Until now, many of Western Australia’s most pristine coral reefs have avoided the worst bleaching brought by marine heatwaves. But their luck has now run out. The state’s longest lasting, largest and most intense underwater heatwave has hammered them. The unusual heat began late last year off the northwest coast, before spreading south, eventually affecting seas along more than 1,500km …

The federal government is facing renewed calls to bring back the baby bonus to address tumbling fertility rates across the country. Former Prime Minister John Howard has urged Treasurer Jim Chalmers to re-introduce the scheme in Australia, which gave new parents an initial lump sum payment of $3000 per child born, rising to $5000 over time. The baby bonus policy was …

More than one-third of Aussies believe they will never afford to buy a home, a new survey has revealed. House prices have boomed in the last two decades, with the gap between income and the price of property rising to an all-time high. New research from data comparison firm Finder showed 35 per cent of Australians – up to 9.5 …

Australian learner and provisional drivers are being urged to properly secure their plates after authorities found more than 100 of them strewn along a one-kilometre stretch of road. Transport for NSW (TfNSW) said that over a six-month period, a total of 111 learner and P-plates were found on Samantha Riley Drive in Kellyville, in Sydney’s northwest. “And there’s likely many more across the state,” the department …

The Australian Council of Trade Unions will call for bold changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax at the government’s productivity roundtable this month, arguing the tax breaks be limited to one investment property. Under the proposal, the current arrangements would continue for five years to allow investors time to rethink their portfolios before the changes come into …

There’s no harm in relying on social media or booking data to tell us which destinations in the world are the most popular at the moment. But public opinion? That’s the ever-changing cross to which we all must bow. Wanderlust this year called on 168,000 travellers to participate in its 23rd annual Reader Travel Awards, and more than 3 million votes were cast across 22 different …

The majority of those killed or injured in Israeli strikes on Iran are women and children, the country’s health minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghand was quoted on state media as saying. No official tally has been given for the number of deaths from three days of conflict with Israel, but on Friday Iran’s UN envoy said at least 78 people had been …

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern says we need to radically re-think our ideas about what makes a successful political leader. “I want to bring into question those old assumptions about the character traits we want in politics,” Ms Ardern tells 7.30 in her first Australian TV interview about her new memoir, A Different Kind of Power. “People are …

Aziz Behich’s strike in the 1-0 victory over Japan has all but ensured the Socceroos’ qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here are the five quick hits from Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier in Perth. 1. Understrength Japan still slick With a World Cup berth already secured, Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu selected a heavily rotated squad for his side’s final …