A record number of women have been appointed to the front bench by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has unveiled his new ministerial team. The Prime Minister announced a front bench of 30 members on Tuesday night, with 13 of them being women, 10 of them in the cabinet. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles …

Prime minister-elect Anthony Albanese is a politician moulded by his humble start to life as the only child of a single mother who raised him on a pension in gritty inner-Sydney suburbia. He is also a hero of multicultural Australia, describing himself as the only candidate with a “non-Anglo-Celtic name” to run for prime minister in the 121 years the …

An Indian couple are taking their son to court, demanding that he and his wife produce either a grandchild within a year or cough up almost $940,000. Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad say that they exhausted their savings raising and educating their pilot son and paying for a lavish wedding. Now they want payback. “My son has been married for six …

The Australian dollar has become a little unpopular of late. In April it was trading above 75 US cents, but this week it’s fallen below 70 US cents. For currency market watchers, that’s a sizeable move in just a couple of months. Today it slipped towards 68 US cents (68.82 US cents at 3.30pm AEST). It’s now close to where it …

In Cabramatta, Dai Le is pulled up by locals on a walk through its bustling laneways. Many just want to say “hello” or have a chat. The south-western Sydney suburb lies at the heart of the city’s Vietnamese community and forms part of the federal electorate of Fowler, one of the nation’s most culturally diverse. It also takes in other areas, …

Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed she split up with her longtime boyfriend Tim Mathieson a year ago. Ms Gillard was Australia’s first, and still only, female prime minister, and though they were not married, Mr Mathieson became known as the ‘First Bloke’ – a play on the American tradition of calling a president’s wife the ‘First Lady’. Mr …

Action star Bruce Willis is stepping away from his acting career at age 67 after being diagnosed with aphasia, his family have said in a statement. “Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” Willis’s family wrote in an Instagram post early on Wednesday morning local time. “As …

Millions of taxpayers are among the major winners in this year’s budget as the Morrison government hands out $16.4 billion in tax breaks and one-off payments in a bid to woo voters before the election. Temporary cuts to fuel taxes and an increase in the low-and-middle-income tax offset (LMITO) are major parts of the budget package, which Treasurer Josh Frydenberg …

When Jen Martin tested positive for COVID-19 in early February, she was surprised by just how unwell she felt. “I didn’t have a fever but I had very serious aches and pains, crazy lethargy, and a hacking cough,” she says. “I certainly felt worse than I had expected to, having heard all of the stories about it being mild.” Six …

The nation’s top vaccine advisory group is set to recommend a “winter” COVID-19 jab for some of the most vulnerable Australians on Friday. Ahead of a feared surge in cases during the coming colder months, people over the age of 65 and those who are immunocompromised will be eligible for an extra dose. Indigenous Australians aged 50 and over, as well as …