A Russian billionaire suing Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister claims sanctions imposed over the invasion of the Ukraine have caused him severe reputational damage. Steel mogul Alexander Abramov launched legal action against senator Penny Wong after the former government’s April sanctioning of 67 Russian elites and oligarchs over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. His lawyer Ron Merkel QC told the Federal Court …

The relationship with Indonesia won’t suffer as Australia pursues the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says. Indonesia is concerned about the use of nuclear technology and Australia’s plan to get nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security pact. Jakarta is taking the issue to a conference in New York which is reviewing the UN nuclear non-proliferation treaty. When asked …

The Reserve Bank has increased interest rates for the fourth month in a row, raising its cash rate target by half a percentage point. The RBA has now lifted its benchmark interest rate by 1.75 percentage points since its first rate rise in May, with the cash rate target sitting at 1.85 per cent. In his post-meeting statement, Reserve Bank …

Australians are paying about 20 cents a litre more for diesel than they should be, consumer advocates say. And they say there doesn’t seem to be a good reason why. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Australians are “absolutely filthy” about the higher fuel prices. While prices have decreased, experts say diesel prices haven’t fallen enough. But retailers say there has always been a lag …

Donald Trump has ignored pressure from some fellow Republicans to avoid repeating his false claims about a stolen 2020 election, insisting he won his second bid for the White House and would not allow his perceived enemies to bar a return. In his first speech in Washington since leaving office 18 months ago, the former US president stopped short of …

Vehicle buyers could receive more incentives to purchase electric cars as part of the government’s proposal to reduce upfront costs and increase uptake. Changes to fringe benefits tax and removing the import tariff on electric vehicles are part of a proposed law to make the cars cheaper for more people. Treasurer Jim Chalmers introduced the proposal to parliament on Wednesday. It …

The recently minted US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, has met with the prime minister and defence minister at Parliament House, with climate change and Indigenous issues among the items on the agenda. The ambassador passed on the best wishes of US President Joe Biden and the White House during the introductory meeting with Anthony Albanese. Mr Albanese informed Ms …

Almost $3 million of taxpayer money handed to a Queensland theme park for a state-of-the-art facility to protect endangered koalas has been diverted to build a flashy new rollercoaster. The Queensland government gave $2.7 million of public funding to build the Future Lab wildlife research centre in 2019 at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. However, during budget estimates hearings this …

Anthony Albanese had a tough first question time as Prime Minister on Wednesday with little sign of the hoped-for return to civility on the floor of Parliament. In a series of testy confrontations, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his shadow cabinet peppered the PM with questions over the government’s proposed abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. Mr Dutton was quick to …

Police have named two Saudi Arabian sisters found dead in a unit in Sydney’s south-west last month, as the mystery over their “unusual” deaths continues. Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead in separate beds at their Canterbury unit during a welfare check at 9.30am on Tuesday, June 7. Police said the women, who arrived in …