Australia’s economic outlook faces downgrades in the Albanese Government’s first budget next week, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers cautioning the global economy is treading an “increasingly perilous path”. Fresh from meetings in Washington DC with the International Monetary Fund and G20 finance ministers, Mr Chalmers echoed warnings from leading economists that the risk many of our key trading partners could face recessions was …

Doctors are abusing the $28 billion Medicare system, at times putting patients at risk, billing dead people and falsifying patient records, all to boost profits. A joint investigation by ABC’s 7.30 program, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has uncovered flaws in Medicare’s systems that make it easy to rort and almost impossible to detect fraud, incorrect payments and errors. …

Unions NSW has publicly declared it will campaign against the Perrottet government to address growing anger amongst workers across the state. Secretary of Unions NSW, Mark Morey, told the ALP’s state conference in Sydney, union members are now on a campaign footing for the next 160 days in the lead up to the March state election. Mr Morey said workers were “very outraged” by …

The Reserve Bank of Australia has increased the cash rate by 0.25 of a percentage point. That means the cash rate is now 2.6 per cent. It is the sixth month in a row the RBA has lifted its cash rate target, but the first time since the first move in May that rates have risen less than 0.5 of a percentage point. If you’re on a variable rate, your …

The federal government will reserve 30 per cent of land for conservation to improve biodiversity and set a goal of no new extinctions in an overhaul of its threatened species action plan. The new plan, to be outlined by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Tuesday, includes a commitment to protect an additional 50 million hectares of land by the end …

The police officer son of former NSW premier and federal senator Kristina Keneally has been charged with fabricating evidence. Constable Daniel Keneally, 24, was investigated by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) earlier this year, over an incident on February 24 last year. He has now been charged with one offence of fabricating false evidence with the intent to mislead …

Syrian authorities fear the 77 asylum seekers known to have drowned en route to Europe may represent only half of the doomed vessel’s human cargo. The boat, packed with Lebanese fleeing the chaos of their ravaged and divided Mideast nation, went down off the Syrian coast earlier this week. The mass tragedy was deadliest so far as surging numbers of …

Two NSW towns are likely to be isolated for days as the NSW flood emergency continues. State Emergency Service (SES) workers performed six rescues and answered 112 calls for help between 6am on Saturday and 6am on Sunday. The towns of Warren and Wee Waa, in the state’s north, are cut off by road and expected to remain that way …

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has used her speech to the UN General Assembly meeting to label Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats “weak and desperate”, while calling on China and the global community to ramp up pressure on Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine. Australia has been a forceful critic of Russia’s invasion and has been providing Ukraine with military equipment. Senator Wong …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to defend the war in Ukraine and warn the United States against interfering in Taiwan. The speech, which was delivered in New York on Saturday, came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilisation in the wake of a series of setbacks on the battlefield. …