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The man alleged to have killed two police officers in the Victorian town of Porepunkah this week self-identified as a sovereign citizen. Dezi Freeman’s hatred of police and rejection of government and the law are well-documented in social media posts and court documents. Like many in the movement, Freeman’s views reportedly became more radical during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that...

The federal government says too many children are on the NDIS, and many of them are ‘over-serviced’. Health Minister Mark Butler has unveiled a new plan, ‘Thriving Kids’, pitched as a way to save the NDIS by moving children with ‘mild’ and ‘moderate’ autism and developmental delay off the scheme and back onto mainstream supports – which, over t...

When a group of Neo-Nazis recently took to the streets of Melbourne, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that Nazi’s “don't belong” in Australia.  But while that might be a good sentiment, is it actually true?  Today, Arrernte writer and Crikey contributor Celeste Liddle, on Australia’s white nationalist past – and how in failing to reckon with it we’...

As Israel's assault on Gaza city continues, Israeli aircraft and tanks have pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of the city, destroying buildings and homes.  It comes as a record number of Australians turned out this weekend in protest against the war – and as the relationship between the Australian and Israeli government worsens.  But while Australia moves to recognise a Pa...

“I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!” That’s the message 76-year-old Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue received from a flirty Facebook Messenger chatbot before it proposed he travel to New York for a meet-up. Bue – who was cognitively impaired after suffering a stroke – packed a suitcase to catch a train, believing the woman was real...

This week in Canberra, the press, unions, business leaders and politicians have all been talking about one thing: the economic roundtable.  It’s been spruiked by the government as a way to address a core problem with the economy – sluggish productivity.  But what is actually on offer – and will it make a difference to the rising structural inequalities we face? Today Ex...

Qantas has been told it’s the “wrong kind of sorry”. Five years after illegally outsourcing 1,800 ground staff, the airline has been hit with a record $90 million penalty on top of compensation for workers. Qantas is promising cultural change, but the court's judgment questions whether the airline’s remorse is real or just for show, given the move saved the company hundreds...

Fresh off the back of his meeting with Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump has held talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.  While details of those talks are still trickling out, this time things seem to have gone well.  Trump has promised Ukraine security, and is now talking about a peace deal – though not a ceasefire.  Today, associate professor of political sc...

Darwin’s crocodile farms supply some of the world’s most exclusive fashion houses. But as award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson started looking into this booming hundred million dollar industry, she knew she had to visit the Northern Territory herself. As she got closer to this secretive industry, what she found was shocking: animals being kept in cramped conditions and being kille...

This is part two of a two-part series. Start with Part 1: Inside Australia's secretive crocodile skin industry. The lucrative Australian crocodile skin industry has always sold its conservation credentials - arguing that by farming the animals, they were ensuring the future of the species.  Two prominent scientists, using successful media businesses to promote research which showed those bene...

When the Australian government appointed its envoy to combat Islamophobia, it came amid escalating violence in Gaza.  But signs have emerged that the envoy chosen - Aftab Malik - appears to see his role as separate from the conflict in the Middle East. Now there are questions about why Malik was chosen, and concern about whether his report - due any day now - will go far enough to address Isl...

A few weeks ago, Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar addressed the National Press Club to discuss what he describes as the “next great industrial revolution”. Singing the praises of the economic opportunity of artificial intelligence, Farquhar called on the government to loosen the rules – allowing AI models to train themselves using creative works, without paying for it. Now, as...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia – like many countries – saw protesters take the streets. They weren’t just protesting lockdowns, they were rallying around a tangle of fears and conspiracies. Those threads fused into a broader worldview that pulled people down a pipeline and built a small industry of influencers. Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson...

It’s easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as fringe or imported. But conspiratorial ideas are gaining traction with everyday Australians – about one in three endorse at least one conspiracy belief. They’re also being echoed by people in power, and have spilled into real-world violence. Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle on how conspiracies leap from the fr...

When dead fish began washing up on South Australian beaches earlier this year, Dr Scott Bennett was alarmed. Scott’s a marine ecologist at the University of Tasmania, and knew that dead fish on shore meant trouble under the surface. On a dive in June, Scott came face-to-face with the devastating impact of the largest algal bloom Australia has ever seen. The full impact still isn’t know...

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced. Albanese claims the move will help advance a two-state solution and is “humanity’s best hope” for peace in the Middle East. But as Israel intensifies its military campaign in Gaza once again, what difference does recognition really make? Today, contribut...

In May this year, Kumanjayi White died after being restrained by police inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. Just weeks later, the coroner released her findings into the fatal police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker, who was killed in Yuendumu in 2019. Both men were Warlpiri, and both died after encounters with Northern Territory police. Jampijinpa Hargraves is Kumanjayi White’s grandfather &n...

Labor is laying the groundwork for a major overhaul of Australia’s tax system.  In just over a week, a hand-picked group of people from business, unions and government will gather in Canberra for an economic roundtable. Already, a range of ideas are being touted for debate: from lowering company tax rates, to rethinking negative gearing, and a carbon tax. The prime minister is watching...

As ceasefire talks with Hamas stall, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene his security cabinet to agree on a new Gaza strategy. He’s been pushing for a full military takeover of the strip – but that plan is exposing deep divisions inside his own government. The meeting was postponed, senior defence officials warn the operation would be costly and endanger t...

At the height of the Islamic State’s power in Syria, hundreds of Australians are thought to have joined their ranks. But as security agencies cracked down on people leaving the country, Australian ISIS supporters turned their focus here. What followed was a string of attacks and foiled plots. Now, as ISIS once again gains a foothold in Syria, attacks are expected to rise in Australia. Today,...

When ASIO’s spy chief Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, it was widely seen as a recruitment drive. He talked about the crucial role of human intelligence in ASIO's work – and sang the praises of the people who make huge sacrifices, in secret, to keep Australians safe. But while Burgess insisted informants collecting intelligence for ASIO are valued,...

For nearly two decades, Australian governments have pledged to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians — in health, education, employment and justice. But year after year, the data tells a grim story: modest improvements in some areas and deepening crises in others.  Behind the national figures, and in the shadow of the failed referendum, the Northern Territory i...

In spite of pouring rain, government opposition and a failed police ban, 90,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday. It was the largest pro-Palestinian protest in Australia’s history.  It was a moment of mass demonstration against 21 months of war in Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians, including children, have been killed.  Despite warning that the mar...

Anthony Albanese has been waiting decades to recognise a Palestinian state.  Now, as countries like France, Canada and the UK all declare their own intention to do so, the Prime Minister is weighing up how Australia will respond. It’s a delicate balance – with competing pressures from within his own party, and an opposition denying there’s a starvation crisis in Gaza. Today,...

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 closer, questions remain about how the ban will be enforced, what it means for online p...