Australia’s Week in Review: Bushfires, Ashes Domination, Political Scandals and Summer Blockbusters (1–7 December 2025)

World Report Press | 8 December 2025

The first full week of summer 2025 delivered everything Australia has come to expect: raging bushfires, blistering political scandals, a crushing Ashes victory, and a bumper lineup of movies and streaming releases. Here is your complete, SEO-optimized roundup of the biggest stories in news, politics, sport and entertainment.

Major News & Events: Bushfires Flare as Summer Turns Deadly

Australia’s bushfire season exploded into life with tragic consequences.

• Western Australian farmer Mark Mudie, aged in his 60s, was killed on 2 December while defending his property from a fast-moving blaze near Ravensthorpe, 500 km south-east of Perth.
• In Tasmania, the Dolphin Sands fire burned uncontrolled across 700 hectares, destroying 19 homes, 15 sheds and four vehicles. Thousands faced power outages expected to last up to a week.
• New South Wales recorded its hottest consecutive December days in years, with Penrith topping 43 °C. By Sunday 7 December, firefighters were battling more than 20 uncontained blazes and at least 40 homes had been lost statewide.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the season ahead as “difficult”, pointing to La Niña-driven fuel growth followed by rapid drying.

Other major headlines:

• Sydney authorities seized 506 kg of cocaine worth $164 million hidden in a shipping container; three dock workers charged.
• A woman’s body was recovered from a car near Coffs Harbour six days after she was reported missing.
• Record-low temperatures on 1 December saw Melbourne register just 16.1 °C and fresh snow on Mount Buller — the coldest start to December in decades.

Politics: Expenses Storm, Leadership Chaos and Social-Media Ban Countdown

Canberra was on fire — metaphorically — with multiple scandals erupting in the same week.

• Communications Minister Anika Wells faced intense criticism over taxpayer-funded family travel, including luxury Paris dinners and a ski holiday, just days before the nationwide under-16 social-media ban takes effect on 10 December.
• Critics labelled the age-verification system a “privacy nightmare” that could expose millions of Australians’ personal data.
• South Australian Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia stunned the state by resigning on 5 December, declaring the job “the worst in politics”. Frontbencher Ashton Hurn immediately emerged as favourite to replace him ahead of the March 2026 election.
• Defence Minister Richard Marles announced a radical overhaul of the Department of Defence to stop multibillion-dollar project blowouts, creating a new centralised acquisition agency.
• Fresh polling showed Pauline Hanson’s One Nation reaching record-high support on the back of housing affordability and immigration concerns.

Sport: Australia Crush England to Take 2-0 Ashes Lead

Cricket fans witnessed one of the most dominant weeks in recent Ashes history.

At the Gabba, Australia demolished England by eight wickets on 7 December to go 2-0 up in the series. Steve Smith finished the chase in style, steering the winning runs with trademark elegance. Michael Neser, recalled after years in the wilderness, claimed crucial wickets and was named Player of the Match. England captain Ben Stokes admitted his team “couldn’t handle the pressure” after collapsing spectacularly on day three.

Elsewhere:

• Min Woo Lee won the Australian PGA Championship in a playoff.
• The Australian Open golf tournament teed off with Cameron Smith and Hannah Green among the early leaders.
• Matildas star Sam Kerr returned from injury in a friendly against Chinese Taipei.

Movies & Entertainment: Summer Blockbuster Season Begins

December’s cinema and streaming releases gave Australians plenty of reasons to escape the heat:

In cinemas:

• Mufasa: The Lion King roared to the top of the Australian box office in its opening week.
• Moana 2 continued its record-breaking run, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of 2025 in Australia.
• Wicked held strong in second place, boosted by sing-along sessions.
• Local horror-comedy Die Hart 2: Hart 2 Die surprised with a top-five debut.

Streaming highlights:

• Squid Game Season 2 dropped on Netflix on 6 December and instantly became Australia’s most-watched show.
• Prime Video released the final season of The Boys spin-off Gen V.
• Disney+ premiered the highly anticipated Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2.
• Stan unveiled its new Australian crime drama Critical Incident, earning rave early reviews.

Music festivals also kicked into gear, with Spilt Milk Perth selling out on 7 December and Golden Plains announcing its 2026 lineup.

The Week Ahead

With temperatures forecast to climb further and the social-media ban just days away, Australia’s summer of 2025 is already living up to its reputation for drama — on and off the field.

Stay locked to World Report Press for daily updates on bushfires, politics, sport and entertainment as the nation heads into the festive season.

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