Australian employers have been warned they face a two-year prison sentence if migrant workers are exploited under a fresh government crackdown. Reforms to expand protections for some of the most vulnerable in the workforce will be introduced to federal parliament within weeks. The proposed changes would make it a criminalContinue Reading
When Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial was aborted last year due to juror misconduct, the Director of Public Prosecutions set off a chain of events that led to a public inquiry. Shane Drumgold SC penned a scathing letter to the ACT chief of police and raised concerns about “political and policeContinue Reading
A change to how student debt is calculated is being considered after the balances of millions of Australians soared overnight. The debt, known as HECS-HELP, is indexed in line with the inflation rate each year, meaning loans rose by 7.1 per cent on Thursday morning. It’s the largest increase experiencedContinue Reading
Smokers could soon be confronted with new health warnings and fresh graphic images in a fresh bid to get them to quit. Health Minister Mark Butler outlined the federal government’s plan to overhaul packaging as part of a suite of measures to slash smoking rates to below 10 per centContinue Reading
The Reserve Bank governor says he’s not declaring victory in the war on inflation just yet, and denied that he’s engaged in a scare campaign on interest rates. Appearing before a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday morning, Philip Lowe said he is acutely aware of the unpopularity of the centralContinue Reading
A welfare payments increase for more than one million Australians is all but confirmed after the Coalition resolved not to stand in the way of the $40 per fortnight top up. Opposition MPs voted to amend the bill to try to beef-up the number of hours unemployed people can workContinue Reading
Months after Brittany Higgins participated in a recorded interview with police about her rape allegation, investigators requested she speak to them again. An inquiry into how criminal justice agencies handled the case has heard police wanted to put inconsistencies in her evidence to her. Police were grilled this week aboutContinue Reading
A lawyer for Network 10 has rejected claims she had a muted conversation with Lisa Wilkinson about her Logies speech during a meeting with the ACT’s top prosecutor. Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC has claimed after he stopped Wilkinson from reading out her pre-prepared Logies speech, and warnedContinue Reading
The ACT is the least likely jurisdiction in Australia to lay charges over an alleged sexual assault, an inquiry has heard. The statistics were laid bare in a report tendered to an inquiry on Wednesday examining how criminal justice agencies handled Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation. When Ms Higgins made herContinue Reading
A senior police officer in the Bruce Lehrmann case has revealed he is a survivor of sexual assault. Detective Superintendent Scott Moller disclosed the information while on the stand at an inquiry into how criminal justice agencies handled Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation. Mr Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to one chargeContinue Reading