Bishop's pitch as the champion for seniors
Heath Aston Bronwyn Bishop is trying to turn her perceived weakness into a strength, telling Liberal Party preselectors that she understands the "significance of seniors" and can deliver for older Australians if she stays in Parliament.
Latest political news
Bereaved family denied final goodbye
Nicole Hasham Each day when he finished work as a tiler, Qurban Ali drove home, showered and Skyped his family. But one day he did not call.
Shorten finds his voice at last
Tom Allard The "zingers" have dried up. The awkward singsong cadence is vanishing. Bill Shorten has employed a voice coach as he hones his communication skills for the election.
Who is more agile now?
Michael Gordon 9:24 AM The PM's problem, or one of them, is that none of his big gambles has yet paid off. Not one.
Push to tie HECS debt to family income
Eryk Bagshaw Tying HECS repayments to family income would "substantially reduce" Australia's spiralling university student debt problem, says a leading education policy expert.
Joyce chartered chopper for 120km journey
Heath Aston Barnaby Joyce chartered a helicopter to visit an area less than an hour and a half by road from his ministerial office in Armidale.
Robb pushes aside pessimism, backs China
Peter Hartcher On the eve of Australia's largest ever trade mission to China, the nation's 'best trade minister' Andrew Robb still has unfinished business.
Lib MP warns of Whyalla wipe-out
James Massola Liberal MP Rowan Ramsay has warned the big four banks that if Arrium's Whyalla steelworks close, local housing and business markets may follow, devastating the town and while a clean up bill approaching a billion dollars could also be left behind.
Turnbull snookered by populist bank probe
Mark Kenny Tell me it isn't so: the more furiously the banks resist public scrutiny of their ultra-profitable dealings, the more their long-suffering customers feel such a probe is justified.
Higher education fees, how did we get to this?
Chris Johnson How much to charge students, when to apply the debt and all manner of detail over how a higher education loans scheme should work has long been fodder for heated political debate.
Senator's cigar-smoking push for votes
Rania Spooner 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.
Comment & Analysis
Turnbull snookered by populist bank probe
Mark Kenny Tell me it isn't so: the more furiously the banks resist public scrutiny of their ultra-profitable dealings, the more their long-suffering customers feel such a probe is justified.
Robb pushes aside pessimism, backs China
Peter Hartcher On the eve of Australia's largest ever trade mission to China, the nation's 'best trade minister' Andrew Robb still has unfinished business.
Age of entitlement ends for all but the right
Jacqueline Maley The age of entitlement is far from over. It's alive and close to home.
Package more to do with politics than rigour
Josh Gordon Malcolm Turnbull likes to present himself as a man of sound economic principles.
Whyalla wipeout looms but tax not to blame
Mark Kenny 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 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 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 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.
Special features
Who is more agile now?
The PM's problem, or one of them, is that none of his big gambles has yet paid off. Not one.
Transport package more to do with politics than rigour
Malcolm Turnbull likes to present himself as a man of sound economic principles.
How the conservatives ended the age of entitlement for all but themselves
The age of entitlement is far from over. It's alive and close to home.
Andrew Robb pushes aside pessimism and backs China
On the eve of Australia's largest ever trade mission to China, the nation's 'best trade minister' Andrew Robb still has unfinished business.
Higher education fees, how did we get to this?
How much to charge students, when to apply the debt and all manner of detail over how a higher education loans scheme should work has long been fodder for heated political debate.
Shorten finds his voice at last
The "zingers" have dried up. The awkward singsong cadence is vanishing. Bill Shorten has employed a voice coach as he hones his communication skills for the election.
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.
