Joshua Hinton's play A Place in the Sultan's Kitchen blends live cooking, music and storytelling into an exploration of identity and belonging. Staged at the Sydney Opera House, the production follows Hinton's family across countries and faiths as he prepares his grandmother's chicken curry on stage. The play explores migration, grief and the pressure to fit in. Hinton's brother Dominic contributes technical work and occasional performance. The show ends with Hinton's answer to where he is from: "I come from the 'Gong."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he will raise concerns about a rising number of British backpackers arriving in Australia when he next meets the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham.
Giorgos Lygouris died on Friday at the age of 104. His daughter, Mary Tsimikli-Economopoulou, announced the news on social media, describing a quiet farewell. Born in Kalamata in 1922, he worked as a policeman in Greece before migrating to Germany and later to Australia in 1967. He and his wife, Athanasia, who died seven and a half years ago, had five children, along with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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WA Premier Roger Cook has criticised federal changes to working holiday visas, warning they could cost thousands of tourism and hospitality jobs, particularly in regional areas. In a letter to Immigration Minister Tony Burke, Mr Cook said the reforms would hurt many industries in the state that rely on backpackers. Under the changes, a ballot will decide who can stay a second or third year, with 45,000 places for a second year and 5000 for a third. Mr Cook estimated the reduction would result in the loss of 4500 tourism and hospitality workers.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he wants a discussion about returning to the European Union's freedom of movement rules for workers. In an interview with the Sunday Times, he said pre-Brexit migration was a challenge, though different from today. He said freedom of movement could form part of a wider reset of ties with the EU, including data sharing and migration. Burnham is due to meet senior EU officials at a summit on November 20. Former finance minister Jeremy Hunt warned that relaxing immigration rules would hurt people in Britain.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to Greek Australians, saying Australia would be unimaginable without them. Speaking at the Hellenic Club's centenary gala ball in Sydney, he reflected on the club's founding in 1926 by Greek shopkeepers. Albanese said the club helped new Greek migrants settle and become part of the wider community. He also recalled Greece's refusal of an ultimatum in 1940, marked each year as Oxi Day, and the joint fight of Australians and Allied forces alongside Greece in World War II.
Many migrant women in Australia work below their skill level because their overseas qualifications are not recognised, according to Settlement Services International research. Afghan accountant Farukh Tahery took about a year to find work and now studies accounting at TAFE. Australian Multicultural Women's Alliance executive director Malini Raj says the recognition process is costly, slow and fragmented. Advocates have called for a national commissioner to oversee skills recognition for migrants and refugees.
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.
Heer Kaur, an Indian migrant in Beveridge, north of Melbourne, chose to have just one child after postponing parenthood to build a career and secure permanent residency. She says the lack of family support pushed up childcare costs and left her working longer hours. Treasury's Intergenerational Report puts Australia's fertility rate at a historic low of 1.48 births per woman, and it names delayed childbearing as a key driver. Demographers say migration will play a growing role in sustaining population growth and the workforce, though migrants often adopt local fertility patterns.
Two volunteers in Canberra support Nepali migrants who are struggling with rising costs and visa rules. Santosh, who leads Sanatan Samaj Australia, says most people reach him only when problems have become serious. Gambling, loans and credit card debt often emerge after a student's first year. Sujan, who arrived in 2016, helps newcomers understand job and study pathways. Neither man is paid for this work, and Santosh wants a community space where people can be noticed early.
Independent Barwon MP Roy Butler has warned that extreme federal cuts to migration intake would hit businesses and services across western New South Wales. On Wednesday, 21 October, he delivered a Notice of Motion to NSW Parliament, titled Visa Workers Needed. Butler said many bush communities lack enough local staff for pubs, clubs and retail shifts. He also said country towns rely on overseas workers in aged care and hospitals. Butler said he would work with new conservative MPs if voters return him at the next election.
The National Farmers' Federation has welcomed the Coalition's commitment to introduce a dedicated Agriculture Visa from 2030. The federation says the visa must complement existing workforce programs rather than replace them. NFF president Hamish McIntyre said no single visa could meet every farm's labour needs. He said Working Holiday Makers filled about one in seven Australian farm jobs. The federation also welcomed plans to remove proposed caps and the ballot system for Working Holiday Maker visa extensions.
Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the OECD and a former Liberal finance minister, has warned that mainstream parties should not adopt populist economics. Speaking to the Centre for Independent Studies, he said the grievances behind populism, including falling real incomes and housing access, were real. He argued that tariffs, migration caps and state intervention were not the answer. Cormann also set out a reform agenda covering tax reform, including a GST overhaul, and the use of artificial intelligence to lift productivity.
Bogong moths that remain in east coast homes are not laying eggs indoors, as they lay them in soil. Adult moths feed on nectar and can leave droppings, which may stain walls, windows and fabrics. Experts advise wiping hard surfaces with warm, soapy water and rinsing fabrics in cold water quickly. Bogong moths are attracted to artificial light, so keeping lights low and opening doors and windows can help them leave. They are not a threat to clothing or vegetables in their adult stage.
Weather radars across south-eastern Australia have shown rain-like signals most nights for a month, though skies are mostly clear. The Bureau of Meteorology says millions of bogong moths migrating to the Australian Alps for summer are the likely cause. The insects take flight after sunset and appear on radar as widespread light rain. Radar echoes have spread from New South Wales into northern and eastern Victoria. Standard forecasts are not affected, as they rely on modelling, ground observations and satellites. Some weather apps relying on raw radar data could send false alerts.
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Researcher Connor Marsland has scaled six peaks in the Brindabella Range to monitor a surge in bogong moths. The annual migration, which has been unusually visible this spring, saw thousands of moths coat walls and windows across NSW. Marsland, a PhD student at Western Sydney University, is studying the moths' migratory flyways and behaviour at aestivation sites. The boom in numbers is encouraging, but researchers caution against interpreting it as proof the species' future is secure.
Insect enthusiasts say a surge of native caper white butterflies has arrived in Adelaide after wet weather in Central Australia. Kris Messenger, of the invertebrate education service Bugs and Slugs, says heavy rain further north created ideal conditions for the insects. The butterflies move south each summer to escape heat and limited food, resting on caper plants along the way. Kate Grigg, a gardener, says her large caper bush was visited about two weeks earlier than elsewhere in the city. Messenger says other insects, including dragonflies and grasshoppers, are also thriving this year.
Aged care providers and the Committee for Economic Development of Australia want a dedicated essential skills visa for care workers. They say overseas workers are central to the sector as the population ages. Ageing Australia says 51 per cent of the residential aged care workforce was born overseas. A regional Orange centre reports that 104 of its 179 staff are from Nepal. Major parties have proposed competing cuts to net overseas migration, and the Coalition says aged care would remain a priority workforce.
