SBS News In Depth

After the e-Safety Commission revealed that it is investigating some of the world's biggest social media platforms for suspected non-compliance with the ban on under-16s, analysts are saying it'll take more than that for the platforms to change their ways. Australian experts say increasing global pressure on social media giants could prove to be the most effective way of enacting change.

Infectious disease specialists are urging everyone to get a flu vaccination to try to prevent a repeat of last year which saw Australia experience a record number of deaths from influenza. More than 1,700 people died and there were more than half-a-million confirmed cases. Health experts say low vaccination rates are contributing to the higher case numbers. They're warning this year could be even worse because of the spread of influenza subclade K or Super-K.

This Easter, Australia’s last surviving Jesuit-run winery is celebrating 175 years of continuous production. Founded by religious refugees from Europe, Sevenhill Cellars now exports wine to the world.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced new gambling advertising restrictions during his address at the National Press Club on Thursday. Despite calling it the most significant gambling reform that's ever been implemented, critics warn the Prime Minister's latest measures won't reduce harm.

US President Donald Trump issues a new Middle East war deadline as Yemen’s Houthis put pressure on vital waterways. Plus, the US permits a rare oil shipment to ease Cuba’s energy crisis - what’s driving the sudden pivot? And Australia immortalises an iconic ‘dinner’ felon.

United States President Donald Trump says the United States is close to achieving its military objectives in Iran, while warning of further attacks if no deal is reached. But with Iran's government projecting defiance, the United Nations warning of wider regional and economic fallout, and civilians still under fire from Israel to Lebanon, the course of the war remains deeply uncertain.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's national address on the country's struggling economy, driven by the global energy crisis has received both backlash as well as support. As the nation grapples with what the Prime Minister refers to as the biggest rise in petrol and diesel prices in history, Australia will be joining other world leaders for talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

As the fuel crisis deepens, concern is growing for the Pacific's island nations, many of who have heavy reliance on oil supplies. Questions are being asked about how Australia could help as they begin to feel the pinch of the fuel crisis. Papua New Guinea's foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko spoke to SBS Chief political correspondent Anna Henderson about PNG's supplies - but says he won't rule out receiving support from security partners if needed, including China.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered his first National Address since being elected in 2022, calling on Australians to remain calm amid the ongoing fuel crisis. The Prime Minister acknowledged the impacts the war in the Middle East is having on rising petrol and diesel prices, and says farmers, truck drivers, small businesses and families are especially vulnerable to rising costs. He's urged Australians not to take more fuel than is needed, and to use public transport wherever possible to keep fuel available where it's needed most. SBS World News host Janice Petersen speaks afterwards to Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson for more on what it means.

The ASX 200 rebounds strongly after its worst month in four years, adding nearly $70 billion in value as hopes grow for an easing in global tensions, with insights from Matt Sherwood at Perpetual. At the same time, rising interest rates are beginning to weigh on the housing market, with Sydney and Melbourne recording declines even as national prices edge higher. Stephanie Youseff speaks with Tim Lawless from Cotality to unpack what’s driving the shift and whether a broader downturn is emerging, alongside the key consumer finance and market stories shaping the day.

Women and girls fleeing Sudan’s war are describing rape, torture and abuse, with aid workers warning the suffering runs far deeper than the cases reaching medical care. A new report from Médecins Sans Frontières says sexual violence in Darfur is widespread, and many survivors remain out of reach.

A new report has found discrimination against trans and gender-diverse people is widespread, with serious impacts on safety and dignity. Released to coincide with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, it makes key recommendations for governmental reform.

There's been harsh condemnation of Israel's latest changes to its death penalty legislation. Israel's parliament has passed a law making death penalty by hanging the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. Jewish citizens would only be sentenced to death if they commit murder with the aim of "ending Israel's existence". The international community and rights groups have slammed the move as discriminatory and inhumane.

A major shake-up to how Australians pay is on the way, with the Reserve Bank moving to scrap $1.6 billion in card surcharges and shift costs into upfront pricing. In this episode of SBS On the Money, Ricardo Gonçalves breaks down what it means for households and businesses, with insights from Finder’s Graham Cooke, while Chris Brycki from Stockspot unpacks a rebound on the ASX after a volatile March that delivered the market’s worst monthly result since 2022.

