Tens of thousands of Israeli citizens living overseas are travelling to Israel to vote in an election seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The AID Coalition estimates up to 67,000 voters are returning, with about half flying from the United States. Ballots can only be cast in person on election day, so political activists helped organise the trips. Polling suggests Netanyahu could face a tough challenge from Gadi Eisenkot and his newly formed Yashar party. Coalition talks will follow the vote, as either side needs 61 seats to form government.
A Melbourne mother and her five-year-old son asked residents of the Huntingtower mansion in Hawthorn to fly the Greek flag to mark OHI Day on 28 October. The idea came from Konstantinos, who asked when the flag would be flown at the house. His mother wrote to the residents, enclosing a flag and a short history of the day. A few days later the Greek flag was flying from the tower. The family say they were delighted and thanked the residents, whom they had never met.
A new exhibition in Melbourne explores how migrant families stay connected across borders through everyday digital messages and photographs. Titled 聞鳥憶君, it runs from 7 to 21 November 2026 at GAMA Studio in Brunswick and features debut works by seven artists with lived experience of migration. Curator Chait D'Cruz drew on her father's journey from Calcutta to Melbourne. The exhibition covers humour, pride and daily life, not only trauma. A programme of events includes an opening night, a discussion on cultural curation and music, jewellery sales and a closing performance by Joyce Liu.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Samoa beat France 78-4 at Western Sydney Stadium, a result that drew a Friday evening crowd of 13,000. Tonga and Samoa's growing strength is challenging Australia's long dominance of international rugby league. Samoa and Tonga's November 1 match in Sydney has already sold out. The Pasifika population in Australia nearly tripled between 2011 and 2021. A 2017 rule change allowing players to represent the nation of their cultural ties has also shaped the tournament, with many players now choosing Pacific nations.
The Hellenic Open University and Melbourne's Aetolian College of Hellenic Language and Culture are exploring a partnership to expand university and professional development opportunities for Greek Australians. Proposed distance learning programs would let Greek Australians study through the Greek university. A key priority is training Australian-born teachers of Greek heritage who teach Greek language, history and culture. The discussions have the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia. The partnership remains at the planning stage.
A special ERT3 programme linked two Cretan brothers living on different continents, moving viewers to tears during their reunion on screen. Antonis Tsourdalakis, a long-time member of Melbourne's Greek community, appeared from Istanbul. His brother Sifis, a lyre player, joined from San Francisco. The show also previewed a twenty-day tour of Australia by the Kourites Cultural Heritage Centre, running from 30 October to 18 November, with dance seminars and training for teachers. The Kourites last visited Melbourne in 2016.
Greek MPs visiting Melbourne have urged eligible Greek Australians to register to vote in Greece's national elections. Only 262 people in Australia had registered to vote from abroad, out of 18,261 worldwide, as of Sunday. Postal voting makes participation easier for Greeks living far from home, the MPs said. Their Melbourne visit ended with a reception hosted by the Greek Community of Melbourne, where they discussed Greek-language education and consular services. The MPs were part of a NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation that visited Canberra and Sydney from October 12 to 16.
Sydney-based activist Salman Shabbir says callers in Pakistan demanded he stop posting about the country's politics on X after his brother was taken in March 2024. Shabbir alleges the callers tortured his brother during a call and blames the Pakistani military, which has not responded to a request for comment. His case is one of several alleged transnational repression cases involving people in Australia. A Senate inquiry is examining the issue, and the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor has recommended reforms to foreign interference laws.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged Greeks abroad, including Greek Australians, to vote, invest and engage more closely with Greece. New laws now let eligible Greek citizens registered in Greece vote by post from overseas in national elections. Mitsotakis said he remains committed to visiting Australia after postponing a planned trip because of events in the Middle East. He also said Greece's ties with Israel, Egypt and the UAE are strong, and that the cost of living remains the government's top problem ahead of elections expected in spring 2027.
चितवन सिड्नी बोइजले सिड्नीमा रहेका नेपाली समुदायका लागि विशेष दशैं उत्सव आयोजना गर्ने भएको छ। आफ्नो परिवारबाट टाढा बसेका नेपालीहरूलाई दशैंमा एक्लो महसुस नगराउने उद्देश्य रहेको आयोजकहरूले बताएका छन्। कार्यक्रममा संगीत, नृत्य र परम्परागत गतिविधिमार्फत नेपाली संस्कृति र चाडपर्वको झल्को दिने योजना छ। कार्यक्रम 21 October 2026 मा बिहान १० बजेदेखि Homebush मा हुनेछ। अध्यक्ष निशान पौडेलले सबै नेपालीलाई सहभागी हुन निमन्त्रणा गरेका छन्।
Greek Australian poet Paraskevi Dentsas has written about her participation in the 9th Patras International Poetry Festival, which ended on 20 September. She read six of her poems in Greek and English alongside poets from 23 countries. The festival's theme, "The revolution begins with words," shaped her reflections on poetry's power to unite people. She describes events held across the city, including school visits, bookstore talks and workshops. Dentsas also says the experience strengthened her hope for a poetic link between Patras and Melbourne.
A stranger's question at a Melbourne hospitality job inspired University of Melbourne student Hiya Thacker to create a photography exhibition. You're Indian, Aren't You? features work by six contemporary photographers from India. Hiya says Indian identity is too varied to define in a single way. She wants visitors to question why people are defined so quickly. The exhibition opens at XYZ Photo Gallery in Docklands on 7 November and runs until 20 December 2026.
Associate Professor George Frazis has spent more than four decades teaching Greek in Australia, aiming to preserve its heritage for younger generations. A $30,000 contribution from the Greek Government, routed through Greece's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is supporting Greek and cultural studies at Charles Darwin University. Frazis said the money mainly funds academic publications, including a fourth volume on the Hellenic Diaspora, and gives the program more room for other activities. He described teaching as a lifelong commitment, and called for scholarships so young Greek teachers can study in Greece.
