New South Wales and Victoria will ease their international arrival rules next week, removing the 72-hour isolation requirement for fully vaccinated travellers. From Tuesday, December 21, overseas arrivals to Melbourne and Sydney will be required to get a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours of landing, and isolate at home until they return a negative result. Rules for unvaccinated travellers remain the same, with …

One child injured during Thursday’s deadly jumping castle tragedy in north-west Tasmania has been discharged from hospital, while another three remain in a critical condition, police say. Five children aged between 11 to 12 lost their lives after a jumping castle became airborne at the end-of-school event at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport. Tasmania Police have released the names of …

Scott Morrison and his government enter the new year with a fresh iteration of their “women problem” — the multiple high-profile female independents contesting a number of Liberal seats. It’s not that the next parliament is likely to see a big influx of new lower house crossbenchers. ABC election analyst Antony Green points out that, to win, independents in these seats …

Australians will be able to choose between two types of coronavirus boosters, after the medical regulator gave provisional approval to the Moderna vaccine to be used as a top-up dose. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has given the green light for people 18 and over to get a Moderna booster shot, six months after their second vaccine dose. The administration said …

China has responded to Australia’s decision for government officials to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, with an incendiary blast for the US’s “no.1 lackey”. China’s state-affiliated media organisation reacted quickly to Australia’s announcement on Wednesday morning, publishing a reply to an Australian media article about the snub. “#Comment: No. 1 US lackey”, the official Global Times account said, accompanied by an illustration …

The United States led the global race to develop a viable vaccine against COVID-19. But a year after the first shots received emergency approval from federal regulators, new variants of the virus are changing the game. Omicron, the wildcard variant already detected in multiple US states and more than 30 countries, including Australia, is the latest to emerge. With its dastardly combination of …

A coronavirus vaccine for children as young as five has taken a step closer and could be available early in the new year. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved a Pfizer vaccine for five to 11 year olds. Health Minister Greg Hunt says subject to final checks from the vaccination experts on the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, the …

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has labelled Defence Minister Peter Dutton a “boofhead” in a heated exchange during Question Time. The Labor leader got up on a point of order following an answer from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which lead Mr Dutton to also stand up in his capacity as Leader of the House. “Hang on. Sit down; you sit down …

A damning report into federal parliamentary workplaces has found 40 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment at work, with Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner recommending sweeping changes to how alcohol, complaints and behaviour issues are dealt with in politics. Nearly two-thirds of female politicians have been harassed. Women working in politics recounted stories that included being kissed against their …

Although Australia is opening up, the new Omicron COVID-19 variant has highlighted the need to remain vigilant, and that includes using face masks. New South Wales is set to scrap the mask mandate for most indoor settings by December 15, however, experts say it’s still worth wearing a face mask despite the freedom not to. “We don’t need to have …