Australians are paying about 20 cents a litre more for diesel than they should be, consumer advocates say. And they say there doesn’t seem to be a good reason why. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Australians are “absolutely filthy” about the higher fuel prices. While prices have decreased, experts say diesel prices haven’t fallen enough. But retailers say there has always been a lag …

Vehicle buyers could receive more incentives to purchase electric cars as part of the government’s proposal to reduce upfront costs and increase uptake. Changes to fringe benefits tax and removing the import tariff on electric vehicles are part of a proposed law to make the cars cheaper for more people. Treasurer Jim Chalmers introduced the proposal to parliament on Wednesday. It …

The recently minted US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, has met with the prime minister and defence minister at Parliament House, with climate change and Indigenous issues among the items on the agenda. The ambassador passed on the best wishes of US President Joe Biden and the White House during the introductory meeting with Anthony Albanese. Mr Albanese informed Ms …

Almost $3 million of taxpayer money handed to a Queensland theme park for a state-of-the-art facility to protect endangered koalas has been diverted to build a flashy new rollercoaster. The Queensland government gave $2.7 million of public funding to build the Future Lab wildlife research centre in 2019 at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. However, during budget estimates hearings this …

Anthony Albanese had a tough first question time as Prime Minister on Wednesday with little sign of the hoped-for return to civility on the floor of Parliament. In a series of testy confrontations, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his shadow cabinet peppered the PM with questions over the government’s proposed abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. Mr Dutton was quick to …

Police have named two Saudi Arabian sisters found dead in a unit in Sydney’s south-west last month, as the mystery over their “unusual” deaths continues. Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead in separate beds at their Canterbury unit during a welfare check at 9.30am on Tuesday, June 7. Police said the women, who arrived in …

Education Minister Jason Clare says fixing a teacher shortage due to the impacts of COVID-19 and the flu is high on his agenda. Mr Clare said the shortage was getting worse due to the particularly cold winter. “(It’s) led to teachers being at home crook rather than being in the classroom looking after kids,” he told reporters in Darwin on Thursday. …

Australia’s energy supply will be assured by a faster transition to renewables but the “safety net” capacity mechanism will not affect the emissions reduction target, the climate change minister says. The government will also push ahead on legislating its 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 target despite the opposition declaring it will not support it. Chris Bowen wants faster …

Moderna’s experimental Omicron booster generates high levels of antibodies that neutralise subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, according to preliminary clinical trial data. These subvariants have gained a foothold in the US and Australia, and are already driving a new wave of infections in the UK. Moderna’s results, which have not been peer-reviewed, build on an announcement earlier this month that people given the new booster made more Omicron-fighting antibodies …

Australia’s aviation sector received more than $5 billion in COVID-19 support but its performance was not adequately monitored, a new audit report has found. The federal government established a suite of support measures in response to the pandemic to assist the troubled sector, which was also eligible for the JobKeeper scheme. Measures included fuel rebates, airport grants, underwriting flight costs …