‘Getting worse’: inquiry’s chilling child abuse warning
Australia's most senior police admit they have been powerless to stop a massive increase in child exploitation, conceding the abuse is getting worse.
inquiry
Big bank boss takes swipe at surcharge ban consequences
As the Reserve Bank considers a ban on credit card surcharges, the head of the nation's biggest bank has warned of "wrong assumptions" about the payments.
‘Unfair’: $50k arts degrees lumping students with debt
Australian students being forced to pay $50,000 for arts degrees are being left in a financial hole after they graduate, a vice-chancellor warns
Optus backs outage acts after keeping officials in dark
Optus leaders took nearly 18 hours to tell authorities deaths had been linked to a triple-zero outage, but they say the company followed the law.
Tech giants agree to teen ban but give dark warning
The most powerful tech giants will abide by Australia's ban on children under the age of 16 despite arguing it risks undermining confidence in the rules.
Christians push back on ‘very dangerous’ cult laws
Protecting vulnerable people from harmful behaviour within cults could be problematic for legitimate religious groups, Christian leaders say.
Much-loved soldier dies in routine training accident
Multiple groups will be involved in an investigation into a fatal army training incident as the soldier's superiors pay tribute to his distinguished service.
Bosses quit at scandal-plagued childcare giant
The top brass of one of the biggest childcare providers in Australia have resigned after a series of safety scandals.
Social media ban could pull the plug on young artists
YouTube warns blocking young people from accessing its platform will lead to unintended consequences for online safety and hinder emerging talent.
Hearings reveal Optus bungled triple-zero outage email
Federal authorities only found out about a catastrophic Optus triple-zero outage a day after it was resolved because the telco notified the wrong email address.
Climate trigger ruled out of nature law reforms
The government won't consider the impacts of projects on climate change via a trigger mechanism under nature law reforms overseen by the environment minister.
Fugitive’s no-frills hideout during kickbacks probe
A former bureaucrat and key suspect in an $11 million fraud says he was planning on turning himself in before police came knocking.
Parents sound alarm on major change for autistic kids
An attempt to rein in the snowballing cost of the NDIS could happen too fast and might leave some autistic children overlooked, an inquiry has been told.
‘Folly’ of nuclear submarines plan floated
Australian government officials are hinting the US will not rip up the AUKUS agreement as critics poke holes in the nuclear submarines plan.
Construction ‘thugs’ on notice at powerful union probe
A stark warning has been issued to militant union officials, labelled "thugs" as a powerful probe into the construction sector gets under way.
‘Pay up’: artists, authors argue AI steals their work
Australian musicians, producers and authors want an AI data mining proposal to be scrapped, saying their life's work can be taken for nothing.
‘Children over shareholders’: sector grilled for lapses
A childcare inquiry has prompted apologies from publicly listed providers for any harm caused to the thousands of kids under their protection.
Marine heatwave disaster warnings ignored for two years
The federal government ignored warnings of a marine heatwave and failed to commit funding to fight SA's devastating algal bloom, a senate inquiry has heard.
Prison safety in focus after officer’s horrific abuse
The NSW government has plenty of work to do to implement all recommendations from a landmark inquiry into failures in the state's prison system.
Residential care costs could blow out to $7b a year
Unless there is immediate reform, residential care for vulnerable children could cost taxpayers $7 billion a year, the leading safety body warns.
Crisis-driven response to family violence ‘must end’
There is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to fix the crisis-driven, siloed approach to domestic, family and sexual violence, a royal commissioner says.
Parents urged to go to police with childcare concerns
Childcare educators are working for years after being banned and police want parents to report suspicions immediately to protect kids, an inquiry has been told.
‘Tragic’ childcare abuse shouldn’t drive kneejerk shift
Parents are questioning whether to send their children to preschool in the wake of horror abuse reports and trust in the sector is at a new low, advocates say.
‘You could hit kids’: ex-members in ‘cult’ abuse claims
The treatment of kids within a secretive Pentecostal doomsday church has raised further questions about working with children screenings.
Indigenous kids in focus for ‘broken’ care system probe
The number of Indigenous youths in out-of-home care and the youth justice system will form a key part of an inquiry into a troubled child-safety system.
‘Transparent’ Lehrmann inquiry head corrupt, court told
An ex-judge who leaked a report into Bruce Lehrmann's rape prosecution was corrupt despite claims he acted in the public interest, a judge has heard.
Why ‘racist’ preacher couldn’t be charged by police
An Islamist preacher could not be criminally prosecuted for anti-Semitic sermons, but new laws could allow police to pursue similar cases.
Truth-telling inquiry splits on final report findings
Three of the five leaders of an Indigenous truth-telling inquiry did not endorse the key findings in one of its two final reports.
Empty chairs spark bid to arrest premier’s senior staff
A state's most senior ministerial staff face being dragged to an inquiry by force after their no-show to answer questions about an explosive-laden caravan.
‘We started a fire’: ADF criticised over major blaze
A "systemic failure" by the Australian Defence Force has been partly blamed for a major Black Summer blaze sparked by an army helicopter.
Use of restraints key focus of death in custody probes
A man has died in hospital weeks after becoming unresponsive during an arrest, sparking a string of investigations into the incident.