RBA governor says AI is ‘great white hope’ but its adoption is so far adding to inflation, rather than economic growth The Reserve Bank governor said AI could be a bubble and there was no evidence it is making the economy more efficient, as the Albanese government claims the technology will solve Australia’s economic malaise. Ahead of an expected interest rate rise next week, Michele Bullock also said the slump in house prices was deeper than others in Australia’s recent history. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says US would ‘scuttle itself back to San Diego’, leaving Australia to deal with retribution from China * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our new political email, free app or daily news podcast Aukus critic Paul Keating has said the submarine deal is locking Australia in to any future US conflict with China – “a war America would certainly lose” – and making Australia a target for retribution. The former prime minister seized on comments reported out of Washington this week from Republican congressman Michael McCaul – a China hawk and co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Australia caucus – who said “Australia is a target” for enemies of the US already. However, McCaul argued that greater integration with the US military would better protect Australia rather than leaving it more vulnerable. Continue reading...

Fair Work Commission issues a new minimum standards order for gig workers to come into effect 17 August Delivery drivers in Australia will be paid a minimum rate of $31.30 an hour and insured for injuries on the job under a landmark agreement approved by the industrial umpire. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) on Tuesday issued a new minimum standards order for gig workers who perform on-demand delivery of food, drinks, or groceries, and the operators of the digital platforms who engage their services. Continue reading...

Major NZ government review finds "no good reason" for preventing Kiwis from using plug-in solar, and may make it legal within a year. Will Australia follow?

“I had planned to just have a few investment properties to set me up for retirement, but I guess now I’ll be operating an offshore LNG platform instead”.

24 likes, 1 comments - yourshoutgas on April 22, 2026: "Gas has been drinking for free for years. 🍺 While your beer (and everything else) gets more expensive, gas companies are laughing all the way t...

“Getting something for nothing really only applies if you’re a multi-billion-dollar multi-national company. The idea that you’d be able to access essential health care without having to pay for it is ...

We need a 5% wealth tax on America’s 938 billionaires. Over a ten-year period, this bill would raise much-needed $4.4tn for public coffers

New report says climate disinformation is creating a major national security threat, by "actively undermining" efforts to shift to renewables and break Australia's fossil fuel addiction.

Keep in touch with what's on this weekend and what locals are doing.

I was covering Sunday’s Put Australia First Rally in Melbourne’s CBD when two officers approached, explaining the process as though reciting a script Last week I produced a video for Guardian Australia on expanded Victoria police search powers in the Melbourne CBD. Days later, I experienced that power first-hand. I was covering Sunday’s Put Australia First Rally in Melbourne. The area had just become a ‘designated area’ for six months mere hours earlier. The protest had just begun. Stephanie Convery, my colleague, was using the bathroom, and so I was alone and away from protesters, standing just inside Flinders Street station with my video gear. Continue reading...

Legislation to reform the EPBC Act runs to hundreds of pages – here are the main changes * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Long-awaited changes to Australia’s national environmental laws will pass the Senate on Thursday after a deal between the Albanese government and the Greens. The hundreds of pages of legislation to reform the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act include commitments to improve scrutiny of native forest logging and new fast-track assessment measures for some developments. Continue reading...

Decision announced at Cop30 climate conference signposts risks for Australia’s reliance on fossil fuel exports, analysts say