The three artefacts, which are now being transferred to India, include a bronze trident associated with Goddess Bhadrakali, a granite idol of Nandi and a basalt sculpture of the six-headed deity Karthikeya.

The handover took place on 11 November 2026, with India’s High Commissioner to Australia, Nagesh Singh, joining the exchange.

The High Commission of India confirmed in a statement that it had formally taken possession of the objects and acknowledged the National Gallery of Australia’s cooperation in facilitating their return.

“Following through on the high-level commitment made by our Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese during the 3rd Annual Leaders’ Summit in July 2026, through its sustained efforts, the High Commission of India in Australia has formally taken over and is transferring the three precious Indian artefacts to India.”

It added that the artefacts would soon arrive in India, describing the transfer as bringing treasured heritage home.

The three objects have historical and religious significance and are associated with temples in Tamil Nadu.

The bronze trident of Goddess Bhadrakali and the granite Nandi idol are associated with the Shri Kashi Vishwanatha Swami Temple in Kulum Manguri, Tamil Nadu. Both date from the Chola to Vijayanagara period, between the 13th and 16th centuries.

The third object is a basalt sculpture depicting the six-headed Karthikeya, also known as Skanda. Dating from the early 11th century, the Chola-period sculpture is associated with the Naganatha Swami Temple in Manambari, in the Thanjavur district.

The return follows an announcement made by Mr Albanese during the third Australia-India Annual Leaders’ Summit in Melbourne on 9 July 2026.

Following discussions with Mr Modi, the Australian Prime Minister announced that Australia would voluntarily return several culturally significant objects held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The announcement formed part of a wider commitment to cultural cooperation and the protection of heritage between the two countries.

At the same summit, Mr Albanese welcomed India’s decision to voluntarily and unconditionally repatriate the remains of an Australian First Nations ancestor held at the Government Museum in Chennai.

“The ancestor will be voluntarily and unconditionally repatriated by India to their Traditional Custodians.”

He described the return of First Nations ancestors as an important step towards healing, justice and reconciliation.

The reciprocal commitments were also recognised in the joint statement issued after the summit, which highlighted the importance of cultural cooperation and the protection and preservation of cultural heritage.

The return of the three Indian artefacts marks another step in Australia and India’s efforts to strengthen cultural ties through the restoration of significant heritage objects to their communities of origin.

The National Gallery of Australia says it has voluntarily repatriated more than 270 works of art from its collection since 2014, with 35 to India, as part of its commitment to ethical collecting and responsible collection management.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Australia returns ancient Indian artefacts, including six-headed Karthikeya, Bhadrakali trident and Nandi idol first appeared on The Australia Today.

In his official Diwali message, Albanese said the festival represented an ancient tradition of spiritual and personal renewal, underpinned by generosity and the embrace of new beginnings.

“For Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist communities, Diwali is deeply embedded in culture – an ancient tradition of spiritual and personal renewal, underpinned by the cultivation of generosity and the embrace of new beginnings,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the festival’s message extended beyond religious and cultural boundaries, encouraging compassion, understanding and unity.

“With love and unity at its luminous heart, it is a message – and an invitation – that is as welcome now as it has ever been.”

Albanese said the lighting of diyas, candles and lanterns reflected shared hopes for humanity and the belief that goodness, knowledge and truth would prevail.

He also highlighted Diwali’s growing place in Australia’s multicultural identity, saying the celebrations brought people from different backgrounds together through the bonds of family, friendship and community.

“We can all take pride and joy in just how intrinsically Diwali has become part of the face of modern Australia.”

The Prime Minister acknowledged the contributions of communities that have maintained their cultural heritage while helping shape Australia’s national identity through generations of hard work, aspiration and commitment to the country.

“As you honour the birthright of your heritage, you add so much to the land that is your home,” he said.

Concluding his message, Albanese wished those celebrating Diwali hope and optimism for the future.

“May your Diwali celebrations uplift you in hope for a brighter future.”

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Prime Minister Albanese says Diwali is now integral to modern Australia, praises Indian community for shaping nation’s identity first appeared on The Australia Today.

Viraj Mehta, who is due to travel with his family of four in November, raised the issue publicly on X after he was unable to select meal preferences through the Singapore Airlines app or call centre.

Mehta said he had contacted the airline’s call centre and lodged two complaints, but was repeatedly advised to wait for an update.

“All I want is to choose Indian vegetarian meal,” he wrote, explaining that on a previous flight a vegetarian meal had not been available by the time cabin crew reached his seat.

His post attracted more than 200k views, bringing attention to the difficulties passengers can face when trying to confirm dietary requirements before an international journey.

Singapore Airlines initially apologised for the inconvenience and said the request had been escalated to the relevant team.

“We have checked our system and note that your meal request has been escalated by our colleagues to the relevant team for their assistance,” the airline responded, adding that its staff would provide an update as soon as possible.

Mehta later said the airline had indicated it could change flights but not meal preferences.

“They have communicated that they can change flights but not change meals. This is ridiculous to say the least.”

He also told another social media user that he generally considered Singapore Airlines to provide good service, but suspected a technical issue was preventing changes to his booking. He said attempts through the airline’s website had also failed and that he had escalated the matter by email.

Following the public exchange, Singapore Airlines posted a further response confirming that the meal requests had been added.

“We are pleased to share that the special meals have been added to your bookings. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and look forward to welcoming you and your family on board with us soon.”

The issue has since been resolved, although the exchange highlights the importance of clear communication and reliable systems for passengers seeking to confirm dietary requirements before travelling.

For travellers whose food choices are shaped by religious observance, cultural preferences or medical needs, having the requested meal confirmed before departure can be an important part of planning an international journey.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post ‘All I want is to choose Indian vegetarian meal’: Australian business-class passenger complains to Singapore Airlines first appeared on The Australia Today.

The recipients were announced at a ceremony at Government House in Perth on Friday, 30 October.

Esther Oh was named the 2027 Australian of the Year for Western Australia for developing an innovative telehealth solution after her own family experienced the consequences of delayed medical treatment.

Her son lost his vision after treatment was delayed during the COVID-19 lockdowns and amid healthcare skills shortages. The experience prompted Ms Oh to establish Agili8, a technology initiative that uses specially designed smart glasses and smartphones to connect frontline medical workers in remote locations with specialist practitioners and AI-assisted tools.

The technology has been used in remote Aboriginal communities. In one case in Port Hedland, a patient was reportedly saved from a deadly infection and potential amputation within 15 minutes.

Despite battling aggressive cancer, Ms Oh continued developing the telehealth solution, which aims to overcome geographical, workforce, cost, cultural and language barriers in healthcare delivery.

More than 33,000 calls answered

Tina Baldwin, 78, was named Senior Australian of the Year for Western Australia in recognition of more than four decades of volunteer service with Lifeline WA.

Ms Baldwin and her husband, Daniel, were among Lifeline WA’s first volunteer crisis supporters in the mid-1980s. Since then, she has answered more than 33,000 calls from people experiencing distress and seeking support.

Her award citation recognised her compassion, openness and willingness to listen to people in difficult circumstances.

She also mentors new crisis supporters, sharing her experience to help equip them with the skills and empathy required for crisis support. Her community contributions extend to volunteering at her local parish church and working as a family liaison officer with Ronald McDonald House.

Turning lived experience into support for young people

Clinical psychologist Pheobe Ho was named the 2027 Young Australian of the Year for Western Australia for her work supporting people affected by eating disorders.

Drawing on her own experience of recovering from an eating disorder as a teenager, Ms Ho pursued a career in psychology focused on young people and eating disorders.

She now works as a senior clinical psychologist specialising in eating disorders at the Child and Adolescent Health Service, supporting vulnerable young people and their families.

Her lived experience also informs her clinical research, including work exploring how personal experiences can contribute to a patient’s recovery.

Alongside her clinical responsibilities, Ms Ho advocates for better understanding and support for eating disorders, and contributes as a mentor, public speaker and national policy adviser.

Basketball creating pathways for Indigenous youth

Adam Desmond, 47, was named Western Australia’s 2027 Local Hero for founding Binar, Perth’s first Indigenous basketball association.

Established 15 years ago with just six young people and a basketball court, Binar has grown into an organisation supporting more than 2,500 predominantly Aboriginal children across Western Australia.

The organisation uses basketball as a platform for broader support, including education, health services, mentoring and strengthening cultural identity. Its programmes operate in schools and regional communities, creating opportunities for young people both on and off the court.

Binar has also become the first Aboriginal-led club to enter Western Australia’s representative basketball competition.

Mr Desmond’s vision extends beyond sport, with former participants now taking on roles as coaches, mentors and community leaders.

National awards in Canberra

Congratulating the nominees and recipients, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman said the people recognised at the ceremony represented the best of what being Australian looks like.

In his address, Mr Gorman highlighted the nominees’ compassion and their commitment to helping people they may never meet.

He referred to Mr Desmond’s aim of giving children the opportunity to play sport, Ms Baldwin’s 33,000 calls to people in crisis, Ms Ho’s work as a beacon of hope for recovery, and Ms Oh’s ambition to create a better future for generations to come.

“What you see on this stage is the best of what being an Australian looks like.”

The four Western Australian recipients will join award recipients from other states and territories at the national Australian of the Year Awards ceremony in Canberra on 25 January 2027.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Western Australia honours four for transforming lives through innovation, compassion and community service first appeared on The Australia Today.