A trailblazer of Australia's arts and cultural landscape, Aunty Rhoda Roberts has been laid to rest on Country in her hometown of Lismore. Hundreds gathered to honour a life dedicated to the arts and elevating Indigenous voices.

Australia's eSafety Commissioner says five social media platforms are under investigation for potentially failing to comply with the social media ban for under 16s. Users aged under 16 have been banned from social media since December 10th and social media companies who fail to take reasonable steps to comply face fines of up to $49.5 million.

US President Donald Trump says the regime change in Iran has been achieved, as more US troops arrive in the region. But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is urging an end point to the conflict, warning of a growing global economic damage.

Energy supply disruptions caused by the war in Iran have slowed the global economy, pushing countries to applying energy-saving measures and explore alternative supply channels. Here in Australia, the government's halved fuel excise, some states are offering free public transport. Last week, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol told the National Press Club in Sydney it made sense for people to work from home and avoid air travel. Asia is at the frontline of the fuel crisis, buying more than 80% of the crude that transits the Strait of Hormuz - and Australia's fuel supply largely comes from Asian refineries. So is the fuel crisis going to see governments bringing in COVID-style measures? Maybe not, but senior crude oil analyst at KPLER Data and Intelligence Naveen Das tells the Reuters news agency that just like during the COVID pandemic, the demand for oil will be, in his word, destroyed.

Brent crude surges as Middle East tensions escalate, sending fresh shockwaves through global energy markets and raising concerns the real supply crunch has yet to reach Australia. In this episode of the SBS On the Money Podcast, analysis from Saul Kavonic, Head of Energy Research at MST Marquee, unpacks why this spike is sharper and faster than 2022, while Luke McMillan from Ophir Asset Management explains what it all means for the ASX after shares fell amid rising inflation fears and interest rate pressure.

After weeks of pressure over surging petrol prices, the federal government has cut the tax on fuel in half. It's a three-month measure costing the budget billions, as the Prime Minister steps out a four-part plan to respond to the conflict.

Iran has accused the United States of plotting a ground attack, even while officials seek talks to end the war. Pakistan says it is ready to step in as mediator to bring an early and permanent end to the conflict, which is entering its fifth week.

Mankind is returning to the moon for the first time since the 1970s. A crew of four have spent more than two years training for the roughly 10‑day mission, which will send the crew on a high‑speed loop around the Moon before returning to Earth.

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians.First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health support that are led by First Nations wisdom and experience. SBS reporter Angelica Waite, has speaking with Clinton Schultz, a Gomeroi Gamilaroi man, and Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships with Black Dog Institute. For more than a decade, he's been a pioneering voice when it comes to finding new models for preventative care that reflect the depth, complexity and connectedness of First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. She started by asking Mr Schultz how he came to study and work in the field of psychology.

They’re often called man’s best friend - but it turns out that friendship goes back even further than we realised. New research shows dogs were already living alongside humans thousands of years before civilisation began.

Once confined to bodybuilding forums and elite sports scandals, unapproved peptides have now moved into mainstream wellness and are being marketed online as tools for bio-hacking and longevity. So why are people turning to online communities and influencers for advice, and is there a breakdown in trust for traditional medical pathways?

A new report shows a major rise in the number of young Australians worried about the country's preparedness in the face of crisis. Tim Wilford, who directed the research for ANU's National Security College, spoke with SBS News about what the results reveal about the concerns of voters.

Markets held relatively steady to close the week, with the ASX200 dipping just 0.1 per cent but still breaking a three-week losing streak, as Adam Dawes from Shaw and Partners unpacks the key movers including sharp losses in tech and gains in energy stocks. At the same time, fresh warnings from the OECD point to rising global food prices if conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Stefan Vogel from Rabobank Research explains what that could mean for Australian farmers, supply chains and grocery bills in the month's ahead.

The US has maintained for days that negotiations between US and Iran are underway, a claim Tehran denies. From escalating military attacks to high stake warnings, the situation is shifting rapidly - with global implications at stake. As tensions mount in the Middle East, the US President says he's extending a pause on Iran's energy site strikes, for ten days.

