Dear Australia, from Hong Kong, China

Australia’s split right down the middle this week — half underwater, half celebrating. In the north, floodwaters are rising fast in the Northern Territory and Queensland, with the Katherine River peaking at 19 metres and locals spotting crocodiles in their streets. In the south, Melbourne just wrapped up a sun-soaked Labour Day long weekend that featured F1 fans, footy crowds, massive gigs by international acts, and the iconic Moomba Festival’s Birdman Rally over the Yarra.But amid all the fun, Australians face serious shocks — both economic and geopolitical. A spike in global oil prices is fuelling panic at the pumps as Sydney residents fill jerrycans ahead of a possible supply crunch. The local stock market tumbled in the wake of the Trump-Netanyahu conflict with Iran, wiping billions from the ASX. And with airfares skyrocketing, many families are swapping Berlin for Ballarat and Budapest for Bendigo.We unpack how Australia’s fragile fuel reserves — just 21 days of diesel onshore — could trigger a major supply crisis. Plus, what it says about the country’s supermarket duopoly and fragile supply chains, where prawns caught in Far North Queensland go on a 5,000km detour before landing back in local stores.It’s a tale of two weather systems, two economies, and one increasingly jittery nation — from the flooded Daly River to the crowded Yarra.(Mostly) new Australian music played on RTHK3 radio:Antenna - Come On Spring The Hard-Ons - Getting Older Jake Mason Trio - Sharks in a Paddock

This week's episode begins with discussion of the some of the reasons Melbourne has so many magnificent bands with amazing brass sections - and some chit-chat about one of those bands, Jazzparty, who are in the process of delivering more quality Australian-made music on all your favourite listening platforms.Trump bombs Iran, Albanese gets on board as Canada's PM Mark Carney flies in for some middle power brokingBut we start in Melbourne’s CBD, where Iranians gathered on Bourke Street on Sunday in a spontaneous show of solidarity and slightly anxious-flavoured optimism at the end of the Ayatollah's rule in Iran as bombs continue dropping and missiles continue flying. After the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran that are illegal according to international law and the global "rules based order" as well as America's own Constitution requiring Congressional approval for wars, Australia’s government faces renewed scrutiny over its alliance with Washington — and a decades-long pattern of following U.S.-led wars without parliamentary debate.As more and more scrutibny falls on Australia’s links to the American war machine via the Pine Gap satellite spy base and its role in the supply chain to build the stealth bombers and drones used in Israel's genocide of Gaza, Prime Minister Albanese also is receiving an official visit from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, on his tour through India, Australia and Japan to realign “middle powers” through new trade and defence partnerships. This week’s events show a shifting world order and Carney’s official visit to Canberra — his first in nearly 20 years for a Canadian leader — underscores a push for cooperation beyond the U.S. orbit.Your free fun factoid of Australia-Canada relations: it was a Canadian named Charles Ross who died fighting the British redcoats at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat in 1856 who designed the Southern Cross flag, the insignia included on the Australian flag as well as being tattooed on every bogan across Australia.Massive AI scandal brewing: multimillion dollar mortgage fraudPlus, a new front in Australia’s financial world: the Commonwealth Bank reports what could be one of the country’s largest-ever fraud cases — and the first major example of artificial intelligence used to commit large-scale banking crime. With fake mortgage documents built from stolen data, the case reveals both the promise and peril of AI-driven finance.New Australian-made songs played on RTHK3Mick Daley - Tangerine BelieversJazzparty - Not HumanBirdsnake - Hydrostatic Pressure

The big low over the big red heartAustralia is bracing for its biggest rains in decades as a massive monsoonal low over central Australia threatens to dump up to 30 centimetres of rain across the country’s red heart — cutting off roads and towns in South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. After one of the driest summers in a century and multiple major bushfires, the shift to autumn brings flash flooding warnings across Victoria and beyond.Downgrading relations with the disgraced former Royal PriinceIn Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese makes world headlines by becoming the first Commonwealth leader to back moves to strip Prince Andrew of his succession rights — though many note deeper questions about the monarchy itself and the balance between Australia’s republican ambitions and its royal ties.Trump Tower on the Gold Coast: spare us the clicheMeanwhile, U.S. headlines ripple across the Pacific: Donald Trump reintroduces 15% tariffs amid a swirl of controversies linking him once again to the Epstein saga. And in unlikely real-estate news, plans for a $1.5 billion Trump Tower on the Gold Coast raise eyebrows — the developer behind the deal has a questionable track record, renewing questions about the Trump brand’s global footprint.A new non-American social media platformWe talk about the Australian-Palestinian invented Upscrolled, a new social platform challenging Silicon Valley’s dominance.Songs played on RTHK 3Bumpy - Nan’s the WordKylie Auldist - One Time OfferGlenys Rae Virus - One Heartache per Annum

