Shadow housing minister urges Liberals to seriously address housing affordability. Follow today’s news live * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The shadow housing minister, Andrew Bragg, will tie the Liberal’s future to adopting a strong housing policy, sounding the alarm at a centre-right event this afternoon. Bragg, one of the party’s leading moderates, will use the address at the Centre of Independent Studies event in Sydney to warn that depopulation in former Liberal inner-city strongholds will cost the party even more votes in future elections. Put simply, we need more buildings. It doesn’t matter what they are. We need to build like mad. We need to think outside the box – every back yard could potentially host a new house or granny flat if the owner wanted it. Continue reading...

From nascent policy idea in one state to passing federal parliament in just days, it’s been a whirlwind journey for the world-first legislation that will take effect from 10 December In late 2023, the South Australian premier’s wife put down a book she had been reading. It was Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. “[She] said to me you better bloody do something about this ... and then we got to work,” Peter Malinauskas later recalled in an ABC interview. Continue reading...

Patients like Mary feel ‘embarrassed’ when they can’t afford to pay for care, as experts lament a ‘system without guardrails’ * Struggling to afford specialist fees? See if your GP can refer you to one of Australia’s free public hospital clinics When Mary’s* heart began beating irregularly one evening in 2016, she was taken by ambulance to a major public hospital in Melbourne and treated by a cardiologist. She was surprised when her required follow-up appointments were in the cardiologist’s private consulting rooms rather than also through the public system. Continue reading...

Calls for regulation of pharmacies and transparency around who is sponsoring products being registered with the TGA * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Prof Geraldine Moses was speaking to a nurse who told her something concerning: patients with kidney failure were taking “iron supplements” that contained almost no iron. Patients on kidney dialysis often need iron supplements because the disease reduces the body’s ability to produce red blood cells, leading to iron deficiency and anaemia. Always see your GP for testing and advice because other medications, absorption issues and underlying conditions all affect how much iron is needed and how it should be taken. People who are iron deficient usually need between 150mg and 200mg a day of elemental iron. Check the label for “elemental iron” and the amount per dose. Many iron supplements are considered “food-supplements” or “listed medications” by the TGA with less of a requirement to prove their efficacy. Look for an AUST R number if you have been diagnosed with iron deficiency or anaemia – these products are fully evaluated by the TGA for safety, quality and efficacy. And ask your GP for product recommendations. Continue reading...

Separate independent investigation also found ‘serious issues’ with school’s governance, prompting redundancies which community says threaten the school’s viability * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast One of Australia’s oldest independent Indigenous schools is in crisis after its former principal was found guilty of physically assaulting four students. The Yipirinya school near Alice Springs has been beset with management problems for more than five years – including the trial of its former principal – and was placed under statutory management after an investigation by the Northern Territory government last year found “serious issues” with governance arrangements. Continue reading...

Education program sponsored by Shell’s Queensland Gas Company is ‘climate obstruction dressed up as education’, advocacy group says * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Queensland Museum has been accused of misleading teachers and children about the root cause of the climate crisis through a multimillion-dollar education partnership with one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies. Shell’s Queensland Gas Company has been sponsoring the museum’s Future Makers learning program since 2015 and produces teaching materials as well as running free professional development courses for teachers. But a review of the program’s climate change materials carried out by climate advocacy group Comms Declare claimed they ignore the root cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels, including gas. Belinda Noble, founder of Comms Declare, said: “This is climate obstruction dressed up as education. We wouldn’t let big tobacco sponsor teaching materials – fossil fuel companies shouldn’t shape how kids learn about the climate.” Future Makers worksheets and learning materials about global warming designed for years 7 to 10 explain how greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are rising and this is causing rapid warming, but the cause of the rise – mainly fossil fuel burning – is not explained. Continue reading...

Machines can be funny when they mistakenly bump into things – but standup is a tough gig even for humans Robots can make humans laugh – mostly when they fall over – but a new research project is looking at whether robots using AI could ever be genuinely funny. If you ask ChatGPT for a funny joke, it will serve you up something that belongs in a Christmas cracker: “Why don’t skeletons fight each other? Because they don’t have the guts.” Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

As I come to terms with life as a quadriplegic, Instagram and TikTok are a reminder that I’m not alone The government has decided that from Wednesday I should be banned from social media because of the potential harm it can cause. But as a teenager with a severe disability, who relies on social media for connection, community and access to a largely inaccessible world, this policy actually has the potential to create further harm. When I was 12, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which triggered a rare nerve condition that has paralysed me. My preteen years were spent in an ICU ward, on a ventilator, going through chemotherapy. Before I got sick I did not have any social media. It turned out that all I had to do was end up in a coma, because when I woke, I had a new iPhone14, with every accessibility feature. Having Instagram and Snapchat made me feel less disconnected. I had a window into the outside world, and my friends had a window into my world between hospital visits. Continue reading...

