At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Bundle up — a blast of wild winter weather is set to sweep across parts of Australia this weekend, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms and howling winds. According to Weatherzone, a big low-pressure system is rolling in off the Indian Ocean, and you can even see the massive storm cloud from space. It’s hitting southwest WA first before pushing further east on Saturday and into Sunday. In WA’s South West Land Division, forecasters are expecting 10mm to 40mm of rain over the weekend, with the heaviest falls likely between Geraldton and Esperance. Locals are also being warned about possible flooding. Winds will really pick up from tonight into Saturday, making things extra blustery. Perth will be chilly — minimums of 9°C and tops of 18°C for both Saturday and Sunday. Over in Adelaide, the weekend will be a mix of cloud, showers and warmer bursts. Friday will hit 19°C with gusts up to 35km/h, Saturday warms to 25°C with cloudy skies, then it cools slightly to 23°C on Sunday with showers around. Victoria will see more unsettled weather too. Friday will be mostly sunny but only 15°C, Saturday warms to 21°C with cloud, and then showers are tipped for Sunday. The rest of the country? Much brighter. Sydney: Partly cloudy but mostly dry, with temps between 19°C and 23°C through the weekend. Canberra: Clear skies and mild conditions. Brisbane: Hot and sunny at 27°C Friday before dipping to a still-warm 23°C over the weekend. Darwin: Classic Top End weather — hot and sticky, around 34°C with the odd shower possible. So while WA, SA and Victoria are set for a soggy, stormy run, much of the rest of Australia will enjoy a warm, spring-like weekend. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

Experience the true taste of Sri Lanka right here in Melbourne! At Upali’s, we bring you a memorable dining journey enriched with authentic Sri Lankan flavours and spices. After our thriving success in Colombo since 2014, we proudly opened our doors in Glen Waverley to serve the vibrant Sri Lankan community and food lovers from all around the world. Our Food Our menu features an irresistible variety of signature Sri Lankan dishes, prepared by experienced chefs using traditional recipes and rich spices. From aromatic curries to street food favourites, every dish is made to delight your taste buds and transport you to the heart of Sri Lanka. The Experience Our restaurant offers a warm and inviting atmosphere with: A charming, relaxed dining space An informal bar area with a TV for sports lovers Bi-fold windows for a sunny day out Authentic Sri Lankan memorabilia & signed cricket collectibles A beautifully restored “Thirikkali” (buffalo cart) proudly displayed at the entrance Whether you’re sipping a cold beer, enjoying a hearty meal, or sharing a family feast, Upali’s promises a truly Sri Lankan experience. Contact Us 📍 Address: 248 Blackburn Road, Glen Waverley, Victoria 3150 📞 Phone: (03) 9887 6700 📧 Email: info@upalismelbourne.com.au 🌐 Web: www.upalis.com

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. සංචාරක අංශය ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා කැප වූ අලුතින් පිහිටුවන ලද කාර්ය සාධක බලකායේ මංගල රැස්වීම ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේදී පැවැත්විණි. සංචාරක කර්මාන්තය පුනර්ජීවනය කිරීම සහ ජාතික ආර්ථිකය සඳහා සෘජු ආදායම් වර්ධනයක් ඇති කිරීම යන ප්‍රධාන අරමුණු දෙකක් ඇතිව මෙම තීරණය ගත් බව විදේශ කටයුතු සහ සංචාරක අමාත්‍ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා පැවසීය. සංචාරක ප්‍රවර්ධන කාර්ය සාධක බලකායේ සමාරම්භක රැස්වීම අමතමින් ඔහු තවදුරටත් පැවසුවේ සංචාරක ක්ෂේත්‍රය ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීමට අදාළ තීරණ ගැනීමට මෙම කාර්ය සාධක බලකායට බලය ලබා දෙන බවයි. සංචාරක අංශය ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා සැලසුම් සකස් කිරීම, අවශ්‍ය තීරණ ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීම සඳහා රජයේ ආයතන ඒකාබද්ධ රාමුවක් තුළ ක්‍රියාත්මක වන බව සහතික කිරීම මෙන්ම සංචාරකයින් සහ කර්මාන්ත ව්‍යවසායකයින් යන දෙපිරිස මුහුණ දෙන අභියෝගවලට මුහුණ දීම කෙරෙහි සාකච්ඡා අවධානය යොමු විය. රටේ ඉදිරි සංචාරක සමය සාර්ථක කර ගැනීම සඳහා සියලුම රජයේ ආයතන සහ පෞද්ගලික අංශයේ පාර්ශ්වකරුවන් සමඟ සහයෝගයෙන් අනාගත සැලසුම් සකස් කිරීමේ වැදගත්කම ද අවධාරණය කෙරිණි. