Federal Politics

Ex-case manager describes system that 'set Voller up to fail'

The image of Voller in a spithood at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre helped trigger the royal commission.

Dylan Voller's former case manager has described a Northern Territory justice system that failed the offender from a young age, neglecting diversionary programs, adopting a punitive and not rehabilitative approach, turning him violent, and failing to help him re-enter society.

The most complained about ads of 2016

Meat & Livestock Australia's 'Operation Boomerang' advertisement featuring Lee Lin Chin.

A lamb advertisement starring SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin that was accused of inciting violence against vegans was the most complained about advertisement of the year.

Open Australia to workers from the Pacific, says Lowy Institute

Native Fijians and ethnic Indians in a queue to vote in Fiji.

The Lowy Institute has proposed opening Australia to workers from Pacific nations including Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands as a way of easing some of the shortages predicted as a result of changes to the backpacker tax and as a way of helping workers from those nations far more powerfully than could foreign aid.

Entire ATO website down

Andrew Leigh made fun of the error on Twitter.

The Tax Office ruled out a census-style "denial of service" attack as the reason for the loss of its entire website, saying the massive failure was due to hardware problems "not being caused by any external factors".

Tony Abbott reflects on his reading habits

Former prime minister Tony Abbott's end of year advice for Malcolm Turnbull.

Tony Abbott has more time on his hands these days and he is using it to rediscover a passion for reading and, in particular, for thrillers. He will not, however, be wasting any more time on E.L. James' erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, which he "didn't think was a great book at all".