Malcolm Turnbull and the Coalition lose lead
Latika Bourke 7:53 AM Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ceded the Coalition's lead in an opinion poll for the first time since the leadership coup, when he said Tony Abbott's poor performance in Newspoll justified the change.
Latest political news
MP feels party backlash after joining ALP attack
Heath Aston 2:28 PM Turnbull Government MP Ann Sudmalis is under pressure from angry rank-and-file Liberals in her south coast NSW seat after she publicly supported an ALP-authored motion "condemning the Baird Government for its arrogant and ill-considered [council] merger proposal".
Witness 'terrified' after accused killer escapes
Michael Gordon 12:05 PM A key witness to the slaying of Reza Barati in the Manus Island detention centre in 2014 has expressed fears for his safety after one the alleged killers escaped from prison.
ABC braces for journo job cuts
Matthew Knott 12:35 PM The ABC has been wargaming how it would cope with a $20 million a year budget cut it says could put the jobs of investigative journalists - and reporters in regional areas - at risk.
New Zealand detainee dies after 'altercation'
Nicole Hasham 3:02 PM The death of a New Zealand detainee at the Villawood detention centre has triggered calls for independent scrutiny of the network, and prompted fresh questions over Australia's bid for a United Nations human rights council seat.
Christopher Pyne confirms Coalition 'disunity'
Kate Aubusson 7:54 AM Christopher Pyne has confirmed the current disunity in the Coalition party room and conceded the government had a "messy week", but on ABC's Q&A; he denied the spectre of a second Abbott government would disrupt the election campaign.
Piccoli blasts PM on schools
Matthew Knott 7:53 AM Ending federal government funding for public schools, as proposed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, would be the biggest mistake in the history of Australian education policy, according to NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli.
Petrol app revolution promises big savings
Nicole Hasham 7:58 AM Developers are queuing to develop smartphone apps to allow motorists to find the cheapest petrol in Australia ahead of the release of real-time fuel price data next month.
Andrews 'prepared to challenge' Turnbull
James Massola 7:54 PM A key supporter of former prime minister Tony Abbott says he is prepared to challenge Malcolm Turnbull for the prime ministership.
Children are still bound for Nauru: Dutton
Michael Gordon Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has declared that more than 70 of the babies and children who have been released from immigration detention will still be sent to Nauru, prompting warning of an "unprecedented community backlash".
Richardson prepares for marathon operation
Matthew Knott 6:34 PM The moment Graham Richardson has been dreading and delaying for years has arrived.
Comment & Analysis
Abbott's harmful legacy lives on
Peter Hartcher 12:00 AM Together with his footsoldiers in politics and the media, Tony Abbott has succeeded in muddying the public's understanding of climate change.
Turnbull has the right idea on state reform
Peter Reith 9:00 PM Late on Friday, I thought that Turnbull's two-day wonder on income tax reform for the states had gone down in flames. But a day can be a long time in politics.
How to fund a bigger and better Australia
Nicholas Reece The PM’s latest ‘Big Idea’ may have died, but the problem of paying for our schools and hospitals is still very much alive.
We should be told how our judges are chosen
George Williams US Supreme Court appointments are infected with the bitter partisanship that pervades US politics while Chief Justice Robert French's impending departure has excited barely a murmur.
We shouldn't play politics with infrastructure
Marion Terrill Voters should think twice before accepting politicians' promises of a transport infrastructure bonanza, especially before spending plans can be independently evaluated.
Dramatic change needed for our kids
Eric Jamieson Australia has to shift to a student-centric approach, rather than one that is teacher centric.
PM gets lesson in complexities of federation
Mark Kenny "Utter humiliation" was how a Labor insider described Malcolm Turnbull's stunning repudiation at Friday's Council of Australian Governments meeting.
Deja vu as PM's style mirrors king of chaos
Peter Hartcher There are striking similarities emerging between the prime-ministerial ways of Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd, according to a Labor campaign veteran.
Time for new conversation on asylum seekers
Michael Gordon Will this be a fleeting, aberrant positive moment in the overwhelmingly bleak story of Australia's treatment of those who seek protection by coming on boats without an invitation?
Malcolm Turnbull's challenge: be like Mike
Sean Nicholls As NSW Premier Mike Baird's experience so clearly demonstrates, sometimes the most difficult decisions are easiest to make in a crisis.
