Last year was a horror year for household budgets as Australians struggled with rising interest rates, soaring rents and cost-of-living pressures. Many are asking: will things get better or worse in 2024? Guardian Australia’s economics correspondent Peter Hannam tells Jane Lee about the certainties and uncertainties that lie ahead You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Donald Trump faces multiple civil and criminal lawsuits – some of which could potentially end in a jail term if he is convicted. He denies all allegations. The Guardian’s US political investigations reporter Hugo Lowell speaks to Reged Ahmad about what impact these lawsuits have on Trump’s chances of getting back into the White House You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza at hearings in the international court of justice. Chris McGreal reports on what happens next

With an increasing number of people fed up with online options, speed dating is making a strong comeback in bars and venues across the country. Gabrielle Jackson talks to lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman about 10 years of apps in Australia and why more people are looking for love offline

An off-road driver in their dusty ute, blue heeler in the back, arm across the passenger seat – it’s an image that’s helped fuel the rise of SUV sales in Australia. That and the incentives given to consumers to purchase them. But how safe are these cars? And is their rising popularity at the expense of combatting the climate crisis?

At the start of the summer holidays, many Australians were preparing for another bad bushfire season. But instead, communities on the east coast have been battling extreme rainfall – from Cyclone Jasper in far north Queensland and severe storms on the Gold Coast to flooding in southern New South Wales and Victoria. Jane Lee talks with Guardian Australia’s environment reporter Graham Readfearn on what is driving these devastating downpours and whether they become more common in the future

Guardian Australia journalists Sarah Martin and Tory Shepherd have been friends a long time. In this final epsiode of The tale I dine out on, they recount a hectic night in Hamburg during the 2017 G20 in which an encounter with Vladimir Putin’s security team gave them the story of a lifetime. The tale I dine out on is a summer series from 10 of our favourite storytellers – actors, comedians, writers and Guardian staff – in which they recount a story that never fails to entertain

Guardian Australia’s social media reporter and presenter Matilda Boseley was enjoying the view as she cycled home from work. An untimely distraction on her brand-new bike revealed a lot more than a lake filled with swan poo. The tale I dine out on is a summer series from 10 of our favourite storytellers – actors, comedians, writers and Guardian staff – in which they recount a story that never fails to entertain

Playwright, theatre director and Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch on how a wedding ring, curlews and a ‘grandfather’ ghost gum brought him the connection to country he craved. The tale I dine out on is a summer series from 10 of our favourite storytellers – actors, comedians, writers and Guardian staff – in which they recount a story that never fails to entertain

When author and broadcaster Wendy Harmer was sent to cover the Academy Awards, she was thrilled. But the star-filled night was plagued with a series of mishaps. The tale I dine out on is a summer series from 10 of our favourite storytellers – actors, comedians, writers and Guardian staff – in which they recount a story that never fails to entertain.