In the public service
Most federal public servants are negotiating new wage deals this year, and clashes with the government appears likely. The main public service union has called for a 12 per cent pay rise over three years.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The government's commission of audit is likely to recommend widespread job losses in its report, which it hands to Treasurer Joe Hockey this week. But senior ministers asked the commission not to cut too hard, as they needed "effective staffing" to do their jobs.
Controversial new human rights tsar Tim Wilson says the government is right to sack public servants who criticise it on Facebook or Twitter. He says free speech is important, but so are the employment contracts that public servants signed.
Canberra rocked by murders, tragic deaths
Twenty-seven-year-old Nicholas Sofer-Schrieber was found dead in his Lyneham home on December 28, after friends checked on him after not seeing him for several days. More than a month later, his murder remained unsolved.
Days later, Miodrag Gajic was found dead in his Phillip apartment. The 71-year-old was found with significant head injuries on New Year's Day, with police continuing to investigate his murder.
Early in January, a 20-year-old Queanbeyan man was charged with murder over the death of a 43-year-old man, following an argument between the pair on December 20. The accused allegedly hit the deceased with his car following the argument; the man was found dead on January 5.
A 22-year-old learner motorcyclist died late on Christmas night, when he hit a traffic island on Northbourne Avenue in Lyneham.
An ANU staff member died while windsurfing on Lake Tuggeranong in December. The body of Bobby Dungca, 56, was pulled from the lake on Christmas Eve, two days after he came off his board.
Anything else?
Wallabies and ACT Brumbies captain Ben Mowen has quit Australian rugby, deciding to put family before his World Cup dream and move his career to Europe at the end of 2014.
The popular Polish White Eagle Club in O'Connor was gutted by a deliberately lit fire on January 21, forcing the club to shut its doors indefinitely.
Talk about dedication. A 14-year-old boy from Sydney has gotten his hands on the first coin minted at the Royal Australian Mint in Deakin, after he and his family camped out for five nights. He even turned down $2000 for the coveted coin.
Zimbabwe's ambassador Jacqueline Zwambila to Australia lashed out at the regime of President Robert Mugabe, seeking a protection visa so she can stay in Australia. She said pro-Mugabe officials actively disrupted the country's diplomatic mission in Canberra in a campaign to undermine her as ambassador.
A Queensland girl made the headlines around the nation after penning a letter to the CSIRO, asking them to please build her a dragon. Prompting a widespread response on social media, the CSIRO delivered on the eight-year-old's request.
Summernats came and went with the usual fanfare, with thousands making the annual pilgrimage to the capital. Our gallery of the best photos from the events over several days attracted thousands of clicks - take a look for yourselves.
Feeling hot hot hot! It's not just us humans that sought out some relief from the heat in early January – Katherine Griffiths headed to the National Zoo and Aquarium, and was lucky enough to snap photos of the animals being fed some icey treats.
Speaking of the heat, crowds and cricketers alike sweated through the PM's XI at Manuka on January 14. With the temperature exceeding 37 degrees, more than 12,000 people enjoyed the match, despite England beating the home side by 172 runs.
And, finally, it is going to happen? Is Canberra going to get its own Ikea? The Swedish flat-packing furniture giant may be headed to Pialligo, following the ministerial approval of the territory plan variation for a huge block of land.
