Australia is making a clear choice of the US over China with the AUKUS pact - and the fundamental decision is bipartisan.

Premierships aren’t won by 22 players, but by 30 or more. So why not recognise the contributions of everyone who’s played a game with a medal? Some of the conversations had in grand final week are the toughest in footy.

Calls to increase JobSeeker, as a growing number of Victorians approach homelessness services citing financial stress as the main reason for seeking support.

The 53-year-old Queensland resident was refused entry at the border earlier in the day.

The historic new defence agreement was a proposal 18 months in the making. It would result in what the US has described as “biggest strategic step Australia has taken in generations”.

Two-thirds of the state parliament has voted in support of a signature Palaszczuk government bill, after major party MPs were granted a rare conscience vote.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the new alliance with the US and UK “aggravates the arms race and hurts the international non-proliferation efforts”.

Telstra CEO Andrew Penn’s latest growth blueprint is likely to leave the telco a very different beast by the time he hangs up his boots.

West Coast great Ben Cousins has indicated he will attend Sunday’s Brownlow Medal count in Perth, in what would be a sign of improved circumstances for the fallen champion.

Fully vaccinated Melburnians will be able to meet outdoors with one other household under eased restrictions from Saturday.

Crown Resorts director Toni Korsanos will leave the casino giant after its annual shareholder meeting next month, in a surprise departure that comes as the crisis-stricken group tries to rebuild its depleted board. 

Michael Hooper is poised to surpass George Gregan as the country’s most decorated skipper this weekend, and coach Dave Rennie says he’ll break more records before he’s through.

Terminally ill Queenslanders will be able to legally access drugs to end their suffering as voluntary euthanasia laws pass.

The planning and execution from John O’Shea heading into Saturday’s George Main Stakes meeting has been flawless.

New dad Jason Collett has hit a purple patch of form with eight winners in 12 days since his daughter Scarlet arrived last month.

Comeback sprinter Rothfire has unfinished business in The Everest, but trainer Rob Heathcote admits there be nerves in The Shorts on Saturday

Richard Freedman has got a new bridle approved for use in races as he looks to unlock the raceday potential in Cognac.

Melbourne have ended their reliance on poker machine revenue with the club selling its pokies venue, the Bentleigh Club, for $23.7 million.

The Australian Turf Club wants thousands of fully vaccinated people at The Everest next month, with a proposal for an exemption to the state’s COVID-19 rules presented to the NSW crisis cabinet.

The landmark citizen lawsuit against Joko Widodo and other government leaders sought a court order for more to be done to curb air pollution in Jakarta.

People travelling for essential work, healthcare or to attend a vaccination appointment will be allowed in the CBD, but will have to carry ID and proof of their reason for travel.

Women’s employment in NSW has been hit especially hard by the Delta outbreak.

CBA will plead guilty to criminal breaches of the law and is facing a hefty fine over an insurance scandal exposed at the royal commission.

Independent experts warn the state’s transport agency failed to adequately assess the risks posed to groundwater, creeks and seawater.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson said Sam Verrills had struggled to understand the reasoning behind the judiciary’s decision.

EISS’s chair Warren Mundy and Macquarie banker Michael Roche have resigned from the fund that also lost its CEO this week amid claims it excessively spent members’ money on parties, junkets and sponsorship deals.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has made a big call on Sean McMahon and explained why James O’Connor is now being considered a fullback option.

Jim Betts said during a property developer forum that industry members and key stakeholders need to “lay down the inflammatory rhetoric” and focus on change.

The Tamil asylum seeker family at the centre of a protracted immigration dispute will be allowed to remain in the community in Perth for another three months while their latest legal battle plays out in court.

The colourful soccer identity is believed to have ploughed millions into his share trading account only to withdraw the funds as the bank closed in.

Brad Scott will take up a senior football position at league headquarters, where he will be the face of the football department and work alongside Laura Kane, who has been poached by North Melbourne.

The AFL announced last week any leftover tickets for the general public would be made available online but that did not stop a group of 25 people camping outside Crown Perth’s box office to try their luck. 

Victoria is now home to 43,000 fewer people than at the start of the pandemic, the only state in the nation to record a drop in population.

Plans for Australia to develop a nuclear submarine fleet will reignite an old debate over the value of a domestic nuclear power industry.

The novelist tells the story of the complicated German Nobel laureate Thomas Mann.

Our democracy is now relatively uninformed about the  implications of all things nuclear, including these submarines.

Everything you need to know to find a winner on cup day in the Hunter.

The decision to keep the maintenance in South Australia is a blow to the McGowan government’s three-year campaign to move the work to WA.

The oft-used word ‘virtual’ has had a makeover - and it’s causing confusion.

The cancellation of our contract with France and a new “partnership” with the US and UK effectively means we now have no agreement with anyone to build new subs.

Two Sydney men travelled the world in luxury. Now they face potential life sentences over drugs charges with millions in property in authorities’ sights.

Tony Ditri was last seen on August 27 at a local rubbish tip before he vanished. A neighbouring farmer has since been charged with his murder.

A change in lockdown rules will be seized upon by artists desperate to ‘pivot’ their Fringe festival shows online.

Scrapping a French-built submarine fleet in favour of US nuclear technology is the best option under the parameters we have set ourselves.

Dale Finucane has watched players leave the Storm over his seven years in Melbourne but his time has finally come and he hopes to leave with a third premiership at the club.

The judges also included in the scope of the ‘war on drugs’ probe killings carried out in Davao, President Rodrigo Duterte’s home town.

We ask subscribers to the Greater Good newsletter to show us some of the things that have made them smile over the past week.

The $6 billion maritime super fund has defended spending thousands of dollars on union events, including a commemoration of the Patrick’s waterfront dispute.

Two electric vehicle drivers have launched a High Court legal challenge to Victoria’s controversial road user tax.

Music teacher Rachel Scott’s quirky videos have become a huge hit for schoolchildren caught up in coronavirus restrictions.