The celebration featured colourful floral arrangements, traditional Bathukamma songs, folk dances and authentic Telangana cuisine, bringing together Telugu families, children, elders and members of the wider Australian community.

Bathukamma is one of Telangana’s most cherished festivals, celebrating nature, seasonal flowers and the importance of women in society. Women create tiered floral arrangements using seasonal flowers before gathering in circles to sing traditional songs and perform folk dances.

The festival reflects Telangana’s cultural identity, folk traditions and community spirit.

For Telugu families living overseas, it also provides an opportunity to preserve their heritage and introduce younger generations to the customs and traditions of their ancestral homeland.

The event was attended by Janelle Poole APM MP, State Member for Mundingburra and Queensland Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland.

A Townsville local, Poole was born in the city and grew up in Cranbrook. Before entering state parliament, she served in the Queensland Police Service from 1996 and received the Australian Police Medal in 2015 in recognition of her contribution to policing and the community. Her community involvement has included work with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and the Rotary Club of Townsville Saints.

During the celebrations, Poole met members of the Telugu community and learned about Bathukamma’s cultural significance and its connections with Navaratri. She interacted with women participating in the festivities and joined them in dancing, sharing in the celebration.

She also sampled traditional dishes prepared by Telugu families and learned more about their culinary traditions.

Her participation provided an opportunity for cultural exchange, highlighting how community festivals can bring people from diverse backgrounds together and encourage friendship, mutual understanding and a stronger sense of belonging.

The participation of parents, grandparents, young people and children also demonstrated the role cultural celebrations play in connecting generations. Through flower arrangements, songs, dance and stories about the festival, older generations can pass traditions on to younger family members.

Australian friends and other community members joined the celebrations, experiencing Telangana’s culture through its food, music and dance.

TANQ continues to bring Telugu families together across North Queensland, with community events helping strengthen relationships, foster belonging and preserve cultural heritage.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Telangana’s Bathukamma festival brings India’s colourful floral traditions to Townsville first appeared on The Australia Today.

Presented by Celebrate India, the free, family-friendly festival will run from midday, bringing together communities for a day of performances, workshops, festive shopping and activities celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

Festival Coordinator Vani Bhatt (Pandya) said the event was designed to welcome people of all ages and backgrounds, from international students missing home to families celebrating across generations.

“Come for the food, the music or the dance, but stay for the feeling of belonging. Everyone is welcome, and entry is free.”

The programme will feature Indian classical and folk dances, Bollywood performances, live music and bhajan jamming, alongside traditional performances by adults and children.

Reflecting Melbourne’s multicultural character, the festival will also showcase collaborative music and dance performances involving artists from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and other communities.

Visitors can participate in yoga, meditation and Bollywood dance workshops, while children can enjoy craft activities, face painting, magic shows and entertainment featuring clowns and stilt walkers. Gifts and prizes will also be on offer throughout the day.

A bustling bazaar will offer festive gifts, handicrafts, jewellery, clothing and other products, while food stalls will serve Indian street food and treats from different regions of India.

The celebrations will conclude with a fireworks display over the Yarra River, while participating Melbourne landmarks will be illuminated in pink and purple to mark the occasion.

Organisers said the full list of illuminated landmarks would be announced closer to the event.

The festivities will also include Dance for Diwali (Season 6), sponsored by AIA Health Australia. Running from 14 to 30 September, the competition invites Victorians to share Diwali-inspired dance performances for a chance to perform at Federation Square during the main festival.

This year, the festival will support Kids Helpline as its charity partner, raising awareness of youth mental health and wellbeing.

Organisers said the anniversary celebration would continue the festival’s tradition of bringing people together through culture, community participation and shared celebrations.

The festival is supported by the City of Melbourne, Federation Square, the Consulate General of India – Melbourne, and The Australia Today is official media partner.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Melbourne set to celebrate Hindu festival of Diwali with fireworks, dance and colour first appeared on The Australia Today.

Parikh expressed gratitude to the brigade’s past and present members, reflecting on a decade of volunteering, teamwork, friendship and community service.

“Volunteering has never just been about responding to emergencies — it’s about the friendships, teamwork, learning and the community we’re part of.”

The annual dinner also recognised volunteers for their contributions and long-standing commitment to the brigade, with awards presented across several categories.

Aleks Feher received both the Len Marshall Award for Firefighter of the Year and the Rob Goulding Award.

Chloe Thorp received the Neil Poulton Award, David Edwards the Robert “Robbie” MacGregor Award, formerly known as the Captains Award, and Judith Edwards the Brendan Brown Award.

Special recognition included the VFBV Star for Michael Paige, while Kelly Ryan received the National Emergency Medal. Charlie Landsdown received the National Emergency Medal with third and fourth clasps.

The brigade also recognised members reaching significant service milestones.

Susan Mongelli and Nat Morgan marked five years, Parikh and Shymma Harris reached 10 years, Nathan Thorp marked 15 years, and Matt Ryan celebrated 25 years of service.

Jean Kelsey was recognised for an extraordinary 65 years of service, while Adrian Bailey, Michael Paige and David Edwards received life membership.

The celebrations also highlighted the remarkable contribution of siblings Charlie Landsdown and Jean Kelsey, whose combined service totals 135 years. Their commitment reflects the longstanding role volunteers have played in the brigade, which has a history spanning 98 years.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Indian-origin volunteer firefighter Brijal Parikh receives 10 Years of Service Award from Pakenham Fire Brigade first appeared on The Australia Today.

In the early 1990s, when the home video game market was still in its infancy, Hollywood attempted to leverage the appeal of this emerging entertainment for feature length films.

The resulting movies – including Super Mario Bros. (1993), Mortal Kombat (1995), and the Jean Claude Van Damme-starring Street Fighter (1994) – largely bombed in their critical reception.

Today, however, video game to film adaptations are filling multiplexes, from blockbusters such as A Minecraft Movie (2025), to elevated horrors such as the recent Resident Evil (2026) film, and lower-budget breakouts like Iron Lung (2026).

As Street Fighter swing-kicks its way back into cinemas, it’s worth looking at how, and why, the video game-to-film pipeline has started gushing anew.

Cross-generational appeal

Film studios favour projects that will simultaneously appeal to younger and older audiences. This explains why there are so many live action Disney remakes.

The current video game film adaptation trend kicked off around 2020 – made possible by a cross-generational audience that didn’t exist a few decades ago.

The 1994 Street Fighter film was distributed in US cinemas just a few years after the first game arrived on home consoles. The latest adaptation, on the other hand, will appeal to generations of fans familiar with characters like Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li.

Media commentator Patrick Metzger’s concept of the “nostalgia pendulum” describes how pop culture regularly revives trends from about 30 years earlier.

The new Street Fighter film leans heavily into 90s nostalgia. Set in 1993, it invoked touchstones such as Jolt Cola, MTV, and era-defining music like Tupac Shakur’s track Ambitionz Az a Ridah.

Cultural legitimacy

The fact these video game have stood the test of time has also earned them cultural legitimacy.

In the early 90s, video games were treated as a comparative novelty. When they were considered at all by tastemakers, it was usually in panicked terms about their addictive qualities or violent content.

But today’s audiences – who are also today’s filmmakers and critics – have grown up playing video games.

Promoting Street Fighter, director Kitao Sakurai emphasised his personal longstanding connection to the games. Critics, too, have compared the film seriously with its source material, rather than dismissing it as dumb, loud and violent.

Storyworld depth

Transmedia storyworlds such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter are big business. They don’t just allow one story to be told; they provide multiple film sequels, TV spin-offs, theme park attractions, merchandise lines and even Broadway shows.

Video game universes are similarly ripe for creative mining, especially those that have been expanding since the 90s.

It’s telling that the phenomenally popular sandbox game Minecraft was adapted not as The Minecraft Movie, but “A Minecraft Movie”: the indefinite article indicates it is just one of many stories within its world. (And yes, a sequel is confirmed).

A Mario that actually looks like Mario

Video game adaptations have also been hugely bolstered by advances in digital technologies.

In the early 90s, blockbuster films still used practical effects, while video games relied on two-dimensional sprites. This created a technological gulf that made convincing adaptations difficult.

Moving into the 21st century, Hollywood’s growing embrace of digital production – and the shift towards 3D gaming (accelerated by consoles such as PlayStation) – narrowed the visual gap between the two media.

Writing about The Matrix franchise in 2006, media scholar Henry Jenkins observed how: “the game world can now look almost exactly like the film world – because they are reusing many of the same digital assets”.

Video games can now be adapted with a degree of visual fidelity that was impossible in earlier eras – even allowing Jason Momoa to transform into the green-skinned monster Blanka in the new Street Fighter.

Conglomerate ownership

Media conglomerates such as Disney, Universal and the Skydance Corporation (which oversees the recently merged studios Warner Bros. and Paramount), recognise video game worlds as a valuable foundation for transmedia franchises.

Many of these conglomerates are integrating games into their corporate strategies. In 2024, Disney acquired a 9% stake in Fortnite publisher Epic Games. The companies announced plans for a shared “social universe” that will extend Disney properties such as Marvel and Star Wars into new gaming experiences.

Video game companies also view adaptation as a way to cross-promote their properties and expand audiences.

Zach Cregger’s recent Resident Evil film was the eighth film adaptation in the horror franchise, but the first to involve Sony’s PlayStation Productions.

