Greens back rise in refugee intake to 50,000, 

Michael Gordon   Australia's refugee intake would increase to 50,000 a year, including 10,000 via a new "skilled refugee" category, under a policy to be announced by the Greens.

Turnbull urges South China Sea restraint

Mark Kenny and Philip Wen   Malcolm Turnbull has called for restraint by all countries involved in South China Sea tensions, as Beijing becomes increasingly strident and the US stations more planes in the Philippines.

Scientists push for more research funding

Jane Lee and Marcus Strom   Australian scientists are calling on the Turnbull government to move beyond innovation slogans and invest in long-term scientific research in the budget.

Turnbull government MP bursts into tears 

Michael Koziol   Ewen Jones breaks down during a press conference alongside a senior cabinet minister.

Church confronted gay CEOs over marriage

Michael Koziol   The Catholic church lobbied two of Australia's most prominent gay chief executives to stop their companies' support for marriage equality.

Fears for refugee's safety over abortion

Bianca Hall   A PNG couple were jailed for five years for causing the death of their unborn child, in a case that raises serious questions about Australia's decision to send a Nauru rape victim there for an abortion.

High Court challenge to fall on budget day

Jane Lee   Senator Bob Day's legal challenge to the Turnbull government's senate voting changes will be heard by all of the High Court's judges on the day of the federal budget.

Nauru refugee fined for suicide attempt

Nicole Hasham   A refugee at Nauru has been convicted and fined $200 for attempted suicide in a move island authorities say is designed to "stamp out the practice".

Morrison shifts on tax rises after dire warning

James Massola   Tobacco taxes will rise in the May budget, becoming the first public tax shift after an unruly debate that has dogged the government.  The move follows a warning that Australia could risk losing its AAA credit rating.

• Labor seizes on reports the government is planning a tobacco tax hike

Abbott abandons Bishop prior to preselection

Latika Bourke   Mr Abbott once described himself as the "love-child" of Bronwyn Bishop. But on Thursday he confirmed he would not support her in her preselection battle.

Death in black and white

Michael Gordon   Imagine if a royal commission was held into a matter of national shame, and it spent tens of millions of dollars, produced a vast report, but the headline indicators of that shame went backwards.

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Australia, why do you hate big ideas?

Judith Ireland   It is a much-honoured national pastime to shoot down ideas and resist even the slightest hint of change. We might be surrounded by sea, but we are also girt by the status quo.

Comments 5

Against the odds the stars line up for Labor

Waleed Aly   Increasing inequality has allowed Labor to start doing something it hasn't done for decades - articulate a worldview.

Turnbull primed to shine in China

Mark Kenny   The Prime Minister has assembled a crack group of advisers for his China visit but they're playing to a tough audience.

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Very Fast Train - the mother of all projects

Peter Knight   In less than a decade and at a price we can afford, a high-speed link could transform the nation, if only politicians weren't so lily-livered.

Silence will destroy our democratic values

Greg Barns   Around the world politicians are raising issues of fairness, equality and social values – so why have Australians gone quiet?

Marriage debate is not about equality

Jeremy Bell   If governments make laws about marriage, they must define what marriage is.

Shorten's royal commission call a poll stunt

Peter Reith   If Bill Shorten was seriously wanting a royal commission into the banks, he could have voted for it last year when the Greens put up the idea.

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Beauty of science lies in unexpected moment

Surendra Verma   The CSIRO's pursuit of science will be hampered by the naked hunt for cash.

Better teachers? Better at what, exactly?

Ned Manning   We all know it is bureaucratic procedures, lack of funding and poor pay rates that hold back educational standards, not bad teachers.

Bill Shorten a dud no more

Tim Dick   Abbott, Abetz, and Andrews are the triple-A batteries of Australian politics: each started full of power, but not as much as they thought.

Gonski opposition doesn’t add up

Jane Caro   The voters love Gonski. Astonishingly, every educational sector – public, Catholic and Independent – are also in favour.

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Why our new subs should be built at home

Amanda Vanstone   On this project, we should be wary of the Japanese.

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.