Imagine what a relaxing and special celebration it could be if it was tailor-made just for you * The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work Now is the time of year some of my clients want to talk about Christmas. As a specialist in addiction, many are seeking my help for their drinking. Continue reading...

In retrospect, I can appreciate what a big chance she took. I hope the universe has repaid her many times over * Read more in the kindness of strangers series Back in 2006, I went to Canberra for a medical school interview. I figured I would book accommodation when I arrived but when I arrived, there was a big convention in town and all the backpackers hostels and budget accommodation were fully booked. Coming from Singapore, I thought perhaps I could just sleep at the airport – but quickly found Canberra airport, unlike Singapore’s, is not open 24 hours. Not knowing quite what to do and getting a bit desperate, I caught a bus into town, then started wandering towards the casino, thinking I might spend the night in a place that was open all night. That wouldn’t put me in the ideal condition for nailing an interview the next morning, but as a broke student, I couldn’t afford a pricey hotel. Continue reading...

Stand-in bowler makes the most of rare chance on what could yet prove to be his final moments in Test cricket • Australia beat England by eight wickets at the Gabba In the end, the only tension was whether Brisbane’s rain would descend before Australia could knock off the last 32 runs in the final session, and so whether going 2-0 up in the Ashes would be delayed until the fifth day. It turned out that England’s resistance through the light of the afternoon had only served to dish up some evening entertainment for home fans, with Travis Head able to put on a brief show in dispatching the pink ball over the fence before he headed back the same way. And still. Through the longest partnership of the series so far, 221 balls on the hottest day of the second Test, Ben Stokes and Will Jacks made Australia work in the field, something that was perhaps worth doing for the simple fact of proving that it can be done. With Mitchell Starc tiring after leading the line all series, the contest became a grind. What it reflected about Australia’s bowling makeup was instructive. Continue reading...

* Dane makes stunning up-and-down on final hole to beat Australian * Rory McIlroy finishes 14th but says it has been an ‘amazing week’ Cameron Smith has come up just short in his bid for a coveted maiden Australian Open title as Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen made an up-and-down for the ages on the final hole at Royal Melbourne. The pair were tied at 15-under coming to the par four-18th on Sunday and it looked as though Smith was in the box seat when he landed his second shot on the green. Continue reading...

Day three report: sun setting on England’s Ashes dream Play starts in Brisbane at 2pm local/3pm AEDT/4am GMT Ashes top 100 | Get the Spin newsletter | Email Geoff Good morrow, gentlefolk. It is afternoon in Brisbane and who knows what time anywhere else. More importantly, it is crunch time for England. Let us be honest: the show is almost over. Resuming 43 runs behind with four wickets in hand, England lost the Test in that dramatic final hour last night, ending up at six wickets down. “They haven’t lost yet!” Ah, you are correct, my apple-cheeked young interlocutor. Your belief in the impossible will stand you in good stead. So let’s consider, what must England do to turn this around? First, let’s have Ben Stokes and Will Jacks put on a double century partnership. Done. Then, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse whack 40 each, and Jofra Archer finishes it off to round the late-order contributions up to a hundred. Continue reading...

Communications minister also faces scrutiny over taxpayer-funded family trip to Thredbo * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has defended his decision to sign off on a $100,000 trip to New York City for Anika Wells and two others to spruik Australia’s social media ban to global leaders at the UN general assembly. The minister’s travel entitlements have come under intense scrutiny in the past week with the Nine newspapers reporting on Sunday that Wells’ family went on a skiing trip to Thredbo in June using taxpayer-funded family reunion entitlements while the minister was there for an official event. Continue reading...

Albanese warns of ‘difficult’ summer amid fears strong winds could fan fires that destroyed at least 12 homes in Koolewong and four at Bulahdelah * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has warned of a “difficult” summer bushfire season ahead, as a natural disaster is declared in parts of New South Wales and crews battling more than 70 fires brace for unfavourable winds on Sunday. The most destructive blaze – an out-of-control bushfire at Koolewong, not far from built-up areas of the Central Coast – destroyed more than 12 homes on Saturday. Central Coast Mid Coast Upper Hunter Muswellbrook Warrumbungle Dubbo Continue reading...

One Liberal calls him ‘easily the most effective Green’ while an ex-minister says they shaped policy together. How did the former Labor member end up a heavy-hitting crossbencher? * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast In the late 1990s, a corporate lawyer helping wealthy clients hide their assets was beginning to feel uncomfortable. There was a feeling that had been gnawing away at him for several weeks, becoming harder and harder to ignore. Eventually, while riding the elevator to work one morning, his subconscious took over. “I don’t tend to make snap decisions, but I remember going up in the lift one morning and realising I just couldn’t do it any more,” he tells Guardian Australia. Continue reading...

