Abbott attempts to deflect questions over leadership talk
Lisa Cox 9:47 AM Prime Minister Tony Abbott has attempted to deflect questions about his leadership, providing a less than confident answer when asked if he expects to hold the job by the end of next week.
Latest political news
Bishop weighs into new leadership speculation
James Massola 7:53 AM Julie Bishop has warned her colleagues the Australians will judge the Liberal Party at the next election, amid growing suggestions that key support for Tony Abbott is ebbing away.
I did not seek seek any other job: Triggs
Sarah Whyte and Deborah Snow 8:53 PM Gillian Triggs has categorically denied that she instigated any discussion for a new job with the secretary of the Attorney Generals department, after further allegations arose on Thursday.
$630m in counter-terror funding still unspent
David Wroe 7:55 AM A $630 million counter-terrorism funding boost the Abbott government announced six months ago has still not begun to flow to the country's national security agencies, Fairfax Media can reveal.
Metadata laws need changing: committee
Ben Grubb 9:58 AM Powerful parliamentary committee scrutinising metadata retention laws makes a number of recommendations.
Hockey under fire for tax reform PR campaign
Heath Aston 8:57 PM Treasurer Joe Hockey is under fire for launching a taxpayer-funded public relations push to sell the need for tax reform.
'Project Archer': The plan to save the ABS
Noel Towell 9:25 PM Sources says the takeover of the nation's health statistics agency and a switch to holding a census every 10 years rather than every five are 'done deals'.
People believe up-front uni fees will return
Matthew Knott 8:03 AM Over 80 per cent of respondents to market research commissioned by the federal government mistakenly believed that up-front university fees were being reintroduced as part of the government's proposed higher education changes.
Number of long-term unemployed surges
Ben Schneiders 12:13 AM Australia is experiencing a dramatic rise in the number of people out of work for lengthy periods since the global financial crisis.
Tax Office claims it's on track to recoup $1b
Nassim Khadem 8:37 PM Amid widespread condemnation of multinational profit shifting, Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan says the Australian Taxation Office is on track to recoup $1 billion in revenue from companies.
Joko Widodo 'considering his position'
Latika Bourke 4:15 PM Prime Minister Tony Abbott says Indonesian president Joko Widodo is "carefully considering his position" on the impending executions of two Australians.
Comment & Analysis
What would Turnbull do if he was the PM?
Mark Kenny 8:33 AM The parallels between the Coalition’s woes and Labor are uncanny.
Blood-letting politicians blinded by ideology
Henry Pinskier 12:00 AM Medicare's slow bleed is entirely preventable, because its general health continues to be excellent.
Political bully boys can't handle smart women
Clementine Ford 1:02 AM Sexism in parliament is standard behaviour in a society that fiercely upholds its right to reserve positions of power for men.
What's in a name when it's Daesh?
Maher Mughrabi 12:31 PM If arguments over its name are the measure of a movement's power, then IS has achieved a worrying pre-eminence.
Aggressive PM fuels campaign against himself
Mark Kenny "There's a reason fast bowlers make bad opening batsmen," quipped one Liberal, "they can only ever attack".
Attacks are part of a broader disturbing trend
Hugh de Kretser The federal government is actively undermining a range of vital checks and balances and stifling criticism of its actions. This is corrosive for democracy and human rights.
Setting sail for a submarine disaster
Hugh White Abbott's subs deal is stacked in Japan's favour and lacks due diligence. Company directors would face prosecution for such an appalling decision.
Triggs set on a course of self-martyrdom
Paul Sheehan 2:40 PM In response to numerous missteps Gillian Triggs has set on a course of self-martyrdom. This itself is incendiary to the impartiality of the Human Rights Commission.
Stop the boats. Start the charm
Judith Ireland 3:45 PM Scott Morrison talked from slides instead of reading an entire speech. He smiled. He joked. People even laughed.
PM clutching at straws to protect support base
Peter Hartcher 4:15 PM Tony Abbott is too preoccupied with protecting his own position to notice that Malcolm Turnbull has assumed the "sensible centre" of Australian politics.
Julie Bishop: an emoji for all occasions
Tony Wright Julie Bishop may be on to something revolutionary. Given the current level of Australian political discourse, why not dispense with the spoken word and replace it with the living emoji?
