March 19, 2013 School-aged children are consuming ''alarming levels'' of soft drinks, partly because they are readily available at home, a study has found. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and boys are more likely to be big consumers of soft drinks. The study by the University of Sydney, published in the current issue of Preventive Medicine, found that 24 per cent of the 8058 kids surveyed were drinking an ''alarming'' five or more cups of soft drink a week. More than a quarter of children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds reported high levels of soft-drink consumption, compared with 19 per cent in high socioeconomic backgrounds.

March 19, 2013 ACT school canteens have produced the worst nutritional results of a nationwide analysis of food available to students by online advocacy group The Parents' Jury.  

March 19, 2013 Ten years after the US-led invasion, post-Saddam Iraq looks far from free.  

March 19, 2013 Senior ministers in the Gillard government are reconsidering their support for the Prime Minister, a sign of collapsing confidence at a critical moment.  

March 19, 2013 Cocaine is a ''luxury'' product in Australia, with users paying as much as four times for the drug as those in Britain, a global drug survey finds.

March 19, 2013 Kath & Kim co-creator and star Gina Riley is being treated for breast cancer and has urged women to get regular checks.

March 19, 2013 Why Bob Carr and Mark Butler matter and the paths ahead for a divided party.

March 19, 2013 Good government is not just about good ideas – it also needs unity within the parliamentary party and between the government and the public service.

March 19, 2013 If you design suburbs so walking to public transport, shops and parks is an easy option, people will walk - that is the simple and clear finding of long-term Australian research.

March 19, 2013 Alice Guppy made the ultimate contribution during World War II; six of her seven sons served overseas in defence of their country. And, in a most un-Saving Private Ryan-like twist, the family bucked the odds with all of them returning home unscathed.