Amy Remeikis
You can almost trace the rise of political discontent across Western democracies to the increase of big dumb utes on our roads. This is not about class or the type of person attracted by the road rambos, but what their popularity says about us as societies.
Former defence minister Linda Reynolds has warned Australia has been in a ‘hybrid and grey zone war’ with China for years, arguing the country remains unprepared and that no ‘credible Plan B’ to the AUKUS submarine deal has been proposed.
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The Albanese government has been warned thousands of Australian pets could die and households risk facing more than $1 billion in annual costs unless it significantly boosts efforts to eradicate fire ants.
If allowed to continue their spread across Australia, fire ants could cause significant environmental, social and economic damage – to the tune of more than $22 billion by the 2040s. And every year, they could cost households over $1.08 billion.
Today, the ABS has released its latest survey on barriers to work, and more than a quarter of women aged 18-64 who were not retired but would like to work, or would like to work more hours, cited child care as the main reason for not doing so.
Politicians can be too cynical for their own good. As I argued in The Point, they would often do better with the common good, not apparent political advantage, as their guide. Here are six times when politicians paid the price for pursuing short-term self-interest.
Australia’s total foreign aid budget was $5.097 billion in 2025-6. According to Animal Medicines Australia’s major survey and study of pet ownership, Australians spent $21 billion on their animals in the year to March 2025.
It isn’t always easy to keep up with what’s happening in the US. “Shorter America” is a series where Dr Emma Shortis loops you in on what’s going on in America and shares news and analysis that you can trust.
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The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released the unemployment figures for May. Unemployment in May dropped from 4.5% to 4.4%, which is good news. Although, for now, the broader trend seems to be one of increasing unemployment.
On the face of it, Hanson is right that the 2021 census reported 872,000 people spoke English either “not well” or “not at all”. But that number hides details that make Hanson’s claim highly misleading. For example, of those who reported speaking English “not at all”, most are Australian citizens. And about half of those have a pretty good reason for not speaking English – they’re babies.
A star Socceroo has delivered a powerful message to the world about multiculturalism, diversity and the contribution of refugees, ahead of Australia’s next game at the football World Cup. Adelaide-based winger Awer Mabil, one of four Socceroos who came to Australia as refugees before finding their way into the national soccer team, spoke to journalists in the build-up to the clash with co-hosts the USA on Saturday.
