Australia’s visa backlog, which was once at almost one million applications, is now down to 755,000. Immigration Minister Andrew Giles told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) migration conference in Sydney on Wednesday that more than three million visas had been finalised since 1 June. Mr Giles said the government was on track for a backlog of around …

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pushed trade and defence ties in a series of back-to-back meeting with world leaders, as the G20 summit wraps up in Bali. As some leaders made a dash to the airport after the final session of the talks wrapped up, including US President Joe Biden, Mr Albanese met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime …

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping will today hold the first formal meeting between the two countries’ leaders in six years. During that time, a range of issues have caused relations between Beijing and Canberra to sour, despite optimism after a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” was signed in 2014. The scheduled meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, marks a significant …

It’s taken more than six years to have this 32-minute meeting, 12 minutes longer than the original schedule indicates. Looking back over the past five decades, face-to-face meetings between China’s and Australia’s top leaders used to be seen as a staple in our diplomatic playbook. In contrast, yesterday’s one-on-one between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G20 …

Medibank has warned more customer data stolen by hackers, including passport numbers, will be uploaded to the dark web after the first files were dropped overnight. The data trickle includes names, birthdates, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, health claims information, Medicare numbers for Medibank’s ahm customers and passport numbers for international student clients. The leak comes after Medibank clients spoke out …

Queensland police have charged a 31-year-old man with manslaughter over the sudden death of an 11-year-old boy who was bitten by a snake. The man allegedly failed to seek medical attention after the boy reported being bitten at a property at Murgon in Queensland’s South Burnett region on November 21 last year. Police say the man and the boy were …

The last time a new government brought down its first budget, in 2014, it was a disaster for all concerned. Spending was cut by $14.2 billion over four years and receipts were increased by $3.2 billion – an extraction of $17.4 billion out of the economy – and the Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey were extracted within …

A judge has called for the media to fall silent and ensure a fair trial for the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House. Bruce Lehrmann will face a new trial in the ACT Supreme Court after juror misconduct caused a mistrial. A trial date has been set for February 2023. Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to the …

The superannuation sector and Australia’s 15.6 million super fund members don’t have to deal with the massive changes experienced in recent budgets, however, Labor’s first budget in nine years delivered changes you need to know about. Downsizer Home downsizer changes will cut the age limit for those using the measure from 60 to 55. What it means is that from age 55 …

The search is on for a division one winning ticket in Australia’s record $160 million Powerball, with the lucky holder yet to claim their $53 million share. Thursday night’s record-breaking $160 million prize was split among entries from Victoria, Western Australia and NSW – with the unclaimed, life-changing ticket purchased from an NSW Lotteries outlet in Penrith. Each of the …