Live2026-09-21 06:00 UTC
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Australia Tension Score

building record · 4 days on file

Live 0–100 tension reading for Australia, built by our own engine from 2,698 world headlines in the last 30 days. Refreshed every 10 minutes; a fresh headline count twice a day.

24
Calm
7d · 30d

Where Australia stands

#35 of 197 countries today, #10 of 44 in Asia-Pacific (region score 58). Tension is steady this week.

Same 0–100 scale and zones as the World Tension Index.

Australia news pulse

60 headlines in 30 days · newest first
Australia news live: Taylor says fuel price policy would be funded by tobacco excise cut; Albanese to put AI concerns to Trump
Guardian · 21 September 2026 energygeopolitics
25 · Low
Hundreds recruited to help foster kids visit birth families in NSW
ABC AU World · 21 September 2026 geopolitics
23 · Low
Albanese launches bid for UN security council seat and names former Murdoch aide to top diplomatic post
Guardian · 21 September 2026 financegeopolitics
21 · Low
New 'blanket' Safe Work rules not practical, say miners and farmers
ABC AU World · 21 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
Man dies after being towed by quad bike in regional NSW
ABC AU World · 21 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
Live: Australians to live longer and have fewer children by 2066
ABC AU World · 21 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
As houses get closer together, some Australians are feeling further apart
ABC AU World · 21 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
Police allege mother behind Blue Mountains stabbing attack on three children that left one dead
Guardian · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
14 · Minimal
One Nation-linked company built $56,000 shed on private property of Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man
Guardian · 21 September 2026 geopolitics
14 · Minimal
Three women killed in suspected DV-related incidents in 24 hours
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 conflict
32 · Low
Albanese visits Apple HQ, warns Australia can't sit on sidelines of AI race
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 conflict
32 · Low
Australia begins campaign for seat at world's most powerful table
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 energytradegeopolitics
26 · Low
Emergency helicopters still unable to land at two SA regional hospitals
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
23 · Low
'We are really scared': NDIS provider shutters day program as federal cuts loom
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 financegeopolitics
23 · Low
Photographers' vision for struggling town creates portrait of success
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
23 · Low
Recycling industry needs to prepare for influx of EV waste, experts say
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
23 · Low
Australian music stars pay tribute to John Farnham in special concert
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
23 · Low
News live: Taylor pledges ‘one of the biggest immigration cuts in Australian history’; tributes for Victorian Greens MP Tim Read
Guardian · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
In an outback town, this small venue raised $1 million to save itself
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 finance
20 · Low
John Farnham to miss tribute concert due to poor health
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
'Absolute cracker looking' flower explodes in 'super bloom' across outback
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
ODI live: Aussies looking for series sweep against Zimbabwe
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
Alex de Minaur fires as Aussie pair clicks in Davis Cup triumph
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
Italian-Australian icon Franco Cozzo remembered in retail revival
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
Rollers capture first wheelchair basketball world title in 12 years
ABC AU World · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
20 · Low
Australia seeks big tech support for internet safety, AI regulation - Al Jazeera
GN AI Risk · 20 September 2026 trade
20 · Low
Victorian Labor vows to close loopholes that allow domestic violence perpetrators to ‘slip through the cracks and walk free’
Guardian · 20 September 2026 geopolitics
14 · Minimal
Three men charged with domestic violence-related murders after three women killed in separate incidents in NSW
Guardian · 20 September 2026 conflictfinance
13 · Minimal
Farmers warn of food security impact from visa changes
ABC AU World · 19 September 2026 conflict
38 · Moderate
Australia opts out of sanctions on settlements late in proceedings - The Jerusalem Post
GN Sanctions · 19 September 2026 trade
32 · Low

Every story the engine read that names Australia, its capital or its leaders. Links go to the original outlet; the badge is the engine’s own 0–100 tension weight. This list is what moves the number above.

What is driving Australia’s tension score

last 30 days
  • 65 headlines in 30 days — 2.41% of everything the engine read, in line with the previous 30 days (0).
  • 22% of those were violent (attacks, strikes, casualties) and 0% scored as high-tension stories.
  • Conflicts on the roster: none. Australia is not a party to any conflict our engine tracks right now.
  • Region: Asia-Pacific reads 58 today; it carries 15% of this score.

Read it like this. Attention (how much the world is talking about Australia) is the biggest input at 30%. Violence and high-tension share tell you what kind of talk it is. A country can be loud and calm — an election, a summit — or quiet and dangerous. The mix is the point.

Australia tension month by month

average score, headline counts
MonthAvg scoreZoneHeadlinesViolentDays
September 202624.2Calm65144

Record for Australia began on 18 September 2026. Nothing is revised after the fact.

How the Australia score is built

Five inputs, fixed weights. Attention 30% (share of world coverage), violence 25% and high-tension share 15% (what kind of coverage), roster conflicts 15%, and the Asia-Pacific region score 15%. A momentum nudge (+6 / −4) rewards a country whose coverage is accelerating or fading.

Same physics as the world score. The number rises 85% of the way to its new level at once and falls no faster than 3 points a day — fear arrives fast and leaves slowly.

No third-party index inside. Every count comes from the 41 public news feeds our engine reads itself; the full method is on the methodology page. Data is free under CC BY 4.0 via the API.

Questions people ask about Australia

Is Australia in a war right now?

Not on our roster. Australia is not a party to any tracked conflict; the engine flags new candidates automatically when coverage repeats.

Is tension in Australia rising or falling?

Too early to say — the 7-day change appears once a week of data exists.

How does Australia compare with the rest of Asia-Pacific?

Below its region: Australia reads 24 against 58 for Asia-Pacific, ranking #10 of 44 there.

Keep exploring

Australia and world tension: the long view

evergreen · World Tension Meter team

The Pacific’s Western anchor. Australia is building nuclear submarines with the US and UK, mines the iron ore and coal China buys, and competes with Beijing for the Pacific islands. Trade and security pull in opposite directions.

What our engine watches in Australia

  • China trade sanctions and thaws
  • Pacific island security deals
  • Commodity exports and the dollar

Indexes to follow: Supply Chain Risk · Currency Stress.