Dan Conifer
Dan Conifer is a political reporter based at Parliament House in Canberra. Dan was the ABC News cadet in Melbourne in 2013, and has also worked with SBS and NITV. Follow him on Twitter at @DanConifer.
Australia and Indonesia agree to fully restore military ties
Posted | Updated
Malcolm Turnbull and Joko Widodo hold formal talks in Sydney, reviving cooperation halted after the discovery of "insulting" posters at a Perth military training base, and reaching deals on trade and a new Australian consulate in east Java.
Topics: defence-and-national-security, foreign-affairs, international-aid-and-trade, world-politics, government-and-politics, australia, indonesia
Disability workforce won't keep up with demand, report warns
Posted
Parts of Australia's biggest cities could struggle to attract enough disability workers for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, a new report warns.
Topics: disabilities, health, government-and-politics, federal-government, work, australia
Australia is failing to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage
Posted | Updated
Australia has promised to close the gap between Indigenous and other Australians on health, education and employment. But we are failing to meet six of seven key goals.
Topics: federal-government, federal-parliament, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, australia
What is the Redfern Statement?
Posted
Indigenous Australians will today deliver their blueprint for change to the nation's political leaders. It's called the Redfern Statement, and this is what it's calling for.
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, government-and-politics, community-and-society, indigenous-protocols, australia
Closing the Gap report to show positive signs in Indigenous health
Posted | Updated
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is applauding progress in health and education ahead of the release of the latest report card into Indigenous disadvantage.
Topics: indigenous-policy, health-policy, education, australia
Abbott criticises PM for not spending time with Indigenous Australians
Posted | Updated
Former prime minister Tony Abbott says it is disappointing Malcolm Turnbull has not spent a week each year in a remote Aboriginal or Torres Strait community.
Topics: abbott-tony, turnbull-malcolm, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, australia
Native Title Act facing changes after shock court ruling
Posted | Updated
Attorney-General George Brandis says legislation will be introduced to Parliament this week amid doubt over future Indigenous Land Use Agreements following a Federal Court ruling.
Topics: native-title, rights, law-crime-and-justice, federal-parliament, parliament, government-and-politics, australia
Greens urge Government to address 'shameful' Indigenous incarceration
Posted | Updated
The Greens urge the Federal Government to establish targets for driving down the number of Indigenous Australians in jail.
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, government-and-politics, indigenous-policy, prisons-and-punishment, law-crime-and-justice, australia
How much more will you pay for health insurance this year?
Posted | Updated
The Government approves a nearly 5 per cent increase in premiums but the Prime Minister urges people to stick with private health insurance.
Topics: health, health-insurance, health-policy, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
June Oscar named new Social Justice Commissioner
Posted | Updated
Indigenous leader June Oscar replaces Mick Gooda as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
Topics: indigenous-policy, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, australia, fitzroy-crossing-6765
How not to spend $5 billion in taxpayers' dollars Analysis
Posted | Updated
The National Audit Office's blistering assessment of the Abbott government's Indigenous Advancement Strategy is basically a lesson on how not to roll out policy.
Topics: government-and-politics, indigenous-policy, abbott-tony, australia, canberra-2600
Government denies Indigenous funding overhaul a 'disaster'
Posted | Updated
The Federal Government denies it made any blunders when rolling out its flagship Indigenous Affairs funding scheme, despite a scathing report into the program.
Topics: indigenous-policy, abbott-tony, government-and-politics, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, community-and-society, australia
Abbott government bungled Indigenous funding overhaul: major report
Posted | Updated
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion defends the Abbott government's overhaul of billions of dollars worth of Indigenous funding, after a major report finds the program was bungled.
Topics: indigenous-policy, government-and-politics, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, community-and-society, darwin-0800, nt, australia
Labor calls for overhaul of 'Mickey Mouse' work for the dole courses
Posted | Updated
The Federal Opposition labels some activities for unemployed people in remote areas useless, calling for the work for the dole program to be overhauled.
Topics: welfare, rural, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, government-and-politics, australia
Unemployed fined for not attending hygiene, 3D printing classes
Posted | Updated
Unemployed people in remote parts of Australia are being fined for not attending activities like hygiene classes and 3D printing training, documents released to Federal Parliament reveal.
Topics: community-development, unemployment, federal-government, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, australia
WA deserves to know results of NDIS trials in state: Labor
Posted | Updated
People with disabilities in Western Australia deserve to know the results of National Disability Insurance Scheme trials in the state, Federal Labor says.
Topics: disabilities, health, federal-government, federal---state-issues, wa
Codeine painkillers won't be available over the counter from 2018
Posted | Updated
The federal drug regulator has announced painkillers containing codeine will no longer be available over the counter from 2018, with the risk of addiction and overdose considered too high.
Topics: pharmaceuticals, health, australia
Rod Culleton resigns from One Nation
Posted | Updated
One Nation senator Rod Culleton announces his resignation from the party, saying his colleagues have not remained committed to pre-election promises and displayed "un-Australian behaviour" towards him and his team.
Topics: one-nation, government-and-politics, federal-government, political-parties, federal-parliament, australia
Health Minister Ley defends Headspace despite mixed report card Curtain Raiser
Posted | Updated
Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley defends youth mental health initiative Headspace despite a report showing it provides a "small" benefit to clients.
Topics: mental-health, youth, federal-government, health-policy, healthcare-facilities, australia
Headspace only a 'small' benefit for youth mental health: report
Posted | Updated
Australia's flagship youth mental health program Headspace is only providing a "small" benefit to clients, a major study reveals, while the wellbeing of about one in 10 of its patients is going significantly backwards.
Topics: mental-health, health, depression, diseases-and-disorders, federal-government, australia
Aboriginal lawyer and activist Michael Mansell calls for Indigenous seventh state
Posted | Updated
An Aboriginal lawyer and activist proposes Australia should create a seventh state run by Indigenous people, with its own parliament and court system.
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, constitution, government-and-politics, tas, sa, vic, australia
Most remote work-for-the-dole participants fined, new figures reveal
Posted | Updated
Most participants in the remote work-for-the-dole Community Development Programme were fined for breaching the conditions of the scheme the last financial year new figures reveal.
Topics: federal-government, unemployment, welfare, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, australia, nt
Patients could benefit from competition in public health sector: commission
Posted | Updated
Public hospital patients could benefit from doctors and health services publicly reporting their performance, the Productivity Commission says in a report exploring radical changes to government services.
Topics: government-and-politics, indigenous-policy, health, dental, housing, australia
Adler import a step closer as NSW agrees on reclassification
Posted | Updated
The controversial Adler shotgun is a step closer to being allowed into Australia after the New South Wales Government falls into line to reclassify it as a category D weapon, the ABC understands.
Topics: states-and-territories, government-and-politics, nsw, australia
Parliament passes bill to overhaul vocational education sector
Posted | Updated
The Federal Government's overhaul of the scandal-ridden vocational education sector passes Parliament in a bid to end one of the worst chapters in Australian education history.
Topics: federal-government, university-and-further-education, australia
Connect with ABC News
Got a news tip?
If you have inside knowledge of a topic in the news, contact the ABC.
