India’s Adani Enterprises on Thursday received the go-ahead to start construction of a controversial coal mine in Australia’s outback after a state government approved a final permit on groundwater management. The Carmichael mine has been a lightning rod for climate change concerns in Australia and was seen as a factor in the surprise return to power of the conservative Liberal-National coalition in a national ...

t seems that problematic Instagrammers are at it again, driving the people of Perth to invest a whopping $400,000 (nearly £220,000) in a new toilet to serve the masses. Ask the average person what the most photographed place in Western Australia’s biggest city is and they’d probably guess at Elizabeth Quay, Cathedral Square or the Bell Tower in Barrack Square. But they’d be ...

Australia can reset and reform its refugee and asylum seeker policy by looking to its past successes and best current practice from around the world, a leading refugee law study centre has found, to create a “principled and pragmatic” approach. The University of New South Wales Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law has examined best practice refugee policy ...

Australia could cut greenhouse gas emissions halfway to its Paris agreement target, and save $7.7bn a year in bills, by adopting existing global standards on energy efficiency. From new hot water heaters to better standards for appliances, a new report has found Australia is missing an opportunity to “easily” meet its emissions targets and fight the looming climate crisis. The ...

For some reason that we can’t fully grasp, people continue to look to flying cars as a valid means of transportation in the future. Uber has really doubled down on this idea, having already named Los Angeles and Dallas as pilot cities for its UberAir aerial rideshare program, announced on Tuesday that it is adding a third city: Melbourne, Australia. The really wild part is that ...

London – Steve Waugh insists Australia’s World Cup defeat against title rivals India won’t derail the holders’ bid to retain the trophy. Australia were beaten for the first time in this year’s World Cup as India cruised to a 36-run win at the Oval on Sunday. Aaron Finch’s side were pummelled by India’s batsman and then struggled to launch a serious run-chase, leading some critics to suggest ...

The Australian public is not attached to the national anthem because it is only 35 years old and the “song’s just not that good”, the Indigenous rapper Briggs has said. Appearing on the ABC’s Q&A program on Monday, Briggs was asked about his video for The Weekly in which he said the anthem “sucks”, and sought to explain what it “sounds like ...

The government’s income tax plan will gift Australia’s top income earners more than $33bn in benefits, according to a new economic analysis from the Australia Institute. The unlegislated income tax package will be one of the Morrison government’s first priorities when parliament resumes next month. Scott Morrison and the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, have already made it clear that the $158bn ...

Nearly a thousand Australians will be honoured in Queen’s Birthday ceremonies around the country, with female representation reaching a record high of 40 per cent. Women were awarded 395 of the 993 honours this June, with nominations and awards for females continuing to increase. Governor-General Peter Cosgrove said that Australians “would all welcome higher recognition of magnificent Australian women”. The ...

No, the government doesn’t care about reducing carbon emissions and no, the economy is not strong This week highlighted a number of massive problems we have in this country. The most obvious of course is the horrendous intrusions on freedom of the press. But a close second is the revelation about how poorly we debate and treat issues of the ...