While the tension between meritocracy and ‘jobs for mates’ is always there, the best boards are more than the sum of their parts Many years ago, I was encouraged to put my name forward to chair a significant government board. It seemed like a long shot to me, I wasn’t in anyone’s club, but my supporters were insistent. I agreed to let my name go into the mix. It was a surprise then when the chair of the selection committee called a few weeks later and said with an apologetic tone: “Sorry Julianne, it’s just not your turn.” Julianne Schultz is deputy chair of the Sydney writers’ festival board Continue reading...

Ibac’s oversight of Victoria police should also be strengthened, the state’s integrity and oversight committee recommends * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog should be overhauled, with a broader definition of corrupt conduct that could allow it to pursue cases such as those that ensnared former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian and her ex-partner Daryl Maguire, a parliamentary committee has found. The oversight of Victoria police should also be strengthened, and the force legally required to implement Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (Ibac) recommendations, or publicly state why it was not doing so, the committee found. Continue reading...

Montmorency Bakehouse decided to tackle online abuse head-on, asking viewers to ‘please stop with the thirsty comments’ Lawrence Du knew instinctively that his parents’ bakery had the potential to pop off on social media. Shaun Du and Cindy Vuong opened Montmorency Bakehouse on the fringe of Melbourne’s east in 2003, after migrating to Australia from Vietnam. They started selling pillowy, coconut-dusted lamingtons, vanilla slices, chunky steak pies and crusty loaves of bread alongside crispy banh mi and rice paper rolls, creating a traditional country-style Australian bakery with a Vietnamese twist. Continue reading...

US offers to get Australians out of camps if they are issued with travel documents, but Labor has said ‘this is not something the government is considering’ * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australian children held in increasingly “militarised” displacement camps in north-east Syria have been told they will be shot if they try to breach the fence line, as Australia refuses to issue its citizens with passports so they can be repatriated. The US has offered to bring the Australians out of the camps on the proviso they have been issued with travel documents or passports, a condition to which Australia has not agreed. Continue reading...

Their quest captured the imagination of the colony and became part of Australia’s foundation narrative. But it was a debacle led by an eccentric man with a poor sense of direction * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Efforts to stir cultural outrage over the decision to “banish” a statue of the heroically failed explorers Burke and Wills from Melbourne’s City Square offers a welcome opportunity to reconsider the tragic folly of their 1860 expedition. The 1865 statue – Victoria’s oldest public monument – was put in storage almost nine years ago, having been relocated four times previously without controversy. But now the monument has made modest news again, after the former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett and state MP David Davis described the decision to keep it mothballed as “not respectful’’ and a “politically correct’’ airbrushing of history. Continue reading...

The musician and former Powderfinger frontman on medical marijuana, his love for First Dates Australia and the greatest guitar riff of all time * Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email You’re touring your debut solo album Tea & Sympathy to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Is it true that you wrote the most positive song in the world, Wish You Well, when you were very, very hungover? Yes! I was getting ready to record Tea & Sympathy and I was leaving for the UK soon. I had all the final demos mixed and ready to go and I was excited, so I got drunk. I got wasted. I was living by myself for the first time in my life as well, so I was completely unsupervised. The next morning I made a cup of tea and sat on the couch and that song just fell out in 15 minutes. Continue reading...

After meeting Miranda at a footy screening, Darcy Green found her a little terrifying. Months later, their feelings came pouring out * Find more stories from the moment I knew series In 2018 I moved from Sydney to Oxford to complete my masters. My mum was born in London, and I was raised on my gran’s stories about England, so moving to Oxford felt oddly like going home. I was excited to get my degree, visit as many beautiful libraries as possible and play all the sports I could cram into my calendar. Falling in love wasn’t on my wishlist, but then I met Miranda. Continue reading...

* Socceroos open against European qualifiers in Vancouver * US game in Seattle then Paraguay in San Francisco Bay Area Australia’s path through the group stages of the World Cup will pass through Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco, after Fifa confirmed the venues and kick-off times for the 2026 tournament. Drawn in Group D alongside the co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and the European qualifier to emerge from the playoffs involving Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey and Romania, the Socceroos will start their campaign against their European foes at BC Place in Vancouver at a local time of 9pm on 12 June (2pm on 13 June AEST). Continue reading...

Sometimes I feel like the world is more afraid of me as a Palestinian refugee than it is afraid of the genocide and wars that create refugees in the first place The world is big, yet it is forever shrinking for Gazans. In fact, it is as small as 3% of the size of an ever-diminishing strip of land, where the rest of Gaza City is being forcibly displaced, bombed and starved. But our rejection doesn’t end at Gaza’s “borders”. It follows us everywhere. Plestia Alaqad is an award-winning journalist and author Continue reading...