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Underpinning this cost-of-living-centric election is the issue of housing. The states and territories have a big responsibility to play, but the federal government has more money at its disposal and the major, overarching levers to pull. In the latest federal budget, Labor beefed up its shared equity scheme, taking the program to $6.3bn over the next 15 years. The government will pay for and take a stake in a first homebuyer’s house. The Labor government has also set an “ambitious national target” to build 1.2 million new homes over the next five years, including 55,000 social and affordable properties, all ... Read more

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says there are signs the government’s new youth crime laws are working, with a small reduction in some offences. The opposition though is accusing him of trying to duck a pre-election pledge to set year-on-year targets for crime victim numbers. “We’ve seen a reduction in the order of about 8 per cent in stolen cars and break and enters,” Crisafulli said. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says there are signs the government’s new youth crime laws are working (Nine) There are still questions over whether the premier is matching all his tough talk from from before the ... Read more

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Australian rugby’s worst-kept secret is almost over: Les Kiss is set to be unveiled as the Wallabies’ next head coach. Almost a fortnight after The Roar revealed Kiss had emerged as Rugby Australia’s preferred candidate, the governing body will confirm on Wednesday morning that Kiss, 60, will succeed Joe Schmidt in October. His first Test will be against Eddie Jones’ Japan in Tokyo on October 25. Kiss will be the Wallabies’ fifth head coach in six years following Michael Cheika, Dave Rennie, Eddie Jones ... Read more

A nasal spray that’s having life-changing impacts on people living with depression is set to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), slashing the cost and improving accessibility. It’s the first time in three decades that a new type of depression medicine has been added to the subsidised list, a decision that’s expected to help up to 30,000 Australians. Alexis Hutcheon and Samuel Hockey live with depression that’s resistant to treatment. Alexis Hutcheon has been using the new spray for depression. (Nine) “It really has been a concoction of things that you trial and feel let down by,” Hockey ... Read more

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been grilled on a range of topics during his pre-election interview on 7.30, with Peter Dutton’s equivalent interrogation due later this week. ABC host Sarah Ferguson pressed Mr Albanese on issues like government spending, the cost of living, housing and the current debate over Welcome to Country ceremonies. We shall run through each subject in turn. Electricity prices Referring to Mr Albanese’s promise at the last election to lower electricity bills by $275, Ms Ferguson asked whether he could now commit to prices coming down by the end of 2025. “What we’re doing is working ... Read more

A Set small text size A Set the default text size A Set large text size Wallaroos flyhalf Arabella McKenzie has been left out of the squad to face Fiji, as sevens convert Charlotte Caslick ticks all the boxes ahead of a potential Test debut. Coach Jo Yapp reduced the 40-player squad by 10 on Monday, ahead of the side’s Test against Fijiana on Saturday in Suva. Olympic gold medallist Caslick was among those retained, but NSW Waratahs playmaker McKenzie was a notable omission. Faitala Moleka, Lori Cramer and Tia Hinds, a sevens teammate of Caslick, will instead jostle for ... Read more

Police say Adshaiyan Arunasalam, 24, from Parramatta was swept off the rocks in the huge swell which battered the coast over Easter. Extensive searches were carried out for him. The family of a man who was swept into the ocean in Sydney on Good Friday have pleaded with authorities to keep looking for him.Police say Adshaiyan Arunasalam, 24, was swept off the rocks in the huge swell which battered the coast over Easter. (Supplied) Now his family, say they their “hearts are shattered”, and they just want to “bring Akshayan home”. They want underwater searches launched. “Every moment since has ... Read more

Disgraced veteran Ben Roberts-Smith will return to the federal court this week as he seeks a defamation retrial bid after “fresh evidence” surfaced last month. The Victoria Cross recipient failed in his bid to sue Nine Newspapers in 2023 for a series of articles alleging that he had committed war crimes, with the Federal Court instead finding, on the civil standard of the balance of probabilities, that the allegations were true. Roberts-Smith is claiming a miscarriage of justice in his failed defamation case against Fairfax media after recordings surfaced of investigative reporter Nick McKenzie allegedly admitting to accessing information relating ... Read more

CCTV footage shows an armed burglar taking thousands of dollars worth of Pokemon cards from a Melbourne store in the latest of a spate of thefts targeting the lucrative trading cards. Armed with a golf club, the thief smashed his way into the Moonee Ponds store in the early hours of April 14 before filling a bag with more than $3000 worth of Pokemon cards and fleeing. “As well as the value of the stock and the value of the damage, it’s a lot of time and effort and it plays on your mind,” store owner Lucas Hipkins said. Armed ... Read more

Victoria is seeing its worst measles outbreak in a decade, as the global outbreak continues to penetrate Australian borders. Victorian health authorities issued a warning on Monday, with a list of exposure sites that include the Melbourne international airport, a Westfield, Coles, Aldi and a pet store. “A growing number of measles cases have acquired their infection locally in Victoria,” the state’s chief health officer, Tarun Weeramanthri, said. “There is currently an increased risk of measles in the greater Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, with a number of public exposure sites identified. “There is also an ongoing risk of measles being ... Read more