Australia news live: Randa Abdel-Fattah to headline Sydney writers’ festival; record renewable capacity added in last quarter of 2025

A total of 2.1GW of wind and solar power came on to the grid in the three months to December. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRanda Abdel-Fattah to headline Sydney Writers’ FestivalDr Randa Abdel-Fattah will appear during two sessions at Sydney Writers’ Festival this year, part of a program of around 200 events.Sydney is a highly diverse city, and the Festival aims to reflect the many and varied communities of writers and readers in its program. That commitment to breadth and representation sits alongside national and international voices across fiction and non-fiction.A festival like ours, which holds freedom of expression as a core value, is not in the business of cancelling or censoring writers. We think a writers festival provides a rare and welcome opportunity for readers and writers to come together for nuanced conversations about complex and sometimes difficult topics. Continue reading...