NRL sets itself as unity force against China in PNG
With a team set to join the NRL in 2028, Papua New Guinea is walking a delicate tightrope between ties to Australia and economic opportunities abroad.
Economy, Business and Finance
Economy has huge issues, billionaire retail icon warns
Premier Investments shares have plunged as the owner of Smiggle and Peter Alexander blames lower earnings forecast on the economy.
Developer denies reported links to organised crime
A billion dollar property development firm claims Nine news reports alleging links with organised criminals such as the Alameddines were false and damaging.
Faster Renewables Needed to Curb Future Price Hikes
A new AEMC report warns that delays in renewables and transmission could send household bills soaring by up to 20%. The race is on to build faster.
KFC chain upsizes sales but consumers wait in the wings
The company running nearly 300 KFC restaurants across Australia says it is focused on providing value to consumers who are still concerned about living costs.
Duplexes could be key to solving housing crisis
Developing just a fraction of single-occupancy homes in Australian cities into duplexes would be enough to eliminate the nation's housing shortfall.
‘Didn’t get it right’: BOM defends website cost blowout
The Bureau of Meteorology's chief executive is standing by controversial changes to its website overhaul as he faces a senate grilling.
Regional bank warns ‘we are living in a time of change’
A bank board has faced shareholder questions about its decision to bring in a technology solutions partner, amid widespread change in the finance sector.
Ag bosses told of land clearing reforms at last minute
Farmers are unsure how to continue work under fast-tracked changes to land clearing laws, which have been hailed as a milestone for conservation.
Australian economy builds as investment roars back
Australia's economic growth rate came in below market expectations, but a strong domestic pulse shows the economy is in good shape.
Emotions high as divisive AFL stadium gets green light
A divisive stadium which paves the way for Tasmania's AFL and AFLW teams has secured parliamentary approval, with one MP in tears as she confirmed her support.
YouTube ‘outright weird’ for saying platform isn’t safe
YouTube needs to fix its safety after the tech giant criticised Australia's world-leading laws protecting kids, the communications minister says.
Chinese economic slowdown at top of RBA’s mind
Slowing Chinese economic growth and persistently high inflation are "top of mind" for the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Motorists pooh pooh petrol for low-emission options
Hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles are closing the gap on their petrol rivals with sales figures showing a change in consumer sentiment.
Cyclone-hit coastal town blows away house value gains
The housing market strongly rebounded in 2025 as interest rate cuts, easing inflation and limited supply fired up competition, the latest property data shows.
Push to ramp-up fire ant battle as new nest found
Fire ants are hampering agriculture, tourism and even kids' sport, with calls for more federal funding to control the spread of one of the world's worst pests.
Battling casino group hopeful chips will fall its way
Star Entertainment Group has made progress toward resolving its myriad of issues but executives acknowledge the gaming behemoth isn't out of the woods yet.
The ‘obvious and easy way’ to help boost housing supply
More than 80,000 sorely needed homes are unable to be built due to a lack of investment in power, roads and sewers, councils say.
Inflation surges as energy rebates run out of gas
Lower energy rebates and higher housing costs than a year ago have propelled the headline inflation rate to its highest level in 16 months.
Study reveals why Peter Dutton lost the last election
A study has revealed Labor had inched ahead of the coalition on a key measure which handed Anthony Albanese a historic majority in federal parliament.
Optus resolves fresh outage after vandals cut cables
Another Optus service outage that affected thousands of customers has been resolved after vandals cut cables while attempting to steal copper.
Overpowered: battery rebate could be drained in a year
Australian households are installing more than 1000 solar batteries every day, but their popularity could accelerate the end of the government's rebate scheme.
Retail supremo dangles ‘game-changing’ mystery tech
Harvey Norman chair Gerry Harvey has hinted he might be selling robots in the next 18 months alongside a 'secret' technology, after dissing his rivals.
Green laws put new investments at risk, premier warns
After the announcement of multiple deals shoring up the coal industry, a state premier has found himself under pressure from all sides.
‘Very positive news’: ray of light post inflation shock
Equipment investment in Australia's IT sector almost doubled in three months amid a surge in data centre projects, which could help revive productivity growth.
Australian shares ride Wall Street’s coat-tails higher
Global tailwinds have swept up the local bourse, despite worries Australia's economic soft landing will lead to interest rate hikes in 2026.
Mining giant abandons project in coal royalties stoush
Mining giant BHP Mitsubishi Alliance is continuing its war with a state government over a progressive coal tax regime, pulling out of another project.
Activist claims win in ‘biggest’ anti-protest lawsuit
A coal mining giant's epic legal pursuit of climate activist Ben Pennings is over after a $600 million lawsuit over an environmental protest was dropped.
Grins as environment laws pass in ‘win for the country’
An overhaul of environmental laws has cleared parliament, with the prime minister toasting the reforms despite the coalition branding them "economy wrecking".
Shoppers tap credit to fund record Black Friday sales
Despite inflation pummelling hopes of more interest rate cuts, Australians are spending as much as ever in major sales and increasingly using debt to do so.
Base closures ‘catastrophe’ for regional Qantas workers
Australia's largest airline blames the closure of three bases on skyrocketing costs for airport security, fuel and maintenance on regional routes.