Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s character has been called into question in the latest Newspoll. Mr Albanese has been found to be the weakest prime minister Australia has seen in decades, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is considered to be the stronger and more decisive leader, the poll conducted for The Australian has found. Mr Albanese’s … Read more
Retirees might be more inclined to use super for its intended purpose – income for retirement – under a proposal to tax oversized withdrawals. Four actuaries have waded into the ever-contentious tax debate with a discussion paper thrashing out opportunities to make the super system simpler and more equitable. In the paper commissioned by the … Read more
Jewish community leaders have vowed to rebuild a firebombed synagogue “bigger and better” as senior federal and state police meet to determine a motive for the alleged anti-Semitic attack. “We’ll come back bigger and better,” Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne board member Benjamin Klein said. “The building will be a beautiful jewel in the crown … Read more
The NSW government says the state’s trains are back on track after the Federal Court granted an injunction to cancel planned industrial action. The action that was expected to cause severe delays and cancellations was instigated when pay talks between the government and a key union broke down. “The NSW Government is pleased we have … Read more
More than one million Australians will soon receive a hip-pocket bump as their support payments increase. From January 1, payments for young people, students, carers and others will be indexed to keep up with inflation. Jobseekers, students, apprentices and other young Australians who get Youth Allowance will take home between $17.30 to $24.30 more every … Read more
Homelessness looms for more employed Australians than ever as the housing crisis worsens across the country. Nationwide, rough sleeping increased by 22 per cent with NSW, the hardest hit state, witnessing a 51 per cent surge since 2020, according to a landmark report released by the Australian Homelessness Monitor on Monday. The proportion of employed … Read more
A grieving community will say their final farewells to a second teenager who tragically died overseas after consuming drinks laced with methanol. Holly Bowles and her best friend Bianca Jones had been holidaying in Laos when they became unwell after consuming the drinks in the tourist town of Vang Vieng. Ms Bowles died in a … Read more
Power planners have found nuclear energy does not stack up for Australia even after considering new parameters, with large-scale solar and big batteries still the lowest-cost option. In the draft generation cost update released on Monday, scientists and energy officials warn taxpayers will need deep pockets and a lead time of at least 15 years … Read more
Australia has recorded a 22 per cent increase in homelessness in that last three years, with an alarming increase in the number of employed people seeking critical services which are “buckling” under unsustainable escalations in demand. In the three years to 2023-24, the rate of people seeking homelessness support, despite being employed, has also increased … Read more
In a huge win for Australian wildlife, authorities say they have effectively eliminated feral pigs from the nation’s third-biggest island, where they previously ran amok in plague proportions. Once over 5,000 of the introduced pests, known as one of the country’s most significant and invasive threats, roamed Kangaroo Island in South Australia — there are … Read more