The curse that stands between Shorten and the top job
TIM COLEBATCH ANALYSIS If Bill Shorten takes on the job as opposition leader, a powerful hoodoo stands in his path to The Lodge.
Latest election news
How Palmer kept brand alive in ad blackout
DANIEL HURST Clive Palmer splashed money on television advertisements during the pre-election blackout period, taking advantage of a loophole to continue to promote his brand.
Bracks sacking 'vindictive'
ADRIAN LOWE UPDATE Former Victorian premier Steve Bracks has been sacked as consul-general in New York in a decision described as ''petty and vindictive'' by Labor.
Xenophon backs reform of Senate
Jonathan Swan and Dan Harrison Independent Senator Nick Xenophon says he will respect his new Senate colleagues despite their lack of experience but indicated support for reform of the voting system.
Gillard to end self-imposed exile at forums
Labor MPs at odds over Rudd's future
Micro-manager behind independents
Abbott staffer Credlin escapes drink driving conviction
Greens push to fix Senate vote process
Abbott may be forced to win over Greens
Twitter blackout for nation's diplomats
Fresh face sought for new border patrol operation
Obama-style tactics helped Labor in west
Green bank seeks to woo Coalition
Two journalists arrive with asylum seekers
Badgerys Creek firms as prime contender
Unions back east-west link project
Experts reluctant to call turnaround
Mixed response to plan to delay childcare reform
Mirabella trails, postals count
PUP candidate backs a carbon price
Union boss Paul Howes 'to replace Bob Carr in Senate'
Comment & Analysis
Analysis
Bringing a barnyard of crossbenchers to heel
TIM COLEBATCH Opinion Abbott will have to master the art of compromise because the government does not have a mandate to bully its policies through the senate.
Micro parties could party on
GEORGE WILLIAMS Micro parties have enjoyed stunning success at the polls, but may never take their seats in the Senate.
Credit where it's due for our economy
PETER MARTIN To hear the leaders talk you would think Labor and the Coalition were miles apart.
Womens' vote still in play
Marilyn Lake Right to the end, Kevin Rudd refused to give credit for the former PM's achievements.
Failing to recognise Abbott's success
GERARD HENDERSON Last September, David Marr began his essay Political Animal with an unequivocal statement: "Australia doesn't want Tony Abbott. We never have."
Mandate to perform a balancing act
ADELE FERGUSON Tony Abbott's pledge to be the infrastructure PM will do wonders - if he can pull it off.
Policies FULL COVERAGE
No non-sports policies for would-be Senator
MICHAEL HOPKIN When American football enthusiast Wayne Dropulich takes to the gridiron field, he plays in the defensive line – appropriately enough, given the approach the Senate hopeful takes during our interview.
Abbott urged to hasten industry reform
GARETH HUTCHENS Big business groups have welcomed the federal Coalition's election victory, saying incoming prime minister Tony Abbott has won a "clear mandate for reform" that he must be allowed to fulfil.
Fast lane for WestConnex
JACOB SAULWICK Detailed plans for the WestConnex motorway will be revealed in weeks, with Tony Abbott's election victory delivering a swift $1.5 billion funding boost.
Vote 'vindicates' road link
JOSH GORDON Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has declared Saturday's federal election result a vindication for the controversial project.
Fact Checker FULL COVERAGE
Choice of two methods in Senate voting?
David Humphries, Peter Martin The Australian Electoral Commission says we have "a choice of two methods" when voting for Senators on Saturday. Is this true?
Is Tony Abbott's $350 carbon claim hot air?
PETER MARTIN Tony Abbott says the carbon price will hit an 'almost unimaginable' $350 a tonne by 2050. Is this true?
Asylum seekers clogging roads and hospitals?
Jonathan Pearlman and Peter Martin Liberal candidate Fiona Scott blames asylum seekers for congestion in western Sydney. Is this true?
Special features
Election 2013: Campaign highs and lows
Relive all the defining moments from the 2013 election campaign in a photo montage by Simon Bosch.
Let's go electric: Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull has said Australia should switch to electronic voting at federal elections.
The Senate will come to order - or maybe not
Jacqueline Maley The Senate is an orderly place where wise backsides sit on claret-coloured benches and tend to important legislative matters.
Xenophon: no promises on carbon
Powerful Senator Nick Xenophon slams the Abbott government's direct action carbon plan as 'clunky and inefficient', saying he wants talks to fix it before he will commit to scrapping the carbon tax.
How will micro-parties affect the Senate?
The large number of micro-parties in the Senate mean we may be headed toward a double dissolution election faster than we thought. Professor George Williams explains how to prevent this happening.
'Not going to sit back'
Senate hopeful Jacquie Lambie from the Palmer United Party, wants better health care, free university studies and will vote against the Coalition's paid parental leave scheme if she wins a seat for Tasmania.
The diagnosis that helped sink Rudd
The Liberal Party had a secret campaign tool in the form of a narcissistic personality diagnosis of Kevin Rudd.
The Rudd goes on....?
He made his name as Kevin Rudd's alter ego, now comedian Anthony Ackroyd has a new target.
Nash puts her hand up
Fiona Nash says she will put her hand up for the Nationals senate leadership, hosing down rumours of rumblings within the Coalition ranks over regional issues.
Pratt: senate voting 'undemocratic'
Labor's Louise Pratt stands to lose her senate spot as microparties emerge victorious in WA. She defends Rudd's choice to stay in Parliament, but calls for leadership renewal.
This party's over
Michael Gordon After a well-timed interval, insiders say former PM Kevin Rudd should go.
Election cartoons
The election campaign through the eyes of Fairfax's award-winning cartoonists
