Get the appCold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss is returning to Wagga with country star Troy Cassar-Daley for their acoustic tour. The tour follows the release of their live album, which debuted at No. 10 on the ARIA chart. Moss recalls Wagga's thriving 1970s pub scene and hints at another Cold Chisel reunion. The duo will perform in Albury and Wagga this month, with a November show in Thirroul.
Seventeen people from the Northern Territory have been named as nominees for the 2027 Australian of the Year Awards. Nominees were recognised in four categories: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Local Hero. Their work covers youth mentorship, education, First Nations culture, volunteering, community advocacy and healthcare. National Australia Day Council CEO Carrie Leeson said the nominees share a commitment to caring for others. The Northern Territory award recipients will be announced on November 9 in Darwin, with the ceremony livestreamed online.
Police have arrested a 31-year-old man over a domestic violence incident that occurred in Alice Springs on Saturday. Officers from Strike Force Viper detained him at a property in the Sadadeen area on Monday afternoon, around 1:30pm. He has been remanded in custody while police prepare charges against him. He is expected to face the Alice Springs Local Court the following day.
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Get the appBlake Mackenzie, a 12-year-old from Newcastle, has won the top youth prize at the Australian Poetry Slam. His winning piece, performed at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday night, explored doomscrolling, loneliness and intellectual atrophy in the context of artificial intelligence. The competition is in its 22nd year and held 65 heats in 60 towns and cities to find 16 finalists. Mackenzie shares a prize package worth $20,000 with Alice Springs poet Bivor, who won the adult category.
Two people face drug charges after police executed a search warrant at a home on Gap Road in The Gap, Alice Springs. Officers from the Southern Drug Investigation Unit seized a quantity of methamphetamine below trafficable levels, drug implements and various weapons. A 41-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested at the address.
Year 6 student Blake Mackenzie, aged 12, has been named Youth Champion of the 2026 Australian Poetry Slam. Bivor, a spoken-word poet from Alice Springs, was named Adult Champion. The pair performed at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, against a dozen adult competitors. Mackenzie's poems criticised One Nation and questioned whether AI is a useful advisor or friend. The competition is run by Word Travels and has been held for 22 years. Mackenzie will perform at festivals across Australia, while Bivor will represent Australia at international festivals in Ubud and Singapore. Each champion shares a $20,000 prize package.
Indigenous translators and illustrators in the Northern Territory have worked with the Australian Federal Police to create two picture books on online child safety. The books are written in Western Arrarnta and Old Tiwi. Translator Maxine Malbunka says children in her community have encountered unsafe people online. The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received more than 100,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation in the past financial year, a 21 per cent rise. Digital versions of the books are available on the centre's website.
A Northern Territory review into child protection found that domestic violence by the girl's father was the biggest risk to five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby. The Department of Children and Families recorded 14 notifications linked to family violence since 2020, five of them in the weeks before her death. The review made 45 recommendations, which the government has accepted. Sector representatives said the recommendations were similar to earlier ones. Experts warned that treating family violence as a child protection issue could lead to victims losing their children.
Northern Territory Police are appealing for information after a domestic violence assault in Alice Springs. Police allege a 31-year-old man struck a 33-year-old woman several times to the face in a kitchen on Van Senden Avenue. He then allegedly assaulted a three-year-old boy who walked into the hallway. St John Ambulance assessed both victims. The boy appeared uninjured, while the woman suffered non-life-threatening facial injuries. A crime scene was declared, but the man remains outstanding. Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers.
The Northern Territory Police Force has confirmed that a 22-year-old victim of a suspicious crash in Alice Springs has died. The crash happened on a Sunday morning. The victim died on Friday in an Adelaide hospital, after being medically evacuated there on Monday. A 22-year-old offender has been further remanded and will appear in court again on 3 December 2026. Investigations are ongoing, and charges are expected to be upgraded.
Northern Territory Police say a 22-year-old man injured in a suspicious crash in Alice Springs on Sunday morning has died. He died on Friday in an Adelaide hospital, where he had been medically evacuated on Monday. A 22-year-old offender appeared in court on Tuesday and has been further remanded to appear on 3 December 2026. Police say investigations are ongoing and charges are expected to be upgraded.
