'Excellent reception': Tony Abbott meets his cheer squad
Michael Koziol 8:30 AM If Tony Abbott is hoping for another stint in The Lodge, the comeback trail might well begin in Orange.
Latest political news
Senator's cigar-smoking push for votes
Rania Spooner 1:53 PM Senator David Leyonhjelm has been branded "foolish" and "desperate" after making a grab for the dwindling smokers' vote by sharing a video of himself puffing on a cigar.
MPs using perks to pay mortgages
Stephanie Peatling 10:51 AM Politicians are claiming a taxpayer-funded allowance to pay for their homes - and it's perfectly legal.
Barnaby Joyce charters two helicopter flights
Heath Aston 11:34 PM It was the day before Easter in Drake, a sleepy village in northern NSW, when the peace was interrupted.
Shorten considers banks royal commission
James Massola 8:29 PM Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has lashed government inaction over scandals at the major banks, as another Coalition MP has called for royal commission into the "immoral conduct" of the major banks.
Sinodinos heads south for fundraising spree
Royce Millar and Gina McColl 5:54 PM When Arthur Sinodinos sits down to breakfast with bankers and property developers on Friday morning to kick off an all day fund-raising marathon at Docklands in Melbourne on Friday, it will be with a great sense of relief.
Abbott open to serving in a Turnbull cabinet
James Massola 7:48 PM Tony Abbott has left the door open to serving in cabinet in a re-elected Turnbull government, though he has stressed such an idea is "entirely hypothetical".
Refugees waiting years for citizenship
Nicole Hasham Sayed is one of hundreds of refugees in Australia who say their citizenship applications have been ignored by the federal government, in what one migration agent described as a "deliberate ploy" to punish people who arrived without a valid visa.
Battlelines at the ready for Abbott's pedal
Michael Koziol Residents of Caragabal say no prime minister - sitting or former - has ever passed through their sleepy town. So when one finally trundled through on Wednesday, it was a good thing he came bearing gifts.
Turnbull lashes banks over 'troubling incidents'
James Massola, Sarah Danckert, Clancy Yeates Malcolm Turnbull has directly rebuked Australia's banks, declaring their have been "too many troubling incidents over recent times" at Australia's financial institutions.
Two detainees treated as children 'riot'
Nicole Hasham Two detainees were given medical treatment following a riot involving children at the Nauru detention centre overnight, in a dramatic escalation of tensions on the remote Pacific island.
Comment & Analysis
Whyalla wipeout looms but tax not to blame
Mark Kenny 8:28 PM Finally, sadly, pathetically.After all the shameful point-scoring and reckless scare-mongering, politicians, business leaders, unions, and workers are as one.
If CSIRO won't do research, who will?
Les Field 9:00 PM Australian society will be the biggest loser if the organisation is forced to abandon its blue-skies work.
Turnbull in cruise mode, steers into slow lane
Mark Kenny 10:43 AM Glacial decision-making and negligible policy action gives the impression of a government going nowhere.
The problem ingrained in our health system
Vlado Perkovic and Leanne Wells 12:15 AM Most aspects of healthcare have been designed with a focus on the needs of the doctor or other healthcare provider, rather than the consumer who uses the health services.
Turnbull's bias revealed in school funding plan
Julie Szego The government proposes turning its back on the schools where most Australian children get their education.
Taxpayer fury misplaced over Panama leaks
Philip Johnston Yes, make the rich pay their share of tax, but governments should just spend less.
We must open front door to Syrian refugees
Ian Wishart Canada has shown the way in welcoming refugees, while Australia has said the right things but fails to act.
The think tank with arms everywhere
Elizabeth Farrelly Question. When is libertarianism not liberating? Answer: When it's the low-profile but remarkably influential Institute for Public Affairs.
Trump would never rise to the top in Australia
Ed Coper Despite our drift towards personality-driven presidential-style election campaigns, there are still stark differences from the US.
Our elections aren't as good as you think
Ferran Martinez i Coma and Rodney Smith Despite its reputation for conducting free and fair elections, Australia does not perform as well as we might hope.
We will face consequences of education gap
Matt Wade As the ups and downs of the mining boom stole the headlines Australia was experiencing a less celebrated economic transformation: a know-how boom.
ABC personalities must tune out left-wing bias
Jonathan Holmes ABC management has failed to recognise a clear problem among some capital city presenters.
Abbott's harmful legacy lives on
Peter Hartcher 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 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.
Special features
Whyalla wipeout looms but carbon tax not to blame
Finally, sadly, pathetically.After all the shameful point-scoring and reckless scare-mongering, politicians, business leaders, unions, and workers are as one.
If the CSIRO won't do research who will?
Australian society will be the biggest loser if the organisation is forced to abandon its blue-skies work.
Turnbull in cruise mode, steers into the slow lane
Glacial decision-making and negligible policy action gives the impression of a government going nowhere.
The problem ingrained in our health system
Most aspects of healthcare have been designed with a focus on the needs of the doctor or other healthcare provider, rather than the consumer who uses the health services.
'Malcolm Turnbull, you didn't invent the internet'
Waleed Aly has taken aim at the hypocrisy of Malcolm Turnbull's "age of innovation" aspirations as leaked documents reveal significant delays to the government's NBN roll out.
Turnbull's bias revealed in school funding plan
The government proposes turning its back on the schools where most Australian children get their education.
Get ready to get sick of these two faces
James Massola They're the faces of the election campaign for the two major parties, and you're probably going to get sick of them very quickly.
Taxpayer fury misplaced over Panama leaks
Yes, make the rich pay their share of tax, but governments should just spend less.
Australia must open the front door to Syrian refugees
Canada has shown the way in welcoming refugees, while Australia has said the right things but fails to act.
The think tank with arms everywhere
Question. When is libertarianism not liberating? Answer: When it's the low-profile but remarkably influential Institute for Public Affairs.
Trump would never rise to the top in Australia
Despite our drift towards personality-driven presidential-style election campaigns, there are still stark differences from the US.
Our elections aren't as good as you think
Despite its reputation for conducting free and fair elections, Australia does not perform as well as we might hope.
PM struggles against his own benchmark
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull remains the Coalition's best electoral asset but the prospect of a seven-week campaign would be enough to worry any strategist.
Australia will face the consequences of its education gap
As the ups and downs of the mining boom stole the headlines Australia was experiencing a less celebrated economic transformation: a know-how boom.
ABC radio personalities need to tune out their left-wing bias
ABC management has failed to recognise a clear problem among some capital city presenters.
