Story one of ten today, about five minutes for the lot

Residential homes built on hillside with native vegetation and landscape visible.

Mount Isa auctions 24 homes to recover almost $1m in unpaid rates

Mount Isa is auctioning 24 First Nations homes to recover almost $1 million in unpaid rates, putting families at risk of homelessness.

Why it mattersFamilies face homelessness through no fault of their own due to a nonprofit's failure to pay bills, raising questions about housing security and support for First Nations people.

AustraliaIndigenous Australians in Mount Isa and across the country are watching to see whether governments step in to prevent homelessness or allow the auction to proceed, setting a precedent for how debt disputes are handled.

✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 d ago

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Campsite setup with tents, cooking area, and camping supplies among trees

✓ Newcastle HeraldMoney & Work

Upper Hunter rents jump 12 per cent, forcing families into impossible choices

Upper Hunter rents jumped almost 12 per cent in just one year, forcing families to choose between essentials and housing.

Why it mattersA $50 weekly rent rise is the difference between affording essentials and losing a home for households already stretched by cost-of-living pressure.

Anthony Albanese. A man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a navy blue suit with a light patterned tie, seated in front of a large window with green foliage and a desk lamp visible in the background.

✓ PerthNowPower & Policy

Albanese defends $560 million grant program after pork-barrelling report

A report found Labor-held seats received almost three-quarters of $560 million. It came from the government's Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program.