Auspol

The Government’s student debt reforms are being rolled out from today after its HECS indexation changes passed Parliament last month.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will create a register of legitimate businesses’ phone numbers to cut down on scam texts.

On Wednesday morning, One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson attempted to table documents in the Senate relating to Independent Senator Fatima Payman.

The Federal Government had planned to introduce the cap by January.

Political donations are set to be capped under a set of reforms that could see real-time disclosures and donations above $1,000 published.

It also plans to increase the minimum salary one needs to earn before they start making repayments to their loan.

Senator Pauline Hanson has lost a hate speech case brought against her by Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi.

A budget surplus is when the government makes more money than it spends in a year. A budget deficit is when it spends more money than it makes.

A question on sexual orientation will be tested for inclusion in the 2026 Census, after the Government walked back its announcement earlier this week.

It ends months of negotiations after state and territory ministers first raised concern over draft reforms in April.

A Senate committee has handed down its final report from an inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children.

Two in five 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed said they’d experienced persistent loneliness.

Establishing Makarrata is part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, alongside the Voice to Parliament and Treaty.

The University of Melbourne and Monash University commissioned an analysis of the impacts of the proposed caps.

An army officer is facing espionage charges amid an alleged link to Russia. The woman and her husband could face 15 years’ imprisonment.

Cocaine use is surging in Australia, according to wastewater analysis compiled by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is absent from this week’s NATO summit in Washington, D.C., choosing to focus on local matters instead.

A money laundering crackdown has been announced by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, with legislation expected to be tabled shortly.

Six months since recreational vape imports were banned, I look at the early results of the crackdown.

A report finding that Australian children were being used to train AI without their consent or knowledge has raised significant concern.

New tax cuts were added for every Australian taxpayer on Monday, under the Federal Government’s revised Stage 3 plan.

Changes from 1 July include tax cuts, cheaper energy, and a new vape ban. The measures were already passed but came into effect today.

A statistical dashboard will publish new data every three months, replacing the previous system which was updated annually.

Who is Jeremiah Manele? Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meet his Solomon Islands counterpart in Canberra on Wednesday.

Labor Senator Fatima Payman has crossed the floor to vote against her party during a motion brought about by the Greens to recognise the state of Palestine.

Australia’s new Governor-General Samantha Mostyn starts her role next Monday, replacing David Hurley.

Pill testing in Victoria will start this summer, following a “horror” season across the first few months of the year.

The Greens proposed the amendment in exchange for supporting the Government’s bill in the Senate.

The public sector’s pay gap has been revealed, with women in public service earning, on average, 86 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2022.

This week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton promised to block under-16s from social media within the first 100 days of a Coalition government.

The community-led program will help an estimated 12,500 women and girls each year.

What’s a recession? Treasurer Jim Chalmers has downplayed the risk of a recession, despite figures suggesting the economy is barely growing.

A new rental complaint form has been rolled out in Victoria, giving prospective renters a new avenue to report dodgy properties.

Under the bill introduced, buy now, pay later providers would be subject to existing credit laws, regulated by ASIC.

The Government says it won’t establish a Human Rights Act, despite a recommendation from a Parliamentary Committee.

China has lifted a beef ban on Australian exports, as pandemic-era restrictions on several other exports are also removed.

Latest inflation numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show a 3.6% rise in prices in the year to April 2024.

50-cent fares will be rolled out on Queensland public transport services from August, as part of a program to reduce traffic congestion.

WA knife reforms will add tougher penalties for the possession and sale of knives to children, Premier Roger Cook has announced.

Eraring power station will have its life extended to 2027, under an agreement to secure energy supply for NSW over the next two years.

New Queensland legislation will focus on supporting victim-survivors during criminal trials, and add new offences for adult abusers.

Ozempic replicas will be banned from October, under a safety measure announced by Health Minister Mark Butler.

Can I get a HECS refund? About the Government’s plan to refund HECS indexation.