Calls to protect payments following builder collapse
Advocates have called for federal reforms to protect worker payments following the collapse of prominent construction companies.
national news
Victorians facing energy price hikes of 30 per cent
Victoria's Essential Services Commission has proposed annual power bill increases of $426 a year for residential electricity customers on default offers.
Archbishop claims $1.9m altar boy payout ‘excessive’
Archbishop Peter Comensoli is appealing a $1.9 million payout to a victim of a pedophile priest, arguing factors outside the abuse caused some of his injuries.
Qld homes, businesses to get electricity bill relief
The Queensland government has promised to give households and small businesses in the state's southeast bigger electricity bill rebates in 2023/24.
Keating sinks the boot into ‘irrational’ AUKUS deal
Paul Keating has launched a scathing attack on the AUKUS security arrangement, calling it irrational and an affront to Australia's public administration.
Gendered violence still a ‘national crisis’, data shows
Women continue to face higher rates of sexual, physical and economic violence, the Australian Bureau of Statistics' latest personal safety data release shows.
Jail time quashed for Harbour Bridge climate protester
A protester who blocked the Sydney Harbour Bridge to raise awareness about the climate crisis has successfully had her jail sentence quashed on appeal.
Funds accused of ‘greenwashing’ by market lobby group
The environment-focussed lobby group Market Forces has criticised five super funds for not doing enough to challenge the fossil fuel firms they invest in.
Nurses to sue NSW government over staff shortages
Nurses are taking the NSW government to court using examples of staff shortages they say deprive patients of adequate care.
Power prices to soar as Australia heads into winter
Energy regulators expect maximum residential electricity prices to rise more than 30 per cent in some areas amid high commodity prices and generation costs.
Top doctor’s flu warning ahead of virus triple threat
The former face of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Dr Nick Coatsworth, is urging Australians not to make the same mistake he did about the flu vaccine.
Tourists escape to the country as budgets tighten
Albury has been named Aussie Town of the Year as Australians look to the regions for cheap and cheerful holidays away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
More than one million students start NAPLAN testing
More than one million students have begun NAPLAN testing but education experts are critical of the assessment's earlier than usual term one schedule.
Drivers face shocking fines for ‘ICEing’ electric cars
Australian motorists face fines of up to $3200 for parking in electric vehicle charging spots after changes to laws in four states and territories.
Scientists unpick Australia’s year of weather disasters
Leading climate scientists have delved into some of the most extreme weather events Australians endured last year, and there were plenty to choose from.
economy, business and finance
energy and resource
environmental issue
natural gas
oil and gas - downstream activities
oil and gas - upstream activities
Call for Woodside directors’ heads over climate change
Woodside Energy's board is failing shareholders on climate change and three directors up for re-election should pay the price, activist shareholders say.
Premier’s kids’ kitty open to children born interstate
Dominic Perrottet believes his new kids' future fund is great policy, but questions linger over who is eligible and whether it will instead increase inequality.
Ukraine’s grim warning on Russian social media meddling
Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko has warned Australia that Russia is exploiting social media divisions to undermine democracy.
Ferry operator hit with $75k fine over polo pony deaths
The Spirit of Tasmania ferry operator and polo identity Andrew Williams have been fined a total of $90,000 over the deaths of 16 horses.
Defence calls for not guilty in Malka Leifer abuse case
Former ultra-Orthodox Jewish principal Malka Leifer's barrister has urged jurors to find her not guilty in his closing arguments in her sexual abuse trial.
Demand for urgent change to GST ‘atrocity’ rebuffed
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected a call from his Victorian counterpart to urgently reassess the GST system amid claims it favours Western Australia.
Fijian cane toad croaks it after arriving in Melbourne
A quick-thinking traveller from Melbourne has helped protect Australia's unique flora and flora from a hitch-hiking cane toad.
Mental health workers ‘despair’ at state of NSW system
A report from the front line of mental health care in NSW shows a system struggling with "fractured" services, but the government says funding is significant.
Concussion class action could be $1b headache for AFL
Margalit Injury Lawyers has launched a class action against the AFL over on behalf of players who suffered concussion-related injuries over almost 40 years.
Jaw-dropping breakthrough helps man regenerate tissue
A world-first surgical technique performed by an Australian surgeon using a groundbreaking Australian-Singaporean 3D implant has produced a jaw-dropping result.
Business conditions still strong, but confidence waning
Business conditions remain firmly in positive territory despite successive interest rate rises, although sentiment in the community has dived.
‘Pure panic’ as Australian market in the red for 2023
The local share market finished down 1.4 per cent, although the ASX200 managed to close just slightly above the key 7,000 level.
Rambo, the fox who outfoxed the hunters, bites the dust
Wildlife officers are celebrating the demise of a fox named Rambo, who outfoxed veteran trackers tasked with hunting him down at a NSW wildlife refuge.
Australia to command eight nuclear subs in $368b deal
A new class of nuclear-powered submarines will be in Australia by the early 2040s under plans to acquire eight vessels in its largest-ever defence investment.
Cost-of-living concerns impacting Aussie travel plans
After rebounding from the pandemic, the travel industry is facing further setbacks as holidaymakers face cost-of-living concerns.
Hayne trial hears woman’s evidence of alleged assault
A woman has recounted what happened in a suburban Newcastle bedroom, where she claims she was sexually assaulted by former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne.