Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to maintain the federal government’s “fair share” GST tax deal with Western Australia and said the promise was solid enough to be inked in as a tattoo.

More than a quarter of Australians may not have home or contents insurance, leaving them at risk of a huge bill from the wild weather tearing across the country.

Labour pressures and a failure to attract female builders, carpenters and electricians is hampering Australia’s ability to build enough homes, as the country grapples with the soaring cost of renting and housing.

Two people have denied savagely beating a schoolboy to death during a dispute about a pair of headphones, as chilling details of his final moments were aired in court.

Anthony Albanese has called Peter Dutton’s reaction to the arrival of asylum seekers in Western Australia “disturbing”, after pushing back against the Opposition Leader’s claims that his government was weak on national security.