Smart Glasses, Privacy Overhaul, and 43 Missing Australians: Monday's Big Stories

Key points

• 43 Australians are among more than 3,000 people still missing after flash flooding in Nepal and Tibet killed more than 800 people as of 31 August 2026.
• Attorney-General Michelle Rowland announced draft privacy laws aimed at technologies such as smart glasses, which can photograph strangers without their knowledge.
• The Australian government ruled out an import ban on smart glasses in this round of reforms, saying trade and legal complications make that a separate conversation.
• US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz on 31 August 2026, after which Iran claimed it fired ballistic missiles at two American bases in Jordan.
• One Nation won the Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia over the weekend, with leader Pauline Hanson warning Labor the party is targeting more seats.

What happened with Australia's privacy laws?

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland introduced draft legislation on 31 August 2026 designed to update Australia's privacy rules for a world where ordinary-looking glasses can secretly film you.

Smart glasses are wearable devices that look like standard eyewear but contain cameras capable of recording video or photos of anyone nearby, often without those people knowing. Concern spiked earlier in August after budget retailer Kmart sold out of its $89 smart glasses within days.

Rowland said Australians should not have to choose between protecting their privacy and joining the digital economy. The reforms are aimed squarely at closing gaps that current law was never written to cover.

Will smart glasses be banned?

No, not under these reforms. Rowland was direct: an import ban is off the table for now.

She explained that banning an imported product touches trade agreements, foreign-affairs obligations and multiple government departments, making it a far bigger undertaking than a single privacy bill can handle. She said the government is consulting in good faith and is working directly with researchers who have studied the risks in detail.

So the glasses stay legal to buy and wear. What changes is the legal framework around how footage captured by those glasses can be collected, stored or shared.

Flood crisis: what do we know about the 43 missing Australians?

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that 43 Australians are among more than 3,000 people unaccounted for after catastrophic flash floods tore through Nepal and Tibet. The death toll in Nepal alone has passed 800, according to Nepalese authorities.

Authorities also warned of possible fresh flooding after water levels rose in the Bhote Koshi River. Nepalese soldiers have been airlifting survivors to army posts by helicopter.

If you believe a family member or friend may be caught up in the disaster, the Australian government's 24-hour consular emergency line is 1300 555 135 from inside Australia.

What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passes, on 31 August 2026. It was the first military action in the region in several weeks.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards then claimed they fired ballistic missiles at two US bases in Jordan in response. Iranian state television broadcast footage it said showed the launch. No immediate reports of damage emerged.

Oil markets reacted sharply. The global crude benchmark Brent crude rose 1.9 percent to $89.75 a barrel on the news, which contributed to a dip in the Australian sharemarket at Monday's open.

First reported in this form by the Sydney Morning Herald, this article draws on agency wire reports and government statements.