American 10th seed Danielle Collins will be remembered for her post-match gesture to Melbourne’s parochial crowd, than her second-round victory over Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava. Collins, who was a beaten finalist to Ash Barty in 2022, was tested by the unfancied Aiava in a 7-6(7-4), 4-6, 6-2 win. But the talking point of the night came after match point, when …

Australia’s housing market is in a downturn for the first time in almost two years after the average national price of a property sold dipped slightly in December. The data from CoreLogic shows the median value of property sold in the last month of 2024 was just shy of $815,000 after a price drop of 0.1 per cent. “It really …

Amanda Rishworth will become the new NDIS minister, Katy Gallagher will pick up another portfolio and Anne Aly will assist the new NDIS minister in a cabinet reshuffle following Bill Shorten’s retirement. Former Labor leader Bill Shorten will leave parliament on Monday, just before the federal election, vacating the National Disability Insurance Scheme portfolio and providing an opportunity for the …

The federal government has launched an investigation into the appointment of a principal at a private school in southern New South Wales, following “anti-Semitic” comments on social media. Principal of New Madinah College in Young, Sheikh Abdulghani Albaf, has been condemned by the federal and NSW governments and the Australian Jewish Association over Facebook comments spanning several years. A post …

Struggling Australians need leadership with heart, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says, as both major parties kick off their unofficial election campaigns. With voters hitting the polls in a matter of months, the Liberals have pledged to get the nation “back on track” while Labor promises to “build Australia’s future”. But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton lashed the government’s campaign mantra, pointing …

Now that the brutal Bashar al-Assad regime has been toppled, Syria’s new leaders have tried to appeal to Western governments to build closer ties and lift harsh sanctions on the country. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch, declared Assad’s rule over on 8 December , after the rebel group they spearheaded took control …

Liberal leader Peter Dutton has made his case to become prime minister, rallying the party faithful at an event in Melbourne, where the Coalition must make in-roads to win back government at the federal election. The Coalition hopes to make the Albanese government the first one-term government in almost a century, and has eaten away at Labor’s popularity over the …

Anyone who suggests Generation Z lacks respect for the past hasn’t met Mirra Andreeva. A rising star on the WTA Tour, the 17-year-old Russian doesn’t shy away from admiring the greats of tennis, in particular Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis. As role models in the game go, it’s hard to beat a pair of former world number ones. Graf won …

Many key political issues revealed in newly released cabinet papers from 2004 could easily have been ripped from the headlines of 2024. The National Archives released hundreds of papers on Wednesday from the year former Prime Minister  was at his political zenith after defeating Labor’s Mark Latham. The documents reveal the rationale for Australia’s involvement in the Iraq war which …

Former prime minister Scott Morrison and wife Jenny have rung in the New Year with the Trumps at a red carpet event in Palm Beach, Florida. The US president-elect and wife Melania hosted the gala at their opulent Mar-a-Lago estate, inviting around 300 guests. Attendees reportedly included the world’s richest person Elon Musk, the next vice president JD Vance and …