Executive producer Oliver Berben said the partnership created opportunities for both PlayStation and parent company Sony to promote the wider franchise across their platforms. https://www.youtube.com/embed/mNd1gb19A-c?wmode=transparent&start=0

PlayStation Productions is a Sony subsidiary that was founded in 2019 to adapt popular PlayStation games into films, such as Uncharted (2022), Gran Turismo (2023) and Until Dawn (2025).

Far from game over

Like arcade gamers lining up their coins for the next turn, Hollywood studios have dozens of video game films currently in production. The Legend of Zelda, Elden Ring and Call of Duty are all due for their own films within the next two years.

Clearly, the video game adaptation trend won’t be ending anytime soon.

Liam Burke, Associate Professor and Cinema and Screen Studies Discipline Leader, Swinburne University of Technology; Andrea Andiloro, Lecturer, Swinburne University of Technology, and Steven Conway, Senior Lecturer – Games and Interactivity, Swinburne University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Video game film adaptations used to be huge flops. Now studios can’t get enough first appeared on The Australia Today.

Balan will officially open the three-day festival, marking a new milestone for Indian cinema in Australia and expanding the reach of a cultural event that has already established a presence in Melbourne and Sydney.

The festival is the latest initiative from the team behind the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), one of the largest celebrations of Indian cinema outside India, and the Indian Film Festival of Sydney (IFFS).

Speaking about the announcement, festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange AM said bringing the festival to Perth was a significant milestone for the team.

“Having built platforms for Indian cinema in Melbourne and Sydney, we are delighted to now bring this celebration to Western Australia and connect with a new community of audiences and film lovers.”

She said cinema had the ability to bring people together, transcend borders and foster a deeper understanding between cultures.

“We are thrilled to welcome Vidya Balan as the Chief Guest for our inaugural edition, and we look forward to creating a festival that celebrates the extraordinary diversity of Indian storytelling while building meaningful cultural connections between India and Western Australia,” Lange said.

The Perth edition aims to showcase the diversity of Indian storytelling across languages, genres and perspectives, while creating opportunities for filmmakers, audiences and the wider creative community to connect.

The festival was announced during Western Australian Premier Roger Cook’s visit to India, highlighting the growing cultural and creative ties between India and Western Australia.

Balan, one of Indian cinema’s most acclaimed actors, is known for championing distinctive storytelling and female-led narratives through films that have challenged conventional portrayals of women on screen.

Her participation as chief guest is expected to add prominence to the inaugural event, which aims to bring Indian cinema to new audiences in Western Australia and encourage cultural exchange through film.

Organisers hope the Indian Film Festival of Perth will become a new destination for Indian cinema in Australia, bringing together audiences, filmmakers and industry professionals for screenings, conversations and potential collaborations.

The inaugural edition is scheduled for 22–24 January 2027.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Acclaimed Bollywood actor Vidya Balan to open inaugural Indian Film Festival of Perth in January 2027 first appeared on The Australia Today.

Nigam, now 53, began singing at just four years old and has spent nearly five decades honing his craft. In 2027, he will mark 50 years of singing professionally, a remarkable milestone for an artist whose voice has been the soundtrack to a particular kind of Indian life: the school bus, the first crush, the long-distance phone call home, and the wedding dance floor at midnight.

For those of us who migrated, these songs have done something more than entertain. They have worked as portable homelands. I left Delhi for Australia in 2013, and I know how a single melody, heard unexpectedly in a Melbourne suburb, can collapse half a world in a second.

Then came the songs themselves, and with them the old magic of the cinema hall. Many of us first encountered these numbers on a big screen in India, in a darkened theatre with a packed house, the song rising over the audience as the hero walked into frame.

What struck me in Melbourne was that Nigam delivered them with exactly that charm, and that the evening was shaped like a well-told story in three parts.

The first section was devoted to romance, with slow melodies that let the audience settle into the voice and the mood. The second turned to dance. “Jeene Ke Hain Chaar Din” had the hall on its feet, all playfulness and swagger. “All Is Well” from 3 Idiots turned thousands of people into one cheerful chorus, the way it once did in cinemas across India.

When “Tu Aaja Soniye” and “Dil Mangta Hai Dildaar Soniye” arrived, the aisles filled with dancers, and the crowd stopped being an audience and became a celebration.

He did not simply replay the records. He wove these hits together with fresh variations and medleys, and paid tribute to the Kishore Kumar and Bappi Lahiri classics that shaped Hindi film music, reimagining them in his own idiom.

The third section was the cleverest stroke of all: a return to classic melodies. Having sent the room into a frenzy, Nigam brought it gently back, beginning with “Saathiya”.

The audience sank back into their seats, relaxed and smiling, as the song worked its familiar spell. It reminded many of a first love, a second, a third or even a tenth, as Nigam had joked earlier in the evening. The laughter in the hall was the laughter of people recognising themselves.

From there, the classics kept coming, among them “Satrangi Re” from Dil Se — the tunes that remind you of home, the melodies that drifted from the radio every morning on the way to school, and those that played from shopfronts and street corners until you knew every word without ever trying to learn them.

People who had been dancing a few minutes earlier now sat and stood quietly, crooning along with him, song after song, as though the screen had stepped aside and the singer had stepped forward.

It was the most moving stretch of the night, and it sent the audience out into the Melbourne dark carrying a little of home with them.

That is what made the night. An audience of 10,000 filled the hall, bringing together several generations: first-generation migrants who grew up on these hits, their Australian-born children who know them through playlists and their parents’ car stereos, and a good number of non-Indian Australians who came out of curiosity and stayed for the sheer technical command of his singing.

Nigam’s range, breath control and ease across registers are reminders that popular music, at its best, is also a discipline. The applause and dancing from every part of the room said so.

There is a larger point here that I have made in other contexts, in writing about the Indian diaspora’s role in the India-Australia relationship. Governments sign agreements and ministers exchange visits, but the relationship is lived through evenings like this one.

A Melbourne audience of 10,000, a touring production built to professional standards, and a cultural exchange that pays its way commercially: this is soft power with a ticket price, and it works precisely because nobody is pretending it is anything else. Melbourne has long understood that culture is not decoration for a multicultural city but part of its economy and civic life.

It also speaks to the maturity of the diaspora’s cultural infrastructure. Promoters such as Desai Entertainment have shown that Indian-Australian audiences expect and will support world-class production, and that artists of Nigam’s stature now see Australia as a serious stop rather than an afterthought.

That confidence took years to build. It rests on community organisations, venues, media outlets and audiences who kept turning up.

In the interest of transparency, I should say that The Australia Today, the multicultural news platform I co-founded, was the media partner for this tour. I write as someone with a stake in the event, and readers should weigh my enthusiasm accordingly.

But I would say much the same as a plain observer. The mark of a great performance is that people leave carrying something, and the crowd streaming out into the Melbourne night was humming, trading favourite moments and already asking when he would be back.

One legendary voice, countless memories, and one night that confirmed what this city keeps proving: when Indian culture is given room, it fills it.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Melbourne sings along as Bollywood legend Sonu Nigam turns a packed-out 10,000-strong crowd into a celebration of India first appeared on The Australia Today.

Patekar was found unconscious at his residence in Dona Paula on Thursday morning and was rushed to hospital. Doctors attempted to revive him for about 45 minutes, but he was declared dead at 5.20 am. A medico-legal case has been registered, and a post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out.

His son Malhar Patekar confirmed his death, according to Maharashtra Times.

Born Vishwanath Patekar on 1 January 1951 in Murud-Janjira in Maharashtra, Patekar built a career spanning nearly five decades across theatre, Marathi cinema and Hindi films. He studied at Mumbai’s Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art before moving into theatre and films.

He made his film debut in Gaman in 1978, but it was his work through the 1980s and 1990s that established him as an actor unlike almost anyone else in mainstream Indian cinema.

Patekar rarely relied on conventional star glamour. Instead, he brought an unpredictable intensity to the screen — sometimes restrained, sometimes explosive, often unsettling.

His breakthrough performances included Ankush, Pratighaat, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! and, most memorably, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda in 1989.

As the gangster Anna in Parinda, Patekar delivered a performance that remains one of the defining villainous turns of Hindi cinema. It earned him the National Film Award and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

That success was followed by a series of roles that blurred the traditional Bollywood divide between hero, villain and character actor.

In Krantiveer in 1994, his portrayal of journalist-turned-crusader Pratap Narayan Tilak became one of the most remembered performances of his career. The film’s fiery climactic speeches entered popular culture and won Patekar the National Film Award for Best Actor.

He would eventually win three National Film Awards during his career and received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2013.

Films including Agni Sakshi, Wajood, Yeshwant, Khamoshi: The Musical, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan and Raajneeti demonstrated the breadth of a performer capable of moving between brutality, vulnerability, humour and moral ambiguity.

For another generation of audiences, however, Nana Patekar was Majnu Bhai.

His comic partnership with Anil Kapoor in the 2007 blockbuster Welcome produced an entirely different cultural afterlife, with scenes and dialogue from the film becoming memes and social-media staples years later.

That ability to move from intimidating police officers and gangsters to absurdist comedy was central to Patekar’s longevity.

He continued working well into his seventies.

His later credits included The Vaccine War, Vanvaas, Housefull 5, O’Romeo and Subedaar.

Only days before his death, footage of the 75-year-old actor exercising and performing triceps dips had attracted attention online, underscoring how sudden his death appeared to many admirers.

Yet Patekar’s public life extended well beyond cinema.

In 2015, he and actor Makarand Anaspure established the NAAM Foundation after drought and farmer suicides devastated parts of Maharashtra.

