Latest
Brits arrive with an aircraft carrier and AUKUS reinforcements
The UK’s foreign and defence secretaries will hold talks with their Australian counterparts in Sydney on Friday.
Tax reform, red tape and faster approvals top business wish list
Business wants tax reform to get its own inquiry so it can focus on more readily achievable productivity measures.
Calls for transparency after Keating’s $1m tax bill waiver
Experts warn that new laws making penalties non-deductible will increase the incentive for taxpayers to privately petition the ATO to cancel their debts.
Blogger’s list of Latham’s “Lemmings” lives on
The plaque under Mark Latham’s portrait in the party caucus room should name the serving ministers who made him Labor leader.
Full speed ahead on Darwin Port sale
Industry players and analysts expect the government to push the sale after the Chinese-owned port failed to cause a stir in Beijing.
Trump takes credit for lifting of beef ban, Coalition wants a review
The government said the decision to lift the import ban on US beef was based on science, not politics, but they don’t mind if that’s what the US thinks.
Opinion & Analysis
Memo to Nats: You can’t abolish net zero if you can’t form government
Sussan Ley had a process to manage the Coalition’s climate policy. The mad rush by Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack to abandon it undoes all that.
Political editor
Menzies’ message forgotten as Liberals create leaners, not lifters
Correlation is not causation – but sometimes it is. In recent years, as the size of government has grown, Australia’s economic productivity has declined.
Columnist
Saving Melbourne from Labor’s planning regime is not selfish NIMBY-ism
The city is at a crossroads: more homes, yes, but in a way that risks losing what makes Melbourne worth living in.
Contributor
Climate action is a productivity challenge for Chalmers’ roundtable
An economy-wide carbon tax, which would encourage the private sector to invest in the cheapest ways to reach our climate targets, should be on the agenda at the summit.
Editorial
More From Today
Memo to Nats: You can’t abolish net zero if you can’t form government
Sussan Ley had a process to manage the Coalition’s climate policy. The mad rush by Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack to abandon it undoes all that.
Too many wealthy home owners claiming age pension, Plibersek warned
Affluent retirees are being subsidised by low and middle-income earners while building their nest eggs, the Department of Social Services says.
Menzies’ message forgotten as Liberals create leaners, not lifters
Correlation is not causation – but sometimes it is. In recent years, as the size of government has grown, Australia’s economic productivity has declined.
Sawmills struggling, laying off staff due to housing slump
The timber industry was bracing for supply shortages to meet increased demand for housing. Instead, they are now struggling to sell their products.
Saving Melbourne from Labor’s planning regime is not selfish NIMBY-ism
The city is at a crossroads: more homes, yes, but in a way that risks losing what makes Melbourne worth living in.
‘Australia is not complicit’ in Israel’s actions: Marles
Defence Minister Richard Marles has defended the government’s transparency on Gaza by insisting it is not providing any weapons to Israel. How the day unfolded.
$110,000 coffee date: CFMEU peace deal revealed as rot spreads north
A peace deal between a gangland associate and a Gold Coast developer has sparked calls for company bosses and gangland figures to join unionists at an inquiry.
Rowland defends corruption watchdog, flags privacy crackdown on AI
The attorney-general has outlined two major areas she wants to focus on as Australia’s first law officer, while strongly backing the under-fire NACC commissioner.
PM lifts US beef ban, paves way for Trump tariff talks
The move removes the key excuse used by the White House to impose heavy tariffs on Australian exports, setting the scene for fresh trade negotiations.
Yesterday
ATO waived Paul Keating’s $1m tax bill: ABC’s Four Corners
Tax authorities wrote off the penalty owed by the former prime minister via one of his companies in 2015, according to Four Corners.
Transport for NSW slashes another 950 white-collar jobs
The job losses flagged on Wednesday come on top of cuts to 300 senior management roles, and reduce the department’s bureaucracy by almost 10 per cent.
Climate action is a productivity challenge for Chalmers’ roundtable
An economy-wide carbon tax, which would encourage the private sector to invest in the cheapest ways to reach our climate targets, should be on the agenda at the summit.
Labor delight as Coalition reopens climate wars
Sussan Ley’s problems with managing the opposition’s energy policy just got much worse.
Ley holds the line on climate as Nationals go rogue – again
Barnaby Joyce and other MPs overshadowed the start of parliament with a fresh revolt over climate change policy.
Liberals call for explanation on Bourke St post office break-in
The Liberal party has called for Australia Post to explain how a post office break-in in Melbourne’s CBD that may have compromised customers’ personal details occurred. How the day unfolded.
This Month
Three hours in sin-bin, fewer questions in new parliamentary order
MPs expelled for disorderly behaviour will spend three hours in the sin-bin instead of one, under changes being pushed by the top dogs of Labor.
Israel, Jewish groups slam Australia’s criticism of aid ‘drip feed’
Australia has co-signed a letter with almost 30 other countries in its strongest language yet condemning Israel’s war in Gaza.
AI a Trojan horse for more IR regulation, business warns
CEOs invited to next month’s meeting fear artificial intelligence will be used as cover to push for unions to have veto power over the introduction of technologies.
More vape penalties on the way, but will they be harder to buy?
NSW follows Queensland and South Australia in increasing penalties and shutting stores which sell illegal tobacco and vapes, but inconsistency abounds.