Australians wanting to buy their first home are about to find that already-tricky task even more difficult, with house prices set to rise by as much as $154,000 by the end of next year. Westpac has forecast that dwelling prices will increase by 6 per cent this calendar year before a further 8 per cent hike in 2026, thanks in part …

US President Donald Trump has not included Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his 24-hour itinerary in New York for the UN General Assembly. Trump’s diary announcement all but confirms the two leaders will not have their first face-to-face meeting while Albanese in the US. However, Albanese has been invited to a “welcome reception” hosted by Trump for more than 100 …

Australia and Papua New Guinea’s military forces will become “totally integrated” as part of a landmark defence treaty between the two nations, the ABC can reveal. The major security agreement is expected to be signed on Monday, the day before Papua New Guinea marks 50 years of independence. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles, Foreign Minister Penny …

The head of the authority that issues permits for working with children in New South Wales has been sacked after intervening to lift a ban despite a significant conflict of interest. Steve Kinmond was removed as the children’s guardian on after an inquiry found he failed to disclose his frequent contact with a person whose interim bar he overturned. The …

A former top Pentagon official has urged Australia to give the United States more “concrete” commitments on how it would deploy Virginia-class nuclear powered submarines in the event of war, as the Defence Minister Richard Marles arrives in Washington DC for high level meetings with the Trump administration. Abraham Denmark — who served as senior AUKUS advisor to former US …

Australia’s navy will begin operating long-range lethal underwater drones from January next year, after the government confirmed it will spend $1.7 billion to locally build a fleet. The drones, known as “Ghost Sharks”, will be capable of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike operations. As the United States reviews the $368 billion AUKUS defence pact, which will enable Australia to acquire …

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has again refused to apologise for her comments about Indian-Australians and declined to back the leadership of Sussan Ley, as a public spat between Liberal frontbenchers enters a second week. In a hastily-convened press conference in Perth, Senator Nampijinpa Price said she “won’t be silenced” on the issue of migration and that Ms Ley’s leadership was “a …

There is open despair inside the Liberal party about how to rebuild its standing in multicultural communities after its new colleague in the party room Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s inflammatory comments about Indian migrants put the brakes on that already monumental task. But the party’s fear goes beyond those comments alone. One Liberal MP told this column that some wanted the …

The number of people entering Australia through the permanent migration program will remain unchanged, with the government maintaining its annual cap of 185,000 places. It was confirmed on Tuesday morning that the 2025-2026 intake will remain at the same levels and settings as the 2024-2025 program, with a focus on skilled migration. The government said it has undertaken consultations with …

Nine Sydney suburbs have been identified as priority areas for “well-located”social housing builds. For the first time, researchers from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) have mapped neighbourhoods where social housing has been built and compared access to amenities such as healthcare, schools, public transport and jobs. They found suburbs with less access to amenities had a higher …