Latest National news
Public service ends epic 'Coon cheese' racism struggle
![public servants](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/n/4/2/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpn2gl.png/1466430260247.jpg)
Noel Towell 12:00 AM He said "I just like plain old Coon cheese". He got a five-year legal battle.
Polling opens in Arnhem Land
![The first voters in the country to cast their ballots are in Bulman, a remote Indigenous community 600km south east of ...](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/n/q/2/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpnq3h.png/1466425634167.jpg)
10:27 PM Bulman, a remote Aboriginal community of about 300 people in the red soils of central Arnhem Land is a long way from Canberra, and at least one voter feels it's out of sight and out of mind of the nation's leaders. But the Australian Electoral Commission has launched its remote polling, and over the next two weeks 38 teams will travel to more than 400 communities around the country that have 10 or more enrolled voters to make sure they can be counted in July 2's federal election.
Bus driver sacked after threatening 'another Columbine'
![The Fair Work Commission has found ACTION buses was right to fire one of its drivers.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/f/t/q/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpnjq7.png/1466421483344.jpg)
Noel Towell 12:00 AM 'If ACTION management touch me, this will be another Columbine'.
Study finds DNA links that could help improve treatment for migraines
![Migraine is a common and debilitating disorder.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/q/i/4/6/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpnaap.png/1466418620061.jpg)
Amy Mitchell-Whittington 1:01 AM Improved treatment could soon be on the cards for migraine sufferers.
Doctors warn of growing burden on hospitals ahead of budget
![State Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian with the 2017-17 budget papers outside State Parliament on Monday.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/n/5/m/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpnck6.png/1466417285545.jpg)
Kate Aubusson 8:02 PM A jump in one category of emergency department admissions has doctors worried.
Zed Seselja criticises Barnaby Joyce over APS Armidale move
!["I don't believe it should happen": Senator Zed Seselja warns against moving public servants from Canberra to Armidale.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/u/8/x/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpmzre.png/1466416579260.jpg)
Henry Belot 7:56 PM Plan to move public servants to Armidale causes friction in Coalition ranks.
Public service casuals thrown Labor lifeline
![Labor's Human Services spokesman Doug Cameron says his party would spend $75 million over four years to convert casual ...](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/c/y/o/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpn72t.png/1466415827446.jpg)
Noel Towell 12:00 AM Poorly trained Centrelink casuals adding to customer misery, says Labor.
Government's $230 million bid to fight cyber crime will fail without specialists, industry warns
![Australia is predicted to face a shortage of cyber security professionals in coming years.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/p/6/0/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpn6yz.png/1466415391737.jpg)
Henry Belot 12:00 AM Cyber security professionals could pose a recruitment headache.
Breast cancer battle: Australian breakthrough offers new hope
![Kylie Gellie, who has had a mastectomy and oophorectomy to avoid breast and ovarian cancer, with her children Jasmine, ...](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/n/l/k/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpnivg.png/1466417772212.jpg)
Rania Spooner 1:00 AM With her mother and grandmother lost to cancer the only option available to Kylie Gellie was to remove her breasts, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Claims Korean staff underpaid $108k
![A Sydney sandwich outlet faces court for underpaying workers.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/c/e/v/6/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpn7kf.png/1466410585949.jpg)
Anna Patty 6:16 PM A Sydney fast-food outlet allegedly fabricated employment records and underpaid 11 Korean workers more than $108,000.
Could you beat the Class of '67?
![Cumberland prefects of 1967. David Cook (Far left, second row) Malcolm McDivitt (Centre, bottom row).](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/m/m/2/6/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gplr6y.png/1466399828563.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw 3:17 PM The very first students to sit the HSC had no calculators. Can you answer the questions they faced?
'It's real cowboy territory'
![E-cigarettes are not regulated like pharmaceutical products.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/h/j/h/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpn1o6.png/1466393359269.jpg)
Kate Aubusson 1:29 PM Consumer watchdog cracks down as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein are found in vaping products.
Rye Hunt's loved ones bring his remains home to Tasmania
![Rye Hunt is thought to have died from dehydration or drowning after attempting to swim while under the influence of ...](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/4/v/o/y/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpmza1.png/1466382488888.jpg)
10:20 AM The ashes of Australian man Rye Hunt have been brought to Tasmania after he was cremated in Brazil.
'Narcissistic' surgeons charge cancer patients exorbitant fees
![Mark Brandt and his wife Linda used their savings to pay his out-of-pocket health costs.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/m/e/d/n/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpmebg.png/1466380779329.jpg)
Kate Aubusson 9:59 AM Cancer patients are being charged exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for "flashy" surgeries by surgeons who don't disclose the full financial burden or equally effective alternatives in the public system, cancer experts say.
