PM

Sydney's median property price is up some 58 per cent on a few years ago so it's unsurprising that a survey shows Australia's property market poses the biggest threat to the national economy. An international ratings agency says a 'housing-market downturn', rather than a marked slowdown in China's economy, is the main threat to Australia's economy. Those in the property market game concede the country has found itself in 'unchartered territory' in terms of managing the risks of a property bubble.

The former Northern Territory children's commissioner believed an officer in a detention centre might have lied in an apparent attempt to have an investigator banned from visiting. Howard Bath detailed the incident in a written submission to the Royal Commission into the protection and detention of children in the Northern Territory. Dr Bath says the investigator had been checking on a detainee after complaints were made about his treatment. It's understood that detainee was Dylan Voller, whose treatment in detention was revealed in the Four Corners program that triggered the commission.

The United States special envoy on the human rights of LGBTI people visited Sydney, leading the LGBTI Pacific Youth Forum that hosted delegates from across the Asia-Pacific. Activists shared their stories of struggle as Australia struggles with a highly-charged same-sex marriage debate.

Mining magnate Andrew Forrest has declared he believes the worst is over for the nation's resources sector. Mining analysts agree and believe some commodities are already in the recovery phase. It comes as new data reveals consumer confidence in resource rich Western Australia is up slightly for the first time in nine months.

In Queensland, the resources sector says the spike in global coal prices is reflected in the durability of the state's coal mines. A State parliamentary inquiry is looking at the rules on protecting groundwater from mining company extraction. Conservationists are concerned the rising price of coal could give companies freer rein over water resources.

Greyhound Racing Victoria admits overbreeding makes it impossible to find homes for many dogs raised for the sport. This results in thousands of dogs being euthanised every year, so an ambitious new re-homing target has been set.

A former Emergency Services Minister in a Victorian Labor Government is calling for a backflip on the controversial fire-fighting dispute. Andre Haermeyer says the current Government has given too much ground to the fire-fighters' union, and a new deal for paid fire-fighters risks public safety.

He's one of the world's last rulers to reign by so-called divine right, but Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has never been claimed to be immortal. Now that his doctors have acknowledged that he's seriously ill, the country is in a state of uncertainty and worry - not just about his health, but the succession. Security's been stepped up at major landmarks in the capital after the Army-run government said it had reports of a plot to carry out car bomb attacks. Twice in the last decade, the military has removed elected governments in order to maintain control over royal succession, most recently in 2014.

The corporate watchdog has announced a major crackdown on the life insurance sector after identifying what it calls 'significant shortcomings' in the way claims are handled. While ASIC has not found evidence of systemic misconduct, it has revealed the highest level of rejected claims relate to total and permanent disability and trauma. The regulator's review of the life insurance sector was sparked by allegations of unethical behaviour at the Commonwealth Bank's insurance arm CommInsure, revealed in an ABC-Fairfax investigation.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the Australian Parliament today, on day one of a visit aimed at strengthening co-operation between the two countries. Against a backdrop of heightened tension between the United States and China, Singapore's leader spoke of the importance of 'a stable and orderly world, where countries big and small can prosper in peace.' It was a welcome focus for the Turnbull Government, mired in debate over same-sex marriage.