Politics

The Queensland government has agreed to implement 51 recommendations made by the state's productivity commission in a damning report into the construction industry that found a "significant decline" in productivity since 2018.

Social media companies have removed, deactivated or restricted about 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under 16 during the first month of the country's social media ban, according to the eSafety Commissioner.

Pauline Hanson and Brian Burston have quietly settled a lawsuit in which Hanson alleged that Burston subjected her to victimisation in breach of the Sex Discrimination Act after she publicly accused him of sexually harassing female staff. 

Queensland may remove a ban on property developers making political donations in state elections, with the corruption watchdog warning it could increase risks of corruption in the lead-up to the Brisbane Olympic Games. 

The Prime Minister has appointed former High Court Justice Virginia Bell to lead a royal commission into antisemitism in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack, in which 15 were killed during Hanukkah celebrations. 

A bid by the Victorian Liberal Party to summarily toss a challenge to a $1.5 million advance made to former leader John Pesutto for defence costs in a defamation suit has failed, with a court finding there is a case to be tried about the validity of the loan.

Landmark federal environmental law reforms that will up penalties for environmental breaches and fast-track approvals for renewable energy projects are set to pass the Senate.

A homophobic tweet aimed at independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich may have approached “vulgar abuse" but was just part of the cut and thrust of Australian political debate, former One Nation politician Mark Latham has said.

One Nation's Pauline Hanson was not motivated by racism but provoked by the hypocrisy of rival politician Mehreen Faruqi when she fired off her "piss off back to Pakistan" tweet, her lawyer told the Full Federal Court Monday. But Faruqi's barrister has told the appeals court the accusation of hypocrisy was itself racist.

A company linked to the Victorian Liberal Party that provided a $1.5 million advance to former party leader John Pesutto says a case launched to block the loan should be thrown out.