Fuel excise relief expires at midnight, raising petrol costs nationwide
Plus: Australia's Commonwealth Games medal haul concludes in Glasgow, and the eSafety Commissioner takes Telegram to court over terror content.
TL;DR
- Fuel excise relief ends midnight August 2; petrol prices to rise 16c per litre from Monday.
- Commonwealth Games close today with Australia competing in track cycling, judo, bowls, and netball finals.
- eSafety Commissioner sues Telegram for A$54.6 million over failure to remove extremist material.
Politics
Fuel relief ends as excise returns to full rate
The government's temporary measure expires tonight, triggering the first substantial petrol price rise in months.
Australia's temporary fuel excise discount expires at midnight Sunday, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirming drivers will pay 16 cents more per litre for petrol from Monday. The emergency relief, cut to 36.6 cents per litre on July 1 after an initial deeper cut in April–June, was designed to cushion households from geopolitical fuel supply shocks but was never intended to be permanent. Motorists have been bracing for price rises; with the 52.6-cent standard excise now resuming, petrol could soon breach $2 per litre again in major cities. (via The Conversation)
eSafety watchdog sues Telegram over terror content. Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has filed suit in Federal Court against the messaging platform for allegedly failing to remove posts linked to extremist attacks, including the Christchurch mosque shooting and the Buffalo mass shooting. The regulator is seeking a penalty of A$54.6 million under the Online Safety Act, with documents showing Telegram was notified of the material but failed to act. Telegram denies the allegations and says it removes thousands of extremist communities annually. (via The Conversation)
Business and economy
ASX stumbles as earnings season unfolds
Reporting season opened to profit-taking as investors weigh earnings against economic headwinds.
The ASX 200 retreated 71 points, or 0.8%, to finish at 8,968 on Thursday as reporting season got underway. Losses spanned technology, logistics, retail, and mining stocks, with softer commodity prices dragging on resource heavyweights: BHP Group fell 1.4% and Fortescue dropped 0.9% as iron ore slipped, while Northern Star Resources tumbled 3.5% on softer gold. The broad-based sell-off followed U.S. weakness and came as the Federal Reserve held rates steady, with traders parsing conflicting signals on future rate trajectories. (via The Motley Fool Australia)
Sports
Australia hunts medals on Glasgow's final day
The Commonwealth Games close today with Australian track cyclists, judokas, bowlers, and netballers racing for the podium.
Australia competes across four sports on the final day of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games today: track cycling at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, judo, bowls, and netball. Leigh Hoffman aims for a third Commonwealth cycling medal in the men's 1000m time trial, while the Australian netball team, captained by Liz Watson, will chase a bronze medal against England after dropping out of the gold-medal final. Six track cycling gold medals will be decided across the day before the Closing Ceremony at The Hydro, closing out 215 gold medals across 10 sports and six para sports at Glasgow 2026. (via Olympics.com)