Federal and state politics, policy, and governance
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 Across gaming, food, and streaming, Australian companies are raising prices and reducing products at the exact moment government subsidies are failing to address affordability. The result: households losing $3,800 annually while corporate tactics go unchecked.
Rachel Thornbury Winter electricity bills can jump $200 higher than summer, and government rebates are ending. We've mapped out the cheapest ways to heat your home and which upgrades could save you $1,000 per year.
Ella Sullivan Australia's disaster season demands preparation, but building an effective home emergency kit doesn't have to break the bank. Here's what Australian families actually need and where to find it.
Ella Sullivan Australia ranks as the world's second most expensive country for childcare. A new government subsidy program launched in January offers modest relief to some families, but research shows hundreds of thousands will remain locked out of work.
Fatima Al-Rashid While institutions globally are pulling back from AI due to accuracy and mental health concerns, Australia is accelerating government deployment without equivalent safety oversight.
Oliver Pemberton 
Western Australia's Premier has written to major fuel suppliers demanding supply chain transparency, with a warning that emergency powers will be used if companies don't comply voluntarily.
Riley Fitzgerald Australia's government is deploying AI without transparency while open-source models with critical security vulnerabilities gain traction unregulated. Neither approach includes safety oversight.
Tom Whitfield Australian government agencies are rolling out AI across departments to assist with policy and administrative decisions, while private sector businesses won't face transparency requirements until December 2026. The Welsh government example reveals the risks of this timing gap.
Victoria Crawford 
Australia's government faces mounting pressure to invoke never-before-used emergency powers to manage fuel shortages triggered by Middle East conflict. The stakes go far beyond petrol prices.
Priya Narayanan 
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Pentagon's ban on Anthropic, ruling the blacklisting likely violates the AI company's constitutional rights and appears to be retaliation for its safety stance.
Kate Morrison 
Two senior US lawmakers have introduced legislation to pause all new AI data centre construction until the government establishes strict safety and environmental protections, a proposal that reveals deep fissures over regulatory strategy.
Aisha Khoury 
The Welsh government used Microsoft's Copilot to help shape a review that led to the shutdown of Industry Wales, a move that has sparked scrutiny over how AI influences major policy decisions.
Riley Fitzgerald The Strait of Hormuz closure created dual crises for Australia: A$2.2 billion in red meat exports face $4000 shipping surcharges whilst fuel prices spike 40%, forcing mining contractors to stand down workers. These were reported as separate stories. They are one crisis.
Tanya Birch Australian households faced a shock when universal energy bill rebates ended on New Year's Day. Costs jumped up to 32%, but the underlying story—and the path forward—is more nuanced than headlines suggest.
Ella Sullivan Australia is expanding its gaming industry with hundreds of new jobs while a single public clinic struggles to treat gaming addiction affecting over 300,000 people. The timing reveals a dangerous policy gap.
Sarah Cheng The 3-Day Guarantee delivered subsidised childcare access to over 126,000 children from January 2026, but families report the relief falls short as places remain scarce and fees keep rising.
Fatima Al-Rashid When a Brisbane aged care resident died after alleged neglect by understaffed colleagues, the incident revealed a systemic failure rooted in low wages driving the sector's crisis.
Mitchell Tan 
A parliamentary inquiry exposed serious allegations of bullying and intimidation at Container Exchange. The government is acting on most findings, but holding firm on one major recommendation.
Victoria Crawford 
With fuel stations running dry across Australia, the government is considering increasing ethanol content in petrol to stretch supplies and lower costs.
Rachel Thornbury