australian Iranian Community Organisation, said he\u2019d welcome \u201cstrong enforcement action against intimidation, coercion and foreign directed violence\u201d:<\/p>\n For many Australians of Iranian background, this decision is also deeply personal. Our community includes refugees, former political prisoners, human rights defenders, and families who have directly experienced harm and intimidation linked to the IRGC.<\/p>\n For years, AICO and many community members have consistently called on successive Australian governments to use all available legal mechanisms to formally designate and restrict the IRGC.<\/p>\n [This] decision meaningfully reflects those long-standing concerns and advocacy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.52 EST<\/p>\n New registration conditions for Monash IVF in Victoria<\/p>\n Victoria\u2019s Department of Health has imposed conditions on Monash IVF\u2019s registrations in the state, effective today, after a series of bungled embryo implants.<\/p>\n The company said today it had already implemented process changes required by the health department, including actions and obligations related to the confirmation of the intended biological sources for each cycle; requirements to Monash IVF\u2019s patient management system; changes to record keeping; and staff education and training. The changes also include periodic auditing and reporting to health officials.<\/p>\n Monash IVF\u2019s board of directors said in a brief release this morning:<\/p>\n The Company will continue to prioritise the care and safety of its patients and will keep ASX informed of any material developments in accordance with its disclosure obligations.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.08 EST<\/p>\n How Instagram\u2019s age assurance fares<\/p>\n As part of my reporting on what the platforms show to various age demographics<\/a>, I\u2019ve had a phone set up with dummy social media accounts.<\/p>\n I set up one on Instagram recently for someone under 16 to see what would happen when the under-16s social media ban came into effect.<\/p>\n A notification popped up today stating \u201cdue to laws in Australia, soon you won\u2019t be able to use social media until you\u2019ve turned 16\u201d.<\/p>\n Screenshot from Josh Taylor who set up a phone with dummy social media accounts. Photograph: Instagram\/Meta<\/p>\n I was then given two options: to go through downloading my data and prepare for my account to be deactivated, or review the age on the account and take a video selfie to prove I\u2019m over 16.<\/p>\n I chose the latter, and the app accessed my front-facing camera, and made me move my head from side to side, similar to how one might set up face-unlock on their phone.<\/p>\n Photograph: Instagram\/Meta<\/p>\n I was then presented with a notification stating it would likely take between one and two minutes but could take 48 hours. But shortly after I received a notification that I was in the clear.<\/p>\n![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764303495_307_Nick_Visser.png\")
Nick Visser<\/p>\n![\"Adeshola](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764303495_526_Adeshola_Ore.png\")
Adeshola Ore<\/p>\n![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764303495_137_Dan_Jarvis-Bardy.png\")
Dan Jervis-Bardy<\/p>\nDan Jervis-Bardy<\/p>\n![\"Anne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764303496_667_Anne_Davies,_L.png\")
Anne Davies<\/p>\nAnne Davies<\/p>\n![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764303496_737_Josh_Taylor.png\")
Josh Taylor<\/p>\n