Jack GramenzUpdated May 27, 2026 — 8:19am,first published 6:41amWhat you need to know todayBy Welcome to our live coverage of news from around Australia and the world.Here’s what you need to know this morning.Islamic State-linked brides and their children leave Sydney International Airport on Tuesday.Sitthixay DitthavongSeven women and children, part of a cohort of so-called “ISIS brides”, have returned to Australia at Sydney and Melbourne airports.Independent MP Dai Le has criticised a lack of transparency over the returns and where the families will live, worrying about members of her community who had “fled ISIS”.Australia’s new ambassador to the United States Greg Moriarty has shared a picture from his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump.Australia’s war crimes investigator has referred concerns to the National Anti-Corruption Commission over media coverage of Ben Roberts-Smith’s arrest over alleged war crimes at Sydney Airport last month.The 2026 Rugby League World Cup will get a $12.4 million investment from Australia to “take the great game of rugby league to an even bigger stage”, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.Kooyong MP Monique Ryan says women and children linked to Islamic State returning to Australia should be spared from “aggressive media”.Latest Posts8.19amFog blankets Sydney as flights cancelled, delayedBy Fog has started to clear around Sydney after cancelling and delaying flights at the airport this morning.Sydney Airport has advised anyone travelling today to check the status of their flight. Several international and domestic flights have been delayed, some for more than two hours. Others have been cancelled altogether.Fog hangs over the Anzac bridge in Sydney this morning.Kate Geraghty“Fog has descended at the airport resulting in delays and cancellations across the network,” a Sydney Airport spokesperson said.“We will continue to monitor the weather conditions as the morning progresses.“We advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.”8.13amO’Neil refuses to say whether Australia safer with ‘ISIS brides’ backBy Brittany BuschHousing Minister Clare O’Neil has refused to say that Australia is safer after a second cohort of women linked to Islamic State returned last night.“The prime minister’s been really upfront about this. We actually don’t want these people to return to Australia. These women made horrific decisions to go overseas and join a death cult,” O’Neil said in a back-and-forth with Today host Sarah Abo.Two of the women returning from Syria to Sydney get into a car at Sydney International Airport.Sitthixay DitthavongAbo repeated: “Are we safer with them here? It’s a yes or no question.”“Again, I just say to you, we’ve got the best national security agencies in the world, and we’re going to be making sure that these are monitored,” O’Neil said.7.59amEV charging scheme runs out of juiceBy Mike FoleyThe Albanese government has downgraded its commitment to build 117 electric vehicle charging stations on key highway routes, slashing the funding by millions of dollars and reducing the number of charging stations to 77.Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced in April 2023 that the government would provide $39 million to partner with NRMA to plug the gaps in the EV charging network in key highway routes across the country, including rural and remote areas.The government has downgraded a plan for electric vehicle charging stations.Louie DouvisThe government pledged to complete the rollout of 117 charging stations by mid-2026. So far, $21 million has been spent and 50 charging stations installed.However, under questioning by Liberal senator Sarah Henderson in a senate estimates hearing yesterday, departmental officials said difficulties in getting power supply to some remote locations had delayed progress.7.51amNACC referral over Roberts-Smith’s airport arrestBy Rob HarrisThe Commonwealth special investigator into alleged Australian war crimes has referred concerns to the national corruption watchdog over how media appeared to know in advance about Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith’s arrest at Sydney Airport last month.The Office of the Special Investigator says it has asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to examine whether operational details were improperly disclosed before Roberts-Smith was taken into custody on April 7 and charged with five counts of war crimes.Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning.Nine NewsThe former SAS corporal has rejected the charges, saying “I categorically deny all of these allegations”.Director-general Chris Moraitis told Senate estimates the referral had been made jointly with the Australian Federal Police.7.47amBarnaby Joyce responds to ABC chair’s ‘policy-free’ One Nation barbBy Jack GramenzOne Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has hit back at criticism from ABC chair Kim Williams as relations between the public broadcaster and the rising political party continue their souring trajectory.ABC chair Kim Williams criticised One Nation for barring the broadcaster from events during the Farrer by-election, which the party’s candidate David Farley won.Barnaby Joyce says One Nation has policies but ABC chair Kim Williams just doesn’t like them.Alex Ellinghausen“[One Nation] think that they anoint who will question them. Perhaps their concern is because they are such a policy-free zone,” Williams said on a podcast this week.Responding, Joyce told 2GB radio this morning the ABC was biased.7.28amMillions for World Cup as PM’s rugby league diplomacy continuesBy Brittany BuschThe 2026 Rugby League World Cup will get a $12.4 million investment from Australia, the prime minister has announced.Anthony Albanese said the tournament was an opportunity for Australia and its Pacific neighbours, who will host teams from 16 nations across nine cities in October.