Indigenous health and children's advocates say the Webb review into Northern Territory child protection gives a chance to fix the sector, but only with genuine partnership with Aboriginal organisations. Critics say the review focused too narrowly on the child protection department and on the mother of Kumanjayi Little Baby, who was allegedly abducted and murdered in April. The Aboriginal Child Placement Principle, which keeps children connected to family and culture, was not addressed in the review's recommendations. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, the child's aunt, accused advocates of an ideological approach.
A 20-year-old man has been refused bail after allegedly striking and killing a 57-year-old man with his car in Alice Springs and driving away. Aaron Kemp faces a charge of hit-and-run driving causing death, along with charges of driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle without a licence while under the influence of alcohol. Prosecutors told the Alice Springs Local Court that witnesses placed him in the driver's seat and said he was under the influence of alcohol and cannabis. Judge Jon Bortoli said the prosecution case appeared strong and remanded Mr Kemp in custody.
Preliminary police data shows property offences in Darwin have risen since October last year, returning to 2024 levels in July and August 2026. Across the Northern Territory, property offences fell 15 per cent and offences against the person fell 6 per cent in the government's second year. Alice Springs has seen significant reductions in both crime types, while Katherine's crime levels are similar to or worse than two years ago. Rural areas have not shown the drops the government's measures targeted. The government did not respond to a request for comment.
The Northern Territory government has offered a state funeral for Dr Pat Miller AO, an Arrernte elder who spent her life fighting racial discrimination. Her son, Allan Miller, said the honour was a fitting acknowledgement of her legacy. Dr Miller was the first Indigenous deputy to the administrator of the Northern Territory, in 2002, and was named NT Australian of the Year in 2004. She joined the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service as a filing clerk in 1978 and became its director by 1982. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro called her a trailblazer who championed access to justice.
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Get the appNorthern Territory police are investigating a serious harm incident in Alice Springs on Saturday 17 October 2026. Police were called around 8:20pm about a male who was allegedly assaulted. It is alleged that two adult males were involved in a fight during a concert at a casino on Barrett Drive. One man allegedly punched the other several times in the face, causing significant facial injuries. The victim was treated at hospital, and police are still working to locate the alleged offender.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested in Alice Springs over an alleged hit-and-run that killed a 57-year-old man more than five months ago. Police say the crash happened on Len Kittle Drive at about 9.30pm on May 20. Officers found the man with catastrophic injuries, and he died at the scene. The Major Crash Investigation Unit launched an investigation. On Wednesday, the teenager was arrested at Alice Springs Police Station and charged with dangerous driving causing death, hit-and-run and multiple other offences. He was refused bail and will face court on Thursday.
Police have charged a 20-year-old man with dangerous driving causing death over an alleged hit-and-run in Alice Springs. The 57-year-old man was found unresponsive on Len Kittle Drive on May 20 and died at the scene. Police say he was struck by a vehicle near Blatherskite Park after being seen on dash cam footage. The man was arrested at Alice Springs police station and remanded in custody. He is due to appear in the Alice Springs Local Court tomorrow.
The family of Patricia Ann Miller AO, known as Aunty Pat, has accepted a State Funeral offered by Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro. Born in Alice Springs, Miller was a proud Aboriginal woman who served the Northern Territory through leadership, advocacy and community service. She was named NAIDOC Aboriginal of the Year and NT Australian of the Year, and served 19 years as Deputy to the Administrator. Finocchiaro called her a trailblazer who fought for Aboriginal Territorians. A date and location will be set with the family and made public shortly.
A former state police chief says care workers should have recognised the rising risk of violence facing five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby before her death. Her body was found five days after she was allegedly abducted from Alice Springs' Old Timers camp in April. Jefferson Lewis, 47, has been charged with her murder and is awaiting trial. An independent review led by Karen Webb and Greg Shanahan found extensive failings in the Northern Territory child protection department. The government has accepted all 45 recommendations to reset the department.