Consulting giant KPMG has been accused by whistleblowers of wasting public money, submitting inflated invoices and billing the Department of Defence for hours never worked.

Festival confirmed writer and academic would appear in two sessions in 2026 following disinvitation from Adelaide event * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Global accounting giant KPMG has distanced itself from the Sydney writers’ festival, requesting its name be removed from the event’s website where it was listed as a corporate partner. The move follows the festival scheduling Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah to speak at two sessions in this year’s event. Continue reading...

Substances include chemicals that can cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and the feminisation of males You wear them at work, you wear them at play, you wear them to relax. You may even get sweaty in them at the gym. But an investigation into headphones has found every single pair tested contained substances hazardous to human health, including chemicals that can cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and the feminisation of males. Continue reading...

The cutting of pleasures, the trimming of delights and telling people how they can enjoy life, is the sort of thing that will be tolerated, up to a point. Otherwise liberal countries do suffer moral [...

There’s been a lot of talk of “Australian values” thrown about by politicians in recent days. Indeed, “Australian values” is a quick way to explain something without getting too specific about what they actually mean or how they may undermine certain groups and dismiss individuals whose opinions challenge the status quo. In some cases, it seems to be used nostalgically to glorify times perceived by some as “better” and even “great”. But problems arise when people cherry-pick some “core values” while failing to mention or consider others clearly listed in the Australian Values Statement. Freshly minted Opposition Leader Angus Taylor clearly has some favourites memorised from the values statement. When questioned by ABC’s Sarah Ferguson about the Coalition’s immigration plans, he said he would support a plan that ensures “we shut the door on people who don’t adopt our core values and beliefs” (similar to what he shared in a press conference earlier on in the day). Taylor went on to describe those core values as “belief in democracy, the rule of law, obedience to the law and our core freedoms”. He repeated these “values” later on, declaring in response to whether or not he’d support a geographical ban on people arriving in Australia that: “We have a very, very central set of beliefs about what it is that made our nation great. I firmly believe _democracy, the rule of law and basic freedoms_ are right at the heart of that, and if people don’t want to adopt a belief in those things, and accept the values behind that, they should go.” Democracy, rule of law and various freedoms all get a mention in the Australian Values statement, which is mandatory for visa applicants to sign – although some would argue they are the more practical, infrastructure-like aspects underpinning other “values” noted in the statement. But it’s what Taylor fails to mention as part of this country’s “core values” that is telling, as it is telling from many individuals who harp on about “Australian values” seemingly without reading the full statement, or perhaps preferring that people will miss the points about opportunity and equality and compassion for those in need. To be fair, it would be awkward for Taylor to highlight the stated Australian value of giving someone “a fair go”, given the woman he replaced – the first female leader of the party – was given just nine months to undertake a turnaround of her party’s fortunes before he pushed for a leadership spill. Nor did Taylor give Sussan Ley a “fair go” in launching her own hardline immigration policy, which leaked reports suggest she planned to do on Monday this week, and of which further leaked reports suggest looked remarkably similar to what Taylor ultimately outlined on immigration on Tuesday. But back to _Australian_ values… The Australian Values Statement – that visa applicants are required to sign – outlines a series of Australian values that the Home Affairs Department says are “based on freedom, respect, fairness and equality of opportunity,” and are central to our community remaining a secure, prosperous and peaceful place to live. It adds that values include various freedoms and a commitment to the rule of law. It also lists recognising English as the national language. All of which Taylor was keen to mentioned during his interview on Monday night. The value of a “fair go” was not mentioned by Taylor. A “fair go” is definted in the statement as embracing mutual respect, tolerance, compassion for those in need, and equality of opportunity for all. That equality of opportunity is outlined as being “for all people, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, race or national or ethnic origin.” The values statement isn’t long or complicated, nor hard to Google. While some may disagree with all of its inclusions, if you’re going to mention “Australian values” as your simplified definition for determining who we should “shut the door on”, then try harder than cherry-picking the basics. And if you can’t mention or promote several of the values mentioned, then perhaps you don’t stand for Australian values at all. Share this Angus TaylorAustralian valuesdemocracy by Angela Priestley 6 hours ago ## Stay Smart! Get Women's Agenda in your inbox * Email * Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Δ ## Latest news ### ‘Get the files out’: Hillary Clinton calls out Trump over redacted names and Epstein ‘cover-ups’ ### Closing the leadership gap: How women are driving change in Australia’s legal profession ### The Women to Watch in Australia’s legal sector ### Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah to take stage at Sydney Writers’ Festival ### The attempt to punish Grace Tame tells us everything about how we treat women who speak up ### How an International Court judge thinks about hope

Australia’s road toll is rising, and new warnings suggest the country is drifting away from its goal of halving deaths by 2030. More than thirteen hundred people were killed on Australian roads last year, with early 2026 figures showing little sign of improvement. Industry leaders and victim advocates are calling for urgent action, from safer street design to changes in driver behaviour, as families continue to live with the consequences of road trauma every day.