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Sri Lankans .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. New data out today paints a pretty grim picture for Victoria, which has cemented its title as the car theft capital of Australia. Figures from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) show that while motor vehicle theft claims dropped in every other state last financial year, Victoria went in the opposite direction — and not just slightly. The state recorded a 59% jump in claims and a 70% rise in costs, with more than 12,000 claims worth $223 million lodged between July 2024 and June 2025. Most of that came from metro Melbourne, where claims surged 70% and costs jumped 80%. That added up to 10,000 claims worth $183 million in losses. Nationally, car thefts were also on the rise, but nowhere near Victoria’s levels. Across the country, claims were up 11% to 30,000, totalling $466 million — a 20% increase in value compared with the year before. Queensland, on the other hand, had its best year in more than a decade when it came to tackling car theft. Claims there dropped 11% to 6000, with losses falling to $104 million. Western Australia and South Australia also saw 10% declines, while New South Wales slipped by 3%. Andrew Hall, CEO of the ICA, said the trend in Victoria is worrying: “Motor theft claims have been climbing significantly over the last decade, and while they only make up a small part of overall motor claims, this is a growing concern. Everyone pays for car theft, through increased costs of policing, courts and ultimately insurance. We cannot accept this level of car crime as normal in Australia.” The rise in stolen cars mirrors a broader theft problem across the country, again led by Victoria. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), theft rates nationwide hit their highest point in more than 20 years in 2024, with nearly 600,000 thefts recorded. That’s the most since 2003, edging close to the record 700,000 seen back in 2001. Victoria recorded the biggest jump — thefts up 29% in a single year — followed by Tasmania with an 11% rise. Retail theft has been the standout driver, making up 45% of all thefts in 2024, compared with 32% back in 2010. Theft from homes, meanwhile, dropped, but motor vehicle thefts climbed 8% to 65,603. The Crime Statistics Agency confirmed Victoria’s overall crime picture is getting worse, with offending up 15% in the 12 months to March 2025. Property and deception offences were the biggest category, jumping nearly 24% to 370,000 offences. Of those, thefts from vehicles made up a big chunk — almost 83,000 cases. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) head of crime and justice stats, Samantha Hall, said nearly 596,000 people were victims of theft in 2024, excluding motor theft. “These thefts, which include shoplifting and pickpocketing, have been continually rising since a drop during COVID restrictions,” she explained. Chief statistician Fiona Dowsley added: “Theft offences have continued to rise sharply, with nearly a quarter of a million offences recorded in the last year. Increases were largest for thefts from motor vehicles and retail stores, with many of these offences linked to repeat offending.” Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. 2025 අගෝස්තු මාසයේදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සංචාරකයින් 198,235 ක් පිළිගත් අතර එය පසුගිය වසරේ එම මාසයට සාපේක්ෂව සියයට 20.4 ක වැඩිවීමක් බව ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරක සංවර්ධන අධිකාරිය (SLTDA) පවසයි. ඉන්දියාව විශාලතම මූලාශ්‍ර වෙළඳපොළ ලෙස රැඳී සිටි අතර එය සංචාරකයින් 46,473 කට දායක වෙමින් සහ මුළු පැමිණීම් වලින් සියයට 23.4 ක් විය. එක්සත් රාජධානිය සංචාරකයින් 19,764 ක් (සියයට 10) සමඟින් පසුව, ජර්මනිය (12,500), චීනය (12,294) සහ ඉතාලිය (12,247) ඉහළම වෙළඳපොළ පහ සම්පූර්ණ කළේය. අනෙකුත් ප්‍රධාන දායකයින් අතර ප්‍රංශය (10,495), ස්පාඤ්ඤය (8,843), ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාව (7,833), නෙදර්ලන්තය (6,082) සහ ජපානය (5,127) ඇතුළත් විය. සාමූහිකව, මෙම