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced millions of dollars to support the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.Dominic Lorrimer“It will take the great game of rugby league to an even bigger stage with games held in PNG, New Zealand, but here in Australia – games in Townsville and Newcastle, as well as Sydney and Brisbane, of course,” Albanese told SEN.“It’s a chance to really promote the game and to also build harmony in our region.”7.24amBudget not for people who think ‘everything’s going perfectly’: O’NeilBy Jack GramenzHousing Minister Clare O’Neil says the government’s recent budget is “not for” people who think “everything’s going perfectly right now”.O’Neil told Seven’s Sunrise program this morning Australia has a broken housing market, a budget weighed down by an ageing population, an NDIS “that’s not working properly” and additional defence needs, requiring the government to make some “hard calls”.Federal Minister for Housing Clare O’Neil says the government has had to make hard choices in the most recent budget.Dylan CokerBut she says many people are in favour, despite some who “don’t support what the government is doing”.“That is what you’d expect to see in a budget that does some tough but necessary things for the country,” O’Neil said.7.02amMP says returning ISIS brides should be spared from ‘aggressive media’By Jack GramenzKooyong Independent MP Monique Ryan says women and children linked to Islamic State returning to Australia should be treated “sensitively and gently”.“The last thing they need to be subjected to on their arrival is an aggressive media,” Ryan told Nine’s Today program this morning.The families leave Sydney Airport.Sitthixay Ditthavong“We’re talking about kids who have grown up in a camp in Syria who haven’t been exposed to Australia at all, and I would suggest that we should treat them sensitively and gently.“They’re children and they’re women and they don’t need to be approached by aggressive journalists.”6.50amJobseeker services to get first overhaul in 30 yearsBy Natassia ChrysanthosAustralia’s system for helping jobseekers into work will be overhauled for the first time in 30 years as the federal government grapples with the best way to assist the country’s growing number of long-term unemployed people.Three years after a Labor-led committee said that Australia’s employment services system was like “using a nuclear bomb to kill a mosquito”, Workplace Minister Amanda Rishworth will on Wednesday reveal the one-size-fits-all system will split jobseekers into three streams for the first time.Australia’s jobseeker system will be overhauled for the first time in decades.Bradley KanarisIt will separate people who are newly unemployed and already have skills to re-enter the job market, for example, from those who have been unemployed for long periods of time, disconnected from the labour market or face other barriers to employment.These streams will determine which job-seeking services people can access as well as their mutual obligations – the conditions that jobseekers must meet to keep receiving income support from the government.Read more: Jobseeker services to get first overhaul in 30 yearsPinned post from 6.40amWhat you need to know todayBy Welcome to our live coverage of news from around Australia and the world.Here’s what you need to know this morning.Islamic State-linked brides and their children leave Sydney International Airport on Tuesday.Sitthixay DitthavongSeven women and children, part of a cohort of so-called “ISIS brides”, have returned to Australia at Sydney and Melbourne airports.Independent MP Dai Le has criticised a lack of transparency over the returns and where the families will live, worrying about members of her community who had “fled ISIS”.Australia’s new ambassador to the United States Greg Moriarty has shared a picture from his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump.Australia’s war crimes investigator has referred concerns to the National Anti-Corruption Commission over media coverage of Ben Roberts-Smith’s arrest over alleged war crimes at Sydney Airport last month.The 2026 Rugby League World Cup will get a $12.4 million investment from Australia to “take the great game of rugby league to an even bigger stage”, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.Kooyong MP Monique Ryan says women and children linked to Islamic State returning to Australia should be spared from “aggressive media”.1 of 2