The 'jobs for mates' report Labor wanted to hide

When Labor came to power, it promised to clean up politics – to end the “jobs for mates” culture once and for all. But this week, the government quietly released the report it’s been sitting on for more than two years – and it’s not a great look.  The ‘No Favourites’ review found an appointments s…

Are we set for major blackouts?

The Australian Energy Market Operator says the electricity grid is unprepared to manage the planned closure of the Eraring power station in New South Wales – and eastern parts of Australia could be set for widespread blackouts. The Coalition and parts of the media have seized on the report saying …

How Australia’s ‘blood oil’ imports are funding Russia’s war

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago, Australian leaders have repeatedly stated that Australia “stands with Ukraine”. But as the invasion has intensified – with nightly missile and drone attacks, rolling blackouts and water cuts across Ukrainian cities – Australia's support has…

How teens are fighting the social media ban

Right now, Tiktok is awash with videos of how to get around the social media ban for under 16s, which is due to come into effect in a week. At the same time, fringe apps like Yope are rocketing up the Apple charts, as teenagers plan where they’ll go when the major platforms boot them off.  There’…

The controversial limb-lengthening surgery set for Australia

Limb lengthening surgery – where bones in your leg are broken, a rod inserted and extended – can be high risk, and is especially controversial when it's done for cosmetic reasons.  The procedure is a speciality of the Florida based Paley Institute, which now plans on opening an Australian arm.  T…

The man who exposed corruption in offshore detention

At its height, in 2014, there were over a thousand people being held on Nauru, as part of Australia’s offshore detention system. But in the decade since, that figure has shrunk to less than 100. Yet the Department of Home Affairs continues to pay outsized and exorbitant fees on contracts no longe…

How the internet is about to change for everyone

Australia’s plan to ban teenagers from social media has been called “world‑leading”. The law, which comes into effect December 10, threatens platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook with fines of up to $50 million if they let under-16s open or keep accounts. But as implementation draws cl…

How Labor struck a deal on environment

Environmental law reform has been sitting in the too-hard basket for years — under successive governments, the system stayed broken. Now, just days before the end of the parliamentary year, Labor has passed the first major changes in a generation. The government chose to work with the Greens, agr…

Barnaby Joyce’s big move

When we heard news that Barnaby Joyce was quitting The Nationals – we knew we’d cover it with our friend in Canberra, Amy Remeikis – but the more we talked about it, there was someone else we needed to hear from too.    Barnaby’s old sparring partner and the former member for New England, Tony Wi…

How long can the AI boom last?

Companies are betting big on AI – and burning through cash to do it. They’re pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into building data centres and developing new models – such as ChatGPT. And so far, these projects are yet to see a financial return. There is one clear winner: Nvidia – the compan…