Police suspect human remains are those of Chris Baghsarian
Andrew Marks, detective acting superintendent for NSW police, said the human remains discovered this morning in Pitt Town, NSW, are believed to be those of Chris Baghsarian.
Baghsarian, 85, was mistakenly kidnapped from his home in North Ryde 11 days ago.
Marks said the remains are yet to be positively identified and there will be a formal process to do so. He said Baghsarian’s family is “deeply upset”, and has asked for privacy as the investigation continues.
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese says One Nation more for Gina Rinehart than working people
Staying on the prime minister’s live podcast recording with Karl Stefanovic, Anthony Albanese says One Nation doesn’t represent working people but rather people like mining magnate, Gina Rinehart.
The prime minister said:
They don’t represent [working class] values. They oppose every advance that trade unions have ever made. They oppose – One Nation – one job, one pay, same job, same pay, which has made such a difference. They’ve opposed the legislation that we’ve done to enshrine penalty rates on weekends. They oppose the pay increases that were put for workers in the care sector, like aged care …
When people look at what policies they have, they don’t represent working people. And of course, One Nation’s greatest supporter, [Hanson’s] friend, is Gina Reinhardt. Last time I looked, [she’s] not a working-class hero, but someone who’s advocated cuts to wages and cuts to working conditions.
He also cautioned voters to remember their electoral history over the past two decades.
There’s a history with these political parties, of people getting elected and then leaving them and it not lasting.
Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese ‘very sorry’ Bondi shooting happened under his watch
Anthony Albanese says he is “very sorry” that the Bondi shooting happened while he was prime minister, but took aim at “political actors” who chose to “politicise the event”.
The prime minister is speaking live from the Lodge on Karl Stefanovic’s podcast and has been asked about criticism he faced following the terror attack. In the days and weeks after the incident, the opposition, some commentators and others who were linked to victims of the attack claimed Albanese was to blame for not doing enough about antisemitism in Australia.
Albanese responded:
Look, I’ve got no issue whatsoever with people who were part of that community grieving, and yeah, part of my job was to be a bit of a shock absorber for the nation, if you like, at difficult times. And you know, I’ll cop that. I copped a fair bit of criticism at that time, but I was determined to do my job …
What did happen, though, was that … political actors chose to politicise that event. Now, that that didn’t happen after Port Arthur. It didn’t happen after the Lindt cafe siege in Martin Place. It didn’t happen after the Bali bombings, and that’s unfortunate …
I’m very sorry that that happened on my watch. You know, I’m the prime minister, so something happened while I was prime minister …
But one of the things that we can’t do is dismiss the responsibility of these terrorists for making a conscious decision.
Sarah Basford Canales
PM calls ‘bullshit’ on claim the government did deal with humanitarian group on Syrian repatriations
Anthony Albanese says he calls “bullshit” on claims his home affairs minister, Tony Burke, made a deal with Save the Children to bring back the 34 Australian women and children stuck in a Syrian detention camp before the federal election.
The prime minister is speaking live from the Lodge with media personality Karl Stefanovic on Stefanovic’s podcast. Albanese repeated his comments on having “contempt” for the adults who chose to travel to Syria during the height of Islamic State’s campaign. The 34 Australians – eleven women and 23 Australian children – are the wives, widows and children of slain or jailed Islamic State fighters and have remained in Roj detention camp for years.
Albanese said:
I call bullshit. The fact is that that group that was spoken about, the non-government organisation, took the Australian government to court to demand the repatriation, and we won that case. We opposed it and we won …
Australian citizens do have rights. We are acting right up to where the law is, and the law was put in place by the former government. So that is what we are doing … absolutely, if there are any breaches of Australian law, of course we will [charge them].
Severe thunderstorm warning for large part of Melbourne
VicEmergency has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Melbourne, with residents told to shelter indoors immediately.
The warning includes the areas of Sunbury, Sydenham, St Albans, Melbourne airport, Craigieburn, Preston, Footscray and their surrounds.
Officials said intense rainfall can lead to dangerous or life-threatening flash flooding, calling the thunderstorms “very dangerous” as they head south-east through the city.
If you are located Sunbury, Sydenham, St Albans, Melbourne Airport, Craigieburn, Preston, Footscray and surrounds, you are in danger. You should immediately move indoors to stay safe.
Severe Thunderstorm – Emergency Warning for Sunbury, Sydenham, St Albans, Melbourne Airport, Craigieburn, Preston, Footscray and surrounds. You should Shelter Indoors Now. For more info: https://t.co/xp0SOnTuJv #vicstorms
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) February 24, 2026
Another severe thunderstorm warning is in place east of the city, covering Healesville, Warburton and the surrounds.
