Economic growth softens amid higher interest rates
Official national accounts figures show easing economic growth as nine interest rate hikes start to weigh on household budgets.
national news
Home price slide loses momentum as new listings tighten
The downturn in housing prices appears to be easing but experts say it's too soon to say if it's bottoming out or has further to fall.
Battleground set for changes to superannuation tax
The treasurer says a change to super tax concessions above $3 million is a modest budget repair measure amid opposition attacks over the higher rate.
Cordingley murder suspect to be charged in Queensland
Queensland police are set to charge Rajwinder Singh with murdering Toyah Cordingley when he arrives in the state after his extradition from India via Victoria.
Fears of unrest after Kumanjayi’s death questioned
Police were not informed that an Indigenous teenager who left an alcohol rehabilitation unit wanted to return, an inquest into his shooting death has heard.
Consumer prices rose 7.4 per cent in year to January
Inflation moderated in January, leading one economist to declare that an end to interest rate hikes "now appears to be in sight".
Plan to ‘future proof’ Sydney with Metro: Perrottet
The premier has defended coalition metro plans for Sydney's west as a poll predicts a majority Labor victory at the looming 'nail-biter' NSW election.
Inland Rail $14.5b project ‘way over budget’, schedule
One of Australia's biggest transport projects is over budget, behind schedule and has been treated like a "vanity project", the federal minister has warned.
Thorpe challenges athletes to wear rainbow colours
Australian swimming icon Ian Thorpe is appealing to high-profile athletes to don rainbow shirts to show support for young, gay people facing discrimination.
‘Prohibition has failed’: Push to legalise weed in NSW
The Greens want to legalise and regulate cannabis in the next term of NSW parliament in a move they say could help end the war on drugs.
Cordingley suspect extradited over DNA, phone evidence
A man who was extradited from India over his alleged involvement in the death of Queensland woman Toyah Cordingley will be flown to Cairns in the coming days.
ASX closes down slightly as market digests data
The local share market has finished down 0.1 per cent after being in and out of positive territory on a day marked by the release of GDP and inflation figures.
Indigenous voice failure ‘unthinkable’, says Liberal MP
A senior Liberal MP says there is scope for co-operation with Labor on a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice, but the focus must be on outcomes.
Low-profile electric vehicle chargers tested in Sydney
The first of 30,000 electric vehicle chargers mounted on power poles has launched in Sydney as part of a plan to help apartment dwellers power up their cars.
States back plan for report on deadly silica dust ban
States and territories have unanimously backed the commissioning of a report to look at a ban on products containing silica dust.
Kumanjayi arrest unsound and unsafe, senior cop says
A senior police officer has told the Kumanjayi Walker inquest that a special unit deviated from a plan to arrest him and it should have used different tactics.
Exotic invaders could be rebadged as neo-natives
Australian botanists face a sticky question as invasive species become more entrenched and adapt to the point where they could be considered "new natives".
Long wait for insurance compounds disaster trauma
A new report into the mental health burden of disasters across Australia shows adequate insurance coverage is central to recovery.
Retail sales bounce back after festive season slide
Retail turnover has improved after a softer-than-expected result in December largely attributed to evolving holiday spending patterns.
Journalists withhold information over defamation fears
A survey of Australian journalists shows that just under half have withheld information because of concerns over possible legal action.
US clears Australia to acquire new long-range missiles
Washington has approved the sale of high-tech missiles to Australia, one of the first major arms deals since the introduction of an updated defence strategy.
Man arrested in alleged $5m bushfire extortion attempt
Police have arrested a man in Victoria's northeast after he allegedly threatened to light a bushfire unless $5 million was paid in crypto currency.
‘Spiralling’ demand for help as living costs increase
Welfare support organisations are facing huge demand for services as cost of living increases hit low-income households, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.
New national commissioner to oversee cyber security
A new commissioner will be appointed to help oversee cyber security protection as part of an overhaul of the sector in Australia, the government has announced.
Passengers stranded for hours as flight diverted to NT
A flight from Bangkok to Melbourne was diverted to Alice Springs after a medical emergency, with passengers stuck on the plane for more than six hours.
Olivia Newton-John remembered as ‘one of a kind’
Internationally acclaimed singer, actor and philanthropist Olivia Newton-John has been honoured at a state memorial service in Melbourne.
Australian professor freed from PNG hostage situation
A professor based in Australia and several other hostages taken captive in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea have been freed.
Australia risks losing race for carbon competitiveness
Some want emissions safeguards expanded to cover more industrial plants as a step towards an economy-wide carbon limit and price, but others warn of job losses.
Man jailed for life for savage murder of estranged wife
A man has been jailed for life for the murder of his estranged wife Samantha Fraser, who was due to give evidence against him in a rape case a week later.
Energy crisis, merger fuels higher Woodside profit
Oil and gas giant Woodside has announced an underlying full-year net profit of $US5.2 billion ($A7.7 billion), up 223 per cent from the previous year.
Perrottet ‘impeded’ committee’s work in Barilaro report
A parliamentary committee has accused NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet of refusing to help a probe into lucrative overseas trade appointments.