Australia’s triple-0 line will be better protected against future technical issues, as Optus apologises again after an outage left thousands of Australians unable to contact the crucial service. Nearly one in three Australians were left without phone and internet services when the telco company experienced a nationwide outage in November. During the 14-hour event, thousands … Read more
Almost one million extra trips to the GP have been bulk-billed since additional incentives for doctors came into effect, but the government has ruled out further rises to the scheme. The bulk-billing rate rose 2.1 per cent to 77.7 per cent in March, according to government data. More Australians did not have to pay for … Read more
Australians have taken to the streets to demand an end to gendered violence which advocates warn has reached crisis levels. Thousands of attendees at protests in Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart on Saturday demanded concrete action to break the cycle of violence which has claimed the lives of at least 26 women so far in 2024, … Read more
Australians will take to the nation’s streets in their thousands to demand an end to gendered violence which advocates warn has reached crisis levels. About 15 rallies will be held across the nation over the weekend amid calls for concrete action to break the cycle of violence which has claimed the lives of at least … Read more
University graduates, already “treading water” amid the cost of living crisis, are set for more financial pain. Student debt is set to increase by thousands of dollars this year after inflation figures came in slightly higher than expected. HECS debt is expected to increase by 4.8 per cent when indexation is applied on June 1, … Read more
Payment and reporting dates over the Anzac Day public holiday are set to shift for Centrelink customers. The revised dates accommodate for branch closures affecting processing times and face-to-face appointments. Centrelink branches across Australia will be closing for the Anzac Day public holiday on Thursday, April 25. Newsletters: Breaking news as it happens. Subscribe now … Read more
Just before the beginning of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, Eman and Ahmed Shat were overjoyed to announce they would soon be welcoming their fourth child. Now in her third trimester of pregnancy and living in an overcrowded refugee camp in Rafah without basic essentials such as food and water, Eman, 29, is severely depressed … Read more
The jobless rate has inched 0.1 percentage points higher to 3.8 per cent, with 7000 jobs disappearing from the economy in March. The participation rate fell to 66.6 per cent from 66.7 per cent in February, according to official labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. “With employment falling by around 7000 people … Read more
The gap between Australia’s haves and have-nots has substantially widened in the past two decades, data shows. A report, led by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and UNSW Sydney, reveals the average household wealth of the top 10 per cent has grown much faster since 2003 than the lowest 60 per cent. The … Read more
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s mother has died. Wong said her mother, Jane Chapman, died on Sunday. She was a woman of “exceptional intellect and penetrating insight, of mischievous wit and endless curiosity”, Wong said on social media. Newsletters: Breaking news as it happens. Subscribe now “Most of all she was a woman of deep … Read more
