The government's aged care reforms promised affordability, quality, and sustainability. After 39% price increases in the first year, price caps arriving July 1 face an impossible test.
Marcus Ashbrook Fuel prices are structural, not temporary. Food will follow within weeks. And Telstra just announced its second price increase in 10 months. The timing of these pressures converging in Q2 2026 creates a compounding household budget crisis.
Marcus Ashbrook 
A 55-year-old Western Australian government employee faces investigation after detectives alleged she used her position to bypass thousands of applicants and fast-track her lover's social housing application.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Brisbane has shortlisted two major international consortia to deliver a $3.6 billion entertainment and housing precinct centred on a 17,000-seat indoor arena at the Gabba site.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Australians receiving welfare payments are bearing the brunt of Australia's fuel crisis, with advocacy groups urging the government to suspend compulsory appointments and boost remote area support.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Mining giants are urging the government to run a pilot programme using AI to accelerate project approvals, which currently take around 16 years from concept to construction.
Marcus Ashbrook Easter holidays strain family budgets as childcare and holiday activities cost more than ever. Here's how to plan without breaking the bank.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Anthony Albanese's visit to Australia's largest mosque for Eid prayers descended into confrontation, exposing deep fissures within the Muslim community over the government's handling of Middle East conflicts and new extremism laws.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left Lakemba Mosque after being heckled by protesters during Eid al-Fitr prayers, an incident highlighting deep fractures over the government's Middle East stance.
Marcus Ashbrook Australia's government is distributing a $1,200 cost of living payment to welfare recipients starting March 21, even as inflation data shows families spending $7,200 more annually to maintain a basic lifestyle.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Authorities are urging organisations to strengthen access controls on Microsoft Intune following an attack that allowed Iran-linked hackers to remotely wipe tens of thousands of devices at medical device maker Stryker.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Treasurer Jim Chalmers must navigate conflicting pressures: deliver the tax and spending reforms long promised, or respond to immediate inflationary shocks from Middle East conflict.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Victoria is rolling out its toughest tobacco licensing regime in response to over 200 firebombings, but enforcement begins amid questions about whether restrictive policies inadvertently fuel the criminal syndicates they aim to stop.
Marcus Ashbrook 
As the Middle East conflict disrupts global oil supplies, Australia's fuel reserves of just 36 days—well below international standards—expose decades of strategic policy failure across governments.
Marcus Ashbrook 
The Greens' retreat in the 2025 federal election has created a succession crisis in Brunswick as Labor aims to exploit the party's weakness by pushing harder-left policies in the marginal Richmond seat.
Marcus Ashbrook 
OpenClaw adoption has surged across China at unprecedented speed, but government agencies and cybersecurity bodies are now issuing warnings over security vulnerabilities. The tension reveals Beijing's struggle to balance innovation ambitions with institutional safeguards.
Marcus Ashbrook 
Iranian intelligence agencies are no longer just using cybercrime as cover. They're actively integrating ransomware and commercial malware into their operational toolkit.
Marcus Ashbrook 
YouTube has begun rolling out its AI deepfake detection tool to journalists, politicians, and government officials, allowing them to track and request removal of synthetic videos. However, experts question whether the system can keep pace with rapidly advancing AI technology.
Marcus Ashbrook As inflation hits 3.8% and the RBA raises interest rates, the government's March indexation adjustments to pensions and income support face a test: can they actually help households keep pace with rising costs?
Marcus Ashbrook 
Across major US airports, security lines have stretched to three hours as Transportation Security Administration workers face their first missed paychecks during a Department of Homeland Security funding standoff.
Marcus Ashbrook