Caitlin Cassidy
Sections of road where human remains found on outskirts of Sydney remains shut off to public
The close-knit community of Pitt Town is in disbelief after police discovered human remains on farmland by a golf course on Tuesday morning during their search for missing 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian.
Locals say the most danger the historic town on the outskirts of Sydney has seen in decades is the occasional robbery.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a stretch of the road where the body was found was shut off to traffic in both directions, with police occasionally having to turn back passing tractors or motorists.
One local who runs a business on the road and didn’t wish to be named said they’d been “in shock” since seeing police flood the area on Tuesday morning.
They hadn’t been interviewed by police but said their security camera footage had been accessed.
We’re usually dealing with floods, not anything like this. The worst crimes I’ve seen are the occasional robberies … It’s definitely the topic of conversation today and will be something everyone will talk about for a while to come.
We’re close-knit, easygoing here. People who are down here have usually been here for generations. It’s usually such a laid-back area, just farmland … It’s just a little bit unreal.
NSW police say they are ‘all outraged this could happen to an innocent man’
Andrew Marks says the investigation will continue, and it is still in its very early stages:
It’s only early since we’ve located the deceased, the human remains, so we will process that and we’ll get the evidence and the information as it comes through …
We will endeavour and use every resource available to identify those responsible and bring them before the courts …
We’re all outraged this could happen to an innocent man.
Police suspect human remains are those of Chris Baghsarian
Andrew Marks, detective acting superintendent for NSW police, said the human remains discovered this morning in Pitt Town, NSW, are believed to be those of Chris Baghsarian.
Baghsarian, 85, was mistakenly kidnapped from his home in North Ryde 11 days ago.
Marks said the remains are yet to be positively identified and there will be a formal process to do so. He said Baghsarian’s family is “deeply upset”, and has asked for privacy as the investigation continues.
Donna Lu
Heavy rain, flash flooding forecast in Victoria amid lingering monsoon low
Heavy rain in central Victoria, including Melbourne, could lead to flash flooding this afternoon, with 30mm to 60mm forecast to fall within a few hours.
BoM senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said a tropical low over central Australia “isn’t really moving much in the next few days” and is forecast to bring a year’s worth of rain in a week to parts of inland NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
He added that some inland locations recorded 50mm to 100m of rain in the last day:
They’re probably going to see that continue in the coming days. There’s not many [people] out there but obviously big impacts for those that are, with roads being washed out and rail impacts … a few communities and landholders out there could be isolated for quite a while.
Narramore said:
We’ll likely see some flash flooding in some parts of Victoria today … It’s showers and storms, so it’s always hit and miss. So some [areas] will get huge totals and just down the road will get nothing at all.
Press conference on search for Chris Baghsarian at 2pm
NSW police are set to hold a media conference at 2pm local time after detectives located suspected human remains in the ongoing search for missing 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian.
We’ll bring you live updates from that press conference at the top of the hour.
Aussie shares edge lower but metals continue charge
Australian miners and energy stocks are helping to limit losses in the broader market after a weak lead from Wall Street sparked by jitters around US tariffs and artificial intelligence, AAP reports.
The S&P/ASX200 was down 0.12% as the broader All Ordinaries gained 0.1%. The local bourse started the session slightly higher but slipped below break-even by midday, after a night of tech losses in the US market due to fears of artificial intelligence disruption.
The local tech sector slumped 2.2% to its lowest level since November 2023 in a broad-based sell-off.
Basic materials helped limit the losses elsewhere, the sector jumping 1.6 % as risk-off sentiment supported gold stocks and mining behemoth BHP broke $55 per share for the first time.
Emma Lawrence to become first woman to call NRL games
Emma Lawrence will become the first woman in NRL broadcast history to call a game, with Triple M including “one of the sharpest broadcasters in rugby league” on its play-by-play commentary team for the new season.
Lawrence, one of the most respected voices in the game, will enter the domain previously reserved for men in a move the radio station called a “landmark moment”. Female voices are present across broader coverage of the NRL but a woman has never been handed the prestigious play-by-play call before.
The move follows other sports which showcase women as lead commentators for men’s matches, including Kelli Underwood on AFL and Isa Guha on cricket.
Sports commentator Kate Allman said it was “a win for all women working in commentary and sport broadcasting”.