Overblown attack rebounds on Brandis
Michael Gordon The understatement came from Senator George Brandis after hours of a heated, vitriolic and at times tawdy inquisition. "I can't unscramble the egg," the Attorney-General conceded.
Did the West fail its 'jihadi brides'?
Julie Szego It could be that Islamic State speaks to young people's need for a sense of belonging.
Stripping citizenship undermines core values
Matthew Gibney There are real dangers in using citizenship as another tool in the battle against Islamic terrorism.
Politicians far too slow to sort out childcare
Ross Gittins Most people want to see more women in Australia's workforce, but successive governments have struggled to find the right formula to allow that to happen.
Abbott transforms to Mr Whippy
Tony Wright Amid the confusing clamour that is federal politics, Prime Minister Tony Abbott appears to have misheard his radio mate Alan Jones' advice to become more like Mr Whippy and ring his bell louder.
PM’s terrorism talk all rhetoric, no new vision
Fergal Davis Tony Abbott speaks the tough language of the post 9/11 era as he pushes for laws we simply don’t need.
Loyalty of migrants to Australia no simple test
Daniel Flitton More than just spies, cops and terrorist threats, it would be a mistake to ignore the deeper philosophical debate that infuses Tony Abbott’s pronouncements on national security.
A PM on high alert: count the flags
Tony Wright Tony Abbott's new emergency alert system is much clearer than the low, medium, high and extreme system employed by the national security apparatus.
Abbott address a siren call to extremists
Peter Hartcher For a moment, let's give Tony Abbott the benefit of the doubt.
Credlin shows she is loyal to Abbott
Peter Reith A week ago, Tony Abbott was telling people that he would not be changing staffing arrangements in his office.
Special features
Buy your own anti-Abbott billboard
For a flat $3500, you can nail your political colours – and PM Tony Abbott's face – to the wall.
Tony Abbott's big distractions
Rocco Fazzari So here is our animated musical parody journey through Tony Abbott's week
Political bully boys can't handle smart women
Clementine Ford Sexism in parliament is standard behaviour in a society that fiercely upholds its right to reserve positions of power for men.
Politics live from Parliament
Stephanie Peatling Hello there. The Prime Minister has given us plenty to think about - let's listen in.
Triggs set on a course of self-martyrdom
In response to numerous missteps Gillian Triggs has set on a course of self-martyrdom. This itself is incendiary to the impartiality of the Human Rights Commission.
Julie Bishop: an emoji for all occasions
Tony Wright Julie Bishop may be on to something revolutionary. Given the current level of Australian political discourse, why not dispense with the spoken word and replace it with the living emoji?
PM clutching at straws to protect support base
Peter Hartcher Tony Abbott is too preoccupied with protecting his own position to notice that Malcolm Turnbull has assumed the "sensible centre" of Australian politics.
Attacks on Triggs part of a disturbing trend
Hugh de Kretser The federal government is actively undermining a range of vital checks and balances and stifling criticism of its actions. This is corrosive for democracy and human rights.
New welfare blueprint explained
There's a new push to reform welfare payments - report author Patrick McClure explains his recommendations.
Overblown attack rebounds on Brandis
Michael Gordon The understatement came from Senator George Brandis. "I can't unscramble the egg," the Attorney-General conceded.
Thermomix tender triggers confusion
It's the fancy pants kitchen appliance on every wedding registry and foodie wish list around the country.Â
Abbott transforms to Mr Whippy...and goes for the whip, vigorously
Tony Wright Amid the confusing clamour that is federal politics, Prime Minister Tony Abbott appears to have misheard his radio mate Alan Jones' Tuesday morning advice to become more like Mr Whippy and ring his bell louder.
Confused by PM's poll boost? Here's what you need to know
Analysis Any sunny break during a harsh winter is welcomed but only a fool mistakes it for an early spring.
Abbott address a siren call to extremists
For a moment, let's give Tony Abbott the benefit of the doubt.
A PM on high alert: count the flags
Tony Abbott's new emergency alert system is much clearer than the low, medium, high and extreme system employed by the national security apparatus.
Abbott loyal to a fault when it comes to Credlin
Peter Reith I cannot understand why Abbott thinks he can so blatantly disregard the strong majority demand of his own backbenchers.
