The $300 million in new money for local government must be spent by September next year, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
President-elect Barack Obama and his defeated Republican rival John McCain have pledged a "new era of reform" to solve the US economic crisis.
Macquarie Group Ltd's first-half net profit declined 43 per cent as Australia's biggest investment bank was hurt by the turmoil in global financial markets.
The big stars of the romance epic film Australia have snubbed the sleepy Queensland town of Bowen in favour of the glamour of Sydney, for Tuesday's premiere.
A call to ditch Wayne Bennett from the Kiwi rugby league support staff has been laughed off by head coach Stephen Kearney.
The kangaroo is far more closely related to humans than previously thought, Australian researchers say.
The cost of child abuse could be as high as $30 billion, new research has found.