April 3, 2013 A military policeman has been cleared of charges he tried to cover up the apparent beating of an Afghan prisoner by Australian soldiers. But the soldier, Major David Sperry Pratt, was found guilty by a court-martial in Canberra of two counts of making a false entry in a logbook to conceal the fact that a separate prisoner had been held longer than the regulation 96 hours.

April 3, 2013 Victims of clergy child-sex abuse and others will be given free legal advice so they can engage with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which holds its first hearing on Wednesday in Melbourne.

April 3, 2013 A military policeman has been cleared of charges he tried to cover up the apparent beating of an Afghan prisoner by Australian soldiers.

April 3, 2013 Australia's enthusiastic approach to extending the life of pharmaceutical patents has cost the economy “billions of dollars” an independent review has found.

April 2, 2013 The meat pie has always been a strong contender in debates about Australia's national dish. But its popularity has fallen in the past two years among service station and convenience store customers.

April 2, 2013 The Australian Navy has made one of its biggest drug seizures at sea, intercepting a ship allegedly carrying half a tonne of heroin worth an estimated $100 million.

April 2, 2013 After years of policy confusion, a high-powered task force has been quietly pulling the China threads together in the federal bureaucracy.

April 2, 2013 Proposed legislation outlaws sports-related programs spruiking odds during their shows.

April 2, 2013 Indonesia will ask Australia to accept more refugees through official channels to lighten its burden as tens of thousands of asylum seekers make their way to Australia.

April 2, 2013 Australia's main public sector union says workplace pressure is leading to more workers' compensation claims from federal public servants citing psychological injuries.