Latest political news
Health matters 'more than economy': over 50s
Peter Martin 8:00 PM Health care is by far the most important issue determining the votes of older Australians, eclipsing economic management for the first time.
Shorten slams Trump for 'demonising' Muslims
David Wroe 12:56 PM Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has taken Donald Trump to task over the presumptive Republican candidate's claims the Orlando shooting shows he was right to call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Labor's big internet play - faster broadband, same price range
Mark Kenny, James Massola 11:45 PM Twice as many Australians would get faster fibre-to-the-home internet connections under a future Shorten Labor government, but the rollout of the NBN would cost taxpayers at most only $1 billion more and would be completed in the same time, Labor says.
Greens push PM on republic with cake stunt
Michael Koziol 12:01 AM The Greens will attempt to put the elusive republic back on the menu today with a cake-based stunt atop Parliament House.
Greens pledge to crack down on 'free-range' eggs
Cameron Atfield The federal Greens will push for a national standard for free-range eggs that would slash the number of farm hens per hectare by 85 per cent.
Dissident voice in Parliament still speaking out
Nicole Hasham 12:15 AM When former rebel MP Judi Moylan departed the party room after railing against Liberal policies, less daring colleagues often approached her in solidarity.
Rudd 'overturned' prize for 'sex lives' book
Michael Koziol Judges of the prestigious Prime Minister's Literary Award say then prime minister Kevin Rudd overruled their decision on the 2013 history prize.
Record field for Queensland Senate ballot paper
Cameron Atfield Queenslanders will have 40 more Senate candidates to choose from than they did at the 2013 election, after 122 candidates put their names forward for election.
ALP candidate to remove army billboards
Cameron Atfield Pat O'Neill used billboards depicting him in his army uniform.
Penny Wong lavishes praise on Anthony Albanese
Deborah Snow Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese's political love-in points to a strong alliance between the pair after the election
Defence eyes campaign ban on wearing uniforms
David Wroe and Tom McIlroy The Australian Defence Force is seriously considering asking the next government to change the law to prohibit election campaign material featuring military uniforms, Fairfax Media understands.
The tax havens costing Australia $6b a year
Nassim Khadem The world's poorest people, and women in particular, bear the brunt of global tax dodging, says Oxfam.
Australians quick to embrace China, survey finds
David Wroe Australians think China already dominates Asia – more than the Chinese even believe it themselves.
Palmer announces Qld Senate team
Clive Palmer has again denied his party is fuelled by nepotism after announcing two business figures and repeat candidates closely tied to him as his Queensland Senate team.
Liberals investigating 'black ops' meeting
Michael Koziol The NSW Liberal Party is investigating an attempted leadership coup at a chaotic Young Liberal branch meeting, which sources say represents the thin end of the wedge for the factionally-riven party.
Shorten shifts focus to the economy
James Massola Focus shifts back to the economy as Labor releases economic plan in an attempt to get on the front foot and as the govt attacks Shorten over company tax.
The torment of women at Nauru
Nicole Hasham The sky was fast plunging into darkness when a car pulled up to Amina*, and the male driver leaned out to warn her about wild dogs.
Public servants could face court over death: lawyers
Noel Towell Canberra bureaucrats could find themselves in the dock over young asylum seeker's death.
Subs could be vulnerable to new weapons technology: Beazley
Deborah Snow Former Labor leader and onetime defence minister Kim Beazley has cautioned that dramatic changes in military technology over the next decade could have an impact on Australia's $50 billion submarine replacement program, given the rapid development of unmanned submersible platforms that are better able to detect conventional submarines.
Bob Brown's new campaign: development through the Tarkine
Adam Morton Former Greens leader Bob Brown is trying to get backing for a development in pristine Tasmanian wilderness – in order to save it.
Hundreds of detention centre abuses go unreported
Bianca Hall and Noel Towell Asha was only 12 months old when she pulled over container of boiling water on Nauru, severely scalding herself.
Childcare plan wins backing
Carolyn Webb Malvern East mother-of-one Kate King says she would be better off under the Labor childcare policy
Family mourns for Jamie Bright, killed by an Islamic State bullet
David Wroe Jamie Bright's body lies frozen in a Kurdish hospital in the centre of one of the most geopolitically fraught places on Earth.
PM falters amid company tax, super confusion
Mark Kenny The Coalition government has slipped behind Labor for the first time since Malcolm Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott, led by a continuing collapse in Mr Turnbull's once stratospheric personal standing, according to the latest Fairfax-Ipsos poll.
Losing it, one mistake at a time
Mark Kenny This election has often been described as Malcolm Turnbull's to lose. How prophetic because that seems to be what he is busy doing. Losing it.
'It shows our parliament is stuck in the dark ages'
Latika Bourke Even if 1 million Australians signed an online petition, the Parliament would be able to completely ignore it.
Europe needs a Tony Abbott-style approach to stopping the boats, says Tory MEP
Latika Bourke Europe needs to take an Australian approach to stemming the flow of migrant votes, including turning back boats, two of which have recently arrived in the channel, a prominent tory MP says.
The question that nearly threw Albanese
Deborah Snow The question that threw Anthony Albanese on the campaign trail.