The organisation began by helping families affected by farmer suicides and later expanded into water conservation, village development, education and disaster relief. Its work has included restoring water sources and supporting farming communities across drought-affected regions.

Patekar’s involvement was not merely symbolic.

Before the foundation was established, he had personally distributed financial assistance to farming families in Vidarbha, Latur and Osmanabad. He had also donated prize money and film earnings to charitable causes.

For many in rural Maharashtra, that work became as important a part of his public identity as his films.

Patekar was also known for an austere personal style that stood apart from Bollywood’s usual celebrity culture.

He frequently spoke about his modest upbringing and the financial hardship his family experienced when he was young. That background, he said in interviews over the years, shaped both his temperament and his understanding of struggle.

His association with India’s armed forces was another unusual aspect of his life.

Patekar underwent extensive military training for his 1991 film Prahaar, which he also directed, and later maintained a long association with the Territorial Army and the Maratha Light Infantry.

His career was not without controversy.

In 2018, actress Tanushree Dutta accused Patekar of sexually harassing her during the filming of Horn Ok Pleassss in 2008, allegations he denied.

Mumbai Police later filed a closure report saying there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the case.

The episode became one of the most widely discussed cases during India’s #MeToo movement and remained part of the public debate around his career.

But Patekar was never an actor who fitted comfortably into the polished image of a Bollywood star.

His voice cracked rather than purred.

His characters frequently appeared angry before they spoke.

His pauses could be as threatening as his dialogue.

And even when playing powerful men, there was often something visibly wounded beneath the surface.

That combination made him instantly recognisable.

In Marathi cinema, his portrayal of Ganpat Belwalkar in Natsamrat was particularly celebrated, introducing his work to another generation and reinforcing his stature as one of Maharashtra’s major dramatic actors.

The role of an ageing Shakespearean stage actor confronting family rejection and mortality seemed almost designed for Patekar’s theatrical intensity.

Outside films, stories about his loyalty to colleagues frequently emerged.

Just a day before his death, veteran Marathi actor Ashok Saraf recalled an incident from their theatre days in which Patekar reportedly helped him escape an angry crowd, drove him away in a rickshaw and later returned to help other members of the troupe.

Such stories helped create a public image that was simultaneously intimidating and deeply personal.

For generations of moviegoers, Nana Patekar was never merely performing a part.

When he entered a scene, it often felt as though the temperature of the film changed.

His eyes, voice and pauses could create menace without movement; moments later, the same actor could become comic, fragile or unexpectedly tender.

That quality is difficult to teach and even harder to imitate.

Indian cinema has produced bigger stars, but very few actors who sounded, moved or performed quite like Nana Patekar.

His death brings to an end a career that stretched from experimental theatre and parallel cinema to blockbuster Bollywood, Marathi classics, comedy franchises and social activism.

He leaves behind not only a formidable filmography, but also a body of humanitarian work through NAAM Foundation that continues across Maharashtra.

For audiences who grew up with Parinda, Krantiveer, Yeshwant, Ab Tak Chhappan, Natsamrat or Welcome, his voice will be difficult to forget.

Nana Patekar was 75.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Veteran actor Nana Patekar dies at 75 after severe cardiac arrest in Goa first appeared on The Australia Today.

The mentorship, supported by Wyndham City Arts & Culture in partnership with Deakin University, will see Chowdhury travel to Venice from 19 to 24 October to participate in Venetian Bind, a collaborative project hosted by the European Cultural Centre.

Born in Bangladesh’s river delta, Chowdhury draws on personal and family histories to examine memory, place and belonging, with a particular focus on first-generation Bangladeshi Australian women.

Her practice spans digital image-making, painting, installation, textiles and socially engaged art. She explores how photographs, oral histories, materials and everyday cultural traditions carry knowledge and shape identities across generations.

During the six-day programme, Chowdhury will work alongside artists, designers, filmmakers, writers and researchers from Deakin University, participating in workshops, creative exchanges, feedback and critique sessions.

Curated by Cameron Bishop and David Cross, Venetian Bind will encourage participants to develop site-responsive artworks informed by Venice’s history, culture and material environment.

The collaborative works will be exhibited at Palazzo Mora in Venice in November 2026 before returning to Melbourne, with further exhibition opportunities to be explored.

The mentorship is designed to support Chowdhury’s professional development while strengthening Wyndham’s creative community through international collaboration, new ideas and cross-cultural exchange.

An emerging artistic voice

Chowdhury has exhibited in Australia and Bangladesh, including at the 19th Asian Art Biennale in Dhaka in 2022. She has held seven solo exhibitions since 2021, most recently Inheritance at RMIT First Site Gallery in 2026.

Her awards include the RMIT Cultural Vision Scholarship in 2022 and the ADFAS Yarra Young and Emerging Artist Award in 2023.

The mentorship offers an opportunity to expand her artistic practice, build international professional networks and explore new approaches to presenting stories of migration, identity and intergenerational memory.

Wyndham City Council said the programme would help a local artist develop her practice on an international stage while bringing fresh perspectives and creative connections back to the community.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Melbourne artist Mita Chowdhury to explore migration and identity on Venice’s international stage first appeared on The Australia Today.

Sharma is among five creators selected for the flagship professional development and mentoring programme, which brings together emerging screen practitioners from across Australia.

The 2026/27 cohort includes 10 participants across two dedicated pathways for producers and creators, reflecting the increasingly diverse ways Australian screen professionals are developing projects, audiences and production businesses.

The creators selected alongside Sharma are Maggie Looke (Victoria), Sebastian Chan (ACT), Tak Nakano (NSW) and Tresa Ponnor (NSW).

The producer cohort includes Andy Huang, Carlos Manrique Clavijo, Devina McPherson, Michael Long and Rizcel Gagawanan.

Sharma moved to Australia from India as a young child and grew up between Sydney and Melbourne. He has built a career spanning acting, content creation and producing, with his work reaching audiences internationally.

He developed a passion for magic after arriving in Australia without speaking English and later appeared on Australia’s Got Talent. He went on to build a YouTube channel with more than 5.7 million subscribers, with his content recording billions of views.

As an actor and creator, Sharma starred in the short film Writing Time and appeared in Home and Away. He also created and executive produced the original YouTube mystery series Unknown Filter, which was funded by Google and Screen Australia and subsequently gained an international audience.

Sharma also appeared in the Australian-Indian feature film Sahela, produced by Dev Patel and written by Atika Chohan, before securing a major role in the action film Ice Road: Vengeance, alongside Liam Neeson.

Speaking about his ambitions in an earlier interview, Sharma has described his vision as combining Hollywood, Bollywood and Australia to create global stories that connect audiences.

The SPA Ones To Watch programme will run for six months, providing participants with tailored professional development, one-on-one mentoring and opportunities to build industry networks.

Participants will also receive access to curated industry meetings and networking opportunities at SCREEN FOREVER in May 2027, where they can pitch projects to potential buyers and partners.

They are also eligible to apply for the Ones To Watch Screen Placement, supported by Screen Australia, which provides a $20,000 contribution towards an international industry placement.

Since its inception, the Ones To Watch programme has supported more than 180 early-career screen practitioners, with alumni progressing into commissioning roles, establishing production companies, undertaking international placements and producing Australian screen projects.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Actor Saksham Sharma selected for Screen Producers Australia’s ‘Ones To Watch’ programme first appeared on The Australia Today.

Kumar-Jonson was recognised in the Change Agent category alongside other Victorians who have made significant and lasting contributions to their fields and communities.

The 2026 Honour Roll inducted 27 women and gender diverse people at a ceremony at Arts Centre Melbourne on 23 September.

Kumar-Jonson has championed community-led responses to complex health issues, including establishing overdose prevention programmes across Victoria’s north and south-west and helping integrate lived expertise into addiction medicine services.

In 2023, Kumar-Jonson founded The Iceberg Foundation, a community-led mental health charity providing pathways to care for queer, neurodivergent, multicultural and forcibly displaced communities.

The following year, Kumar-Jonson launched the Manaya Pride Program, providing free psychological support for forcibly displaced queer people through identity-affirming care informed by lived experience.

Kumar-Jonson is also a mental health social worker and accredited EMDR clinician, with a focus on supporting people experiencing trauma, shame and abuse. Their work incorporates lived experience and trauma-informed approaches to support people from diverse communities.

The Victorian Government said Kumar-Jonson’s work is helping reshape how mental health care can be delivered more equitably, with their community-led model continuing to influence Victoria’s health and community sectors.

The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 by former Victorian Premier Joan Kirner AC. The programme recognises women and gender diverse people for leadership and excellence in their fields and commitment to the community. The 2026 ceremony marked the 25th anniversary of the Honour Roll.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Mish Kumar-Jonson recognised in 2026 Victorian Honour Roll for championing mental health care for queer communities first appeared on The Australia Today.

He also declared that the Indo-Pacific is “not a chessboard” for the United States and China, using his acceptance speech for the 2026 Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award to outline Australia’s approach to a rapidly changing regional order.

Albanese accepted the award in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali and actor and singer Cynthia Erivo.

The Atlantic Council recognised Albanese for deepening Australia’s alliances and partnerships and promoting security and stability across the Indo-Pacific.

Accepting the honour, Albanese said he did so “with humility on behalf of Australia”, describing serving Australians as “the honour of my life”.

He dedicated the recognition to Australians working across diplomacy, education, aid, emergency services, peacekeeping and community engagement.

