The Sydney Morning Herald • 27th May 2025

The transport minister made a safety promise. Four days later, it was torn apart

Transport bureaucrats circulated secret plans to slash improved safety measures at a major Sydney intersection four days after the then-minister gave public assurances that no such cuts would be made, casting aside expansive upgrades promised as a condition of WestConnex four years ago...

The Daily Aus • 8th November 2024

Exclusive: Government to waive millions in student debt

Thousands of current and former Australian students will have some of their student debt waived by the Federal Government due to a historical error.
Over 13,000 people from 104 educational institutions, including universities and TAFE, will have a combined $5.4 million wiped from their student debt.
It could save some students thousands of dollars.
Students impacted by the error won’t need to pay the amount incurred through indexation this year. This also applies to any of the previous four year...

The Sydney Morning Herald • 17th May 2025

The alarming letter that made the premier change his mind

An urgent document exposing the presence of a deadly synthetic drug 100 times more powerful than heroin in NSW pushed Chris Minns to launch the state’s landmark pill testing trial months after he ruled out the move.In a letter delivered to Minns and Health Minister Ryan Park, co-chairs of the state government’s drug summit Carmel Tebbutt and John Brogden warned of growing evidence that nitazenes, a lab-manufactured synthetic opioid often masquerading as less potent illicit party drugs, were spre...

The Sydney Morning Herald • 11th June 2025

The cost of building a house has never been higher. This is what’s behind it

Critical worker shortages and inflationary pressure on high-volume materials are among the causes driving the unprecedented cost of building a house in Australia, as...

The Sydney Morning Herald • 19th January 2025

Volatile yet prosperous: Gains on the horizon as ASX readies for Trump 2.0

Economists and market watchers have forecast positive, yet volatile growth for the Australian sharemarket under a second Trump administration. Potential tariffs and an ensuing trade war are among the uncertainties that could pose serious risks to an improving economy.US President-elect Donald Trump has flagged a broad range of economic policies for his second term, spanning from pro-market tax cuts to new tariffs that could add inflationary pressures to the economy. Global markets will be paying...

The Sydney Morning Herald • 2nd June 2025

Revealed: The Sydney suburbs bracing for sweeping housing changes

The state’s three-person panel with special powers to accelerate housing supply has sent more than 100 major proposals on a fast track to approval in its first six months, more than doubling initial projections and smoothing the path for...

The Sydney Morning Herald • 4th January 2025

Top doctor raises alarm as Sydney vapers develop opioid addiction

The state’s top doctor pushed Premier Chris Minns to consider drug responses beyond pill-testing after young people in Sydney unknowingly inhaled synthetic opioids through vapes.Minns last month announced NSW would hold its first pill-testing trial following recommendations from his government’s drug summit.The trial was scheduled to begin in early 2025. The music festivals taking part are yet to be named.But in September, weeks before the summit began, Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and Centr...

The Sydney Morning Herald • 26th November 2024

Shuyin can’t afford to eat some weeks. Neither can many of her Sydney classmates

Sydney universities are receiving more requests for financial support, as cost of living pressures in one of the world’s most expensive cities hit students hard.

The Sydney Morning Herald • 9th November 2024

In a silently uploaded document, a major Sydney intersection lost its upgrade

Two senior ministers were told that plans to slash promised upgrades to road, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure at a key Sydney intersection would have “minimal impact” on transport in the inner city, despite the now-abandoned proposal erasing 85 per cent of planned improvements.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: Calls to 13Yarn surged after the referendum

Calls to First Nations crisis line 13Yarn increased after the Voice referendum was defeated, according to data given to TDA by the helpline.

The Sydney Morning Herald • 27th October 2024

Surfers’ paradise or Irish frat hub? The housing fight engulfing Bondi

A bitter housing stoush between old and new is dividing Sydney’s most iconic beach suburb.

The Sydney Morning Herald • 20th October 2024

This controversial image stumped HSC students. Now its creator is weighing in

The publisher of a controversial image used in Tuesday’s HSC English exam has confirmed to the Herald that the stimulus was generated by artificial intelligence, following days of suspicion from students and educators.

The Sydney Morning Herald • 7th October 2024

Sydney Park Junction upgrade should be finished. Instead, it’s back to the drawing board

Transport Minister Jo Haylen has been forced to intervene weeks after transport officials quietly published plans to slash road, cycling and pedestrian upgrades promised as part of WestConnex.

The Sydney Morning Herald • 2nd October 2024

Robert started his night with an online bet. It finished in hospital with a $40,000 loss

A record number of Australians have sought assistance for online gambling harm in the past year, figures obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald have found.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Lung puncture found after night of vaping

The uptake of vaping, especially among young people, has become a public health concern in Australia.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: Dangerous vape use surges in Queensland

Documents obtained by TDA show a rise in vaping has led to increased hospital admissions since 2020.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: No change to mental health access this year, despite reform

Australians aren’t seeing psychologists any more this year than they were in 2022, despite major reforms rolled out to address inefficiencies in the system.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: Voluntary HECS payments skyrocketed in May before indexation kicked in

Over 130,000 Australians made voluntary HECS payments in the month before their student debts rose by 7.1% in June. This is nearly a 300% increase on the year before.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: 13Yarn calls doubled ahead of the referendum

13YARN has recorded an unprecedented number of calls in the lead-up to the Voice referendum.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: Over 1,500 children held in Queensland watch houses

Over 1,500 children spent at least one week detained in a Queensland police watchhouse from July 2018 to June 2023, according to data given to TDA under Right to Information laws.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: Government to waive millions in student debt

Thousands of current and former Australian students will have some of their student debt waived by the Federal Government due to a historical error.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Exclusive: 1800 Respect sees demand surge after text option introduced

TDA exclusive: A new feature of the national domestic, family and sexual violence support service has received significant demand since launching last month.

The Daily Aus • 25th January 2024

Wong used special powers to block Myanmar team visas

TDA has learned that Foreign Minister Penny Wong blocked a football team from entering Australia over its owner’s ties to a 2021 military coup in Myanmar.

The Daily Aus • 16th December 2023

Property agents failing to stop illegal rent bidding in NSW

A significant number of real estate agents are ignoring rent bidding laws designed to support fairness in the rental market, data seen by TDA has shown.