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Key events
Minister says members of Iranian women’s football team would have faced ‘very, very difficult’ choice
Catherine King added the government had done what it could to let members of the Iranian women’s football team know there were opportunities for them in Australia when granted them asylum.
She told RN those decisions were obviously “incredibly hard and very, very difficult” to make, adding:
We can’t remove the context in which these players are making incredibly difficult decisions. And so we’ve obviously made the offer for humanitarian visas. They have been accepted and then we understand there are a number who have taken the decision now to return to their home country. …
They would have been facing enormous pressure from what was happening overseas in their home country as well … Certainly we are very proud that Australia has offered that choice to these women.
Minister maintains Australia well prepared to withstand oil turmoil
Catherine King, the minister for infrastructure, maintained Australia is well prepared to withstand the turmoil in the Middle East, which has affected petrol prices across the globe.
King said Australia currently has 37 days of petrol, 30 days of diesel and 29 days of jet fuel in reserve as part of its minimum stock obligation.
King told RN Breakfast:
We’re obviously well placed. We’ve been conscious for a long period of time that fuel security is a significant issue for Australia, given how reliant we are on overseas markets. And the volatility of the global world has obviously had our attention for some time in relation to this. It’s why we introduced the minimum stock holding obligation.
Fifth member of Iranian women’s football squad leaves Australia
A fifth member of the Iranian women’s football squad left Australia overnight after withdrawing her claim of asylum.
The office of the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed the woman had left after Australia initially granted asylum to seven team members, including a player handler, last week while they were in the country for the Asian Cup.
Yesterday, after three of the women decided to return to Iran, Burke said:
After telling Australian officials they had made this decision the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options.
While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions.
Read more here:
Hybrid sales hit record high as petrol car sales hit new low
Ima Caldwell
New data from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) shows petrol-electric hybrid vehicles have reached record sales, while traditional fuel cars lose ground.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, 55,458 new hybrids were sold, accounting for 19.13% of all new light vehicle sales. This comfortably eclipsed the previous record of 16.7% set in the September quarter of 2024. In addition, 15,411 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles were sold – 5.32% of light vehicle sales, up from its previous record of 4.82% in the January quarter of 2025.
Internal-combustion engine vehicles fell to a record quarterly low of 66.3%, down from nearly 70% in the previous quarter.
Battery-electric vehicles (BEV) sales saw a slight dip in momentum: from 9.7% market share, to the to 9.25% in the final quarter of 2025.
While battery-electric vehicles briefly outsold hybrids in early 2023, hybrids have now outsold BEVs for 10 consecutive quarters.
A record 29,298 battery-electric vehicles were sold in the September quarter, 54 more than the previous three months’ total, the previous high.
Good morning
Good morning, and happy Monday. Nick Visser here to take you through the day’s news. Here’s what’s on deck:
Hybrid vehicle sales have surged to a new record, while those of traditional petrol-powered cars have reached a quarterly low, according to new data from the Australian Automobile Association. The figures come shortly after Australia said it would release nearly 20% of its fuel stockpile amid surging petrol prices.
A man has died from multiple gunshot wounds in an early morning shooting at an apartment near Sydney Olympic Park. Emergency services were called to the area just after 4am, where they tried to revive the man. He died at hospital a short time later.
The Oscars will take place this morning, with both Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi up for acting awards. Byrne will also be one of the presenters at the 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien. The event begins at 10am AEDT.
Stick with us.