But much of his speech focused on Australia’s strategic outlook and the changing international order.

Albanese said the post-1945 international order was being tested and argued that Australia needed to help shape new arrangements while preserving rules and institutions that remained important.

“The Post 1945 world order is no longer fit for purpose,” Albanese said.

“Australia’s response to this is to actively seek to shape and build the order that replaces the old while preserving the rules that matter most, and building the new partnerships, the relationships and the innovations required to deal with the challenges we face.”

The Prime Minister identified strategic competition between the United States and China as the most consequential factor shaping the Indo-Pacific.

“Our alliance with the United States is the anchor of Australia’s foreign policy,” he said. On China, Australia’s largest trading partner, Albanese said:

“Cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in the national interest.”

However, he warned against viewing the region solely through the relationship between the two major powers.

“The Indo-Pacific is not a chessboard on which superpowers move the pieces,” Albanese said.

“Its countries are not spectators. They are shaping its future and writing their own script.”

Albanese said Australia was strengthening its sovereign capability and working with regional partners on economic security, supply chains and resilience in critical minerals, energy and emerging technologies.

He highlighted Australia’s expanding partnerships across Southeast Asia, including with Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and Timor-Leste, as well as its engagement with ASEAN.

The Prime Minister also pointed to Australia’s growing security relationships in the Pacific, including alliances with Papua New Guinea and Fiji and agreements with Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Nauru.

“For Pacific nations, their most immediate threat is climate change,” Albanese said, referring to the impacts he had witnessed during visits to the region.

He said Australia was supporting Fiji and Tuvalu to host a Pacific Pre-COP Leaders’ event ahead of COP31.

Albanese said Australia’s approach was to build resilience without abandoning openness, strengthen regional partnerships while maintaining rules, and deepen its alliance with the United States while engaging China.

“Deepening our alliance with the United States and engaging our largest trading partner, China, without allowing either relationship to define who we are.”

The Atlantic Council described its Global Citizen Awards as a forum recognising individuals whose work contributes to global cooperation and a better world. The 2026 ceremony was held on 23 September in New York during UN General Assembly week.

Albanese ended his remarks by thanking the Atlantic Council for what he called “the great honour to Australia” represented by the award, noting that Australia’s location facing the Pacific and Indian oceans made recognition from an organisation bearing the Atlantic name particularly significant.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Prime Minister Albanese praises Australia’s multicultural communities as he accepts Global Citizen Award first appeared on The Australia Today.

The independent, not-for-profit council was launched on Friday, September 11, bringing together government, diplomatic, screen industry, business and community representatives.

WAIFC has been established to develop long-term connections between Western Australia and India across film, television, streaming, digital media and the broader creative industries.

The initiative builds on a more than century-old connection between Western Australia and Indian cinema.

Fearless Nadia, one of the pioneering stars of Indian cinema, was born Mary Ann Evans in Perth in 1908. She moved to India as a child and later became an iconic figure in Indian film, particularly known for her action roles and stunt performances.

WAIFC Chair and Director Nilesh Makwana said the council aimed to turn Western Australia’s geographic and cultural links with India into practical opportunities for collaboration.

“Western Australia has an opportunity to play a much greater role in the Australia-India creative relationship,” Makwana said.

“Perth is geographically closer to Mumbai than Sydney, giving WA a unique position as a gateway between Australia and India and the broader Indian Ocean region.”

Makwana said the council would seek opportunities across co-productions, filming locations, talent exchange, education, investment, festivals and cultural partnerships.

India has one of the world’s largest and most diverse screen industries, producing more than 2,000 films annually across more than 30 languages. Its film and entertainment industry generated an estimated US$5.91 billion in 2025.

Western Australia is also expanding its screen production capabilities, with the State Government investing $290 million in Perth Film Studios and its operations.

WAIFC will work to connect producers, filmmakers, creative practitioners, businesses, educators, government agencies, festivals and community organisations from both regions.

The council plans to support industry delegations and networking, promote Western Australia’s screen capabilities internationally and facilitate talent and knowledge exchange.

Consul General of India to Western Australia and the Northern Territory Kajari Biswas welcomed the initiative, saying film and storytelling could strengthen cultural understanding and create new opportunities between India and Western Australia.

“With India’s vibrant and diverse film industry and Western Australia’s growing capabilities in film and creative industries, there is further potential for partnership.”

WAIFC said greater collaboration could create pathways for investment and production while supporting local jobs, talent development, intellectual property and tourism.

The council’s launch marks the beginning of a longer-term program of industry engagement, partnerships, delegations and cultural initiatives aimed at strengthening the Australia–India creative relationship.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Western Australia launches Indian Film Council to build new screen industry links first appeared on The Australia Today.

Twelve-year-old Alphy Basil Eldhose, a student at Bunbury Catholic College, set a world record by correctly identifying 73 star constellations in one minute.

His 10-year-old brother, Ashwin Eldhose, also secured a Guinness World Record after naming 43 US presidents in 30 seconds.

Alphy told ABC that his journey began about four years ago when he started training his memory through mental mathematics.

“Originally I didn’t have a good memory,” he said.

“I started four years ago training my memory. It started with mental maths and then turned into a Guinness World Record.”

Alphy said his interest in astronomy made the constellation challenge particularly appealing.

The previous record stood at 43 constellations, and he believed he could surpass it.

“The record was astronomy related so I liked it because I was into astronomy and the previous record was 43 and I knew I could beat it.”

He ultimately identified 73 constellations in 60 seconds, setting a new Guinness World Record.

Speaking to 6PR, Alphy also revealed that his younger brother had followed in his footsteps with his own record.

“He holds the most presidents identified in 30 seconds.”

The brothers’ achievements have now been officially documented by Guinness World Records, highlighting years of dedicated memory training from the young Bunbury siblings.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Bunbury’s Indian-origin brothers conquer constellations and US presidents to enter Guinness World Records first appeared on The Australia Today.

It is an Australian-made animated children’s series built around cricket, friendship and cultural exchange, with its central characters — Snick, an Indian boy, and Willow, an Australian girl — using the sport as a bridge between their two worlds. Through humour, adventure and friendship, the series aims to introduce children to another country and culture while highlighting the enduring people-to-people ties between Australia and India. The project was inspired by creator Ken Cantrill’s experience in India, where he saw cricket bringing people together across communities.

“Snick & Willow has been an extraordinary journey. What began as an idea to create a children’s animated series built around cricket has grown into something far more meaningful — a story about friendship, adventure and the powerful connection between Australia and India,” Cantrill told The Australia Today. He said the involvement of cricket figures including Lord Ian Botham, Pat Cummins, Bharat Sundaresan and Summer Warne had been particularly meaningful, bringing different connections to the sport and adding authenticity to the project.

A major milestone for the series has been its partnership with Cricket Australia. Cantrill said cricket is “one of the great bonds between Australia and India” and that Snick & Willow provides an opportunity to introduce that relationship to a new generation through storytelling, humour, culture and adventure. The series is also expanding its cultural focus, with two animated shorts celebrating Diwali and Christmas being produced with support from the 2026 Maitri Grants Program, administered by the Centre for Australia-India Relations.

The two Maitri-supported productions are scheduled for release in November 2026 and will use children’s storytelling to explore Australian and Indian cultures. The project is being developed with Indian animation studio RedGod Studios, with Yukfoo supporting pre-production, design and production supervision.

Cantrill said the project’s ultimate ambition is to create something children in Australia, India and around the world can connect with while showing how sport can bring people and cultures closer together. “We want Australian children to become curious about India, Indian children to see Australia as a friend,” he said, describing friendship, adventure, teamwork, culture and cricket as the values at the heart of the series.

That vision was also reflected in a recent round-table discussion in Melbourne during IFFM 2026, which brought together Cantrill and an Indian delegation to discuss filmmaking, co-production, cultural exchange and creative collaboration. The delegation was an initiative of Jay Shah, CEO of Indiqa, and led by Shri Prabhat, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, with Sreerag Mukundan, Gouri Nair of NFDC and Satyaprakash Upadhyay of WAVES Bazaar also participating. Discussions included opportunities around IFFI and WAVES — extending the India-Australia conversation from cricket and children’s storytelling into the broader screen and creative industries.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Beyond the Boundary: ‘Snick & Willow’ cricket series takes the Australia-India relationship to a new generation first appeared on The Australia Today.

Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill celebrated the singer’s arrival, highlighting the strong response from Australian fans after Aujla’s visa was finally approved. Hill posted:

“Karan Aujla. Warmly welcomed in Australia with sold out concerts. What an amazing energy!”

The Canadian-Indian performer’s Australian tour had been thrown into uncertainty after his visa approval was delayed, forcing the postponement of the opening Perth concert.

The visa was eventually approved, allowing the five-date P-Pop Culture World Tour to proceed, with Adelaide becoming the opening stop before the tour moves to Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

“Live Nation is pleased to confirm that Karan Aujla’s Australian visa has now been approved,” the promoter said in a statement.

“We welcome the resolution of the matter and thank everyone involved in helping bring it to a conclusion.”

Aujla had earlier apologised to fans after the Perth show was postponed, saying he had never experienced visa problems in any country, including during his previous Australian tour.

“I’ve never had visa issues in any country, including last time I toured Australia.”

The visa delay reportedly arose after Australian immigration officials sought additional evidence and reportedly identified Aujla as a “person of interest”.

His representatives claimed the issue was the result of mistaken identity.

