Canberra

The federal budget deficit forecast for this financial year has been slashed to just $1.1bn, all but guaranteeing Jim Chalmers will deliver back-to-back surpluses.In a move designed to ease inflationary pressures, the Mid-Year Economic and…

Anthony Albanese has paid a hefty sum for reforms to share the costs of the National Disability Insurance Scheme with the states and territories. The Prime Minister hosted leaders for the final national cabinet meeting of the year in a bid…

Days before she died, Peta Murphy had a question.Surrounded by her Labor colleagues last Tuesday, she rose to her feet in the House of Representatives and asked the Housing Minister about the party’s shared equity scheme. It would turn out…

A political headache over the detention of non-citizens is one step closer to being resolved after the Senate pushed through new laws earlier than expected. The tough laws would hand courts the power to re-detain the worst offenders…

A federal levy which could allow people to continue banking at post offices could be a solution to an ongoing branch closure crisis as banks desert cities and regional hubs across Australia.A Senate inquiry examining bank closures across…

Australians are in a royal rapture as a 50 cent coin commemorating Queen Elizabeth II released on November 23 has sparked a collector’s gold rush, with prices soaring over 30 times the asking rate. Released just this morning, the…

Smirking and laughing while taking a dig at a devastated small business owner was likely not the response Australians expected from the boss of Optus on the day its network collapsed.But that’s precisely what chief executive officer Kelly…

The parent company of Optus has broken its silence on last week’s nationwide blackout, denying responsibility for the communications wipe-out that alienated millions of Australians and put future government contracts under review.Singtel,…

A few short weeks later financial markets are fast reappraising the appointment. Market pricing and scuttlebutt are concerned that Bullock’s promotion was political and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has an undue influence over monetary policy.Bad…

Trade Minister Don Farrell has warned the state of a proposed trade agreement between Australia and the European Union “isn’t good enough” ahead of a final round of negotiations to clinch the $100bn deal. With both sides warning that a…