Your noon Briefing

Welcome to your noon roundup of how the day has played out so far and what to watch for.

Hello readers. Here is your noon digest of what’s making news and a long read for lunchtime.

Minister for Jobs and Innovation Senator Michaelia Cash appearing at a Senate Employment Legislation Committee at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture Kym Smith

Cash stoush

Workplace Minister Craig Laundy has attacked Labor’s “faux outrage” over Michaelia Cash threatening to name “every young woman” working in Bill Shorten’s office who had been subject to rumours, arguing she was only responding to “implied innuendo” from Labor questioning during Senate Estimates yesterday. Mr Laundy said the opposition was “selectively” focusing on Senator Cash’s comments during a long exchange with Labor senator Doug Cameron. Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor says his government counterpart Michaelia Cash should apologise and resign. Keep up with all the events from parliament in our live rolling blog, PoliticsNow.

“She needs to apologise for the slanderous slur she made yesterday towards young women working in parliament.”

Brendan O’Connor

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Auction at 209 Church St, Manifold Heights VIC 3218, Australia. Auctioneer Marcus FalconerPhoto:Pat ScalaSaturday the 24th of February 2018

Prices slide

Housing prices fell in almost every capital city last month as the once white-hot market continues to come off the boil. Sydney prices are now lower than they were a year ago, with the city dropping 0.5 per cent over the past 12 months and recording an annual price fall for the first time in 2012. The harbour city was the weakest capital over the quarter, dropping 2.4 per cent, and also fell 0.6 per cent during February, according to CoreLogic.

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In this Feb. 9, 2018 photo, White House Communications Director Hope Hicks is shown during a meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and Shane Bouvet, in Washington. Hicks is scheduled to meet with the House intelligence committee Tuesday for a closed-door interview as part of the panel's Russia investigation. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

No Hope

One of Donald Trump’s closest aides, White House communications director Hope Hicks, has confirmed she will resign.The move is an unexpected blow to the White House which has been embroiled in a series of rolling controversies in recent weeks, including the stripping this week of top secret clearances for senior adviser Jared Kushner.

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Bernard Salt looks at where the smartest and skill workers live.

Smart homes

Demographics guru Bernard Salt asks: where do Australia’s smartest, or at least our best educated, workers live? And where is our No1 tradie town? T he results may surprise.

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The Kuark forest is located in far East Gippsland, Victoria. Source: GECO/Rob Blakers

The long read: Forest wars

Environmental groups are relying on courts and the market to thwart inroads by the logging industry, writes Graham Lloyd. With the Keating era Regional Forest Agreements set to expire, discussions about how to manage forests nationally are coming to a head.

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Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natalie joins Greens candidate for Batman Alex Bhathal for an announcement on the party's housing policy at a press conference in Melbourne, Thursday, February 22, 2018. (AAP Image/Joe Castro) NO ARCHIVING

Comment of the day

“OMG the candidate is accused of unfriending a party member on Facebook, projecting, triggering and making safe spaces unsafe. That about sums up the Greens; vain, vacuous, venomous and virulent.”

Alan, in response to ‘Greens call for Batman by-election candidate to be axed’.