Australia's government insists it still has not received any direct requests from the United States for military aid in its war with Iran, after a public attack from President Donald Trump. The US president has criticised allied countries for not providing assistance in the conflict, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to put pressure on global oil prices. Meanwhile, the government maintains it's imperative for the war to be resolved as soon as possible, as the economic and social consequences unfold locally.

Experts say the lawsuit against Meta and YouTube is a first crack in the dam that could eventually lead to tighter regulation of social media platforms. On Wednesday, a California jury awarded millions of dollars in damages to a 20-year-old woman after deciding that Meta and YouTube designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well being. Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. and TikTok were also included in the lawsuit but settled for undisclosed sums before the trial. A day earlier, a New Mexico jury handed a $375 million penalty to Meta after determining the company knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms. In this episode of Weekend One on One we hear from Mark Stephens who's a specialist in international, appellate and complex litigation, and who works at the Howard Kennedy law firm.

Australia’s minimum wage is back in focus, with the government signalling support for a real wage increase ahead of the Fair Work Commission’s June decision, as unions and business groups put forward competing claims. Independent economist Chris Richardson unpacks what a potential rise above inflation could mean for the economy. Meanwhile, the sharemarket dipped after a strong rally, with Darren Thompson from Equity Trustees breaking down the latest moves across sectors and what is driving investor sentiment.

Donald Trump inflames confusion over war in the Middle East and where are Mojtaba Khamenei’s hidden millions? Plus, Israel raises annexation of southern Lebanon, Australia signs a massive trade deal with the EU, and some father-daughter time dictator style as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un rolls out the tanks.

Iranians holding visitor visas will be banned from entering Australia for six months starting from Thursday as migration law experts warn the ban could set a precedent for conflicts in the future.

With peace talks stalled, Russia has launched one of its largest aerial attacks on Ukraine, killing civilians and damaging critical infrastructure-and bringing about Ukrainian retaliation.

Missiles over Jerusalem, fires at a major Gulf airport, and warnings that one strike on a key Iranian island could trigger a wider war. As the US signals the conflict with Iran may end within weeks, the fighting itself is telling a different story.

A US jury has found Meta and YouTube liable in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that aimed to hold social media platforms responsible for harm to children using their services. The verdict could mark a turning point in the global backlash against their platforms' perceived mental health harms to kids and teens, more than two decades after the emergence of social media.

Australia and the European Union have signed a landmark $10 billion trade and security pact to eliminate industrial tariffs and strengthen co-operation on cyber and maritime defence. The Prime Minister has hailed it as an economic win, but the deal has faced criticism from the National Party regarding agricultural access. SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson has been talking to National Party leader Matt Canavan about their objections to the deal and also about the Government's actions over the fuel crisis.]]

Australia’s inflation shows signs of stabilising but remains stubbornly above target, just as global tensions threaten to push prices higher for longer. In this episode of SBS On the Money, Ricardo Gonçalves breaks down the latest data from the Bureau of Statistics and what it means for interest rates with Westpac Senior Economist Pat Bustamante. Plus, the ASX200 delivers its strongest gain in nearly a year, driven by a surge in materials and retail stocks, while energy slips on shifting oil price expectations. Betashares’ Cameron Gleeson joins the podcast to unpack what’s moving markets and what investors are watching next.

Trade Minister Don Farrell speaks to Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson. He is defending a new trade deal with the EU which will see beef exports to Europe increase eight-fold, despite the National Farmers' Federation calling for far higher quota. The government says the agreement is also a win for wine, seafood and other Australian producers.

A landmark conference about refugees in Australia is underway in Adelaide, aiming to bring refugees and multicultural communities together.

The world has just experienced the hottest 11 years on record. A new climate report warns that the planet is not only warming, but storing more energy than it releases - accelerating climate change. But what is that likely to mean for us here in Australia?

Israel says it will push up to 30 kilometres into southern Lebanon to establish a defensive buffer zone along the Litani River. Hezbollah is vowing to resist any advance and the United Nations warns the escalating conflict is deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.