Thousands of teens are about to celebrate the end of their schooling years — a traditionally scary prospect for some parents. Schoolies, which takes place on the Gold Coast and other local and international destinations, kicks off on November 16. While most partygoers will come home unscathed and with fond memories, the event has a reputation for sometimes being unsafe. …

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government knows there is still a lot of ground to make up when it comes to cost of living relief for Australians despite having released a raft of packages to ease the burden of inflation. Despite the measures, opinion polls show the government is under pressure to do more. Mr Chalmers’s admission on 7.30 came …

This week, one politician compared the government’s proposed misinformation laws to those imposed by the totalitarian government in George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984. A bill attempting to tackle misinformation online has stirred widespread controversy, with critics from across the political spectrum claiming it will infringe on freedom of speech. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has said the bill — which passed …

A new study has found the groups of people most likely to be diagnosed by a GP with Long COVID. But they aren’t necessarily those most likely to develop it. A new study has shown that women, those in middle age and those who are wealthier are among those most likely to be diagnosed by a GP with Long COVID. …

Donald Trump’s triumphant return to the Oval Office will be a clear message for Australia’s major parties and certainly influence their plans to win votes at the next election. As the United States map flashed red and the blue wall fell in this week’s elections, the realisation began to dawn on Canberra that economic issues were at the heart of …

Australia’s Middle Eastern trading partners say a 50-year working relationship has been “thrown out the door” by the decision to end live sheep exports by sea. Decades of exports to markets like Kuwait are set to end in 2028, after the Albanese government confirmed earlier this year the trade would cease. It came as somewhat of a surprise to Kuwaiti officials, …

Commonwealth leaders have agreed “the time has come” for a conversation about making amends for slavery, as well as backing a major Oceans Declaration and calling for “urgent, ambitious and collective” action on climate change. Discussions over slavery reparations have brewed on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, with some Caribbean and African countries …

The LNP is projected to form government in Queensland, wresting power from Labor for the first time in almost a decade. David Crisafulli will become the 41st premier of the state after defeating the Steven Miles-led Labor Party. ABC election analyst Antony Green said the LNP would likely form a majority government. “It’s certainly not the landslide everyone thought a …

Peter Dutton has plenty to smile about. It’s not that long ago that reports of his premature death as opposition leader were being greatly exaggerated. But with an election now just months away, the Queensland cop turned career politician has suddenly found himself leading a party that has surpassed a psychological milestone. The latest Newspoll shows his party ahead of …

Australians looking online for love are often left heartbroken — and nationally more than $40 million out of pocket — police are warning as part of Scams Awareness Week. Cold-hearted criminals are targeting lonely people through romance scams, with South Australia Police sharing the real-life story of Karen* from Adelaide who lost $50,000 to a fraudster. Karen started a relationship, via an …