Plan to return intercepted asylum seekers on large lifeboats
DAVID WROE 5:43pm Asylum seekers intercepted on unseaworthy boats could be sent back to Indonesia on large, engine-powered lifeboats in an escalation of the Abbott government's "turn-back" policy.
Latest political news
Australia Post sell-off idea sparks anger
Gareth Hutchens and Clay Lucas Labor demands the federal government say if it plans to sell Australia Post, as a former commissioner of the competition regulator says the postal service should be privatised.
Sales of Australian-made cars hit new low
TOBY HAGON Sales of Australian-made vehicles are at an all-time low, with a 15.2 per cent slump in 2013 despite record new-vehicle sales of 1.136 million.
Delay for announcement on Toyota's future
Sam Hall and Clay Lucas Toyota Australia has indicated it may delay an announcement on its manufacturing future until the second half of 2014, dispelling fears it is being pressured for a quick answer by its parent company in Japan.
PM sidesteps Bernardi abortion comments
DAN HARRISON Prime Minister Tony Abbott has once again distanced himself from Liberal senator Cory Bernardi after the backbencher called for a new debate on abortion, railed against ''non-traditional'' families and called for more flexible industrial relations laws.
No penalties for firms that increase emissions
7:58am The federal government reaffirms its promise not to punish companies that fail to meet their emissions targets under the coalition's Direct Action plan, but instead will offer generous and flexible compliance arrangements.
Activitists on tail of Japanese whaling ship
ANDREW DARBY Activist ships were clinging grimly to the wake of the Japanese factory ship, Nisshin Maru, after it was caught butchering minke whales in the Antarctic.
Pressure on health costs 'enormous'
DAN HARRISON Former Liberal health minister Kay Patterson says people must be educated about the cost of health services they use, warning the government faces tough choices as the health budget comes under ''enormous'' pressure.
Chilly warning on Antarctica changes
PETER HANNAM Evidence of climate change in parts of Antarctica is as dramatic as anywhere in the world and has a potentially big impact for Australia, scientists say.
Brown coal projects fail to nab $90m on offer
TOM ARUP Two major proponents of new brown coal projects in the Latrobe Valley have revealed they missed out on government grants, narrowing the field of companies in line to share $90 million on offer.
Byelection date set in Rudd's former seat
DAVID WROE The by-election for ex-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's former federal seat will be held on February 8.
Coalition's jobs pledge queried
Government seeks mobile black spot help
Shorten decries PM's priorities
Warning as Middle East conflict widens
Business chiefs slam GrainCorp takeover blow
'Cover-up' of violent PNG police-army clash
Bishop wants Aussies in trouble to pay for help
Medicare 'unsustainable without overhaul'
Record sparks hot debate on Abbott's policy
Row over government buying cheap imports
Greenpeace activist may have to pay the bill
Drop in asylum seeker boat numbers
Film buff's starring role on ASIO spy cam
Superannuation tapped to pay for surgery
Record heat shows need for carbon tax: Labor
Surge in charities prompts donations warning
Australia to deport NZ burglar
Tony Abbott: Jury out on me as PM
Detainee rape claims on Christmas Island
Comment & Analysis
Clearing the waters on consular assistance
Donald Rothwell Australians in trouble overseas should be entitled to consular assistance enshrined in law to avoid inconsistencies.
GP co-payments not the real answer
Tim Woodruff The recent proposal to introduce a co-payment for GP visits has ignited debate about the financing of - and principles underlying - the health system.
Aged care drug abuse that points to scandal
AMANDA VANSTONE Only a savvy relative stood between Auntie Wilma and a GP's dire regime of pills.
Unhealthy big business spreading great harm
Rob Moodie If our negotiators buckle under the pressure applied by third parties, the price of a new trade agreement will be very high.
'Tis the season for MPs to dump bad news
JONATHAN SWAN Opinion At the end of every year politicians observe a tradition as dear to them as Christmas. While Australians binge on food, drink and sunshine, federal ministers use the cover of the holidays to dump bad news on a presumably uninterested public.
Proposed $6 GP fee would hurt the poorest
GARETH HUTCHENS Would you mind paying a small fee to visit your doctor? There are good economic reasons why the idea is being considered, even if you don't like the sound of it.
Nuclear ruin beckons, if not for good luck
Bruce Anderson The Western world has lost control of the ship and it all started in 1888.
Republic idea lives on - for good reasons
GEOFF GALLOP The British Crown came to Australia in 1788 and has been with us ever since. It personified our links to a tradition that privileged some ideas without destroying others.
George Brandis' security clean-up leaves out messy questions
RICHARD ACKLAND Loose ends tend to clutter our lives and, supposedly, a new year is a good time to tidy them up or burn them to cinders.
Lack of accountability clouds climate debate
John McLean The world's so-called authority on climate change engages in exaggerated science and has become a political tool.
Labor needs to rethink asylum seeker policy
Mike Richards A new year should see Labor take some moral leadership on the treatment of refugees.
One wedding, three stories and fish porn
PAUL SHEEHAN Last Sunday, outside a pretty little church in Hunters Hill - St Peter Chanel, named after the only Catholic martyr in Polynesia - a wedding party and guests assembled. And assembled. And assembled.
Centuries-old dispute haunts Sochi Olympics
James Barry North Caucasians have long railed against Russia's rubbery notions of people and place.
Resolution: to fund an equitable future for all
Sally Young The government is promising a tough budget to balance the books, but there are many tax loopholes it will likely ignore.
The side effects of GP co-payments
Jennifer Doggett We should contribute to our healthcare costs. But this is not the best way.
Special features
Amazon reviews mock senator's book
Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi's new book, The Conservative Revolution, has been bombarded with more than one hundred mocking customer reviews on the online retailer Amazon.
ASIO files: That looks suspicious, doesn't it?
ASIO's secret surveillance films and photos captured many innocent Australians. Now we can see them. Rick Fenely reports.
It's heating up - and not just in the kitchens of bickering MPs
Peter Hannam Rising temperatures are inevitable, say the experts, so brace yourself for more.
Mystery of the unknown sailor of HMAS Sydney
Bridie Smith It is a mystery that has taken decades to unfold. And the final chapters are agonisingly close to being told.
Perfect storm lures Australians to war
Ruth Pollard It is only 1pm but the winter sky is already darkening in the border town of Kilis and the reception room of this small, nondescript hotel is bleak and cold.
Gaffes and power struggles: Federal politics in 2013
There is little doubt that the past year in politics was dominated by two key events - the federal election, and the battle between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard for the Labor leadership.
Flat-earth thinking ignores climate facts
David Karoly Maurice Newman must have thought that December 31 was April Fool's Day when he wrote an opinion piece headed "Crowds go cold on climate cost".
Keating almost axed negative gearing
The Hawke government helped sow the seeds of housing unaffordability in major cities when it backed away from abolishing negative gearing on investment properties, Cabinet records released today show.
Crocodile Dundee and 'Joh for Canberra'
Damien Murphy Australia seemed unstoppable in 1986 and 1987 when the Hawke-Keating combo was at its zenith.
Political pics of the year
Three Prime Minister, two leadership ballots and an election campaign for 2013. The best photos from a tumultuous year.
The meltdown: How Labor self-destructed
Together, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard had the support of the nation and the party. Divided, their feud would be the undoing of a government. An investigation by Peter Hartcher.
Investigating MPs' expenses
Fairfax Media has conducted an extensive investigation on MPs claiming expense entitlements. Read our coverage here.
Cartoon Gallery
Home of the best cartoons by our resident artists from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times.