Loughnane exit the end for power trio
James Massola 8:13 PM His relationship with Peta Credlin attracted the headlines, but behind the scenes Brian Loughnane was regarded as a steady hand during 12 years at the helm of the Liberal Party.
Latest political news
Nauru camp 'not controlled by Australia':
Nicole Hasham 10:33 PM Australia does not control the controversial Nauru detention camp and a Bangladeshi mother and baby who are "terrified" of being returned there would be free to come and go, the High Court has heard.
Sub build 'would make Japan, Australia closer
David Wroe 8:18 PM Japan sees its bid for Australia's $50 billion submarine program as just one step in deepening defence ties that would also see the two nations' navies work closely together on joint-operations such as enforcing freedom on the seas.
Fall in women on government boards
Judith Ireland 5:49 PM The number of women on federal government boards has dropped slightly over the past year, with only 39.1 per cent of positions held by women.
Climate authority may be spared the axe
Peter Hannam 10:59 AM The Turnbull government has appointed former National Farmers Federation head Wendy Craik and four others to the board of the Climate Change Authority for five-year terms, indicating the agency may yet be spared the axe.
Thousands back woman's abortion plea
Latika Bourke 8:54 AM Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is under pressure to allow a Somali refugee raped on Nauru to come to Australia for an abortion.
Loughnane quits as Liberal Party director
Latika Bourke 11:53 AM Brian Loughnane has quit as federal director of the Liberal Party but insists his decision to go was in train well before last month's leadership coup.
Nauru won't meet promise of refugee claims
Nicole Hasham 3:18 PM About 150 asylum seekers on Nauru face being sent home as the island's government concedes its promise to process all remaining refugee claims this week will not be met.
Shorten to unveil $10b 'concrete bank'
Mark Kenny 6:02 AM Bill Shorten is poised to unveil an ambitious plan aimed at turbo-charging jobs and growth via a $10 billion financing facility for new public works and up-front commitments to get blocked major projects moving.
Switch to Turnbull 'to save five Liberal seats'
James Massola, Mark Hawthorne 1:34 AM Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger has credited Malcolm Turnbull with a dramatic turnaround in the party's fortunes, telling an exclusive party fundraiser the switch of leader meant just one federal seat was now at risk.
Comment & Analysis
Spin doctors trying to distort media's message
Sarah Ferguson In the pursuit of good stories, are journalists colluding with the wrong side?
Running scared from freedom to offend
Paul Sheehan The Liberal-led federal government is illiberal in its attitudes towards freedom of speech. Switching the leadership from Tony Abbott to Malcolm Turnbull has changed nothing.
Radicalised Muslims not rebels without cause
Julie Szego 12:00 AM The Turnbull government must defiantly confront radicalised Muslims, many of whom are high-achievers buying in to a deadly ideology, not just disengaged hotheads.
Time to ban non-compete clauses
Paul Murphy There is a very simple and cost effective way for the Prime Minister to make good on his promise to promote innovation and knowledge hubs: make it illegal to have post-employment restraints in employment contracts in Australia
How school debating has ruined politics
Jasper Lindell High school competitions were the first step in many politicians' careers, but it has left many unable to compromise.
Valuable labour standards must be protected
Joanna Howe Australia has spent more than a century building up a labour regulation system that is the envy of the world and it is critical these free trade agreements do not result in a race to the bottom in labour standards.
Arm wrestle over drugs: inside the TPP deal
John Garnaut The journey from Mike Froman's 12th-floor presidential suite to Andrew Robb's modest digs on the 58th can take as long as 10 minutes in the Westin Hotel – a gargantuan relic of the Atlanta Olympics, where the lifts go missing when most needed.
Republic should be a priority for Turnbull
Lucas Grainger-Brown The republic is integral to our cultural wellbeing. It is not an economic issue.
Why don't we take innovation seriously?
Martin Callinan It's all very well talking about innovation but we're not doing much to catch up with countries that understand why science and technology matters.
Shorten's wink to aspiration
Tony Wright Bill Shorten has offered one of the more startling defences of penalty rates advanced by a Labor leader, elevating private education as the dream of Australian workers.
Shooting a reminder of Middle East unrest
Peter Reith Australia's security will be tied to the fate of Middle East politics for some time yet.
