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Federal politicsCommentsCentrelink call times drop while ‘claims processed faster’

Australians are getting money from the government faster and spending less time on the phone or in waiting rooms, fresh data reveals.

Katina Curtis

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
State PoliticsCommentsPremium
The West Australian exclusive
The new band of WA battlers: Those on six-figure salaries

WA is seeing a new wave of battlers — people earning more than $100,000 annually who struggle to pay bills and seek help from community agencies.

Joe Spagnolo

Federal politicsCommentsQR code technology key to ID secure future

Imagine turning up at a hotel and instead of handing over your driver’s licence to be photocopied and kept who-knows-where, you can scan a QR code and have your identity verified securely online.

Katina Curtis

Federal politicsCommentsPremiumVulnerable Aussies take longest to receive welfare payments

Australia’s most vulnerable are taking the longest to receive welfare payments despite Services Australia claiming they had ‘turned the corner’ on wait times. 

Jessica Evensen

Change neededCommentsPremiumAmbitious jobs overhaul blueprint to help workers, employers

The services supposed to help people find jobs are not working for employers or jobseekers, are overly punitive and need a complete rebuild, a major review has told the Government.

Katina Curtis

‘Helping change lives’CommentsFree internet plan to help families extended for extra year

A Federal Government program offering free NBN to disadvantaged school students has been extended for an extra year with a $4.3 million funding boost. 

Kimberley Caines

‘Holding our breath’CommentsPremiumDisability community wants urgent action on royal commission

People with disabilities have called for urgent action in response to a landmark examination of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation that will be made public on Friday.

Katina Curtis

Serving a purposePremiumAPM posts $179m profit with strong results in Australia, US

Acquisitions have paid dividends for APM shareholders as the workplace services provider posted a 7 per cent jump in profit in the year to June.

Jordan Murray

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
Payments frozen CommentsPremium
The West Australian exclusive
UK nixes bid to lift pension for 39,000 West Aussies

The deal would have led to more than 167,000 Australians on British pensions having their payments rise but the UK minister is adamant his Government’s policy will not change.

Katina Curtis

Scomo to go? CommentsPremiumMorrison under pressure to quit in wake of robodebt report

Scott Morrison is under increasing pressure to quit, including from some from his own party, as the Government says it expects the sealed section of the robodebt royal commission to be made public eventually.

Katina Curtis and Dan Jervis-Bardy

Moving forwardCommentsPremiumNew service to prevent youth suicide to open this year

An ageing Subiaco office building is being refurbished as a place for people aged 16-24 experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviours to stay for up to four nights.

Sarah Makse

investigation
investigation
Special report CommentsPremium
investigation
How relationships can decimate much-needed welfare payments

For some Australians, putting a price tag on love can mean losing a third of your income, obliterating savings, and retiring with no superannuation. 

Gabrielle Becerra Mellet

Flying the flagPremiumContract boost fuels APM share jump

The new work in the UK is worth $720m over five years but the company also revealed ongoing labour shortages are holding back profit growth.

Sean Smith

analysis
analysis
Josh ZimmermanCommentsPremium
analysis
‘People’s Budget’ fails to confront structural issues

The easiest way to characterise the Albanese Government’s second Budget is that it is about people rather than things. 

Josh Zimmerman

Josh Zimmerman

analysis
analysis
Katina CurtisCommentsPremium
analysis
A traditional Labor Budget that does a little for a lot

The documents released on Tuesday night look much more like a traditional Labor Budget than those Jim Chalmers handed down in October — with an added surplus bonus to address the economic management doubters.

Katina Curtis