Category: Politics

Scott Morrison says the government will seek to ease cost of living pressures in the federal budget, but warns factors behind higher petrol prices need to be addressed at a global level. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will deliver his fourth budget on March 29 ahead of an expected May election, which opinion polls indicate the coalition...

Scott Morrison has been forced to explain himself after his office banned media filming him visiting damaged homes in flood-affected areas of northern New South Wales. The prime minister toured the region, including the devastated town of Lismore, on Wednesday when he announced his intention to declare a national emergency amid the clean-up. When later...

Australia will impose a fresh round of sanctions against Russia, targeting people who disseminate propaganda and disinformation about the invasion of Ukraine. Ten people with a strategic interest in Russia will be sanctioned for encouraging hostility towards Ukraine and driving false claims that a genocide was taking place against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine. Foreign...

NSW will divest itself of Russian assets in its investment funds, in a protest against President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The move will see at least $75 million of Russian assets acquired by the NSW Generations Fund sold. “Putin’s illegal invasion has put at risk global security and he is personally responsible for the...

Australia will take refugees from Ukraine as Coalition MPs urge their government to do everything it can to help the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war. The country is already fast-tracking visa applications from Ukrainians and will support people who have flooded into neighbouring Poland as well as those who want to settle elsewhere,...

Australia has implemented a range of sanctions against Russia, following Moscow’s deployment of forces to Ukraine. After a meeting of the national security committee on Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the first tranche of sanctions would be in “lock step” with those implemented by other Western nations such as the US and UK AUSTRALIAN...

Voters impacted by COVID-19 in the lead-up to election day will be able to take part over the phone, after new laws passed parliament on Wednesday. The change came as part of three amendments to electoral laws. This includes banning foreign campaigners from authorising electoral matter or fundraising more than $1000 per financial year. A...

New research has found that Australians’ confidence in the Morrison government is at its lowest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian National University study of 3472 people in January found only about a third had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the government. New research has found...

A leading opposition Australian lawmaker has made an emotional plea not to rush through a controversial bill aimed at protecting religious people. Critics says the bill enables discrimination and would allow religious schools to exclude transgender students. Mentioning his late gay nephew, Labor MP Stephen Jones said the bill had not been thought through. “He...

Peter Dutton has strongly denied he is the unnamed politician who called Prime Minister Scott Morrison a “complete psycho” in leaked texts. The spotlight turned to the defence minister on Sunday night when former NSW Premier Bob Carr sensationally claimed on social media that he was the man behind the message. “The minister who shared...