Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced she will strip Katter’s Australian Party of five extra staff positions it was granted last term, after it refused to denounce federal senator Fraser Anning’s contentious maiden speech last month. Senator Anning used his maiden speech in Federal Parliament to call for a complete overhaul of the immigration system, insisting most migrants should be …

The move by two of the big six home lenders, as well as a second-tier outfit, to raise rates was simultaneously expected and unusual. The banks and economic commentators had been warning borrowers for months about rising rates overseas inevitably driving up rates in Australia. Westpac and Suncorp delivered 0.14 and 0.17 percentage point increases respectively within days of each …

US President Donald Trump has hailed his personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and says there is no reason to resume war games with South Korea. Mr Trump’s statement came just days after cancelling a planned visit to North Korea by his top diplomat, and a day after US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis hinted that the military drills, …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced his new ministry with former defence minister Marise Payne replacing Julie Bishop who announced she would quit as Foreign Affairs Minister. The former deputy Liberal leader said she will stay on as an MP. Mr Morrison’s other challenger for the leadership, Peter Dutton, will keep his job as Home Affairs Minister but it has …

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced her resignation from the cabinet. Her move came as new Prime Minister Scott Morrison named his cabinet after winning a bruising leadership contest on Friday. Ms Bishop said she had not yet decided whether to stand at the next general election, due in 2019. She had sought the prime minister’s job after Malcolm …

Operating out of a small room in an unknown country, a new internet radio station broadcasts a programme aimed at campaigning for greater women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. With melancholy music playing in the background, the presenter of Nsawya FM (Feminism FM) addresses the issue of domestic violence in the Gulf kingdom. The presenter’s voice shakes with emotion as she …

US President Donald Trump is facing the prospect of calls for his impeachment after his personal lawyer sensationally told a federal court he broke election campaign finance laws at Mr Trump’s direction. Mr Cohen, who once said he would “take a bullet” for the president, pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges of tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations …

Australia will get a new prime minister this Friday. No matter who it is, the damage to the government over the past week is beyond repair. Even though the Dutton camp abandoned collecting signatures to meet Malcolm Turnbull’s benchmark of 43 members signing up for a special meeting, it will go ahead. A clue was the PM telling colleagues not …

A religious leader accused of illegal land clearing on a rural property used for religious prayer has claimed a Western Sydney council is infringing on his group’s religious freedoms by pursuing him over the allegations. Hawkesbury City Council has launched civil action against Dr Mustapha Kara-Ali and Diaa Kara-Ali in the Land and Environment Court, alleging they carried out illegal …

How would you feel about paying $28 for a jar of instant coffee, $9 for a box of instant oats, or $16 for laundry detergent? The “inflated” prices were recorded last month at remote stores in Queensland, many of which are run by a group controlled by the State Government. Lockhart River Mayor Wayne Butcher said shoppers in remote Indigenous …