Rachel Withers

As the leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies gathered to discuss climate change, and pledged further action, the Australian government chose to reiterate its commitment to fossil fuels.

This week, Scott Morrison announced Australia’s involvement in a massive organised crime sting coordinated by the FBI. But was the extraordinary press conference more about bad news and poor polling?

Scott Morrison’s choice for Australia’s new Assistant Minister for Women, Amanda Stoker, has raised concerns from women’s health advocates due to her hardline, and conservative, views on abortion. Today, Rachel Withers on the rise of Amanda Stoker.

Amanda Stoker’s speech at an anti-abortion rally last weekend has sparked fresh concerns over her appointment as assistant minister for Women.

Scott Morrison’s ministerial reshuffle included a few surprises, and not a small amount of controversy. Ultimately, though, the faces remain the same.

Convoys of slogan-covered cars on Melbourne’s streets appear to be part of a global dissident movement to ‘quit’ the Chinese Communist Party, with links to the Falun Gong.

The government announced this week it would boost the base rate of JobSeeker by $50 a fortnight once the Covid-19 supplement ends. Welfare advocacy groups warn such a token amount will only throw the unemployed into abject poverty.

The Tamil family who settled in Biloela, Queensland, with their two Australian-born daughters have now spent more than 1000 days in immigration detention. But legal pressure is attempting to bend political will towards compassion.

Despite numerous reviews by state and federal governments into hotel quarantine, the system continues to lead to Covid-19 transmission in Australia, with experts criticising the lack of a co-ordinated strategy around the country.

“The more certain a 2021 election becomes, the less certain the leadership of the Labor Party appears. Though the next poll may be any time from August 2021 to May 2022, there’s a distinct election-year feeling in the air – and an open-season vibe …”

The vaccine debate continues, with the same outlet that brought you “Scientists call for pause on AstraZeneca rollout” now running an exclusive with the vaccine’s director, who warns a delay could cost lives. Professor Andrew Pollard, of the Oxford …

US President Donald Trump is on the verge of his second impeachment, with a vote under way in the House of Representatives. Democrats have a majority in the House, and seven Republican members have indicated they will vote to impeach. House speaker …

Immunology experts are calling for a pause on the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout because it may not be effective enough to generate herd immunity, the Nine papers report. While trials have shown the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be about 95 per cent effective …

Democrats have introduced an article of impeachment against US President Donald Trump, accusing him of inciting insurrection over the violent attack on the Capitol. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the article as early as Wednesday …

A number of conservative Australian MPs have cried “censorship” after every mainstream social media platform banned outgoing US President Donald Trump. Nationals MP George Christensen, who had an official fact-check placed on his …

Figures on both sides of politics are demanding US President Donald Trump’s immediate removal from office following yesterday’s attack on the US Capitol. Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, …

The US Capitol Building has gone into lockdown after hundreds of pro-Trump protesters stormed the building during the count to certify Joe Biden’s victory. One woman is in a critical condition with a gunshot to the chest. The protesters were urged …

Covid-19 vaccinations may begin in Australia as early as February, according to The Daily Telegraph, with the Pfizer shot to be offered under the first general approval (non-emergency) in the world. The paper is reporting a “more ambitious …

Julian Assange will apply for bail this week, seeking to be released from Belmarsh prison after a British judge rejected a US bid to extradite him. District judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected arguments that the charges against Assange were politically motivated …

Happy New Year, from one of the thousands of Victorians who rang in 2021 on the road from NSW to Victoria. I was one of the lucky ones – thousands more are believed to be stuck in NSW, with only those granted an exemption allowed to return. The helpline …

The rest of the states may be feeling vindicated in their decision to close their borders to Sydneysiders, with three new locally acquired cases in Melbourne believed to be linked to the NSW outbreak. The three cases, which bring an end to Victoria’s …

New Trade Minister Dan Tehan will prioritise securing an Australia-India free trade deal, The Australian reports, as the government seeks alternative trading partners to counter Chinese bans on our exports. Negotiations on a proposed deal between …

Australia is using its final months on the World Health Organization executive board to ensure the inquiry into the origins of Covid-19 remains robust and independent, despite rising China tensions, Guardian Australia reports. The investigation, …

Authorities on either side of the country are considering how to punish the weekend’s hotel quarantine escape artists – if you can call them that. Both the 24-year-old man in Melbourne and the 49-year-old woman in Perth simply walked out of their …

Christmas considerations “muddied” the NSW government’s decision to modestly ease restrictions yesterday, with an anonymous minister telling the Sydney Morning Herald it would not have been done at any other time of year. The crisis cabinet …

The federal government will today release a draft of its new Online Safety Bill, with its centrepiece reform tackling online abuse among adults. The proposed legislation will give the eSafety Commissioner the power to order the removal of abusive material, …

Christmas plans are on hold as Sydney awaits today’s Covid case numbers, with the Australian media torn between optimism and pessimism, hope and fear. The Australian is leading with a Covid-19 Christmas miracle, while Guardian Australia …

Sydneysiders are now locked out of every other state and territory, with Victoria, Queensland, the ACT, South Australia and the Northern Territory effectively shutting borders to them overnight. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has dispatched 700 police …