Read more here:
Why does the RBA only have one blunt tool? We ask the deputy governor
Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Andrew Hauser speaks to our economics editor, Patrick Commins, and business and economics reporter Luca Ittimani about the 2025 surprises that led to the first interest rate rise in two years.
Listen here:
New Zealand backs Australia in removing Andrew from line of succession
New Zealand has said it would support the UK government if it proposes to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, Reuters reports.
The former prince was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office after being accused of sharing sensitive information with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
A spokesperson for Christopher Luxon, the country’s prime minister, said:
If the UK government proposes to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the order of succession, New Zealand would support it.
The UK government has said any proposals would come after the police investigation concludes.
New Zealand’s backing comes after the Australian PM, Anthony Albanese, wrote to Keir Starmer saying his government would support “any proposal” to remove Andrew from the line of succession.
Josh Taylor
Banks compare Apple Pay to ‘toll booths’ on roads they didn’t pay for
A parliamentary committee on digital payments, chaired by Labor MP Ed Husic, is holding hearings today and tomorrow and it’s gearing up to be a fight between the banks and tech companies, which Husic described as “Kong v Godzilla”.
Apple Pay charges card issuers a fee, estimated to be 0.15% of the transaction value for each credit card transaction. Google Pay does not make this charge, and the banking sector finds it frustrating that Apple is charging these fees.
Speaking before the committee this morning, former Liberal minister Simon Birmingham, who is now the chief executive of the Australian Banking Association, said:
These global players generate significant value from Australian commerce and the infrastructure and services provided by Australian companies, yet they do not face the same regulatory obligations or requirements to invest in and support Australia’s payments infrastructure.
To put it simply, these companies do not build or maintain the roads that Australian commerce runs on. Yet they placed their own toll booths at key intersections.
Husic said it was “big banks v big tech” and asked what guarantee there would be that any changes parliament made to limit charged fees would benefit consumers and businesses, and not just the banks.
Birmingham said that the banking sector is much more competitive than those running digital wallets, and that existing sector regulation benefits consumers
Apple is due to appear before the committee this afternoon.
Daisy Dumas
Senior counsel makes opening statement in royal commission on antisemitism
Richard Lancaster, senior counsel assisting the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion, has made a statement as part of the first public hearing for the proceedings.
Speaking in Sydney this morning, the barrister said the antisemitic attack on Jewish Australians in Bondi on 14 December was a “truly horrifying event”.
He acknowledged the immense trauma and deep sadness the massacre had caused to Jewish Australians, as well as members of the community living in Bondi, people visiting for a meal or a swim that evening, “those who bravely rushed to help” and many other people across Australia.
He said counsel assisting would lead evidence to identify antisemitic conduct in Australian society; inquire into the drivers of antisemitism; identify what law enforcement and security agencies have been doing to tackle antisemitic conduct; and inquire into the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the attack. Evidence will include witness statements and oral and expert evidence.
He said social cohesion was a “consensus that a diverse, multicultural society can subsist and thrive only by mutual acceptance of our respective democratic freedoms exercised according to law. Social cohesion begins with empathy.”
He continued:
A large part of the work of this commission will be to present evidence to allow a broader understanding of the scourge of antisemitism, its nature and prevalence throughout Australian society and its impact on the lives of fellow Australians.
He encouraged members of the public to make submissions to the inquiry via the commission’s website, with submissions highlighting urgent matters due by 13 March so that they may be included in the commissioner’s interim report, expected by 30 April. Other submissions would be received throughout April and May.
To avoid prejudicing criminal proceedings against the person charged with committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder, it would not be possible for the commission to examine all elements of the Bondi attack, he added.
Coffee cups, truck laws leave shoppers with hefty bill
Patchwork laws between states, including those that ban single-use plastics, are driving up costs for shoppers, AAP reports.
It’s a claim Australia’s peak retail body makes in a new report that argues the “regulatory fragmentation” costs households about $900m a year.
Single-use coffee cups are legal in some states but cannott be used in others, meaning retailers are spending more to comply with laws while being forced to run separate, jurisdiction-specific supply chains.
The Australian Retail Council says coffee cups are an example of the contrasting laws hurting retailers and driving up prices. The council’s chief policy officer, Glenn Fahey, said:
Right now, a truck carrying a legal load in Sydney can be forced to stop at the border and transfer that load on to a different vehicle simply to continue to Brisbane.
Delivery schedules are dictated by mismatched local rules and different council curfews … this friction ultimately ends up in the price on the shelf that every Australian pays.
