Donors tapped to buy Senator Sinodinos a home
Kate McClymont Key Liberal fundraisers sounded out major donors to the party to chip in for a house for Arthur Sinodinos.
Latest political news
Vengeful micro parties go after Joyce's scalp
Damien Murphy The Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is to be targeted by "far right wing" micro parties directing preferences against him in the seat of New England, according to the preference expert Glenn Druery.
Up to $15,000 loaned to Australian travellers
Nicole Hasham Australians travelling in Thailand, Indonesia and Italy are the most likely to run into financial strife and call on taxpayers at home to bail them out – but some loans are never repaid, new data shows.
'Is Tony Abbott your Kevin Rudd?'
Aisha Dow Malcolm Turnbull tells Lateline host Tony Jones voters are not interested in leadership tensions.
Labor to start health attack in PM's electorate
Jane Lee Labor will kick off its attack against the Coalition's cuts to health this weekend at a health clinic for homeless people, which is set to close in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's electorate.
Religion support costs taxpayers $350m
Adam Gartrell The Turnbull government could improve the budget bottom line by $350 million by scrapping taxpayer support for religious organisations.
Abbott highlights meeting with British PM
Latika Bourke 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 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 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 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 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.
Comment & Analysis
Power play: masterstroke or miscalculation?
Michael Gordon Malcolm Turnbull presented Bill Shorten with a gift when he told voters on Monday to prepare for a double dissolution election on July 2, effectively beginning a marathon 15-week election campaign that will end in the middle of winter.
Religion's tax break a cross we shouldn't bear
Meredith Doig Religious groups are not taxable. No wonder there’s no transparency in how their billions of dollars are spent.
Turnbull v Morrison: best frenemies forever?
Mark Kenny The relationship between the Treasurer and the PM could make or break the party.
Why Tony Abbott was right
Jessica Irvine 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
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.
Special features
Malcolm's swerved to the right. But has he chosen the right issues to swerve on?
Jacqueline Maley The Prime Minister will want to make sure the issues are what middle Australians actually care about.
Turnbull v Morrison: best frenemies forever?
Mark Kenny The relationship between the Treasurer and the PM could make or break the party.
The bipartisan catastrophe that's wasting billions in taxpayer dollars
It's has been a conflagration of taxpayers' money. Now watch the bastards duck for cover.
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.