Good news on Nauru masks grim reality
Michael Gordon Two welcome developments do not change the grim reality for hundreds of people who sought refuge in Australia but are being warehoused indefinitely on the poor, tiny and sweltering island of Nauru.
Outdated laws force couples to take risks
Sam Everingham Recent research shows Australians are the largest user nation of offshore surrogacy globally. So how did it come to this?
Measuring how government performs
Gai Brodtmann Accountability starts with getting the key performance indicators right.
Is this the end of the war as we know it?
Judith Ireland Under Tony Abbott, the culture war has been more of a thematic mixed bag, complete with retro 1990s stylings.
The problem with men
Phil Cleary We need our politicians to speak with the same fervour about this violence as they do about Islamic State.
Why we should get five weeks' annual leave
Jessica Irvine Hands up if you spend 10 minutes each weeknight checking work emails?
Why I want the PM to give up his $500k salary
Corbin Duncan How much is a prime minister worth? The way we've discarded them over the past five years, perhaps a dollar sounds generous.
So that's it for Abbott? Don't bet on it
Mark Kenny Despite his promises to the contrary, the former PM has been doing the rounds telling anyone who will listen that he still has what it takes.
Juvenile detention: Australia is falling behind
Michael Bochenek For Australia to begin to regain the moral authority it once had on human rights, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has his work cut out for him. A new report is a stark reminder to add juvenile detention to his list.
IS wants nuclear weapons for slaughter
Paul Sheehan Given the US inertia, the Australian government should support Russia's military intervention in Syria in support of the Assad regime.
Special features
Robb provides consistency Turnbull craves
Gareth Hutchens Andrew Robb and Malcolm Turnbull haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but the Trade Minister and Abbott backer has proven to be a great asset for the new Prime Minister.
Government running scared from the freedom to offend
Paul Sheehan The Liberal-led federal government is illiberal in its attitudes towards freedom of speech. Switching the leadership from Tony Abbott to Malcolm Turnbull has changed nothing.
Radicalised Muslims are not just rebels without a cause
Julie Szego The Turnbull government must defiantly confront radicalised Muslims, many of whom are high-achievers buying in to a deadly ideology, not just disengaged hotheads.
How the spin doctors try to distort media's message
Sarah Ferguson In the pursuit of good stories, are journalists colluding with the wrong side?
The arm wrestle over drugs: inside TPP deal
John Garnaut The journey from Mike Froman's 12th-floor presidential suite to Andrew Robb's modest digs on the 58th can take as long as 10 minutes in the Westin Hotel.
Our valuable labour standards must be protected
Australia has spent more than a century building up a labour regulation system that is the envy of the world and it is critical these free trade agreements do not result in a race to the bottom in labour standards.
An economic analysis of the TPP? Don't hold your breath
Gareth Hutchens The government says the TPP will boost growth, create jobs, raise living standards, and increase productivity. We'll have to take its word for it.
Turnbull rides favourable trade winds
Mark Kenny It may be little comfort to Abbott but his successor's progress is being fanned by the favourable trade winds of past hard work
Shooting a reminder of Middle East unrest
Australia's security will be tied to the fate of Middle East politics for some time yet.
Good news on Nauru masks grim reality
Michael Gordon Two welcome developments do not change the grim reality for hundreds of people who sought refuge in Australia.
Shorten's wink to aspiration
Tony Wright Bill Shorten has offered one of the more startling defences of penalty rates advanced by a Labor leader, elevating private education as the dream of Australian workers.
Turnbull's response to shooting part of new approach
Responding to the latest instance of politically motivated violence, new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull struck a deliberately different tone from that of his predecessor, Tony Abbott.
Turnbull must dump draconian citizenship bill
Far from making us safer, legislation allowing Australian citizenship to be stripped from dual nationals would make matters worse.
Worker's paradise or black labour haven?
Ryan Tseng says something is "wrong" when the country once dubbed a 'working man's paradise' is now known for its thriving market in 'black' labour.
The times politicians tried to care about footy
Politicians trying to show they care about football is a bit like mixing hydrogen and oxygen: the results are often unstable and can sometimes blow up in your face.
Pyne never earned 'fixer' title but flatmate might
Matthew Knott As anyone who has lived in a share house knows, cleaning up a flatmate's mess is no fun.
Russian bombing: what are the risks?
What are the risks to Australian pilots of the Russians bombing in Syria? And what are the risks for the future of the country? Analysis with David Wroe.