The person of interest cited in the earlier reports was Jaskaran Singh, who was arrested in Ontario in May 2024 over alleged extortion and firearm offences.

Aujla’s real name is Jaskaran Singh Aujla, but his representatives pointed to differences between the singer and the person identified by authorities, including their ages and circumstances.

Aujla lives in British Columbia, while the alleged offences involving Singh occurred in Ontario.

The singer had previously been granted an Australian visa in September 2024, several months after the Ontario arrest, and successfully toured Australia in October and November that year.

The latest approval has allowed the tour to proceed, with Aujla now set to perform for thousands of fans across the country.

The Australian dates include Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Afterpay Arena in Sydney and the rescheduled Perth performance.

Aujla is one of the biggest names in contemporary Punjabi music, with a global audience spanning India, Canada, Australia and the wider Punjabi diaspora.

Born in India, he moved to Canada at the age of 17 and initially established himself as a songwriter before launching his own career as a performer.

His 2018 release Don’t Worry helped propel him into the international spotlight, while his debut album BacTHAfuKUP reached No. 6 on Spotify’s Global Chart.

He has since accumulated billions of views on YouTube and billions of streams on Spotify, while building a huge following on social media.

His music blends Punjabi pop and hip-hop with North American influences, helping him become a major figure in the global Punjabi music scene.

The strong reception in Australia comes after the visa controversy threatened to overshadow the tour before it had even begun.

With the visa issue resolved, Aujla’s Australian fans can now look forward to the remaining concerts.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Punjabi music superstar Karan Aujla warmly welcomed in Australia after visa drama delays tour first appeared on The Australia Today.

The sentiment, surprising for a senior diplomat, is rooted in a flawed reading of history and deserves correction. Taxila was a prominent city of ancient India, home to one of the world’s oldest known centres of higher learning. Before the concept of the nation-state was codified in the Westphalian settlement, places were understood as parts of civilisations, not states. The city of Troy, immortalised in Homer’s epics, now lies within modern Turkey — but that does not make the Iliad and the Odyssey Turkish literature.

Pakistan is a state carved out of India less than 80 years ago, founded on the ideology that Hindus and Muslims could not live together as one nation. India, by contrast, is the world’s oldest continuous living civilisation and its largest secular democracy. To ascribe any part of ancient Indian civilisation to the modern state of Pakistan does a disservice to history itself.

Taxila predates Pakistan by at least two and a half thousand years, and predates Islam’s arrival in the region by at least a millennium. It is traditionally associated with Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, one of the ancient world’s great teachers of politics and economics, credited with helping Chandragupta Maurya found the Mauryan Empire, one of antiquity’s largest. Taxila’s university was a centre of learning encompassing several strands of Indian academic and philosophical pursuits. Much of this heritage was destroyed in successive waves of attacks by Islamic invaders.

To call this “Pakistan’s history,” then, is effectively to credit an ideology that sought to erase the very civilisation that built Taxila. Curiously, some quarters within Pakistan — a nation whose founding claim was that Islam alone constitutes nationhood — now appear to be reaching further back: past the Mughals, the Delhi Sultanate, and the Arab conquest of Sindh in 711 CE, to Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, cities that were planned and thriving when much of the ancient world was still emerging. For those who have long held that the Indian subcontinent is, at its deepest level, a single civilisational entity bound together by the profound wisdom and metaphysics of Hindu philosophy, expressed across extraordinary diversity, for, at the very least, over five thousand years — this shift, if genuine, would carry real meaning. But only if it is genuine.

The Sindhu-Saraswati civilisation (also known as the Indus Valley Civilisation) is among the oldest known civilisations of humankind, alongside Egypt and Mesopotamia, and by some estimates the most extensive of the Bronze Age world by geographical reach — spanning roughly 1 to 1.5 million square kilometres. According to current understanding, it stretched from what is now the Iranian border and northern Afghanistan across to Jammu, western Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and northern Maharashtra in India. Some of its cities are estimated to have held populations of 40,000 or more, remarkable against a typical ancient city of roughly 10,000.

One of the defining features of Indian civilisation is its cultural continuity across millennia. The Pashupati seal from Mohenjo-daro, depicting a figure in a yogic posture, and the swastika motifs recurring throughout Indus Valley artefacts, are threads that run unbroken into symbols still used across the Indian subcontinent today.

There are indications that some in Pakistan feel the Indus narrative offers an identity anchor the Islamic-state framework has failed to provide — *Maryam Nawaz’s revival of *Basant, the kite-flying festival being one example. But without acknowledging that this civilisation is part of India’s story, rooted in Hindu philosophy, and without shedding the exclusionary baggage of Islamist denial, any attempt at Pakistani self-recovery through this route is unlikely to succeed.

There is a harder argument here too, about the cost of political Islam as an organising principle for a state. Pakistan faces what analysts call a polycrisis: an economy dependent on repeated IMF bailouts, institutions hollowed out by a military establishment that consumes the largest share of the budget, and chronic instability. In 2024 it held elections widely regarded as manipulated and jailed its most popular political leader, Imran Khan. It continues to face a freedom movement in occupied Balochistan and civil unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More recently it also saw protests in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir which were met with a brutal crackdown, with many killed by security forces. A nation defined entirely by what it opposes — Hindus, India, the “infidel” — has no positive civilisational content left once that opposition is exhausted. Pakistan’s founders believed Islam alone could supply the national glue; instead the country produced the Taliban, sheltered Al-Qaeda’s leadership, and in 2025 found itself exchanging cross-border strikes with the very Taliban it had nurtured for decades.

If Pakistan is genuinely turning toward the Indus, metaphorically speaking, it would be good news for the Pakistani public that deserves an identity built on truth rather than religious bigotry, and good news for the world too that has for long borne the costs of terrorism exported from Pakistan.

*Maryam Nawaz – Current Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, daughter of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, niece of current PM Shehbaz Sharif.

*Basant – Basant is a spring festival associated with the Hindu month of Magha, marking the onset of spring and celebrated in parts of the Indian subcontinent with kite-flying festivities; its date varies by regional tradition.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Taxila Isn’t Pakistani — Any More Than Troy Is Turkish! first appeared on The Australia Today.

Cancelled, directed by Walkley Award-winning filmmaker Danny Ben-Moshe, follows musician Deborah Conway, visual artist Nina Sanadze, writer Joshua Dabelstein and circus artist Talia Sofizade as they navigate threats, professional consequences and what the filmmaker describes as antisemitism and “cancel culture” within Australia’s arts sector.

The documentary, supported by the Jewish Australian Screen Fund and produced by Jump Street Films, will premiere as the opening film of the 2026 Jewish International Film Festival in Sydney on September 16 and Melbourne on September 17.

Ben-Moshe told The Australian Jewish News that he had submitted a rough cut of the documentary to the ABC on December 14, 2025, the morning of the Bondi Beach terror attack.

It is reported that the ABC subsequently declined the documentary. SBS also declined to commission or acquire the film, according to Ben-Moshe.

The filmmaker also submitted the documentary to the Sydney and Melbourne international film festivals, both of which rejected it.

Ben-Moshe said the experience was particularly ironic given that the documentary itself explores the experience of Jewish creatives being excluded or “cancelled”.

“The people who should be documenting this are not. They’re just not interested,” Ben-Moshe told The AJN.

“They don’t see us, or they don’t care about us, or our story conflicts with the narrative.”

The Sydney Film Festival was among the festivals approached by Ben-Moshe. He said its programming team had initially indicated that it wanted to screen an early version of the documentary, provided the final cut was not substantially different.

According to Ben-Moshe, after the final version was submitted, he received a generic rejection.

The Jewish Australian Screen Fund said Cancelled was one of three films it supported that were rejected by the Sydney Film Festival. It said that across 18 submissions involving five films supported by the fund, nine Australian festivals rejected every submission.

The fund also pointed to the absence of Jewish community-focused documentaries from recent major festival programs.

Sydney Film Festival screened more than 60 documentaries in June, according to the figures cited by the fund, while the Melbourne International Film Festival featured more than 100 films in August. The fund said neither program included a documentary focused on Australia’s Jewish community.

The festivals have not publicly stated that the films were rejected because they were Jewish-focused or dealt with antisemitism.

The ABC said its commissions and acquisitions were subject to a “competitive process that considers a range of factors”.

An SBS spokesperson said the broadcaster had a “long-standing record of commissioning and broadcasting Jewish-authored and themed content” and operated in a “highly competitive commissioning environment”. SBS also said it continued to explore antisemitism through its programming.

Ben-Moshe, whose previous work includes Shalom Bollywood, Revenge: Our Dad, the Nazi Killer and the SBS documentary Strictly Jewish, said the experience had been difficult for Jewish creatives working in the Australian arts sector.

“Just being Jewish was an act of provocation,” he said.

He said Cancelled was not intended to exclude Palestinian stories or discussion of the war in Gaza.

“Let me be clear: I have zero problem at all with Palestinian stories being told, or with stories about what has happened in Gaza,” he said.

“But I do have a problem when we cannot tell the Jewish Australian story or experience.”

The documentary developed after Ben-Moshe became interested in Sanadze’s Goldstone Gallery in Collingwood, which she established to provide a platform for artists whose work had been cancelled or marginalised.

Ben-Moshe said he began filming after the Adass Israel synagogue building was firebombed in December 2024.

The documentary was filmed over approximately a year and includes material from Australia and Israel, including the Nova festival site and Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Ben-Moshe said some of the filming in Nir Oz was among the most confronting experiences of his career, including footage of homes left largely untouched after the October 7 attacks.

