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🇦🇺 Australia — Health News

Tue, Oct 27, 2026

Breaking news and today's biggest headlines from Australia — politics, business, sport and everyday life, gathered every hour from the country's trusted newsrooms. Every story links straight to the original publisher, free and ad-free.

Top story

Bridget McKenzie fears MPs will ‘retreat from the public square’ following alleged attack on Helen Haines – as it happened

This blog is now closedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolitical debate should be ‘robust but respectful’, Anne Ruston saysA day after MPs addressed the House of Representatives paying tribute to the independent Helen Haines, who was injured after an alleged attack in her electorate, the Liberal senator Anne Ruston maintains that respect is necessary in political debate.What we do here sets the tone for what the rest of…

1 hour ago • Guardian AU Health

Steggall and Ryan accuse Taylor of not ’reading the room’ with ’tone deaf’ Haines tribute speech – as it happened

This blog is now closedGet our daily political email, free app or daily news podcastSteggall calls for civility and respectIndependent MP Zali Steggal…

Yesterday • Guardian AU Health

Birthkeeper who allegedly ‘groomed’ pregnant women to fear hospital could face criminal charges

Victorian coroner hears Emily Lal told Stacey Warnecke that her ‘condition and mindset’ needed to be ‘solid’ to avoid a hospital birthFollow our Austr…

Yesterday • Guardian AU Health

Unreasonable and unfair: damning investigation criticises Labor’s algorithm-based tool for aged care

Report from commonwealth ombudsman finds ‘technological black box’ ignores transparency recommendations from robodebt royal commissionFollow our Austr…

Yesterday • Guardian AU Health

Almost two-thirds of Australians bulk-billed for all GP care amid extra incentives for doctors

Exclusive: RACGP says results probably reflect Medicare investments but experts caution quality of care and outcomes also matterFollow our Australian …

Yesterday • Guardian AU Health

The Helen Haines tragedy has shocked Australia. Its horrors highlight the crumbling foundations of our system | Tom McIlroy

For many, especially women in parliament and other positions of authority, the arrival of violence in Australian politics has been long expectedGet ou…

3 days ago • Guardian AU Health

Australia offers astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg for space mission to International Space Station

Australian of the Year would become the first astronaut in space to qualify under the Australian flag if she embarks on the 2028 missionGet our breaki…

4 days ago • Guardian AU Health

Majority of Australians who report penicillin allergy not truly allergic

Peak body for immunologists changes guidelines as evidence shows up to 90% of those reporting allergy don’t have oneGet our breaking news email, free …

5 days ago • Guardian AU Health

Australian researchers identify new subtype of depression linked to body clock disruptions

Study identifies ‘circadian depression’ as affecting nearly a quarter of more than 11,000 participantsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily n…

6 days ago • Guardian AU Health

‘Lack of curiosity’ about family’s religious beliefs was ‘missed opportunity’ to save eight-year-old, inquest hears

Coroner says she’s considering adopting recommendations from Victoria’s cults inquiry as investigation into Elizabeth Struh’s death continuesGet our b…

Oct 20, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Pauline Hanson concedes One Nation video mocking Jacqui Lambie’s prolapsed vagina needs to be changed

One Nation senator says controversial cartoon ‘needs to be reined in’ as Lambie praised for speaking out about health issuesGet our new political emai…

Oct 20, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Are your bones brittle? If they were, how would you know? (To men: this goes for you too) | Ranjana Srivastava

Assessing osteoporosis risk requires more than a scan, which is why a thorough conversation with a doctor is essential“Doctor, how could I get a fract…

Oct 19, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

‘Keep away from the doctor’: a visit to an influencer’s wellness event, where the advice could kill

Barbara O’Neill, identified as a risk to public safety in Australia, dismisses antibiotics, vaccines and scientifically proven cancer treatment at UK …

Oct 18, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Judith Lucy on her cancer diagnosis: ‘I’m a bit over getting so much material out of my life’

One of Australia’s hardest-working comedians is still laughing at the timing of a breast cancer diagnosis just as she set out to launch a book about w…

Oct 16, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Vitamin patches have their grip on the wellness industry: but is the fad only skin deep? | Antiviral

Experts peel back the evidence to see whether any of the health claims about vitamin patches stick – or whether it’s the placebo effect at workRead mo…

Oct 14, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Astronomers detect mysterious burst of energy from a galaxy far, far away

Intense flash of radio waves is more than 10bn years old and has travelled through ‘approximately 80% of cosmic history’A long time ago in a galaxy fa…

Oct 8, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Magnesium is essential for health. But can supplements really help with digestion, muscle pain, anxiety and sleep? | Antiviral

Experts cite inconsistent evidence for supplementing with the essential mineral – and warn taking magnesium without a deficiency has risksRead more in…

Sep 29, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Emily is barely scraping by after buying a house – and it’s taking a toll on her mental health

Exclusive: Mortgage holders say financial pressure is causing serious anxiety, as a study reveals the effects of debt stress and rising ratesFollow ou…

