At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Melbourne has been in the news in recent weeks following a string of violent, high-profile crimes. These incidents followed Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) releasing new data that reveal the highest levels of crime on record across the state. In response, Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley declared Melbourne the “crime capital of Australia”. Some media outlets have claimed there is a “terrifying crime wave” in Melbourne that is leaving residents and tourists running scared. Youth gang violence appears to be particularly concerning. Despite Premier Jacinta Allen announcing “the toughest bail laws in Australia” in March 2025, she is continuing to face scrutiny for being perceived as “soft on crime”. But what do these new crime statistics actually reveal? Is Victoria, specifically Melbourne, in the midst of a crime epidemic? A crime spike, with a twist As part of the CSA’s quarterly and annual reports, it publishes a range of recorded incidents across five categories, such as “crimes against a person” and “drug offences”. These are then broken down into further sub-categories. For example, under “crimes against a person”, there are sexual offences and robbery, among others. Together, these data give a snapshot of reported crimes across the state by offence type, offender and location. The headline figures from CSA are indeed concerning. In the 12 months before June 30 this year, Victoria Police recorded an 18.3% rise in criminal incidents from the same period last year (483,583 compared to 408,930). The CSA said this represented the highest recorded figures since reporting started in 2004-05, and a 22% jump in criminal incidents recorded since 2017. Melbourne is the local government area with the highest rate of crime, with a 17.4% increase since last year. However, when measuring crime on a per capita basis, Melbourne’s crime rate is actually lower today (18,097 per 100,000) compared to 2017 (18,334 per 100,000). This begins to show some of the challenges when examining crime data. Delving deeper into the stats It is important to remember crime statistics only tell us about crimes that have been reported. This may seem like an obvious point, but different crimes have very different reporting rates. For example, in 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared a “national crisis” of family and gender-based violence across Australia. However, it has been estimated that less than 24% of domestic abuse crime is actually reported to police. This matters in the context of what we are seeing in Victoria and Melbourne because other crimes – for example homicide and property-related crimes – would have a reporting rate much closer to 100%: murder because it is not that easy to make a person disappear without others noticing, and property because in order to file an insurance claim, people first need a police report. Of all the reported incidents in Victoria last year, 59% were property-related and 39% were theft. Property offences, in particular theft, are really driving this spike in reported crime. However, this leads to a second point. Namely that crime statistics do not tell us why crime is going up, or indeed down. Looking at theft, we see a dip in reported incidents from 2020-2022, years impacted by COVID restrictions, and now a rise. The uptick has certainly continued past pre-COVID levels, but this could also be associated with the cost-of-living crisis. Underpinning this possible explanation, retail theft rose to 41,667 offences in 2025 – a 27.6% increase on the previous year. This could paint a picture more of families struggling in the economic climate than a state struggling with violent crime. But it is the latter that is captured by political and media discourse. Some trends are positive The increased politicisation of crime often leads to a perpetual state of urgency and the introduction of increasingly punitive measures, such as Victoria’s new bail laws. However, a deeper dive into the data actually