The filmmaker said the documentary was made with Jewish philanthropic support and, where possible, Jewish creatives were involved in the production.

“I had to say to anyone who donated money to the film, there is no guarantee that this film will see the light of day,” he said.

“But at a minimum, let’s give the mainstream broadcasters and the mainstream festivals in this country the opportunity to tell this story.”

The four subjects came into the documentary through their own experiences. Dabelstein was connected to the Goldstone Gallery, while Sofizade met Sanadze after an incident at a Melbourne restaurant. Conway became involved after Ben-Moshe filmed her performing in Sydney amid online threats, according to the filmmaker.

Ben-Moshe said the documentary was ultimately a story about resilience rather than simply cancellation.

“It’s a story about standing up to it. It’s a story about our resilience. It’s a story about digging deep,” he said.

The film will launch the 2026 Jewish International Film Festival program, with screenings in Sydney on Wednesday, September 16, and Melbourne on Thursday, September 17.

Each screening will be followed by a Q&A, moderated by AJN national deputy editor Jessica Abelsohn in Sydney and AJN journalist Dahlia D’Onghia in Melbourne.

The documentary is also scheduled to screen on Sky later in the year.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Award-winning Jewish filmmaker’s documentary on antisemitism rejected by Australian public broadcasters and film festivals first appeared on The Australia Today.

Venezuela sits firmly at the top with an extraordinary record. The country has produced 13 combined Miss Universe and Miss World winners. Miss Universe winners include Maritza Sayalero, Irene Sáez, Bárbara Palacios, Alicia Machado, Dayana Mendoza, Stefanía Fernández and Gabriela Isler. Miss World winners from Venezuela include Susana Duijm, Pilín León, Astrid Carolina Herrera, Ninibeth Leal, Jacqueline Aguilera and Ivian Sarcos.

The United States ranks second with 12 total crowns across the two pageants. Its Miss Universe winners include Miriam Stevenson, Carol Morris, Linda Bement, Sylvia Hitchcock, Shawn Weatherly, Chelsi Smith, Brook Lee, Olivia Culpo and R’Bonney Gabriel. Its Miss World winners are Marjorie Wallace, Gina Tolleson and Alexandria Mills.

India ranks third with nine combined crowns, with a particularly strong record in Miss World. Miss Universe winners include Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta and Harnaaz Sandhu. India’s Miss World winners are Reita Faria, Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden, Yukta Mookhey, Priyanka Chopra and Manushi Chhillar.

Outside the top three, Puerto Rico ranks fourth with seven titles, while South Africa and Sweden are tied for fifth with six titles each. The Philippines and the United Kingdom are then tied for sixth with five crowns apiece. The Philippines’ strong record reflects its success in Miss Universe, while the United Kingdom built its tally entirely through Miss World, with five titles.

Looking at the competitions individually reveals a similar pattern of dominance. In Miss Universe, the most successful countries historically include the United States (9 wins), Venezuela (7), Puerto Rico (5), and the Philippines and Mexico (4 each)

In Miss World, the leaderboard is topped by India and Venezuela (6 wins each), followed by the United Kingdom (5) and Jamaica (4). Together, these rankings highlight the nations that have repeatedly excelled across decades of international competition.

Only four countries in the history of international beauty pageants have achieved the remarkable feat of winning both the Miss Universe and Miss World titles in the same year — France, Australia, Venezuela and India.

India, however, holds a unique distinction. It is the only country to have achieved the Miss Universe–Miss World double twice, first in 1994, when Sushmita Sen won Miss Universe and Aishwarya Rai was crowned Miss World, and again in 2000, when Lara Dutta won Miss Universe and Priyanka Chopra claimed the Miss World crown.

Australia may not sit among the top five, but it has delivered standout performers and remains a strong competitor on the global stage. Australia’s Miss Universe winners include Kerry Anne Wells and Jennifer Hawkins. Australia also produced Miss World winners Belinda Green and Penelope Plummer and frequent finalists and runners-up across both pageants, cementing the country’s reputation as a consistent contender in international beauty competitions.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Guess which 3 countries have won the most Miss Universe & Miss World crowns? first appeared on The Australia Today.

Award-winning Indian journalist Aditya Raj Kaul recently shared an interview in which Tyndale-Biscoe recalled Master Samsar Chand Kaul, Kaul’s great-grandfather, who was “like an uncle” to him as a boy in Kashmir more than 90 years ago.

“Kashmir was a wonderful place to grow up,” Tyndale-Biscoe recalled.

“One in particular, a dear man called Samsar Chand Kaul, who wrote several books on the birds and flowers of Kashmir, was like an uncle to me as a boy and I got my first interest in birds and plants and butterflies from him.”

Born in Kashmir in 1929, Tyndale-Biscoe went on to become one of Australia’s distinguished zoologists, with pioneering work in marsupial biology and reproductive physiology.

For the Kaul family, his recollection offers a remarkable link between Kashmir and Australian science — and a reminder of the influence a teacher can have across generations.

Master Samsar Chand Kaul (1883–1977) was an educationist, ornithologist and environmentalist at a time when the study of natural history and birdwatching was little known in Kashmir.

He taught at the C.M.S. School at Fateh Kadal, later Central High School in Srinagar, for about 65 years. Beyond conventional classroom subjects, he took students into Kashmir’s mountains, forests, lakes and meadows, turning the landscape itself into a classroom.

The school’s British principal, C.E. Tyndale Biscoe, recognised his contribution. In the foreword to Kaul’s book Beautiful Valley of Kashmir & Ladakh, he wrote: “I am most grateful to Samsar Chand for having taught his boys to love birds through his teaching of natural history.”

Kaul travelled extensively with students, climbing peaks and trekking to high-altitude lakes and glaciers including Tarsar, Marsar, Gangabal, Vishnu Sar and Kolahoi. Along the way, he taught students to identify rocks, fossils, trees, flowers and other features of the natural environment.

Birds were his particular passion. He spent hours observing them with binoculars at places including Hokursar, Anchar Lake, Dal Lake and Tangmarg, recording his observations and studying both migratory and local species.

He also collected and preserved wildflowers, herbs and plants, often consulting botanical experts to identify them. His interests extended to fossils, rocks, bird nests, eggs, feathers and other specimens, many of which he preserved in the school museum known as “Kobutar Khana”.

The museum became a natural-history collection where students could encounter specimens from the landscapes they were learning about. Kaul also maintained detailed albums at his home, recording where and when specimens had been collected.

His work brought him recognition beyond Kashmir. He was associated with international geographical and natural-history organisations and hosted foreign visitors interested in his collections and knowledge.

Kaul later authored books including Beautiful Valley of Kashmir & Ladakh, Birds of Kashmir and Srinagar & Its Environ in 1940s. His expertise in ornithology also led to broadcasts on Radio Kashmir and talks to visiting groups.

His influence extended beyond science. He was known for encouraging compassion towards animals and for educating poor students without seeking payment. His interests also encompassed astronomy, Sanskrit, Hindu philosophy and Kashmir Shaivism.

More than nine decades after a young Tyndale-Biscoe first encountered him, Kaul’s influence has resurfaced through the memories of the scientist he helped inspire.

For Aditya Raj Kaul, hearing the 96-year-old Australian zoologist speak about his great-grandfather is deeply personal.

It is also a story about how knowledge travels — from a classroom and the mountains of Kashmir to a distinguished career in Australian science.

As Kaul reflected, “one teacher, one mentor, or simply one person who takes the time to share their knowledge can influence a life and sometimes, through that life, the course of science itself.”

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post Australian zoologist Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe recalls Kashmiri mentor Samsar Chand Kaul who inspired his love of nature first appeared on The Australia Today.

The History of Hanuman Garhi, Waiqele Labasa, written by Vasudev Maharaj, was launched at Gopal Sadhu Hanuman Garhi Mandir in Waiqele, Labasa, with devotees, community members and elders attending the event.

National Federation Party leader Prof. Biman Prasad was among those who attended the launch and praised the publication as an important record of Fiji’s cultural history.

The story of Hanuman Garhi is closely connected to Gopal Sadhu, who travelled from India to Fiji on a religious pilgrimage after the end of the indenture system in 1919.

Thousands of Indians continued to make the difficult three-month, 11,500-kilometre journey to Fiji after indenture ended, seeking new opportunities and a better life.

Gopal Sadhu was among them. He eventually settled in Nakasi and never returned to India, spending the remainder of his life in Fiji.

According to accounts preserved in the community, Sadhu Gopal became known for promoting peace and unity. He later handed his property to his daughter and son-in-law, the late Mr and Mrs B D Lakshman of Navua.

His life also reflected the challenges faced by Indians in Fiji during the period.

Community accounts recall that residents approached Gopal Sadhu after experiencing harassment by white settlers. He subsequently helped form a group to protest and seek government intervention.

During one such protest, while travelling towards Suva to meet authorities, Gopal Sadhu was shot in the leg near the Rewa Dairy factory in the area then known as Four Miles.

The injury reportedly left him with a permanent scar and affected his ability to walk for the rest of his life.

As his health deteriorated, he remained at his small hut, devoting much of his time to prayer.

For Prof. Prasad, the book captures more than the history of a temple. It records the sacrifices, struggles and determination of earlier generations who built temples, schools, Ramayan mandalis and other community institutions with limited resources.

“We must know not only where we are going, but also where we have come from.”

He urged young people to read the book and learn about the history, language, culture and faith of earlier generations.