Sep 18, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Gua sha looks good on Instagram – but is it worth the hype or a waste of time? | Antiviral

The practice does increase blood flow to parts of the body but experts say this isn’t necessarily a health benefit: ‘A punch to the nose also increase…

Sep 15, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Australian science prize awarded to researcher studying memory accuracy of domestic violence survivors

Helen Paterson’s work on advancing how police and courts understand memory is recognised in prestigious Eureka prizesFollow our Australia news live bl…

Sep 3, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Forget T-maxxing – the manosphere’s obsession with testosterone is just fear-maxxing | Donna Lu

Testosterone replacement therapy comes with serious and potentially irreversible health risks including infertility and early heart diseaseRead more i…

Sep 1, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Jacqui Lambie shared prolapse story and slams veterans' affairs health services - video

'They want us to fight for this country. You want us to have babies for the country,' says Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie in an impassioned speech on…

Aug 20, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

SpaceX Starship the talk of remote Australian island as Elon Musk’s engineers sent to retrieve it

Christmas Island locals who woke to see the spacecraft floating off the coast hope global attention will encourage touristsGet our breaking news email…

Aug 19, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

‘Low carb’, ‘gluten-free’, with collagen or electrolytes: is it really possible for alcohol to be healthy?

Premixed drinks are ultra-processed products but their marketing claims create a ‘health halo’ that takes the focus away from the harms of alcohol, re…

Aug 18, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Max’s heart stopped while playing basketball. It was a case of 'sudden cardiac arrest' – video

At 14, Max’s heart stopped during a basketball game. Five years after her son's death, Fiona Connolly recalls pleading with hospital staff to save her…

Aug 10, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Dorothy’s aged care home charged $52 a day for Foxtel, wine and newspapers that were no use to her. She wasn’t alone

Exclusive: Many aged care residents in Australia are charged for services they can’t use or understand, prompting an investigation from the regulatorF…

Jul 12, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

A US champion of ‘freebirthing’ always claimed there had been no maternal deaths linked to the movement. Is Stacey Warnecke the first?

Guardian investigation exposes full links between a US business linked to baby deaths around the world and Australian ‘birth keeper’ Emily Lal, the ce…

Jun 30, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Stacey Warnecke died after choosing a birth free of all medical help. An inquest wants to know why

A coroner is looking into the final moments of a Melbourne influencer’s life and what leads women to choose ‘freebirth’ over obstetric careGet our bre…

Jun 19, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Signs of ‘feeding’ ritual at dingo burial site shed new light on bond between First Nations people and canines

Never documented archaeologically before, evidence points to First Nations people caring for and nursing the animalGet our breaking news email, free a…

May 18, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

PCOS is now PMOS: common misconceptions about the condition explained – video

After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a condition that affects one in eight women – has a new name. The …

May 14, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Greens senator says ‘immoral’ NDIS reforms are being rushed through Senate – video

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John says the Albanese government’s proposed changes to the national disability insurance scheme are ‘the largest cut mad…

May 14, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Don’t reach for the bug spray: scientists find insects may feel pain after crickets nurse sore antennae

The behavioural cue of ‘flexible self-protection’ is a way to establish whether an animal feels pain, scientists saySign up for climate and environmen…

May 13, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

They’re in clouds, electric sockets and even on toast. Why do humans see faces in everyday objects?

Human brains are designed to detect faces as quickly as possible, which can lead to the perception of ‘false faces’Faces: we see them in clouds, elect…

Apr 5, 2026 • Guardian AU Health

Specialist doctor fees are forcing Australians into ‘impossible choices’. Advocates say urgent change is needed

Patients like Mary feel ‘embarrassed’ when they can’t afford to pay for care, as experts lament a ‘system without guardrails’Struggling to afford spec…

Dec 7, 2025 • Guardian AU Health

Australian taxpayers subsidise rising specialist fees as spending on Abbott-era Medicare safety net ‘explodes’

Exclusive: Health department data shows spending on the 2004 extended safety net has nearly tripled, from $324.9m in 2010 to $850.4m in 2024Get our br…

Nov 29, 2025 • Guardian AU Health

I just paid $870 in medical bills (after Medicare) in six weeks. My faith in Australia’s public health is crushed

It is incredibly isolating haemorrhaging cash to healthcare – while literally haemorrhaging with endometriosis. And I know I’m not aloneGet our breaki…

Nov 20, 2025 • Guardian AU Health

Struggling to afford specialist doctors’ fees? See if your GP can refer you to one of Australia’s free public hospital clinics

Excellent treatment is available for outpatients – though where you live matters and waitlists can be long$1,000 for a one-hour appointment: why are f…

Nov 11, 2025 • Guardian AU Health

Specialist doctor fees are far too high. Australia’s next national health funding deal is a chance to change that | Peter Breadon

With initial consults now costing hundreds of dollars, we must embrace a national plan to boost targeted training, cover gaps and curb excessive charg…

Nov 10, 2025 • Guardian AU Health