The former staffer of embattled MP Alan Tudge who accused him of abuse has released the government from being barred by confidentiality from speaking about a financial settlement from the Commonwealth. In a letter sent from her lawyers to the federal government, Rachelle Miller said she wished to removed any impediment to the government releasing details about her settlement, worth …

Tens of thousands of tiny transactions as little as one cent were made during a three-month period tracked by the Commonwealth Bank. But the unusually small transfers weren’t what horrified staff and executives at the bank, it was the abusive messages that accompanied them. That abuse was experienced by an estimated 600,000 people in the past year, costing victims $5.7 …

Australia is comparatively insulated from the direct effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but we have been warned to brace for strategic and economic fallout. Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined leaders from around the world on Thursday, condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “flagrant breach of international law”. Mr Morrison declared that “Russia has chosen war” and followed many …

Police raids targeting crime networks across Sydney have uncovered almost 20 guns, ammunition, drugs and cash with 115 people charged in the two-day operation. Officers seized $1.2 million worth of prohibited drugs including methamphetamine, MDMA and cannabis. Police say bikie gangs were among the groups targeted, with officers carrying out 66 firearm prohibition order searches and crime scene warrants, seizing …

A man who was arrested at the Australian Open has been released pending further inquiry, as police investigate assaults on staff at the event. Earlier on Wednesday, Victoria Police alleged a woman had been sexually assaulted at Rod Laver Arena just before midnight on Tuesday. However, police have since changed their statement and no longer believe the sexual assault took …

One child injured during Thursday’s deadly jumping castle tragedy in north-west Tasmania has been discharged from hospital, while another three remain in a critical condition, police say. Five children aged between 11 to 12 lost their lives after a jumping castle became airborne at the end-of-school event at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport. Tasmania Police have released the names of …

After Najm Eldin Turgem and his wife Khadija Ibrahim arrived in Australia as refugees, the Sudanese community formed the bedrock of the life they were building. Now the couple is trying to come to terms with the tragic deaths of four of their five children in a house fire that tore through their Werribee home at the weekend and the …

More than $100,000 of Lego has been seized in connection with a $27 million money-laundering operation. Two Melbourne men are facing charges over the alleged operation, with the Lego suspected to be the proceeds of crime. A 41-year-old woman was also arrested following an 18-month police investigation. Investigators searched properties in Nunawading and Glen Waverley in Melbourne’s east on Wednesday, …

A brothel in Sydney’s west has been shut down after police allegedly found customers and employees inside, not wearing face masks. A total of $12,500 in fines were issued after police were called to the Royal Asian Brothel on Euston Road in Rydalmere last night. A member of the public tipped off Crime Stoppers, claiming the business was open. Only essential …

Witnesses say at least three people have been killed in anti-Taliban protests in the city of Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan, as the militant group moves to consolidate power across the country Two witnesses and a former police official told Reuters Taliban fighters opened fire when residents tried to raise Afghanistan’s national flag at a square in the city. Three people were …