Prof. Prasad said the stories of community elders needed to be documented before they were lost.

The publication is intended to ensure that the story of Hanuman Garhi, and the people whose lives shaped it, remains accessible to future generations.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post New book preserves the remarkable history of Hindu temple in Fiji first appeared on The Australia Today.

The Australian Recording Industry Association has changed its chart eligibility rules so recordings developed with generative AI will only qualify if they are “substantially human made”, created using authorised and lawful AI services, and free of concerns about artificial streaming or chart manipulation. The new rules take effect from Friday, August 28.

The change is not a blanket ban on musicians using artificial intelligence. Artists will still be able to use AI as a supporting production tool, provided human creativity remains at the heart of the finished recording.

But songs where AI generates the lead vocal or another central musical performance are likely to fall on the wrong side of the new eligibility test. ARIA told the ABC that recordings containing AI-generated lead vocals or key instrumental components would likely be considered ineligible under the international principles it has adopted.

The distinction mirrors a new global music-industry labelling system announced in July.

Under that framework, an “AI-Generated” recording is one where generative AI creates the entirety or primary creative elements of a track, including a lead vocal, major instrumental performance or a recording generated almost wholly from prompts.

An “AI-Assisted” recording, by contrast, remains substantially created by humans who perform the principal vocals and instruments while using generative AI for secondary expressive elements.

ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said the aim was to give musicians and record companies a clear boundary while recognising that AI tools are already becoming part of modern production.

“This gives everyone who releases music in Australia a clear rule to work to,” Herd said.

She also called on other parts of the Australian music industry — particularly radio — to follow ARIA’s lead and place greater emphasis on human performers.

“We call on all parties who have a role in deciding the music played and promoted to Australian audiences, particularly radio, to support human artistry and implement similar changes across their own codes,” she said.

The timing is significant.

ARIA’s decision follows a heated industry debate sparked by Queensland producer Josh Fawaz and his version of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”, which became the most-played song on Australian radio and reached number four on two ARIA charts in July despite questions about the extent to which artificial intelligence had been used to create it.

Fawaz initially defended his approach by describing AI as a creative tool rather than a substitute for musicians.

However, after scrutiny over the track’s unusually synthetic-sounding vocal and questions about who had performed it, the Spotify credits were subsequently updated to disclose that both the vocals and drums were AI-generated.

The track has nevertheless become a substantial commercial success. Recent reporting puts its Spotify streams at more than 48 million, while it also generated extensive Australian radio airplay.

And immediately before the new rules were announced, the recording was still performing strongly on ARIA’s specialised Australian charts.

For the week of August 17, “Like a Prayer” was ranked No. 5 on the ARIA Top 20 Australian Singles Chart and No. 2 on the Australian Dance Singles Chart.

ARIA has not publicly made a final determination that Fawaz’s track will be excluded under the new regime.

But because the recording now carries credits acknowledging AI-generated vocals and drums, it presents an immediate test of what ARIA means when it says charting music must remain substantially human-made.

The new framework gives ARIA power to remove recordings that fail eligibility requirements, recalculate or alter chart positions and revoke relevant chart recognition. Artists and their representatives will have an avenue to challenge eligibility decisions.

The Australian change is part of a much bigger international response.

On July 30, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry announced new global principles governing AI-generated recordings on official charts.

IFPI represents the recording industry internationally and developed the rules in consultation with record companies including major global labels.

Under its framework, recordings involving generative AI must satisfy six broad requirements to remain chart eligible: the AI service must be authorised and lawful; the recording must be substantially human-made; there must be no manipulation concerns; applicable copyright, personality and related-rights laws must be respected; use of the AI service must comply with its terms; and the use of generative AI must be properly disclosed to consumers where required.

IFPI said the rules were intended to draw a line between technology that assists artists and synthetic content that largely replaces them.

“Official music charts do more than just track sales; they celebrate human artistry and endeavour,” IFPI chief executive Victoria Oakley said.

She said properly licensed AI could become part of musicians’ creative toolkits, but charts should not reward recordings produced using AI systems that exploit artists’ work without authorisation.

ARIA is far from alone in adopting the principles.

IFPI says it is implementing them across charts it directly manages in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, while working with more than 20 national chart organisations.

Those include the Official Aotearoa Music Charts in New Zealand, South Korea’s Circle Chart and national charts in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria and other countries.

The rules therefore have the potential to establish an international dividing line: AI can participate in music production, but recordings primarily performed or generated by machines may no longer receive the same official chart recognition as work built around human performance.

The decision also highlights an increasingly complicated question for the music industry: when does AI stop being a tool and become the artist?

Modern recordings already rely heavily on technology.

Musicians routinely use digital production software, sampling, pitch correction, synthesised sounds, drum programming and automated mastering. Generative AI adds another layer because it can now create entire vocal performances, instrumental passages or complete songs from relatively simple instructions.

ARIA’s solution is not to judge a track simply by whether AI touched it.

Instead, it is attempting to determine whether the principal creative performance remains human.

That approach aligns with the separate international labelling standard welcomed by ARIA in July, which explicitly distinguishes AI-generated content from AI-assisted human work.

Herd said at the time that transparency would be increasingly important as fully synthetic music becomes more common on streaming platforms.

“Australian music fans, like fans everywhere, deserve to know how the music they love has been made,” she said.

“Human artistry and authenticity are integral to what makes music so powerful.”

The issue is not limited to artistic authenticity.

Record labels and musicians are also fighting a much larger battle over copyright and the material used to train generative AI models.

Many sophisticated music-generation systems require enormous datasets to learn musical structures, voices, genres and production techniques.

The recording industry argues some developers have trained those systems on commercially released music without seeking permission or paying rights holders.

IFPI has warned that unauthorised training poses a threat to performers and record labels because AI systems can then produce enormous volumes of synthetic recordings that compete directly with the musicians whose work helped train them.

That concern is reflected directly in the new chart rules.

A recording may fail eligibility requirements not simply because it contains AI-generated elements, but because the generative AI system used to produce it was not properly authorised or lawful.

The Australian Government is now dealing with the same issue at a policy level.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in July that forthcoming Australian AI standards would include stronger protections for creative industries, saying writers, musicians, journalists and other creators should retain ownership and control over their work.

The government says creative material should not be used to train AI without the creator’s control, with Albanese later telling ABC Radio that artists’ work “can’t be used” without both control and payment.

ARIA welcomed that position, arguing copyright must continue to give artists the ability to decide whether their work is licensed to technology companies and on what terms.

Herd said the underlying principle was straightforward: artists, rather than governments or technology companies, should decide the value and conditions attached to their work.

Streaming services are moving in a similar direction, although their responses vary.

Spotify does not currently ban all AI-generated music. Instead, it has introduced AI credits, stronger policies against unauthorised vocal impersonation and systems designed to detect spam and mass-produced low-quality content.

Spotify said last year that it had removed more than 75 million spam tracks in 12 months, as generative tools made it increasingly easy for operators to upload huge quantities of music in attempts to capture streams and royalties.

This month Spotify announced another major change: from mid-September it will begin applying “AI Persona” badges to artist profiles that represent photorealistic AI-generated people rather than real human performers.

Music from those AI personas will ordinarily be excluded from Spotify’s editorial and algorithmic recommendations unless listeners deliberately demonstrate an interest in them, such as by following the artist.

Spotify stresses that the persona badge relates to the identity being presented to listeners rather than automatically proving that the underlying music was AI-generated.

An AI persona could theoretically release human-made music, while a real human artist could use generative AI extensively in producing a track.

That distinction illustrates the difficulty confronting regulators, platforms and chart compilers.

There is no longer a simple dividing line between a “human song” and an “AI song”.

A musician could write lyrics and melody personally but use AI to create backing vocals. Another could perform the vocals while generating orchestral accompaniment. Another could provide prompts and allow software to create virtually every audible element.

ARIA’s new test places the emphasis on whether the final recording remains substantially human-made, with lead vocals and primary instrumental performances likely to carry particular weight.

The rule also addresses streaming manipulation.

Generative AI makes it possible to manufacture large numbers of recordings cheaply and rapidly. Combined with automated streaming or other fraudulent techniques, that creates the possibility of artificially generated tracks climbing charts or diverting royalty payments from genuine listeners and artists.

IFPI’s global framework therefore makes freedom from chart and stream manipulation one of the core conditions of eligibility.

For Australian musicians, the immediate effect is potentially substantial.

From Friday, accumulating millions of streams will no longer necessarily guarantee a place on an ARIA chart if the recording itself fails the human-authorship test.

And AI-generated vocals — potentially the most recognisable and emotionally important part of a pop record — appear likely to become one of the clearest grounds for exclusion.

The controversy surrounding “Like a Prayer” has shown why that matters.

A recording can now become a major radio and streaming success before many listeners have any idea that a central “performer” they are hearing may never have stepped inside a recording studio — or may not exist at all.

ARIA is effectively saying commercial popularity alone is no longer enough for official chart recognition.

The association still wants artists experimenting with new technology, but it wants Australia’s charts to remain primarily a measure of human musical achievement.

That leaves Friday as an important dividing line for the Australian music industry.

AI will not disappear from the studio.

But if the machine is singing the lead, playing the defining instruments or creating most of the song, Australia’s official charts may no longer be willing to call it a chart hit.

Support our Journalism

No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.

The post No human voice, no chart hit: ARIA cracks down on AI-generated music in Australia first appeared on The Australia Today.