Gladstone coal power station could close six years early in March 2029
Graham Readfearn
The co-owner of Queensland’s biggest coal-fired power station in Gladstone has said it could close the plant in March 2029 – six years earlier than expected.
Rio Tinto, the co-owner of Gladstone power station (GPS), announced it had notified the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) “of the potential retirement” of Gladstone in March 2029.
Aemo’s expected closure year of the power station, opened in 1976, was 2035. Rio said in a statement:
No final decision has been made to retire GPS, which has operated since 1976, and there is potential to extend the life of the power station should market and other factors allow.
There is no immediate impact of this notification on GPS operations. Existing power supply contracts, including to Boyne Smelters Ltd, will remain in place until their scheduled expiry in March 2029.
Key events
Australia pledges permanent memorial on 20th anniversary of Bali bombing
Today marks 20 years since the devastating Bali bombings, which left 20 people, including four Australians, dead.
The Australian government held a memorial service in Bali and plans to hold another in Newcastle tonight. The government will also fund a new, permanent memorial to commemorate the bombings in consultation with survivors of the attack and victims’ families.
Today, 20 years since the 2005 Bali bombings, we honour the victims and survivors of the attacks, which saw the tragic loss of 20 lives, including 4 Australians. Joe Frost was about to enjoy dinner on the beach with friends. He later described it as the scariest hour of his life. pic.twitter.com/YG1we89y9k
— Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 🇦🇺 (@dfat) September 30, 2025
Penny Wong, the minister of foreign affairs, said in a statement:
As we mark this tragic anniversary, the bonds between the governments and people of Australia and Indonesia are stronger than ever.
We share a deep commitment to countering the scourge of violent extremism and will continue to work closely together to further our common interest in the peace and security of our region.
Revoking recognition of Palestinian statehood would be ‘unprecedented’ step, human rights expert says
Should the Coalition move to revoke recognition of Palestinian statehood, as Sussan Ley has promised if she is ever in power, it would be an “unprecedented” step, Prof Ben Saul told the National Press Club.
He said:
Revocation of recognition of statehood, that’s a pretty unprecedented step, actually. It’s more common, of course, to revoke recognition of governments, if you don’t like the flavour of a new government.
But once a state has been established, to somehow say that, even though the rest of the world recognises it, we don’t – would be a very strange move, and not one which states are in the habit of doing.
Jim Chalmers concerned by reports of Chinese blockade of BHP’s iron ore
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will meet with the boss of BHP amid a shock report that the world’s largest mining company faces a Chinese blockade on its iron ore shipments, AAP reports.
Beijing’s state iron ore buyer has told steelmakers to pause imports of BHP ore, amid hardball negotiations over the price of the crucial resource, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Chalmers said the reports were “concerning” but ultimately a matter for the company to work through. He told reporters earlier today:
I’ll have discussions with (BHP chief executive) Mike Henry about that in due course, when we can set that up.
There is confusion over exactly what has happened, with sources telling AAP the mining giant was continuing to ship iron ore to China. Chinese commodities analyst Mysteel also suggested no order was given to stop shipments from BHP.
The minerals company said it wouldn’t comment on commercial arrangements.
Human rights lawyers says Australia should have reviewed ‘all aspects’ of relationship with Israel
Chris Sidoti, a human rights lawyer, is also speaking before the National Press Club. He said Australia should have taken several steps to better address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including re-evaluating “all aspects” of its relationship with Israel.
He told the press club:
There are things that we can do and should do that we have barely begun to do. One immediate step that should have been taken was a complete review by the Australian government … of all aspects of the relationship between Australia and the state of Israel. To identify those aspects that could be considered aiding or assisting the continuation of unlawful acts.
And to consider any aspects of the relationship that may be assisting the commission of war crimes or crimes against humanity or in any way preventing the risk of genocide in Gaza. And yet I know of no such review.
Sidoti went on to say Australia should prohibit all military-related trade with Israel, saying the country shares responsibility if any locally made items are being used against Palestinians.
If components that are being manufactured here in Australia are finding their way into F-35 aircraft being used by the Israeli aircraft to bomb the hell out of Gaza, we share responsibility. It’s as simple as that.
Australia should take ‘more concrete action’ on Gaza, human rights professor says
Prof Ben Saul, a professor of international law at the University of Sydney and a UN special rapporteur on human rights, is speaking before the National Press Club alongside human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti.
Saul said while he welcomed Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state, Australia should “take more concrete action and play a stronger leadership role on human rights in Palestine”. He said:
International law does not enforce itself. Selectivity and double standards are contributing to the breakdown of international law and its de-legitimation. Australia is the world’s 13th-largest economy, more than a modest middle power.
If we don’t step up in a world where democracy and human rights are critically endangered at this moment, and our closest ally cannot be relied upon, then who will step up?
Tom McIlroy
Australia could split Cop31 hosting rights with Turkey under potential compromise
Australia could split hosting rights for the Cop31 climate summit under a potential compromise being considered with Turkey, as Anthony Albanese concedes Ankara is determined to stay in the race, even risking both countries’ claims on the 2026 event.
