Australia holds grave concerns for 38 citizens missing in Nepal-Tibet floods
Five Australians have been confirmed safe in the Nepal-Tibet flooding disaster, reducing the number of unaccounted-for citizens from 43 to 38, but ministers say grave concerns remain for those still missing seven days after the disaster struck.
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What happened?
Five Australians have been confirmed safe in the Nepal-Tibet flooding disaster, reducing the number of unaccounted-for citizens from 43 to 38, with the government expressing grave concerns for those still missing.
Why it matters
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has received nearly 800 calls about the flooding, 18 Australian personnel are on the ground in Nepal, and more humanitarian relief was due to arrive on Wednesday afternoon.
Live updates
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Five Australians have been confirmed safe following the devastating Nepal-Tibet flooding disaster, the government confirmed on Wednesday, reducing the total number of unaccounted-for citizens from 43 to 38. Of the five, one was found in Nepal, one in Tibet, and three were located outside the crisis-hit area. All five had not spoken to family members or next of kin since the disaster struck seven days ago.
Anne Aly, the minister for multicultural affairs, told ABC News Breakfast that the government held "grave concerns" for the 38 Australians still missing, citing significant logistical difficulties — including communications blackouts — hampering efforts to establish their whereabouts. "For those families that are still waiting, those 38 individuals unaccounted for, we understand that it's a really concerning time," Aly said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has received nearly 800 calls in connection with the flooding, and 18 Australian personnel have travelled to Nepal to join staff already on the ground. Further humanitarian and disaster relief from Australia was due to arrive in Nepal on Wednesday afternoon.
Defence industry minister Pat Conroy described the confirmation of the five safe citizens as "great news" but stressed the government remained "very concerned" for the remaining 38, saying officials were focused on establishing their whereabouts and supporting their families.
Pacific drug trafficking package
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, announced a $600 million package aimed at combating transnational drug trafficking flowing through the Pacific towards Australia. The package — described as opt-in for Pacific nations — will include enhanced aerial surveillance and police and border training. Australian Federal Police data cited in the announcement showed that approximately 4.6 tonnes of illicit drugs were seized across the region during the whole of 2025; in the first five months of 2026 alone, 17 tonnes were intercepted, predominantly cocaine. Albanese linked the increase in trafficking to rising gang activity in Samoa and Tonga and a sharp rise in HIV rates in Fiji.
Social media algorithms and the manosphere
Consent education advocate Chanel Contos was due to address the National Press Club in Canberra at midday, calling on Australia to enforce a social media opt-in algorithm to reduce the influence of the so-called manosphere. Contos, chief executive of the Teach Us Consent campaign, was expected to argue that algorithmic content typically begins with innocuous workout or motivational material before steering men and boys towards misogynistic content, and to accuse technology companies of treating that trajectory as "a market opportunity" with misogyny "at the heart of its business model". She was also expected to warn that any reforms must be substantive: "It is too easy for Big Tech to design schemes that appear as structural reform but actually suit them just fine."
Nationals leader Matt Canavan, speaking to Channel Nine's Today programme ahead of Contos's address, attributed the proliferation of manosphere content instead to what he described as the "feminisation of our curriculum". Speaking as "a father of four boys", Canavan said young boys were "sick and tired of getting lectures about how bad men are at school" and called for more male teachers to act as role models, making no reference to the role of algorithmic amplification.
Independent MP Allegra Spender told RN Breakfast the government had an opportunity to make social media algorithms safer for all Australians, not solely young people, backing proposals for an opt-in default. She described the existing under-16s social media ban as "not really working" and called for further assessment of its effectiveness.
House prices and interest rates
New data from Cotality showed house prices are now falling in more than 90 per cent of Australian suburbs, as economists predict the Reserve Bank will proceed with a fourth interest rate rise despite forecasts of a roughly 10 per cent peak-to-trough fall in average home values nationally. AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said the decline would persist for a further six to nine months and described the projected fall as likely to be "the worst in the postwar period", though he noted it was not dramatically out of line with previous corrections, including one of approximately 8 per cent recorded in 2022–23.
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, speaking to RN Breakfast, declined on multiple occasions to acknowledge that falling prices might improve affordability for first home buyers, arguing instead that increased supply rather than changes to taxation was the appropriate remedy. "No one with a brain would do that," Bragg said of policies linking affordability to taxation.
Sydney ferry disruption
Members of the Maritime Union of Australia employed by Sydney Ferries undertook a five-hour work stoppage from 9am on Wednesday, with no ferry services operating during that period. Services after the stoppage were expected to remain significantly disrupted. MUA members are seeking a 5 per cent wage increase and guaranteed annual increases in subsequent years. A ticketing ban by union members was set to run from 1pm Wednesday until 2am Thursday.
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Source: The Guardian