PETER Dutton has walked back a coalition plan to force federal government workers to give up working from home arrangements and shifted his stance on public sector jobs. The work-from-home policy, which has been in place since the pandemic, had fuelled concerns amongst voters who favoured the practice that it would

WOMEN who feel lonely over an extended period are three times more likely to die early than those who don't. Research by the University of Sydney has for the first time identified a causal link between loneliness and early death among middle-aged Australian women. Advertise with News of The Area today.

ONE rural birthing unit "teeters on the brink" and goes from "one disaster to the next" due to severe staff shortages. Another maternity service in a farming town of 15,000 closed four years after opening its doors, forcing specialists and medical workers out of town. Advertise with News of The Area today.

ABORIGINALand Torres Strait Islander children are being set up for a life of suffering, legal services say, as 'tough on crime' policy sweeps the country. More state and territory governments are locking up children at increasing rates, and not listening to community or evidence about what is best for kids,

COLES and Woolworths are two of the most powerful and profitable supermarkets in the world but should not be split up, the competition watchdog has found in a major review of the sector. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released its final report into supermarkets on Friday, finding major chains had