Last Top Stories: What's on TV Wednesday: Divine lunacy in Ricketts Lane

• What's on TV Wednesday: Divine lunacy in Ricketts Lane

  

  Housemates with a penchant for the surreal: Sammy J and Randy. Australian TV comedy is much-maligned, and often with good reason – our nation is riddled with the dusty skeletons of terrible sitcoms and hideously ill-conceived sketch shows. But there's a lot to like about the modern comedy landscape, with shows likeMad As HellandUtopiaraising the bar for local laughter. But even among such tough competition, it's doubtful there's been an Australian production as gut-bustingly funny as Sammy J and Randy inRicketts Lane(ABC1, 9.35pm).Sammy J is a musical comedian who bears a close resemblance to an easily startled toothbrush. Randy is a purple puppet with a foul mouth and no respect for soc..

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• Payne shouldn't be part of some agenda

  One jockey had been so inspired she said she had won her next race at Albury on Tuesday. Another said he had “teared up” as Payne had crossed the line in ...

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• Scott Morrison signals personal income tax changes

  

  Video will begin in5seconds.Scott Morrison signals personal income tax changesThe Treasurer tells Sky News personal incomes tax is a 'silent tax' that penalises working people.PT0M38S620349Treasurer Scott Morrison has signalled income tax cuts are squarely in the federal government's sights as part of a sweeping review of the tax system, while warning the states they will not simply be handed a "bucket of money" under an overhaul of the system.And Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, one of the most vocal opponents of raising the GST, publicly confirmed on Sunday his government would respect the Turnbull government's plans if it wins a mandate from voters at the next election.Income tax, person..

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• International passengers face delays on Monday as border force staff strike

  

  International passengers are being warned to get to the airport early on Monday, as border force staff engage in 24 hours of strike action over a long-running pay dispute with the federal government.Staff of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, which takes in border force, will strike at airports, ports and mail and cargo centres, the Community and Public Sector Union has said.“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers, but we would suggest that people get to airports early,” the CPSU national secretary, Nadine Flood, told reporters on Sunday. “This is a really tough decision for border force workers and we do know it will impact the public.”Flood said the extent of the disru..

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• Sydney auction clearance rate drops below 60pc

  

  A home in Melbourne's Toorak sold for $1 million above the reserve.SuppliedSydney's falling auction market hit a three-year low at the weekend as buyers reacted tohigher interest ratesand record listing numbers.The city's auction clearance rate dropped below 60 per cent for the first time. Domain Group's preliminary results put the clearance rate 59.2 per cent across 1011 auctions. Sydney could fall even further by Christmas, Domain Group senior economist Dr Andrew Wilson warned."It's not just that the market is tracking at its lowest levels in three years in Sydney but that we are also yet to find a floor," Dr Wilson said."This has been a very sharp decline, we are not seeing an orderly cor..

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• Flights to and from Bali set to resume

  

  A volcanic ash cloud continues to affect flights out of Bali.Virgin Australia had to cancel three out of four flights scheduled for Sunday afternoon as conditions at the holiday hotspot worsening during the day.Earlier on Sunday, both Virgin Australia and Jetstar planned to run daylight-only flights from Bali after news that the ash cloud from nearby Mount Rinaji volcano was clearing but conditions have since changed.Two Jetstar flights were able to leave for Australia before conditions worsened, with those flights expected to reach Perth late on Sunday.Another two Jetstar flights were cancelled.Both airlines will issue statements about Monday's flights later on Sunday. © AAP 2015&#..

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• Proposed GST changes would raise same revenue as carbon tax but cost more ...

  

  Proposed GST changes would raise same revenue as carbon tax but cost more, modelling showsUpdatedNovember 08, 2015 09:36:36 New modelling shows proposed changes to the GST would raise the same amount of revenue as a carbon tax, but cost Australian households about three times as much.Analysis from the Parliamentary Library shows the Government would raise about $14 billion a year by broadening the base of the GST or increasing the tax to 12.5 per cent.That would cost households about $31 a week compared to a carbon price of $28 a tonne that would cost households $11 a week.Greens treasury spokesman Adam Bandt said the results showed bringing back a price on carbon would be fairer than an..

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