ඉහළම වෙළඳපොළවල් දහය අගෝස්තු මාසයේදී පැමිණීම් වලින් සියයට 70 කට වඩා වැඩි විය. 2025 ජනවාරි සිට අගෝස්තු දක්වා කාලය තුළ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව මුළු සංචාරක පැමිණීම් 1,566,523 ක් වාර්තා කළේය. පළමු මාස ​​අට තුළ සංචාරකයින් 325,595 ක් සමඟ ඉන්දියාව පෙරමුණ ගත් අතර, පසුව එක්සත් රාජධානිය (151,141) සහ රුසියානු සමූහාණ්ඩුව (118,916) පැමිණ ඇත. සංචාරක බලධාරීන් 2025 වසර පුරා ස්ථාවර වසරින් වසර වර්ධනයක් සටහන් කළ අතර, 2018 සහ 2024 අගෝස්තු මාසවල පැමිණීම් පිළිවෙලින් 200,359 ක් සහ 164,609 ක් විය. ගෝලීය ආර්ථික හා සංචාරක අභියෝග මධ්‍යයේ වුවද මෙම අංශය සඳහා ශක්තිමත් ප්‍රකෘතිමත් වීමේ මාවතක් මෙයින් ඉස්මතු කෙරේ. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. The Australian economy is showing stronger signs of life, growing by 0.6% in the June quarter — a little better than expected — which takes annual growth to 1.8%. Fresh figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal the economy is tracking slightly ahead of forecasts from both economists and the Reserve Bank, who tipped 1.6% annual growth. The June numbers capture the effects of the RBA’s interest rate cuts in February and May. Net disposable income per person nudged up by 0.1% — staying positive through the first half of 2025 — while GDP per person rose 0.2%, the highest since March last year. So, what’s driving the growth? Household spending was the big contributor, with non-essential spending jumping 1.4%. People spent more on holidays (thanks to Easter and ANZAC Day), recreation and culture (up 2%), furniture and appliances (up 1.7%), new cars (up 2.4%), and dining out (up 0.7%). Spending on essentials climbed too. Health costs rose 1.9% during a heavy flu season, while electricity and gas bills jumped 2.9%. Big supermarket promotions also gave food spending a boost. The household savings ratio dropped to 4.2% in June, but the March quarter figure was revised higher to 5.2%. Government spending added momentum as well, up 1% in the quarter. That was driven by higher social benefits, more spending on Medicare and the PBS, election costs, and a bump in defence spending due to military exercises. On the flip side, state and local government spending dipped as electricity rebate programs wound down. Trade helped too, with iron ore and LNG exports rebounding. The private sector showed some signs of recovery, with productivity (gross value added per hour worked) up 0.5%. But business investment was flat overall — up 0.1% thanks to dwellings, machinery, and intellectual property, but dragged down by a 1.2% fall in non-dwelling construction. Public sector investment fell sharply, down 3.9%. Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the figures, saying: “Today’s very welcome numbers confirm the private sector recovery we’ve been planning and preparing for is gathering pace.” But not everyone is convinced the good run will last. Sean Langcake from Oxford Economics Australia warned this might be the high point for 2025: “The June quarter benefited from a rebound from a soft March quarter. Business and consumer confidence are still a little shaky, and the labour market appears to be cooling.” Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia is set to crack down on the disturbing rise of deepfake porn, with landmark new laws being introduced to federal parliament. The government says it will ban “nudification” apps — those AI tools that create fake nude images — and target online stalking technologies at the same time. For anyone unfamiliar, deepfakes are images or videos manipulated with AI to make it look like someone is doing something they never actually did, often in a sexual way. And the numbers are shocking: around 98% of deepfakes online are pornographic, with most of the victims being women. Communications Minister Anika Wells says there’s no place for this kind of tech in Australia. “There is a place for AI and legitimate tracking technology,” she said, “but there is no place for apps and technologies that are used solely to abuse, humiliate and harm people, especially our children.” Under the new laws, big tech companies will be held responsible for preventing