Sinodinos fires back as Turnbull urged to act
Sean Nicholls, Michael Koziol 11:25 PM Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is under pressure to stand down his cabinet secretary, Senator Arthur Sinodinos over an escalating illegal political donations scandal threatening to engulf the NSW Liberal party on the eve of the federal election.
Latest political news
'Is Tony Abbott your Kevin Rudd?'
Aisha Dow 7:36 AM Malcolm Turnbull tells Lateline host Tony Jones voters are not interested in leadership tensions.
Abbott highlights meeting with British PM
Latika Bourke 4:51 AM Tony Abbott has touted a meeting with the British Minister David Cameron on Twitter during his trip to the United Kingdom, the latest meeting with a world leader publicised by Abbott since being ousted as Prime Minister.
Devastating poll shows budget dilemma
Michael Koziol 1:18 AM Devastating poll that will put further pressure on the Coalition's pre-budget planning.
Sinodinos fires back as Turnbull urged to act
Sean Nicholls, Michael Koziol 11:25 PM Malcolm Turnbull is under pressure to stand down his cabinet secretary, Senator Arthur Sinodinos over an escalating illegal political donations scandal threatening to engulf the NSW Liberal party on the eve of the federal election.
Melbourne booms as locals leave Sydney
Peter Martin 6:11 PM Melbourne has consolidated its position as Australia's fastest-growing city, gaining an extra 95,600 residents in a year in which Sydney gained only 84,200.
Reliance on drugs not counselling
Jane Lee 6:12 PM People living in disadvantaged or remote areas are more likely to rely on medication to treat their mental health problems because they have less access to psychiatric treatment than people in cities, experts say.
Labor calls for Sinodinos to stand aside
Michael Koziol 2:42 PM Labor has called on the Turnbull government's cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos to stand aside following the "extraordinary finding" of the NSW Electoral Commission on illegal donations to the NSW Liberal Party.
Day's challenge based on 'hopeless' grounds
Michaela Whitbourn 2:36 PM A High Court challenge to Senate voting changes is based on "hopeless" or "weak" grounds, the federal government's top lawyer has said.
States buckle on federal schools funding cuts
Mark Kenny NSW Premier Mike Baird is proceeding with a new compromise deal which would spread out the final two years of Gonski funding over four years.
'Politics not economics' key to HECS plan
Matthew Knott Collecting student debts from the dead would not put people off university study, but any revenue gains could be undermined by creative estate planning, the architect of the HECS repayment system says.
Comment & Analysis
ABCC a poor base to build an election on
Peter Martin The Prime Minister uses discredited analysis to exaggerate reasons to reinstate the Australian Building and Construction Commission.
Europe confronted by a perfect storm
Malcolm Turnbull In the fight against terrorism, Australia is fully committed to playing a leading role.
Taking the terror out of terrorism
David Wells There are no easy answers in Europe, but Australia is heading in the right direction: raid early and raid often.
PM bristles at Abbott comparison
Mark Kenny He might as well have said "same same but different" for all the sense it makes to the uninitiated voter. Comparing himself to Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull says "there is continuity and there is change".
Turnbull v Abbott: only one will survive
Alan Stokes There is no point in pussyfooting around. An election victory whereby Abbott remains capable of rallying his supporters and undermining Turnbull is no victory at all.
We all pay when businesses break our trust
Ross Gittins Big businesses must clean up their own behaviour before they start telling others what to do.
July 2 poll: colossal gamble PM had to take
Michael Gordon Malcolm Turnbull has pulled the trigger on one of the most audacious power plays in Australian political history.
Turnbull throws caution to the wind
Mark Kenny Have no illusion, this is less bluff, more statement of intent.
Cutting taxes for big business will test PM
Mark Kenny For Malcolm Turnbull, the policy basis of this may well be sound, but the politics in the lead-up to the 2016 poll are less favourable.
Turnbull steals a march with double dissolution
Peter Reith Malcolm Turnbull has not only acted decisively, he has caught his opponents on the hop. By taking the initiative he has already set the early agenda to get the 2016 election under way.
Labor's united front may yet upset the odds
Nicholas Reece No longer a toxic soap opera, the ALP has seized the upper hand in the policy debate.