Australia starts the week in that rarest of states in February — not on fire that much. The major bushfires in Victoria are mostly out, with only a stubborn blaze in the Otways left smouldering. Elsewhere, a Category 3 cyclone hovers off northern West Australia, storms roll across the country, and Melbourne is enjoying a fleeting run of days in the “low‑to‑mid‑20s” — the local definition of paradise.The biggest heat this week, however, is political. In Sydney, police clashed with protesters demonstrating against the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog — a man whose photo‑ops and war record in the genocide in Gaza come trailing more controversy than diplomacy. The Albanese government’s decision to host him is being sold as a gesture of social cohesion, which is one way to describe widespread outrage. Meanwhile, an explosive ABC report suggests intelligence failures preceded December’s Bondi Beach attacks, adding more sparks to an already volatile national mood.There’s at least one bright spot: Australia’s first large‑scale solar‑battery hybrid has gone live near Parkes, marking a milestone in the race to make renewable energy both affordable and useful after sundown. Big power companies are, predictably, not thrilled — especially as new rules will soon force them to offer free midday electricity. Somewhere, an accountant just burst into flames.On the cultural side, the baby boomer generation has discovered a new way to avoid downsizing: installing home elevators. Because why sell when you can simply rise above it? And as gold and silver prices surge, Australians are raiding op shops for antique cutlery, hammering spoons into bullion, and proving that resourcefulness isn’t dead — it’s just being melted down.A week where the fires cool, the protests flare, and the nation keeps finding new and ingenious ways to turn pressure into power — electrical and otherwise.So here's a description of how the term bush doof became a thing in Australia - especially for those 90s kids in Melbourne.Songs playedTouching the Untouchables - Men At Work (1981)Back of My Hand - Bel  Air Lip Bombs (2025)Horatio Luna - Bush Doof (2025)

It (was) January 26 in Australia — that complicated national holiday where the nation commemorates a "national tradition" begun in 1994 by an elderly culture warrior Prime Minister with a black-armband view of the future, and arguing fiercely about what being Australian means in its remaining media by mostly Anglo Caucasians. There’s music to start (Christine Anu, the Warumpi Band, King Stingray), followed by a quick history of big events on January 26 (British flag‑planting hijinks from Hong Kong to Botany Bay), and a side serve of protest, because what’s more Australian than a chorus of “We’re all mates!” followed by nobody agreeing on why.As temperatures climb past 45°C, Melbourne roasts, and the Otways are beginning to burn. This is a big deal for people who know their Australian pre-history as well as modern bushfire history: the Otways are the last of the ancient Gondwana-era cool temperate rainforests on the south end of the Australian mainland, and it only burns one way: catastrophically. Last time it burned was 1939. Now... many more people live there & (mostly) volunteers will try to save it.The week closes on the loss of Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst: the drummer who gave Australia its most un‑editable drum solo and a rhythm that still won’t quit. A drummer whose legacy stretches far into the future as much as his prolific output was caught on video and captured in so many great recordings over more than 40 years.A scorching, sweat‑stained week in which the nation wrestles with its past, its present, and its air conditioning — set, as always, to a truly great soundtrack.Songs played:Christine Anu - My Island Home (1994)King Stingray - Down Under (2022)Midnight Oil - Power and the Passion (live, 2017)

In Australia, January decided subtlety was overrated. Along the Great Ocean Road, tents, caravans, and the nation’s collective sense of normal weather were swept to sea by a “freak storm” — which, given the last few years, seems less “freak” and more “standard operating procedure.” Meanwhile, Sydney offered its own natural spectacle: a chain reaction beginning with torrential rain, followed by sewage overflow, then baitfish, and finally sharks. It’s the food chain — with extra steps and worse PR.In Parliament, Anthony Albanese has united the nation in disagreement by bundling gun reform and hate speech laws into one bill — a move greeted by the opposition with the enthusiasm usually reserved for a vegetarian sausage sizzle. Having demanded faster action, they are now furious that action has been taken quickly. A magnificent display of political physics: equal parts hypocrisy and conservation of outrage.And in Melbourne, the Australian Open continues its noble mission to remind Australians that “Eala” is not pronounced “Eel-ah.” Filipina star Alexandra Eala became the first woman from her country to enter the top 50 — and although she lost, she left the court with dignity intact, which, for an Australian politician, would currently qualify as a major upset.Music played:Yara - Common SenseKylie Auldist - Get In the Game The Black Cockatoos - Feelin' It

Melbourne shook again as AC/DC rattled the MCG at a skull‑cracking 127dB, but the real story starts with a cancelled punk gig, 35,000 dollars’ worth of apology beers, and the greatest PR move since “free T‑shirt night” at the footy. Amyl and the Sniffers’ free Fed Square show was pulled over crowd‑crush fears, so Amy and the band turned heartbreak into a city‑wide bar shout and accidentally became patrons saint of live music and hangovers. From record‑breaking bagpipers blasting rock anthems, to Brian Johnson straining for the high notes while Angus Young refuses to act his age, it's a noisy love letter to Melbourne’s rock’n’roll soul. Then it’s a hard left turn into politics and prehistory: Trump’s tariffs on Aussie beef quietly vanish, green investment in Australia goes through the roof, and scientists unveil the stuff of truly cursed tourism ads – five‑metre “drop crocs” that may once have fallen out of trees onto their dinner. It’s guitars, gig economy stimulus, climate cash and killer crocodiles…

Nevermind the "Trump effect" on the 2025 Australian election: Australia now has more Australians with Chinese ancestry elected to Federal Parliament than ever before, and more women elected to Parliament as independents and for the Australian Labor Party than ever before. 2025 has seen the end of the two party system and the confirmation of the role of independents in the federal Parliament, with near-equal number of independents and Liberals in the House of Representatives. It has also marked the end of the reign of Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan over political influence exerted through print and electronic media.Meanwhile there is the ongoing vote count in crucial electorates such as Goldstein and Kooyong, and the implications of the Senate results that promise a smoother legislative path for the Albanese government. Hear about the cultural and political narratives that shaped the campaign, including the rejection of divisive culture wars and Murdoch media influence, and how the so-called “Trump effect” narrative misses the mark in explaining Australian voters’ decisions.The episode also highlights the growing influence of women and Chinese-Australian candidates reshaping the political landscape, with historic wins in seats long held by conservatives. Plus, get insights into the future direction of the Albanese government, including upcoming international diplomacy and domestic policy priorities.Songs played on RTHK3INXS - The SwingThe Angels - Am I Ever Going to See Your face AgainSurprise Chef - Consulate Case