The government is being urged to investigate setting up a publicly-owned bank to ensure regional and remote Australians have access to financial services as more and more branches close. Handing down its final report on Friday, a Senate committee investigating the effect of branch closures on consumers and businesses recommendedContinue Reading
The federal government has told the chiefs of two of Australia’s largest universities that no students should be targeted because of their race or religion as leaders grapple with rising anger over the use of pro-Palestinian chants on campuses. Hundreds of students have set up encampments outside university buildings acrossContinue Reading
Sweeping laws granting the government powers to jail non-citizens resisting deportation and block visa applications from specific countries should be passed, an inquiry has found in a split report. Labor tried and failed to ram through in less than two days legislation that could result in non-citizens resisting deportation beingContinue Reading
Former heavy smokers have told a senate inquiry how switching to vaping was a “miracle” that helped them curb their deadly habit, as they pleaded for greater protections for legitimate e-cigarette users. With legislation currently before the parliament seeking to crack down on the disposable vape black market by makingContinue Reading
Fruit-flavoured prescription-only nicotine vapes for adults wanting to move away from cigarettes should be made available, manufacturers have told senators, as they throw their support behind new legislation aimed at stamping out the black market. After new laws came into effect in March that banned the importation of unlicensed vapes,Continue Reading
A defiant Clare O’Neil is resisting demands for her to fall on her sword after a cancer-surviving grandmother was allegedly bashed at the hands of a released immigration detainee. The Home Affairs Minister rejected calls from the Coalition and Sunrise host Natalie Barr to resign over the saga after MajidContinue Reading
A violent attack on a Perth grandmother allegedly at the hands of a released immigration detainee has raised concerns about assurances from the government that the community would be safe. Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, was among 149 detainees released after the High Court ruled last year that indefinite immigration detentionContinue Reading
Stricter school discipline is making a comeback to Australian classrooms in a bid to help teachers stamp out disruptive behaviour. New guidelines are being rolled out to schools nationally to give teachers skills to set high expectations and implement rules on how students should behave. The framework was created byContinue Reading
A crime-plagued Aldi in Perth has been denied permission to install security shutters as a “last resort” measure to protect the store from a high number of break-ins and vandalism, after an expert argued it would “create a hostile space”. Following a spate of incidents at the Aldi in Byford,Continue Reading
A former Brisbane lord mayor says he can understand why people might believe the Queensland government is more focused on re-election rather than providing a post 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games legacy. An inquiry into how prepared Australia is ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games will examineContinue Reading