NAB customer 'felt violated'
![Ross Kent will start at National Australia Bank on May 2.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/k/e/u/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gplh6h.png/1466386377349.jpg)
Esther Han 5:00 AM A major bank is being tipped off when disloyal customers approach its rivals seeking loans.
Parents' 'risky' drinking encourages teens
![Emma Thompson and her 13-year-old daughter, Charlotte.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/m/k/f/i/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpmklw.png/1466387267162.jpg)
Miki Perkins Charlotte, 13, has no interest in drinking. But her mum Emma knows this might change, and tries to be a good role model.
Make maths and science compulsory: PM
![Students need to do the 2 unit maths course at least to cope with university STEM courses](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/d/l/p/6/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpmobe.png/1466381162386.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for maths and science to be made compulsory for all students finishing high school to arrest a steep decline in Australia's standards across both subject areas.
Junior Rugby clubs forfeit games as fears deepen for player safety
![Some juniors are competing with players twice their size.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/g/a/c/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpksh1.png/1466276532398.jpg)
Eamonn Duff Teams are refusing to show up for matches because of the perceived risk that awaits their young sides.
The hardest schools to get into in Sydney
![Published minimum entry scores show how well students need to perform on the selective schools test to gain entry.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/u/3/h/j/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpm8i4.png/1466260744566.jpg)
Catherine Armitage Two out of three students who competed for a Year 7 place at a selective high school this year missed out, Department of Education figures suggest.
'It's not just a free-for-all playtime'
!["They're definitely learning, it's not just a free-for-all playtime": Emilie Capes, with husband, Jeremy, and their ...](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/m/b/8/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpllpu.png/1466387939442.jpg)
Kelsey Munro For Randwick mum Emilie Capes, sending her two- and three-year-old to preschool is a crucial investment.
'For me, the door is shut now'
![Geraldine Hewitt searched for years for her biological father.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/h/8/e/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpki4j.png/1466376536010.jpg)
Harriet Alexander Geraldine Hewitt searched for her anonymous sperm donor father, until a phone call changed everything.
A bone breaks every 3.4 minutes in Australia: report
![Hip fractures and other common breaks are predicted to increase with the ageing population.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/m/a/4/6/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpm9yq.png/1466299637454.png)
Kate Aubusson Online tool to predict your risk launched as osteoporosis rate rises in Australia.
Rye Hunt's sister bids goodbye to brother, welcomes son home
![In happier times: Rye Hunt with his girlfriend, Bonnie Cuthbert.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/e/v/e/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpm9cs.png/1466285586549.jpg)
Neelima Choahan With a gap of nearly seven years between them, Romany Brodribb always considered her younger brother, Rye Hunt, her baby.
'No leadership and no commitment'
![Renewable energy accounted for 36 per cent of SA's electricity in May – and only one quarter of that total in NSW.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/h/s/g/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gplh8k.png/1466213328457.jpg)
Peter Hannam It's the one issue on which NSW is being outpaced by almost every other state.
Barnaby Joyce warns live cattle exporters after Vietnam abuse revealed
![Footage depicts a bull being sledgehammered to death in Vietnam.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/l/1/k/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpln1f.png/1466160100969.jpg)
Distressing footage appearing to show Australian cattle being bludgeoned to death with sledgehammers in Vietnam has sparked renewed calls to ban live cattle exports.
Beefed up action figures warping boys' body image
![Charles Winnett playing with his Tree Fu Tom toys.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/m/g/6/l/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gplfu9.png/1466285181535.jpg)
Cosima Marriner Muscly body ideals are being inculcated early in life with kids preferring to play with bulked-up versions of their superheroes.
Labor pledges $1.2b for science
![Labor has promised to set up a new biosecurity research centre.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/c/u/j/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpljh7.png/1466153670970.jpg)
Peter Hannam A Shorten government would spend an additional $1.2 billion over four years on science and research to restore part of the $3 billion taken out by the Abbott-Turnbull governments, says Kim Carr, the opposition's science spokesman.
Australian cattle 'killed with sledgehammers' in Vietnam
![Footage depicts a bull being sledgehammered to death in Vietnam.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/l/1/k/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpl1of.png/1466147079436.jpg)
Chloe Booker Distressing footage appearing to show Australian cattle being bludgeoned to death with sledgehammers in Vietnam has sparked renewed calls to ban live cattle exports.
Male sex workers call for respect, understanding
![Male sex workers still face daily discrimination.](/web/20160620150507im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/k/d/x/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpf5qy.png/1466259835412.jpg)
Clare Kermond When Cameron Cox came out to his gay friends, letting them know he was a sex worker, about half turned their backs on him: "that was it, I was socially beyond the pale".