Queenslanders under 60 are being discouraged from getting an AstraZeneca vaccine through a federal government-announced initiative, with authorities saying people should listen to state officials and “not the advice of Scott Morrison”. It comes as the state records three new local COVID-19 cases and the government says the unvaccinated hospital worker who sparked the state’s current lockdown caught the ...

By: Matthew Doran Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed a massive change to Australia’s coronavirus vaccination program, announcing anyone under the age of 40 can now approach their GP and request the AstraZeneca vaccine. Pfizer is the recommended vaccine for Australians under the age of 60, with states and territories now allowing people aged between 40 and 59 to book ...

  By: Paul Karp A former boyfriend of the woman who alleged she was raped by Christian Porter told New South Wales police that Porter had boasted to him in the early 1990s that he had had sex with her, Guardian Australia can reveal. It is understood that the Macquarie Bank managing director, James Hooke, a friend of both Porter and his ...

By: Jack Derwin As lockdowns sweep four of Australia’s capital cities, government support is leaving some of Australia’s smallest and most vulnerable sole traders out in the cold. This week, the New South Wales government announced grants of $5,000 and $10,000 for small businesses and sole traders hurt by two week of stay-at-home orders in Sydney and wider restrictions applied more broadly ...

Australia’s minimum wage will go up by almost $20 a week after the independent umpire decided that the economy had improved dramatically. About 2.5 million workers will get a raise because of the decision, which treads a middle line between the divergent requests of unions that had wanted a bigger rise and business groups that had demanded less. Iain Ross, ...

Melbourne will take its first small steps out of lockdown on Friday, as the Victorian government resists calls from business for a “snapback” to an open economy sooner. The city’s lockdown will end at 11:59pm on Thursday and Melburnians will be able to leave their house more freely, but must remain within a 25-kilometre radius of their home. Outdoor gatherings ...

By: Sophie Scott, Mary Lloyd and Leonie Thorne One of the biggest overhauls of the Medicare rebate system in decades is set to kick in next month, but doctors say more time is needed to figure out whether some patients will have to pay out-of-pocket costs. More than 900 items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) will be amended, with changes applying to ...

By: Calla Wahlquist and AAP If any resettlement was offered for the Tamil family from Biloela in either the United States or New Zealand it could take up to two years to resolve, during which time they could remain held in detention on Christmas Island, according to the family’s lawyer. While government ministers have canvassed both these options publicly, the Murugappan ...

By: Amanda Meade and Michael McGowan   The ABC rejected an offer from Christian Porter to settle his defamation case weeks before the minister agreed to enter mediation, Guardian Australia can reveal. The former attorney general has claimed a victory in the high-profile case, but it is understood he originally made an offer for a relatively modest financial settlement without an apology or a ...

By: Georgia Hitch Qantas will offer a range of perks to people who are vaccinated to encourage more people to get a COVID jab. The company flagged the idea last week, but CEO Alan Joyce has revealed more details of the plan, which will be launched in July. “We are putting in a discount for people who have had the vaccine,” he told ...