SBS News In Depth

Australia's average daily prison population is at its highest level in eight years. New data from the Productivity Commission has found more on average, around 45,000 people were locked up each day in the 2024-2025 financial year. Experts say the figures are a clear indication the system is failing.

University students in Australia, including more than 800,000 from overseas, are preparing for a new academic year. However, many from Iran are facing financial hardship while also grieving lives lost during recent protests.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hailed a new security pact with Indonesia as a significant shift toward a closer defence partnership between the two countries. However, analysts warn the treaty may come at a high cost, potentially ignoring ongoing human rights issues in West Papua and concerns about the Indonesian government's future political direction.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Lochlan Halloway from Morningstar to go through all the factors that has triggered a sell-off on the sharemarket, including an ongoing technology sector rout, along with a look at the local reporting season; plus Peter McGuire from Trading.com looks at Bitcoin's sliding value.

The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure, following scrutiny over his decision to appoint friend of Jeffrey Epstein Peter Mandelson as the UK's US ambassador in 2024. The files released last week included emails appearing to show a close relationship between the former ambassador and Epstein, and suggested Mr Mandelson had shared government documents with Epstein while serving as a Cabinet Minister.

A second round of talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine, Russia and the United States have concluded without a peace deal, despite delegates citing progress towards reaching an end to the four-year war. Ukraine and Russia did exchange 310 prisoners of war in total, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signalled further meetings were being planned.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Ben Clark from TMS Private Wealth about the day's market action including a software sell-off in the US which is trickling to Australia, plus what the fall in the bitcoin price says about the economic and investment environment.

A psychiatrist who treated the Westfield Bondi Junction attacker has been referred for review by the coroner investigating the mass killing in 2024. New South Wales State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan criticised the care of Joel Cauchi's former psychiatrist for failing to adequately respond to a schizophrenia relapse in the years before the mass stabbing, which saw six people killed and 10 injured. She has made 23 recommendations, including a call for the Health Ombudsman of Queensland to review the psychiatrist's care and treatment of Joel Cauchi.

A National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is being established, a move hailed by advocates as a milestone for independent accountability in closing the gap for youth justice and welfare. However, critics like Senator Lidia Thorpe warn that without federal power to penalise states or compel compliance, the role risks becoming a matter of optics over tangible safety.

Democracy and the rules-based international order are under threat, according to the latest annual report by Human Rights Watch. There's a particular focus on the United States and what the international body describes as its erosion of human rights, but there is also a spotlight on Australia. Australia's immigration and youth detention policies are listed as 'significant failings', cited as the only Western democracy without a national human rights act.

Almost 99 per cent of Australians diagnosed with cancer incur out-of-pocket expenses, even when accessing public care. That's the shocking finding from the Cancer Council Australia’s latest national survey, which suggests the financial burden arises from both direct medical costs and indirect expenses at every stage of the cancer journey. The cost of accessing care and treatment hits First Nations communities especially hard, with Indigenous Australians ultimately facing a higher mortality rate for blood cancer.

The US and Iran tussle over talks to stave off more strikes, millions more Epstein documents implicate the rich and powerful the world over from Elon Musk to the Norwegian princess-royal and more trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi don’t stop the destruction across Ukraine. Plus, US democracy in danger and what we learned when Melania Trump’s doco hit the cinemas…

For many in Australia's south-east, the day after Australia Day brought sweltering conditions and record temperatures. In Mildura, in Victoria's far northwest, the mercury hit 48.6 Celsius. And when coastal areas enjoyed a reprieve, the inland still had to cope with an extended heatwave that lasted a week. Experts say these kinds of phenomena are going to intensify over time because of the impacts of climate change - but while there has been plenty of coverage of how that impacts on urban centres, regional Australia has not received the same attention. SBS visited Mildura to see how the region felt the heat, and what they're doing to cope with climate change at a local level.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Shane Oliver from AMP to figure out the real drivers of inflation; plus Damien Boey from Wilson Asset Management about the day's sharemarket action including a software shares sell-off.

Victoria Police are investigating the display of posters across Melbourne that depict the alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram. About 40 have appeared. featuring the image of the accused shooter and the word Aussie beneath his face. They were put together in the style of artist Peter Drew's 'Aussie' series of street art.

Following the latest interest rate rise, the Federal Government is facing renewed pressure from unions and economists to reform the 50 per cent Capital Gains Tax ((CGT)) discount, which critics label a "tax avoidance scheme" favouring the wealthiest Australians. While the Treasurer maintains a focus on housing supply, proponents of the reform argue that winding back these concessions could reclaim $20 billion in annual revenue and ease the cost-of-living crisis for the nation’s workforce.

Russia has ended a winter truce that had it and Ukraine agreeing not to attack each other's energy facilities. The 450-drone and 70-missiles attack comes on the eve of another scheduled round of peace talks.

Nearly half of Australia's LGBTIQ+ workers say they have faced discrimination and harassment in the past year. With hate speech rising in Australia, rights groups say stronger laws and greater legal representation are needed to protect the LGBTIQ+ community from greater harm.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has increased interest rates for the first time since November 2023, hiking the official cash rate to 3.85%. It says it now expects inflation to remain well above its 2-3% target for longer, leaving the door open for further rate increases. For more on this, Stephanie Youssef spoke with HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham. Despite the decision, the Australian share market finished the session strong, amid a strong global stocks rebound that included a gold and silver price recovery. For more, Stephanie Youssef spoke with Mark Gardner, CEO at MPC Markets.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has ended a two-year hiatus by raising interest rates to 15 per cent, sparking a fierce political debate over whether government spending or private demand is fuelling persistent inflation. While the Treasurer defends the budget and points to external pressures, the Opposition and the Greens argue that current policy settings are punishing everyday Australians and ignoring alternative economic levers.