Why Australia lies about its Indigenous history
Waleed Aly Debate about Aboriginal history in Australia always descends into hysteria because it bruises our misplaced national pride.
Turnbull's most foolish investment decision
Jessica Irvine It's fair to say Malcolm Turnbull knows a thing or two about making a buck.
Why you don't need health insurance
Marcus Strom Every year people rail against private health insurance companies hiking up their premiums. Not me - I couldn't care less.
Why the states should charge income tax
Peter Martin Face reality: we can’t vote for better schools and hospitals in state elections and lowers taxes in federal elections and expect to get both.
Grassroots efforts beat big boys
Elizabeth Farrelly Four green shoots that have broken through the deadening layer of Abbott-spewed ash.
Is it just too hard to be PM in 2016?
Dom Knight There may never have been a more exciting time to be prime minister but it's probably never been this difficult to govern.
Why are Australians so gloomy about future?
Matt Wade Snap out of it Australia. Despite our wealth, health and good weather an international survey has revealed consumers here are among the gloomiest in Asia. And it's been that way for most of this decade.
The NBN is already out of date
Laurie Patton Australia has fallen to 60th in global Internet speed rankings. If we fell to 60th in the Olympics medal tally there'd be a national outcry. Just a few years ago we were 30th in terms of average peak Internet speed, which is the key measurement of broadband performance.
Where are all the women scientists?
Emma Johnston Malcolm Turnbull, our innovation Prime Minister, says there's never been a more exciting time to be an Australian but I'm only half convinced. The bright light shining on this new innovation age is not illuminating many women.
Trump's plan is a real danger to Australia
Peter Hartcher Donald Trump has made an idiotic and potentially incendiary claim about one of the world's most flammable strategic tinder boxes.
Special features
Abbott's harmful legacy lives on in climate silence
Together with his footsoldiers in politics and the media, Tony Abbott has succeeded in muddying the public's understanding of climate change.
Dodgy unions are not our worst corruption problem
Australia is no longer viewed as one of the least dishonest countries in the world.
Turnbull has the right idea on state reform
Late on Friday, I thought that Turnbull's two-day wonder on income tax reform for the states had gone down in flames. But a day can be a long time in politics.
Barnaby v Tony: the battle for New England
It will be one of the most intriguing contests of the coming election: Barnaby Joyce v Tony Windsor in the battle for New England.
If Turnbull could turn back time
Will the Prime Minister, like Kevin Rudd before him, come to wish he'd called an early election?
PM gets lesson in complexities of federation
"Utter humiliation" was how a Labor insider described Malcolm Turnbull's stunning repudiation at Friday's Council of Australian Governments meeting.
Victorian premier stands out in COAG conga line
An unlikely star emerged on the COAG stage on Friday.
Deja vu as PM's style mirrors king of chaos
There are striking similarities emerging between the prime-ministerial ways of Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd, according to a Labor campaign veteran.
Dangerous idea could be dead on arrival
Analysis Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, accused not so long ago of being a ditherer, has launched a one man Festival of Dangerous Ideas this week.
Children and porn's inescapable world
Just as pornography is only a few clicks away for adults on the internet - so it is for children.
Time for new asylum seeker conversation
Will this be a fleeting, aberrant positive moment in the overwhelmingly bleak story of Australia's treatment of those who seek protection by coming on boats without an invitation? Or will it be a tipping point?
Malcolm Turnbull's challenge: be like Mike
As NSW Premier Mike Baird's experience so clearly demonstrates, sometimes the most difficult decisions are easiest to make in a crisis.
PM's bold proposal: Visionary or posturing?
Mark Kenny Whether Malcolm Turnbull's abrasive approach to federal financing reform at this COAG is visionary and achievable or simply pre-election posturing of a panicked government's search for an agenda to which it can point, is a matter of perspective.
Turnbull starts pulling the big policy levers
The cautious approach was a bad look for the PM. That's why bold policy ideas are now tumbling out.
Why Australia lies about its Indigenous history
Debate about Aboriginal history in Australia always descends into hysteria because it bruises our misplaced national pride.
Turnbull's most foolish investment decision
It's fair to say Malcolm Turnbull knows a thing or two about making a buck.