access to these apps once the ban comes into effect. Wells said the reforms are a crucial step in protecting children online, especially following the decision earlier this year to ban social media for Australians under 16. The urgency is real. eSafety research found 3% of children reported having a fake nude image made of them without consent. At the same time, political leaders, child safety experts, and advocates met in Canberra today to talk about stronger protections in the AI era. The roundtable, hosted by the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) Australia, called for new measures like AI training for police, a review of facial recognition tools, and a national awareness campaign about AI-enabled harms. “We recognise AI as both a sword and a shield in the child protection landscape,” ICMEC Australia CEO Colm Gannon explained. “AI can help safeguard children faster, but Australia needs a clear roadmap to harness the good and shut down the harm.” The move comes just weeks after NSW passed its own laws making sexually explicit deepfakes illegal. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. ආගමන හා විගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ යාපනය ප්‍රාදේශීය කාර්යාලය ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා විසින් විවෘත කරන ලදී. යාපනය දිස්ත්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාල පරිශ්‍රය තුළ ස්ථාපිත කර ඇති මෙම කාර්යාලය නවීන තාක්ෂණය ඇතුළු සියලු පහසුකම් වලින් සමන්විතය. මෙතෙක් යාපනය, කිලිනොච්චි සහ මුලතිව් ප්‍රදේශවල ජනතාවට ආගමන හා විගමන සේවා ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා උතුරු පළාතේ ඇති එකම ප්‍රාදේශීය කාර්යාලය වන වවුනියාව ප්‍රාදේශීය කාර්යාලයට බොහෝ දුර ගමන් කිරීමට සිදු විය. උතුරු පළාතෙන් විදේශ ගමන් බලපත්‍ර අයදුම්පත් සංඛ්‍යාව වැඩි වෙමින් පවතින බැවින්, වඩාත් පහසුවෙන් ප්‍රවේශ විය හැකි ස්ථානයක අවශ්‍යතාවය සපුරාලීම සඳහා මෙම ප්‍රාදේශීය කාර්යාලය විවෘත කරන ලදී. ජනාධිපතිවරයා විසින් විදේශ ගමන් බලපත්‍ර තුනක් නිකුත් කිරීම සංකේතවත් කළේ යාපනයේ ජනතාවට ආගමන හා විගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ සේවා සැපයීම ආරම්භ කිරීමයි. මෙම අවස්ථාව අමතමින් ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ ලබන වසර වන විට මහජනතාවට රජය සමඟ සියලු ගෙවීම් සහ ගනුදෙනු මාර්ගගත ක්‍රම හරහා සිදු කිරීමට හැකි වන පරිදි කටයුතු කරමින් සිටින බවයි. වත්මන් රජයේ ප්‍රධාන වැඩසටහනක් වන ඩිජිටල්කරණය මඟින් කොළඹට පමණක් සීමා වී තිබූ සියලු පරිපාලන කටයුතු දුරස්ථ ග්‍රාමීය ගම්මානවලට විමධ්‍යගත කිරීමට හැකි වන බවත්, එමඟින් ජනතාවට රජයේ සේවාවන් වඩාත් පහසුවෙන් ලබා ගැනීමට අවස්ථාව ලැබෙන බවත් ජනාධිපතිවරයා පැවසීය. අනතුරුව, යාපනය දිස්ත්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේ ශ්‍රවණාගාරයේ පැවති යාපනය දිස්ත්‍රික් රාජ්‍ය නිලධාරීන් සමඟ පැවති හමුවකදී, ජනතාවගේ අපේක්ෂාවන් සපුරාලීම සඳහා දේශපාලන බලධාරීන් සහ රාජ්‍ය නිලධාරීන් එක්ව කටයුතු කළ යුතු බව ජනාධිපතිවරයා ප්‍රකාශ කළේය. ජනතාවගේ සුභසාධනය සඳහා තම අධිකාරිය භාවිතා කරන රාජ්‍ය නිලධාරීන් ආරක්ෂා කිරීමට රජය උපරිම උත්සාහයක් ගන්නා අතරම, එම අධිකාරිය මූල්‍යමය වාසි සඳහා අනිසි ලෙස භාවිතා කරන අයට එරෙහිව නීතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට පසුබට නොවන බව ජනාධිපතිවරයා අවධාරණය කළේය. වර්තමානයේ, රටේ සියලුම රාජ්‍ය සේවකයින්ට ජාතියට තම යුතුකම ඉටු කිරීමට අවස්ථාව ඇති බව ඔහු තවදුරටත් පැවසීය. රට ගොඩනැගීම සඳහා ශක්තිමත් රාජ්‍ය සේවයක් අවශ්‍ය බවත්, ලෝකයේ සෑම දියුණු රටකම සංවර්ධනය පිටුපස ශක්තිමත් රාජ්‍ය සේවයක් පවතින බවත් ජනාධිපතිවරයා තවදුරටත් පෙන්වා දුන්නේය. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Doctors are sounding the alarm this spring, warning that wetter weather could bring a higher risk of “thunderstorm asthma” — and it’s not just people with asthma who need to worry. Eastern Australia, including Sydney and Melbourne, is expected to cop above-average rainfall between September and December. That means more grass pollen in the air. During thunderstorms, these tiny particles can break down and be blasted deep into people’s lungs — triggering asthma attacks, even in those who don’t usually suffer from asthma. We’ve seen just how dangerous this can be. Back in 2016, a thunderstorm asthma event in Victoria left hospitals and ambulances completely overwhelmed. Tragically, 10 people lost their lives. Health experts say everyone needs to be alert, not just