reveals plenty of positive messages. CSA’s regional mapping tool shows: across Victoria, homicides are broadly stable or tracking down, with 3.2 per 100,000 last year, compared to a high of 3.7 in 2017 in Melbourne, homicides are at a ten-year low, with just 2.6 per 100,000, compared to a high of 8 per 100,000 in 2018. This is echoed by a fall in the use of weapons, including knives and firearms, at both state level and in Melbourne. The real success story in these data, and rarely reported on in the media, are drug offences. Across Victoria, drug use and possession is down 16.2% since 2020, with drug dealing and trafficking at a ten-year low, down 46.7% since 2016. There is a similar picture unfolding in Melbourne, with drug use and possession down 7.5% and drug dealing and trafficking down 20.6% since last year. Yet we rarely hear this messaging in media and political rhetoric. Something else to consider Like all tools, the value of officially recorded crime rates depends on how they are used – and they can be put to many uses at once depending on the story people want to portray. The CSA, like all crime reporting agencies, are hugely useful tools. But they only really give us an overall snapshot of the administration of crime events, rather than a true picture of what is happening. Overall, we can see an increase in certain recorded crimes, but the broader picture is much more nuanced. Many of the increases in recorded crime are in line with national trends, indicating no real cause for local alarm. Meanwhile, significant recorded crimes, such as homicides and drug related offences, show drastic drops. As always, it is important to look beyond the headlines and see what stories the data tell us. Source : theconversation.com 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. Meta has confirmed it’s cutting around 600 jobs across its Artificial Intelligence (AI) teams, even as it ramps up hiring for its superintelligence research lab. The cuts affect Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) division, along with product-focused AI and AI infrastructure teams. However, its TBD Lab, which leads development of advanced AI models, remains unaffected. According to an internal memo cited by Axios, Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said affected staff are being encouraged to apply for other roles within Meta, and many are expected to be rehired. Despite the layoffs, Meta continues to invest heavily in building large language models (LLMs) — the same type of technology powering ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Meta’s own Llama model. Unlike its competitors, Meta has made Llama open-source, allowing developers worldwide to freely use and modify it. More than one billion people already use Meta’s AI tools each month, but industry analysts say the company is still playing catch-up to leaders like OpenAI and Google when it comes to consumer adoption. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. රටේ විවිධ ප්‍රජාවන් අතර සමගිය සහ අවබෝධය වර්ධනය කිරීම අරමුණු කරගත් ‘ශ්‍රී ලංකා දිනය’ නමින් ජාතික වැඩසටහනක් පැවැත්වීමට සැලසුම් කිරීමට අමාත්‍ය මණ්ඩලය අනුමැතිය ලබා දී ඇත. 2025 දෙසැම්බර් 12, 13 සහ 14 යන දිනවල පැවැත්වීමට නියමිත මෙම වැඩසටහන ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමේ වගකීම බුද්ධශාසන, ආගමික හා සංස්කෘතික කටයුතු අමාත්‍යාංශයට පැවරී ඇත. මෙම උත්සව කොළඹ මහ නගර සභා භූමිය සහ විහාර මහා දේවි උද්‍යානය, අවට ප්‍රදේශ ඇතුළුව ආවරණය වන අතර රාජ්‍ය හා පෞද්ගලික අංශයේ සංවිධානවල සහභාගීත්වයෙන් කලාප හතරක් හරහා සංවිධානය කෙරේ. මෙම වැඩසටහන සියලුම ජනවාර්ගික, ආගම් සහ සම්ප්‍රදායන් නියෝජනය කරමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සංස්කෘතික විවිධත්වය සැමරීමට නියමිත බව සංවිධායකයෝ පවසති. දේශීය කර්මාන්ත, දිස්ත්‍රික්ක-විශේෂිත ආහාර සංස්කෘතීන් සහ නව නිෂ්පාදන සොයා ගැනීමට සහ මිලදී ගැනීමට අවස්ථා ප්‍රදර්ශනය කරන ප්‍රදර්ශන නරඹන්නන්ට අපේක්ෂා කළ හැකිය. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. An intense heatwave is sweeping across Queensland, with authorities warning residents to stay alert as fire danger levels rise. The Bureau of Meteorology says a very hot air mass is spreading across most of the state and will linger through the weekend. Extreme and severe heatwave warnings have been issued from the north-west to the south-east. The outback town of Birdsville set a new October record of 46°C on Tuesday, highlighting just how severe the heat is. Forecasters say conditions will worsen in the coming days. Brisbane’s western suburbs could hit 40°C, while today’s highs are expected to reach 34°C in Brisbane, 38°C in Ipswich, and 36°C in Warwick. The heat has also prompted fire bans across large parts of Queensland. Rural Fire Service Acting Chief Officer Tyrone McMahon urged residents to prepare their homes and have a bushfire plan ready. “Make sure your property is cleared and your family knows what to do if a fire starts nearby,” he said. Authorities are reminding everyone to stay hydrated, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity, and check on vulnerable neighbours as the heatwave intensifies. 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. Missed last night’s show? Don’t worry — the Orionids meteor shower is still lighting up Australia’s skies this week. Visible across the southern hemisphere, the annual event peaks in late October but continues through early November, giving stargazers plenty of time to catch its shooting stars. Astrophysicist Dr. Sara Webb says this week offers the best chance to spot the spectacle. “Head somewhere dark, away from city lights, and look toward the Orion constellation — you can see it easily with the naked eye,” she said. The Orionids are caused by Halley’s Comet, which leaves behind a trail of cosmic dust. As Earth passes through this debris, the particles burn up in the atmosphere — creating bright streaks of light across the sky. At its peak, you can expect to see up to 20 meteors an hour. For the best view, find an open, dark spot with clear skies and a full view of the horizon. The shower began on October 2, peaked around October 21–22, and will remain active until about November 7. If you miss it, don’t stress — the Leonids meteor shower arrives next, peaking around November 17–18, followed by the Geminids in December and Eta Aquarids in May. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. ගුවන්තොටුපළ සහ ගුවන් සේවා (ශ්‍රී ලංකා) (පුද්ගලික) සමාගම (AASL) 2025 ජනවාරි සිට සැප්තැම්බර් දක්වා කාලය තුළ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන් මගීන් හැසිරවීම් 14.08% ක වැඩිවීමක් සහ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන් යානා හැසිරවීම් 15.35% ක වැඩිවීමක් වාර්තා කර ඇත. AASL ප්‍රකාශයකට අනුව, මෙම කාලය තුළ බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ (BIA), මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ (MRIA) සහ යාපනය ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ (JIA) මුළු මගීන් 7,559,699 ක් පිළිගත් අතර, පැමිණීම් සහ පිටවීම් ආසන්න වශයෙන් ඒකාකාරව බෙදී ගොස් ඇති අතර, 49.15% පැමිණීම් සහ 50.85% පිටත්වීම් සිදු විය. ප්‍රවාහන ගමනාගමනය ශක්තිමත්ව පැවති අතර, මගීන් 680,821 ක් ගමන් කරමින් කලාපීය සහ දිගු දුර සම්බන්ධතාවයේ එහි උපායමාර්ගික භූමිකාව ශක්තිමත් කළේය. මුළු පැමිණීම්වලින් 1,706,308 ක් ගුවන් මගින් පැමිණෙන සංචාරකයින් වූ අතර, එය සියලු පැමිණීම් වලින් 45.92% කි. මේ අතර, දේශීය පැමිණීම් 54.08% ක් වූ අතර, එය දේශීය සහභාගීත්වය සහ ජාත්‍යන්තර සංචාරක ව්‍යාපාරයේ වැඩි දායකත්වයක් පෙන්නුම් කරයි. AASL සමාගම සඳහන් කළේ, මෙම සංඛ්‍යාන සංචාරක කර්මාන්තයේ මන්දගාමී නමුත් ස්ථිර ප්‍රගතියක් පෙන්වන බවත්, අවසන් කාර්තුවේදී (ඔක්තෝබර් සිට දෙසැම්බර්) ගමන්කරුවන්ගේ සංඛ්‍යාව හා ගුවන් යානා හැසරවීම් තවදුරටත් ඉහළ යාමක් බලාපොරොත්තු වන බවයි. 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. Victorians are being urged to stay alert as wild weather and strong winds sweep across the state, bringing a moderate risk of thunderstorm asthma. