Green groups warn climate courage missing from budget
Climate wins on bike lanes and batteries have been overshadowed by a failure to capture fossil fuel revenue and rein in off-road diesel credits, environment groups say. The lead up…
A lot of panic for a sensible budget? | The West Report
Jim Chalmers’ 2026 Budget has landed and, despite the pearl clutching from the Rich Boomers Lobby and Murdoch press, the sky has not fallen in. Westy looks at the modest…
Funding to stem child-support system abuses welcomed
Australia is taking one of its most significant steps in recent history to stem abuses and weaponisation of the child-support system, advocates say. The 2026/27 federal budget handed down on…
In Stella Prize first, a graphic novel draws the win
The $60,000 Stella Prize has gone to a graphic novel for the first time, with Lee Lai taking out the award for her book Cannon. “This feels like quite a…
Up in smoke: budget loses $8b more to illicit tobacco
Australia’s growing tobacco black market has slashed billions more dollars from the federal budget bottom line as the treasurer remains steadfast against calls to lower the excise fuelling the illicit…
Rinehart legal saga reignites, Hancock lodges appeal
Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, will fight elements of a complex court ruling that found two rival mining dynasties were entitled to a share of the spoils from some of…
‘These geniuses’: PM’s generational housing gamble
Anthony Albanese is playing “gutsy” politics with sweeping changes to tax concessions for landlords but risks offending established investors who may not have expected the overhaul, an expert in politics…
The budget in seven graphs: no big surprises but this may be one of the most ambitious moves to fix Australia’s finances | Greg Jericho
With some long-awaited sanity on housing and taxes, including CGT and negative gearing changes, it’s one of the most important for good – but will still leave some out in…
Sound baths are supposed to help relax and ‘soothe’ your nervous system. But do any of these claims ring true? | Antiviral
Social media is awash with clips of people paying to be ‘bathed’ in sound. But what’s the science behind the practice? Read more in the Antiviral series I, for one,…
Look up: Milky Way photographer of the year 2026 – in pictures
Photographers search for dark skies in the most remote landscapes to find places where the galaxy shines with extraordinary clarity. They share not only their breathtaking results but also their…