Bluescope Steel entices shareholders with $438m payday
Australia's biggest steelmaker will pay investors a special dividend of $1 per share after rejecting a takeover overture from Kerry Stokes and a US partner.
national news
Next US ambassador will have ‘no simple task’
Former Labor ministers are emerging as the frontrunners to replace Kevin Rudd as Australia's ambassador to the US after he chose to retire a year early.
High school costs forcing indebted parents to work more
The significant cost of educating children in Australia is forcing parents to work more hours and families to cut back on holidays.
Cycling’s Flying Burrito aims for more Paralympic gold
Korey Boddington, the reigning Australian cyclist of the year, is a para-cycling track sprinting star who is particularly fond of burritos.
Bushfire losses mount as premier defends fleeing mob
Volunteer firefighters are "blaming themselves" for being unable to lessen the devastation wrought by an ongoing bushfire crisis, a fire chief says.
Jewish groups push to scrap hate speech law exemptions
Coalition members and Jewish groups have come out against proposed hate speech laws drawn up in response to the Bondi massacre.
Premier’s compassion defence over writer’s legal threat
A state premier facing a defamation threat has defended comments he made about an author who was controversially dumped from a leading writers' festival.
Central bankers defend Fed’s Powell after Trump threat
Fed chair Jerome Powell has the backing of fellow central bankers from Europe to Australia after the Trump administration threatened him with criminal charges.
Emergence of printed weapons complicates gun crackdown
As Australia grapples with an increasing number of guns on its streets, emerging technologies could be making it easier for criminals to access deadly weapons.
Dan Murphy’s owner grows sales at expense of profit
Endeavour Group expects to report a smaller profit after cutting its prices to grow its sales on the lead-in to the key holiday trading period.
Hybrid and electric vehicles rev up second-hand market
Australians are buying more used hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars, although sales across all states and territories are slowing down.
Bushfire evacuee slams ‘selling the future for money’
An activist arrested while blocking a major port has slammed the "unbelievably irresponsible" federal government after fighting to save her home from fires.
Robert Irwin thinks he could find love at Australia Zoo
Robert Irwin has played down romance rumours while wondering if he could follow in his family's footsteps by finding his future partner at Australia Zoo.
Robust jobs market risks adding fuel to inflation fire
Australia's labour market remains tight, with limited spare capacity keeping pressure on already-high inflation and shortening the odds of interest rate hikes.
‘Changed forever’: disaster zones face long recovery
With hundreds of structures destroyed and livestock lost in fires and floods, large parts of rural Australia will never be the same amid ongoing disasters.
Festival canned after author’s dumping sparks backlash
A leading writers' festival has collapsed under the weight of backlash over the dumping of a Palestinian-Australian novelist from its program.
Labor figures jostle for plum post as Rudd marks exit
As Kevin Rudd prepares to finish his time as ambassador to the US, the government is likely to pick another Labor figure to replace him.
Aussie ex-detainee’s dire warning for ‘vulnerable’ Iran
Tehran's decades-old dictatorship could be about to topple, says an Australian expert who was jailed for 804 days by the Iranian regime.
Rate hike ‘risks hurting’ fragile consumer sentiment
A fresh survey of Australian consumer sentiment doesn't make for encouraging reading as the central bank weighs lifting the cash rate at its next meeting.
Nursing home exodus ‘last resort’ as fire cause probed
A truck trailer sparking along a major road is being probed as the possible cause of a devastating bushfire as cash is set aside to facilitate the clean up.
Alarm sounded over religious text carve-out in hate law
A carve-out in hate speech legislation has been opposed by Jewish groups, with warnings it could undermine the intended protections against hate preachers.
Australia unveils stockpile plan for critical minerals
A $1.2 billion investment in critical minerals will be spruiked by Australia when finance ministers from major economies convene in the US capital.
Australian shares gain ground in mixed trading session
The ASX200 finished up half a per cent, with goldminers gaining as the metal surged to a new record, while insurance companies fell amid bushfires in Victoria.
Rock wallaby fossils show they weren’t all homebodies
Fossil teeth show ancient rock wallabies at times ventured forth to find other groups, with researchers keen to know if their modern descendants do the same.
Divide over hate speech reforms as parliament recalled
Parliament will return early to debate tougher hate speech laws after the Bondi terror attack, but concerns over gun reform might halt efforts.
Festival dumping calculated, says Palestinian author
Dumped author Randa Abdel-Fattah says attempts to police speech will backfire as more than 100 writers quit a besieged literary festival in solidarity.
Australia Post rival shuts operations without warning
A Sydney-based delivery firm that promised to undercut Australia Post has abruptly stopped taking bookings, causing alarm for businesses.
Activist vows continued resistance despite protest laws
New curbs on protests in the wake of the Bondi terror attack will not deter activists from rallying in a major city against Indigenous deaths in custody.
Oasis tour tunes up economy but clouds rate cut hopes
Britpop giant Oasis and Black Friday bargains have helped bring Australia's economy back in tune, adding to the case against Reserve Bank rate cuts.
Cancer diagnosis for hero cop who shot Bondi stabber
Donations and praise have poured in for the heroic police officer who brought a stabbing rampage to an end as she battles a rare form of cancer.
Do not fully charge: Volvo electric vehicle warning
A serious fault has been identified in more than 2800 electric vehicles and, with no immediate fix, drivers are being warned not to fully charge the cars.