Australia has garnered enough international support to defer for two years an attempt by the United Nations’ cultural organisation to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status because of damage caused by climate change. UNESCO had recommended that its World Heritage Committee add the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem off the northeast Australian coast to the World Heritage in Danger list, mainly …

If the Queensland capital gets the backing of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it’ll be the third time an Australian city has hosted an Olympic Games after Melbourne in 1956 and, of course, Sydney in 2000. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is in Tokyo for the final pitch, which will be delivered in front of the IOC later today. Here’s everything you need to …

NSW recorded 110 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday. A total of 43 people were infectious while in the community. Nearly 84,000 people were tested in the past 24 hours, which is the highest number of tests NSW has ever recorded in one day. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the high number of cases was …

Parts of NSW’s Central West are waking to a snap COVID-19 lockdown after cases leaked out of Greater Sydney’s growing Delta variant outbreak. The decision to put the regional centre of Orange and the nearby shires of Blayney and Cabonne into the seven-day lockdown has highlighted the growing concern from officials. The move followed a crisis meeting of government and health officials …

The unemployment rate has fallen to 4.9 per cent, with almost 30,000 jobs created in June according to the official Bureau of Statistics data. The unemployment rate has now declined for eight months in a row, taking it to its lowest level in a decade. However, while the unemployment rate dropped from 5.1 to 4.9 per cent in June, the underemployment rate …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says increased Commonwealth payments to individuals and businesses from week two of a lockdown will be proposed at National Cabinet tomorrow. It would fast-track emergency COVID-19 payments of $600 and $375 made to individuals from the second week of a lockdown, rather than four weeks in. A support payment for individuals would also be made for the first …

More than one third of Australian properties are cheaper to buy than rent, with loan repayments lower than renting in nearly all regional areas of the Northern Territory. In a new report, CoreLogic found repaying a home loan is now cheaper than paying rent on just over 36 per cent of Australian homes because of record low interest rates. However, it also …

People living in coronavirus outbreak areas should bring forward their second dose of AstraZeneca, according to updated advice from Australia’s expert panel on vaccines. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI)’s latest advice states people in areas like Sydney should receive their second dose between four and eight weeks after their first dose. That is a change from waiting up to 12 weeks for the …

Treasury officials estimate the ongoing Sydney lockdown is costing the national economy $700 million a week. Mr Frydenberg revealed the estimate in an interview with 7.30’s Laura Tingle after the federal government unveiled major changes to its economic supports for areas considered “hotspots” under lockdown. The changes will see the government contribute more in both household and business support than …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced an increase to the emergency disaster payment from $325 to $375 for people who have lost up to 20 hours of work, and from $500 to $600 for people who have lost more than 20 hours of work due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney. Mr Morrison also announced a jointly funded payment of between …