asthmatics. “Thunderstorm asthma can affect people who have never experienced asthma symptoms before,” explained Dr Tony MacDermott. “Those people are less likely to have medication on hand, so it’s important to know what medical resources are available to you before something like this happens.” People with hayfever or grass pollen allergies are especially at risk. Dr MacDermott urged Australians with these conditions to take spring seriously: “We often see asthmatics struggling more at this time of year, which is why having a proactive conversation with your doctor can be the best medicine.” His advice is simple: if you have asthma — or any long-term health condition — make sure you’ve got a plan in place and the right support around you. Because when thunderstorm asthma strikes, being prepared can make all the difference. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. If you smoke in Australia, you’ve probably noticed your wallet feels a little lighter today. That’s because tobacco just got more expensive — again. From September 1, the tax on cigarettes has jumped by almost 10 cents per stick. That means a standard 20-pack now costs close to $30, with $28 of that price just going to tax. Yep, you’re basically paying the government every time you light up. But before you get too shocked, this isn’t exactly a surprise. By law, tobacco prices go up twice a year — every March and September — thanks to automatic increases in excise duty. This time around, the excise rose by 6.8 per cent. So here’s how it breaks down: The tax on a single cigarette (weighing up to 0.8 grams of tobacco) has climbed from $1.40 to $1.49. That pushes a 20-pack from $28.06 to $29.97. If you’re into roll-your-own or heavier tobacco products, the excise per kilo has surged from $2158.65 to $2397.31. That’s nearly $240 more per kilo. And this trend isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Back in 2013, the tax was around 46 cents per cigarette. Today? Almost $1.50. On top of that, since September 2023, there’s been an extra 5% annual increase locked in for three years. Another change is happening behind the scenes: the government is tweaking how it calculates roll-your-own tobacco to bring it in line with manufactured cigarettes. Basically, they’re reducing the "equivalisation weight" each year until 2026, which makes roll-your-own steadily pricier too. So whether it’s cigars, cigarettes, or snuff, the bottom line is the same — tobacco in Australia is only going to keep getting more expensive. And with no legal tobacco manufacturing happening locally, all of it comes in through imports, which means more customs duties piled onto the cost. If you’re a smoker, don’t expect relief anytime soon. Prices are going up, and they’ll keep climbing for years to come. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. Sri Lanka’s world-famous tourist spots are starting to lose their shine, not because of the beaches or heritage sites, but because of something far more basic – electricity. Frequent power cuts and broken streetlights are leaving major tourist areas in the dark at night, making roads unsafe and discouraging visitors from stepping out after sunset. Take Bentota-Moragolla, for example. It’s one of the country’s most popular coastal destinations, drawing thousands of visitors every year. But lately, entire stretches of road that connect hotels, restaurants, and entertainment spots have been left without lighting. For tourists unfamiliar with the area, wandering down a pitch-dark street feels unsafe – both in terms of accidents and personal security. The result? Many are choosing to stay indoors at night, and that’s hitting local businesses hard. Restaurants, cafés, and shops that rely on evening crowds are seeing fewer customers, which is a big blow for communities that depend on tourism. And it’s not just Bentota-Moragolla. Similar stories are coming in from other tourist hotspots across the island. The bigger picture here is that while Sri Lanka is pouring money into promoting its destinations abroad, on-the-ground issues like unreliable power and poor infrastructure are sending the opposite message to visitors once they arrive. This is a problem the country can’t afford to ignore. Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s most important industries, and with the nation depending on it for foreign exchange and jobs, even small lapses can create a ripple effect. A burnt-out streetlight might seem like a minor issue, but when multiplied across a region, it impacts visitor confidence, business earnings, and ultimately, the country’s reputation. Travelers today compare not just beaches and cultural sites, but also the overall experience. Competing destinations in Asia are offering seamless, safe, and convenient stays – so Sri Lanka can’t afford to fall behind. Safety and comfort matter just as much as natural beauty. Locals are also feeling the effects. Since communities share the same roads and infrastructure, residents too face dark and unsafe conditions. But while they may be used to adjusting, tourists see it as neglect – and those negative impressions often end up in reviews and blogs that influence other travelers’ choices. The solution? Experts say Sri Lanka needs a coordinated approach. Reliable electricity, well-lit tourist zones, and accountability from local authorities are essentials, not extras. Quick fixes like solar-powered streetlights or partnerships between local businesses and government could make an immediate difference while bigger upgrades are planned. At the end of the day, flashy tourism ads only work if the reality on the ground matches the promise. Sri Lanka still has everything it takes to be a top global destination – the natural beauty, culture, and hospitality are all there. But unless visitors feel safe and confident, those strengths won’t reach their full potential. In short, a safe and well-lit street isn’t just about convenience – it’s the backbone of a thriving tourism industry. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Thousands of Australians turned out for anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday — demonstrations that the federal government has slammed as hateful and linked to neo-Nazi groups. The “March for Australia” rallies were staged in Sydney, Melbourne and other cities, with organisers claiming mass migration is putting pressure on housing, wages, hospitals, infrastructure and even water supply. On social media, the group said they were doing “what mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” But the Labor government was quick to push back. Senior minister Murray Watt told the rallies were not about unity. “We don’t support rallies like this that are about spreading hate and dividing our community,” he said, adding that neo-Nazi groups were behind the events. Australia has one of the world’s most multicultural populations - half of all residents are either born overseas or have at least one parent born abroad. Authorities say that alongside this diversity, there’s also been a worrying rise in far-right extremism, including a string of antisemitic incidents since the Gaza war began last year. That’s led to new laws banning Nazi salutes and extremist symbols. In Sydney, crowds of between 5,000 and 8,000 people gathered draped in Australian flags, not far from the Sydney Marathon route where 35,000 runners were pounding the streets. Police deployed hundreds of officers but said the rally ended without major incident. Nearby, a counter-rally organised by the Refugee Action Coalition drew hundreds of people, with organisers saying their turnout showed “the depth of disgust at the far-right agenda.” In Melbourne, riot police were called in and pepper spray was reportedly used on protesters, while in Townsville, maverick MP Bob Katter made an appearance and was “swarmed by supporters,” according to local media. Back in Sydney, protester Glenn Allchin summed up his concerns in simple terms: “It’s about our country bursting at the seams. Our kids are struggling to get homes, hospitals have seven-hour waits, and our roads can’t cope - yet the government keeps bringing more people in.” Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .