18:05:00 20/10/2015
It's back to the 80s: when a Trudeau ran Canada. Justin Trudeau is 43 and the youngest PM-elect in Canada's maple syrup lavished history. He's got it all; bright ideas, positive outlook and groovy jet black hair. His father was a shocking '70s style pants man, who once boasted of smoking dope when he was PM. More
18:10:00 20/10/2015
The Abbott era has been over for more than a month and there is more evidence of a fresh approach. The former treasurer Joe Hockey's confirmed he's heading out the door for good at the end of this week, and Malcolm Turnbull's announced that after this week backbenchers will get more scope to ask questions about issues in their electorates. Labor's tried to use Question Time to reveal how little has changed - but Mr Turnbull's accused them of being unable to break out of the old dying political discourse. More
18:15:00 20/10/2015
The Australian Electoral Commission is considering the closure of just under 10 per cent of polling places at the next federal election. The commissioner Tom Rogers says no decision has yet been made, but the AEC needs to respond to the significant increase in voters choosing to cast their ballot early. More
18:20:00 20/10/2015
The controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders is in Perth tonight to launch a new anti-Islamic political party inspired by his own. The Australian Liberty Alliance is hoping to win at least one senate seat at the next federal election by capitalising on concerns around Islamic extremism. Terrorism experts say the ALA is preying on legitimate fears within the community to further its own political agenda. But they say its emergence also provides an opportunity to have a mature debate about Islam. More
18:25:00 20/10/2015
Disability advocates say autistic children are being turned away from mainstream schools because they lack specialised support. As a result, families with autistic children say they're being forced to home-school their kids. Many parents have told a Senate inquiry that their autistic children are bullied, misunderstood or placed in cages or seclusion areas. More
18:30:00 20/10/2015
Engineers at a university in Melbourne are working on technology that could prevent some stillbirths. The device is similar to a fitness band, and measures a baby's movements while being worn across a pregnant woman's stomach. The rates of stillbirths haven't shifted in the past 20 years in Australia, and experts aren't able to say what causes most cases. More
18:35:00 20/10/2015
The director of National Parks says the Kakadu board of management is considering allowing hunters in to the park to help control feral cats. Scientists say in Northern Australia hundreds of small native mammal species, including quolls and bandicoots, are affected by feral cats. But how much of an impact could sporting shooters have on the feral cat population in Kakadu? More
- Penny Timms and Erin Parke
18:40:00 20/10/2015
The Bureau of Meteorology is reviewing operations at 30 of its regional field offices in Australia and the Antarctic. It says it's reviewing their long-term viability, though stresses staff in affected bureaus will be 'redeployed' rather than sacked. More
18:45:00 20/10/2015
Banks, credit card fees, financial advisors and the superannuation industry have all been included in sweeping financial reforms unveiled by the Government in its long-awaited response to the Murray Review. While there's support for credit card fee crackdowns and increases to banking capital reserves, support is wavering when it comes to superannuation changes. More
18:50:00 20/10/2015
Police union chiefs from across the country are calling for more than $100 million in upgrades to systems to help fight terrorism and protect officers. The Police Federation has proposed paying for it from confiscated funds under the proposed national unexplained wealth regime, but the Federal Minister for Justice has refused to commit those proceeds to the plans. More
18:55:00 20/10/2015
With California in the grip of a five year drought, a group of politicians from the state are in Australia hoping to learn from Australia's experience in the millennium drought. In Adelaide today, they were given practical tips on water management. More
