There will be no new cost of living measures in the upcoming federal budget that have not already been made public, the treasurer says. The budget will contain “familiar” initiatives to help households manage soaring living costs, including boosted childcare supports, relief for medicine costs and measures to “get wages moving again”. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government was up …

Former federal defence minister and WA governor, Kim Beazley, has urged Australia to focus on strengthening its relationship with India to compete with the rise of China. Speaking at the Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference in Perth, Mr Beazley said Australia had a “heavy set of expectations” on its shoulders. “China has turned the Indian Ocean into a strategic system. It’s …

The minister responsible for employment and industrial relations, Tony Burke, has expressed strong interest in a proposal for multi-employer bargaining, saying he wants to see the idea “fleshed out”. The idea is a key part of the agenda the trade union movement is taking to the federal government’s jobs summit next week. It would see workplace laws amended so workers …

A teenage boy has been sentenced to at least two months in custody for raping a fellow student from a Blue Mountains high school during a house party. The girl’s family is now receiving advice about taking legal action against the NSW Department of Education and the school, their lawyer revealed outside Parramatta Children’s Court. The boy was 16 when …

The behaviour of CFMEU protesters inside a state government building was disgraceful and affected workers are owed an apology, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says. Workers’ safety was likely put at risk when Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union members entered the Transport and Main Roads building in Brisbane on Tuesday morning, Ms Palaszczuk said. “No worker should go to …

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has apologised for the behaviour of guests who partied at her house following a rock concert. Images have emerged of two women kissing in what is reportedly the downstairs bathroom of Ms Marin’s official residence in Helsinki. The women are topless and covering their breasts with a “Finland” sign. “The picture is inappropriate and should …

Plans to extend a cut to the fuel excise tax are being examined by the Albanese government ahead of the federal budget. The fuel excise was halved for six months by the previous Coalition government in March, in response to soaring fuel prices, with the cut slicing 22 cents off a litre of petrol. It was expected to cost the …

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s government has said it wants to extend parliament until after it hosts the Pacific Games in November 2023, for which China has donated a stadium and other sporting venues that are being built by Chinese companies. Australia will be the second largest contributor to the games, after Pacific Minister Pat Conroy announced in Solomon Islands that …

Taiwan has condemned its “evil neighbour” after China fired multiple missiles into its surrounding waters – including up to four that flew directly over the island’s capital Taipei in an unprecedented escalation. China launched its largest live-fire military drills in the seas and skies around Taiwan on Thursday, a day after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing …

The head of Resilience NSW says it would be “inappropriate” for him to comment on reports the disaster agency will be scrapped after its response to Lismore’s devastating floods earlier this year Resilience NSW was heavily criticised for its response to the floods in the Northern Rivers during February and March and was under review as part of a recent independent …