Returning home from the UN general assembly and visits to the UK and the Middle East on Wednesday, Albanese told Guardian Australia he wished host countries were not decided using consensus rules, but pledged to continue diplomatic talks with the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Only one country can hold the Cop presidency but a range of set-piece meetings take place before and after the leaders’ summit.
Government sources said there was precedent for previous climate summits to be co-hosted or organised across different locations.
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Officials find small footprint in search for missing SA four-year-old
The discovery of a small footprint is providing a glimmer of hope in the search for a preschooler on an outback homestead, AAP reports.
Four-year-old August, known as Gus, disappeared from his family’s sheep station in the remote South Australian mid-north on Saturday afternoon.
Alone in searing temperatures and without food or water, authorities’ best-case scenario is Gus has crawled into shelter and is waiting to be rescued from the property near Yunta, about 300km north of Adelaide.
In a significant development, police said a footprint was found on Tuesday night, buoying searchers who have worked day and night to bring the preschooler home safely.
Speaking on ABC radio this morning, Supt Mark Syrus said:
We had a little bit of a breakthrough yesterday where we found a footprint about 500m away from the property.
It has been pretty windy but it’s quite a prominent footprint.
We can positively identify that it’s from a child and it’s a very similar boot pattern to what Gus was wearing when he went missing, so that’s a pretty significant find for us.
However, police have also prepared the family for the worst after five days of searching.
Penry Buckley
The new penalties for unlicensed tobacco retailers in NSW come amid concern about Australia’s booming black market.
The changes introduce a maximum penalty of up to $1.5m, seven years’ imprisonment, or both, for the sale or commercial possession of illicit tobacco.
Retailers who have submitted a valid licence application on or before 1 October can continue to trade until they are notified of the outcome of their application.
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, says the laws will not “solve this issue overnight” and that:
I’m a dad to a 15-year-old and this scares the hell out of me because [illegal tobacco] is a product that is dangerous in every sense of the word.
It is a product designed to get people hooked on nicotine and it is a product and a business model that is associated with criminal activity.
Penry Buckley
NSW government uncertain on number of unlicensed tobacco stores as penalties kick in
The NSW government says it is uncertain how many unlicensed tobacco retailers there are in the state, as new laws designed to curtail the illicit tobacco trade come into effect tonight after a three-month grace period.
From midnight, tobacco retailers must display a valid licence at the point of sale or risk fines from $11,000 to $44,000, and individual fines up to $660,000, under changes which became law on 1 July. About 4,500 retailers have obtained a licence under the scheme, with another 1,000 applications under review.
Initially, the government estimated there were 19,000 retailers in the state, although the NSW chief health officer, Kerry Chant, said today this was “probably an overestimate” which included former retailers which had not deregistered from the previous licensing scheme. She said she “wouldn’t want to hazard a guess at this time” about the number of unregistered retailers.
AFL scraps the centre bounce
The AFL has scrapped the centre bounce and removed the substitute rule under significant changes to be introduced for the 2026 season, AAP reports.
But a decision on the mooted “last disposal” out of bounds rule won’t be made until after the next AFL Commission meeting this month.
On Wednesday, the league confirmed umpires will no longer be required to bounce the ball to restart play at any stage during elite-level matches.
New AFL football boss, Greg Swann, said the decision was made with umpire health and safety in mind, as well as a desire to create consistency across all competitions. Swann said:
The centre bounce has long been a part of Australian football tradition, but as the game has evolved, there are several areas which will benefit from allowing umpires to simply throw the ball up at the restart …
By removing the skill aspect of bouncing the ball, umpires can focus their energy on adjudicating the game and consistency of decision making.
Briggs on AI replacing him: it doesn’t know ‘what a lounge room in Shepparton smells like’ – video
Australian rapper Briggs was asked by independent senator David Pocock yesterday whether AI could currently make a fake Briggs track. He said:
I doubt it very much. I don’t think AI at the moment understands what a lounge room in Shepparton, Victoria smells like. It is the innate human quality of the art.
Benita Kolovos
No preselection challenge mounted against John Pesutto in Victoria
Former Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto will not face a preselection contest in his seat of Hawthorn ahead of the 2026 state election.
Conservative forces in the Liberal party had been planning to mount a challenge on the once blue-ribbon, now ultra-marginal inner Melbourne seat – but nominations closed on Tuesday afternoon without any other candidate putting their hand up.
Sources close to Pesutto say they challengers were likely scared off by the strong support he has in the community and the Hawthorn branches.
Pesutto lost the leadership after the federal court found he repeatedly defamed fellow Liberal MP Moira Deeming by falsely implying she sympathised with neo-Nazis and white supremacists. He was ordered to pay her $300,000 in damages and her $2.3m legal bill.
He managed to fend off bankruptcy proceedings by securing a $1.5m loan from the Liberal party and more than $500,000 in crowdfunding.