The 55-year-old walked free after he was granted an early release, national broadcaster ABC reported, having served more than a year in custody while waiting for the case to be heard. He could be returned to jail to complete the sentence in full if he commits another serious crime within the next five years, according to Australian media. An earlier court hearing was told Slater, who worked as high-profile television pundit after retiring from cricket, battled mental health conditions that could result in "impulsive and reckless" behaviour. Slater played 74...

Former Australia cricketer Michael Slater has been handed a partly suspended four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to domestic violence charges. However, the 55-year-old will walk free - having already served more than a year in custody after being refused bail in 2024. Slater, who played 74 Tests for Australia between 1993 and 2001, pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault, one of unlawful striking, one of assault occasioning bodily harm, burglary and two counts of strangulation. Judge Glen Cash told Slater "alcoholism is part of your make-up" and...

Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok and Snap Inc. questioned the integrity of Australia’s looming social media ban for under-16s after it emerged that Communications Minister Michelle Rowland made a personal pledge to YouTube’s boss to exempt the platform before a consultation process on the carveout had begun. In a Dec. 9 letter to YouTube Chief Executive Officer Neal Mohan — a copy of which was obtained under freedom-of-information laws — Rowland said she was writing to “reaffirm the commitment” that the government would exclude YouTube from the ban. Her assurance came...

Authorities in Australia are facing criticism after culling hundreds of sickly koalas via helicopter-riding snipers last week, likely killing healthy mothers in the process and leaving joeys orphaned, according to wildlife advocates. The cull in Victoria’s Budj Bim National Park — which was sparked by wildfires — killed about 700 koalas, including healthy ones with young joeys in their care, animal rights groups alleged. In the wake of the mass killings, activists are calling on the government to review its handling of the operation, which included shooting at koalas from...

Australian identical twins Bridgette Powers and Paula Powers have gone viral after they shared in-sync accounts about an alleged armed carjacking incident they witnessed in Queensland. (You can watch the clip below) The sisters ― in a clip shared by 7 News Queensland that has over 3.2 million views on X, formerly Twitter ― spoke in unison about how their mother and another man quickly jumped into action after an SUV rolled on Steve Irwin Way. “And one guy, he was up there with our mom and he, he went...

Sydney Sweeney is welcoming a new furry friend into her family! On Monday, April 21, the Euphoria actress, 27, revealed that she brought home a new puppy named Sully just two weeks ago. "introducing sully bear ️," she captioned the post, which features tons of photos and videos of the puppy, who appeared to be a German Shepherd. In one photo, the actress could be seen kissing her new pup as she sported a baseball hat inside a bar. Another snapshot showed Sweeney carrying the dog around inside her purse....

Australians started early voting ahead of a national election on May 3, with polls showing the center-left Labor government holding a narrow lead over the opposition with two weeks to go until the campaign ends. Almost 50% of Australians cast their ballots early in the last election in 2022, either by post or in person, and a large number of voters are expected to turn out from Tuesday at polling stations across the country. A record number of people have registered to vote in the 2025 poll, according to the...

Australian identical twins Bridgette Powers and Paula Powers spoke in-sync throughout a surreal local news interview as they recounted how their mother was caught up in a terrifying armed carjacking after a stolen SUV flipped on Steve Irwin Way in Queensland. The Powers twins, founders of Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, who already made news in the past for their in-sync interviews, appeared on 7News Queensland after their mother, who rushed to help the crash victim, came face-to-face with a gun-wielding man emerging from the wreckage....