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of damaging winds up to 120km/h, especially across southwestern Victoria, with gusts expected to peak in Melbourne between 3pm and 5pm. Towns including Horsham, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Geelong, Wangaratta, and Melbourne are expected to feel the impact. The Department of Health says a mix of high grass pollen levels and certain thunderstorms can trigger severe asthma attacks. Those with asthma or hay fever are advised to stay indoors, keep windows closed, and switch off air conditioners that draw in outdoor air. The State Emergency Service (SES) has also warned of possible power outages, falling trees, and flying debris, urging people to avoid travel where possible and stay clear of downed powerlines. Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch encouraged residents to charge phones and prepare for potential blackouts. Conditions are expected to ease tonight and into Thursday morning, but authorities say now is the time to stay prepared and follow updates via the VicEmergency website. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Sri Lankan community informed with timely updates. Sri Lanka Tourism’s final B2B Roadshow on Australia’s east coast concluded in Melbourne with resounding success, drawing over 120 participants, including dignitaries, travel advisors, and tourism partners. Held at Hotel Chadstone with the support of SriLankan Airlines, the evening began with lively business networking, followed by a traditional Ayubowan welcome, oil lamp lighting, and cultural performances by the Shashila Dance Troupe. Guests enjoyed inspiring speeches from Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia Ms. Yasoja Gunasekara, SLTPB Chairman Mr. Buddhika Hewawasam, Consul General Ms. Pradeepa Saram, Board Member Mr. Darshana Cabral, and SriLankan Airlines Regional Manager Mr. Ravindran, highlighting Sri Lanka’s warmth, hospitality, and growing tourism appeal. The event also featured a Q&A session, traditional dance showcases, and exciting giveaways, including 5-star hotel stays, curated tours, and a SriLankan Airlines flight. Supported by top Sri Lankan travel brands and hotels, the roadshow celebrated Sri Lanka’s strong tourism ties with Melbourne, home to one of the island’s largest diasporas. Organised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau under the guidance of Ms. Chami Lanka Gasnawage, the roadshow now moves to Auckland, New Zealand — continuing its mission to share Sri Lanka’s story of beauty, diversity, and resilience with the world. Source : Travel Weekly More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. ජපානයේ වාහන මිල අඩු කිරීමෙන් පසු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආනයනික වාහනවල මිල රුපියල් මිලියන 1.5 දක්වා පහත වැටී ඇති බව ලංකා වාහන ආනයනකරුවන්ගේ සංගමයේ (VIAL) සභාපති ඉන්දික සම්පත් මෙරින්චිගේ මහතා පැවසීය. අනවසර වාහන ආනයනය දේශීය වෙළඳපොලේ ලියාපදිංචි නොකළ වාහන ගොඩගැසීමට හේතු වී ඇති අතර එය අලෙවියට බලපා ඇති බව මෙරින්චිගේ මාධ්‍ය වෙත පැවසීය. මහ බැංකු දත්ත වලට අනුව, 2025 ජනවාරි සිට අගෝස්තු දක්වා කාලය තුළ පුද්ගලික වාහන ආනයනය කිරීම සඳහා ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 705 ක් වැය කර ඇත. "මිල වෙනස්කම් අතර, ලියාපදිංචි නොකළ හොන්ඩා වෙසෙල් ඉසෙඩ් ප්ලේ 2025 SUV රථයක් දැන් රුපියල් මිලියන 23.5 කට අලෙවි වන අතර එය රුපියල් මිලියන 25.5 සිට අඩු වී ඇත. ටොයොටා යාරිස් රථයක් රුපියල් මිලියන 11.5 සිට රුපියල් මිලියන 10.5 දක්වා පහත වැටී ඇති අතර, සුසුකි ඇල්ටෝ හයිබ්‍රිඩ් රථය දැන් රුපියල් මිලියන 7.9 සිට රුපියල් මිලියන 7.3 දක්වා පහත වැටී ඇත. සුසුකි වැගන් ආර් ද රුපියල් මිලියන 7.8 සිට රුපියල් මිලියන 7.3 දක්වා පහත වැටී ඇත," ඔහු පැවසීය. ටොයොටා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආනයනික වාහන වෙළඳපොලේ ප්‍රමුඛතම සන්නාමය ලෙස මතුවී ඇති බවත්, රයිස් සහ යාරිස් මාදිලි අලෙවි ප්‍රස්ථාරවල ඉහළින්ම සිටින බවත් මෙරින්චිජ් අවධාරණය කළේය. LC300 සහ ප්‍රාඩෝ SUV කාණ්ඩයේ පෙරමුණ ගෙන ඇති අතර ටොයොටා ඩබල් කැබ් සහ ෆෝඩ් රැප්ටර් තුන්වන වඩාත් ජනප්‍රිය වාහන ලෙස ශ්‍රේණිගත කර ඇත. කුඩා වාහන කාණ්ඩය තුළ නිසාන් ආකර්ෂණයක් ලබා ඇති නමුත්, මාදිලි යාවත්කාලීන කිරීම් නොමැතිකම හේතුවෙන් සුසුකි වැගන් ආර් අලෙවිය පහත වැටී ඇති බව ඔහු පැවසීය. විදුලි වාහන ආනයනය සඳහා පවතින සීමාවන් හේතුවෙන් ඉල්ලුමට සහාය වන හොන්ඩා වෙසෙල් දැනට SUV රථ අතර ප්‍රමුඛ ස්ථානය හිමිකරගෙන ඇති බව VIAL සභාපතිවරයා තවදුරටත් සඳහන් කළේය. 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. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump have signed a major $13 billion (US$8.5 billion) agreement to boost production of critical minerals and rare earths, aiming to reduce China’s dominance in the market. Under the new US–Australia Critical Minerals Framework, both nations will invest US$1 billion each over the next six months to launch new mining and processing projects. Albanese called the deal a “pipeline ready to go,” while Trump praised the partnership, saying it would secure vital resources for industries from clean energy to defence. The move follows China’s recent decision to tighten its rare earth exports — a step that heightened tensions with Washington. What are rare earths? Rare earth elements — 17 metals including scandium, yttrium and lanthanides — are crucial in technologies like smartphones, electric vehicles, wind turbines, LED screens, and military hardware such as fighter jets and missiles. Although not truly “rare,” they are costly and environmentally challenging to extract. Why Australia matters Australia is seen as a reliable and resource-rich partner, offering large reserves, strong mining expertise, and a stable investment environment. Currently, China produces about 61% of the world’s rare earths and handles over 90% of global processing, according to the International Energy Agency. Challenges ahead Experts warn that while billions are being invested — including $3.2 billion from Australian agencies and $2.9 billion from allied countries — more funding is needed for refining and magnet production outside China. Without it, Australian producers could still be tied to Chinese buyers. Environmental concerns also remain, with calls for stronger waste management and partnerships with First Nations communities as Australia expands its rare earth operations. This landmark deal marks a key step toward reshaping global supply chains and strengthening the US–Australia alliance in the race for critical minerals. 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 Lankan athlete Purna Kahingala made his mark at the Australian Masters Games 2025 in Canberra, winning gold in the 94 kg weight category with a total lift of 198 kg. Competing against top athletes from Australia and beyond, Purna’s strength, focus, and determination stood out - earning him the top spot and bringing pride to Sri Lanka on the global stage. The Australian Masters Games, founded in 1987, is one of the world’s leading multi-sport events for athletes aged 30 and above. This year’s edition in Canberra was one of the most memorable yet, showcasing inspiring performances across all sports. Purna’s victory is a shining example of discipline, perseverance, and passion, proving that age is no limit to achieving greatness. His golden lift is now one of the standout moments of the 2025 Games — and a proud milestone for Sri Lanka. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

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 Tourism successfully hosted a vibrant roadshow in Australia, bringing together over 80 travel advisors, media professionals, and influencers to connect with 40+ Sri Lankan tourism partners, including hotels, DMCs, and wellness brands. The event highlighted Sri Lanka’s rich culture, wildlife, wellness, and adventure experiences, positioning the island as a must-visit destination in the Asia-Pacific region. Distinguished guests included Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, Ms. Yasoja Gunasekara, SLTPB Chairman, Mr. Buddhika Hewawasam, and industry leaders from SriLankan Airlines and Travel Weekly Australia. A B2B networking session during the day helped Australian travel professionals build new partnerships, while the evening gala dinner celebrated Sri Lankan culture through traditional dance and a curated island-inspired menu. Chairman Hewawasam said, “Australia is a key market for us. We’re proud to reintroduce Sri Lanka as a land of warmth, diversity, and unforgettable experiences.” The event marked a key milestone in Sri Lanka Tourism’s global campaign to strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific market. Source : Travel Weekly More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .