Author: Andrea Przygonski
-

Lehrmann a court no-show on vehicle theft charge
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer Zali Burrows has been issued a broadside after the pair failed to appear in court on a car-stealing charge. The former political staffer was listed to appear in Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday. However, the 30-year-old didn’t appear and attempts to get Burrows, a high-profile Sydney solicitor, by phone were unsuccessful, leaving…
-

Donald Trump’s nuclear arms race
Last week, US President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing. The order breaks with more than three decades of protocol for the United States – justified, according to Trump, by the actions of China and Russia. And as these nuclear-armed powers expand and modernise their arsenals, countries closer to Australia…
-

Tony Abbott wants us to be proud of men like him
Former prime minister (and journalist) Tony Abbott has published a political history of Australia. Across 18 well-written chapters, he narrates the nation’s trajectory, starting with the establishment of a penal colony in 1788 and ending with the failed Voice referendum of 2023. Abbott’s aim is to restore national pride by showing that our past was…
-

Bank tops Choice’s 2025 Shonky Awards
Commonwealth Bank has won a 2025 Shonky Award after Choice said it took “bad bank behaviour to a whole new level” by refusing to refund low-income customers slugged with unfair fees. The consumer group has presented the Shonkys annually for the past 20 years to call out “dodgy” products, services and companies. Sharing the Shonky…
-

The implications of Chat GPT’s new erotica mode
Recently, the creators of ChatGPT made a surprising announcement – erotica is coming to the world’s most popular AI platform. It’s the latest step in a transformation of the internet – where artificial intelligence is shaping not just what we read or search, but how we think, feel and even form relationships. Today, associate editor…
-

The Stats Guy: How expensive do you want housing to be?
Who wins when house prices are on the rise and who loses when they aren’t? For decades Australia has cheered rising house prices as a sign that things are going well. If your home was worth more this year than last, life felt a bit easier. Politicians celebrated, homeowners smiled, and banks (who hardly do…
-

RBA keeps rates on hold after alarming inflation jump
Hopes of a Melbourne Cup-day rate cut have been dashed as the Reserve Bank of Australia elected to keep the cash rate on hold at 3.6 per cent on Tuesday. The decision came as little surprise to economists after a surprise surge in inflation figures last week. Underlying or trimmed mean inflation, which is the…
-

All bets are off: Odds not looking good for a Cup-day rate cut?
Sorry folks. The experts have placed their bets and it looks like Melbourne Cup Day won’t be delivering a win for mortgage holders this year. Economists are warning the Reserve Bank is likely to hold interest rates steady next week as inflation proves stickier than hoped. According to Finder’s latest RBA Cash Rate Survey, 86 per…
-

One Nation could overtake Coalition as Australia’s conservative opposition
Australia may be on a trajectory where One Nation overtakes the Coalition to become the nation’s main right-wing party. The Coalition’s primary vote slumped four points to a record low 24 per cent in the latest Newspoll, while One Nation was up four points to a record high 15 per cent. One Nation also surged…
-

Ley poised to dump Net Zero to save leadership: Reports
Liberal leader Sussan Ley is reportedly poised to dump Net Zero to save her leadership as she faces mounting pressure from within. Multiple reports on Tuesday (AEDT) said there was an internal push to replace Ley with rival Angus Taylor, who is opposed to Net Zero. The Liberals are due to hold their first party…