PM must now apply a political 'effects' test
Mark Kenny The Turnbull government has caught the big end of town off-guard by inserting an "effects" test in competition law.
Turnbull's first budget will be great, seriously
Peter Martin The Prime Minister is prepared to make the most of unusually low interest rates by spending up big on projects that will pay dividends.
Lonely mission ahead for US's deputy sheriff
Hannah Bretherton Australia should follow the pragmatism of Britain, Canada and New Zealand in its approach to China, not join the "containment" camp led by the US.
Economists out of touch with climate change
Noah Smith If economists are to help us deal with global warming, they need to start studying science.
There needs to be more to work than money
Ross Gittins Has it ever occurred to you that, in all our economic striving, most of us – almost all our business people, economists and politicians, but also many normal people – are missing the point?
A problem with innocent until proven guilty
George Williams Australia has a problem with the presumption of innocence. It is being displaced by a rush to judgement. The reasons for this are understandable, but problematic. People want to believe that the perpetrator of a violent act has been found and arrested. They want to see someone punished for the crime.
Big risks to submarine deal with Japan
Hugh White Asian power politics must be factored into any defence contract decisions.
Iran visit is a chance to fight for peace
Peter Hartcher The former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger once said that Iran needed to decide whether it was "a nation or a cause".
Time to stop 'nailing granny to the floor'
Jessica Irvine Too many older Australians live lives of relative poverty because policies discourage them from downsizing and unlocking the $1 trillion in wealth stored in their homes.
City slicker PM hitches ride on urban express
Peter Hartcher Malcolm Turnbull wants his cities policy to be a trademark of his prime ministership.
Special features
Turnbull v Morrison: best frenemies forever?
Mark Kenny The relationship between the Treasurer and the PM could make or break the party.
Religion's tax break is a cross we shouldn't bear
Religious groups are not taxable. No wonder there’s no transparency in how their billions of dollars are spent.
Why Tony Abbott was right
Tony Abbott was wrong on a lot of things, but not on this policy for working women.
ABCC a poor base to build an election on
The Prime Minister uses discredited analysis to exaggerate reasons to reinstate the Australian Building and Construction Commission.
Europe confronted by a perfect storm
In the fight against terrorism, Australia is fully committed to playing a leading role.
Taking the terror out of terrorism
There are no easy answers in Europe, but Australia is heading in the right direction: raid early and raid often.
Why Brussels?
The common view of Islamist attackers such as those who appear to have carried out the Brussels carnage is of crazed religious fanatics.
PM bristles at Abbott comparison
Analysis Tony Abbott may actually be helping Malcolm Turnbull
Abbott at larger than life
The Honourable Tony Abbott has issued an urgent press release to inform Australians everywhere that he has accepted a new title, bestowed by his own esteemed self, as Prime Minister at Large.
Continuity and change: PM's new fave phrase
There's never been a more exciting time for continuity and change.
Malcolm's black-ops team plans a honeytrap
Sketch Malcolm Turnbull has called his closest black-ops advisers together. The mission? To set a honeytrap or two for the crossbench senators.
We all pay when businesses break trust
Big businesses must clean up their own behaviour before they start telling others what to do.
Turnbull v Abbott: only one will survive
There is no point in pussyfooting around. An election victory whereby Abbott remains capable of rallying his supporters and undermining Turnbull is no victory at all.
'We are looking forward to leaving our past behind'
The federal government says it makes no apologies for having accepted only a tiny fraction of a promised 12,000 refugees from the Syria and Iraq region.
As it happened: Turnbull names a likely date
Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed speculation he is considering the trigger for a double dissolution election.
Crisis for senators: no languid holiday this year
Travel agents, international airlines and marriage counsellors have called crisis meetings following prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's decision to ruin Senators' autumn vacation plans and destroy the northern hemisphere summer for all MPs.
The colossal gamble Turnbull had to take
Malcolm Turnbull has pulled the trigger on one of the most audacious power plays in Australian political history.
Labor's united front may yet upset the odds
No longer a toxic soap opera, the ALP has seized the upper hand in the policy debate.
Turnbull throws caution to the wind
Mark Kenny Have no illusion, this is less bluff, more statement of intent.
Explainer: What you need to know about double dissolution elections
Here's what you need to know about a double dissolution election.
