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Iraq invasion a 'strong causation' of terror threat today: Crean

Former Labor leader Simon Crean.

David Wroe 10:07 PM   Former Labor leader Simon Crean has said there is a "strong causation" between the controversial 2003 Iraq invasion and the immediate terrorism threat that Australia faces today.

Bribery allegation against Qld MP George Christensen still with AFP

George Christensen has been accused of electoral bribery over a promise to a local turtle preservation group.

Cameron Atfield 9:52 PM   The Australian Federal Police is still evaluating a complaint of alleged electoral bribery against newly re-elected George Christensen, leading to calls from the Queensland MP for the process to be sped up.

Wyatt Roy concedes defeat in Longman

Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy in the Prime Minister's chair ahead of Question Time at Parliament House in ...

Cameron Atfield 5:44 PM   Wyatt Roy has made history for a second time, becoming the youngest former federal member of Parliament in the country's history.

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Ratings agency puts Parliament on notice

Standard and Poor's says the time to act is now or suffer the consequences.

Nicole Hasham 4:47 PM   The next Australian parliament has been put on notice: get your act together and fix the budget now, or expect a serious hit to the nation's credit status.

Pollies shouldn't be able to lie: Xenophon

Senator Xenophon says consumer laws can take a corporation to task "for telling fibs".

3:49 PM   Nick Xenophon says politicians should be taken to task for telling fibs following Labor's "Mediscare" campaign.

Kingmaker Katter calls for cuts to immigration

Bob Katter, who could prop up the Turnbull government in the next Parliamentary term, wants to limit migration.

Cameron Atfield 10:53 AM   Bob Katter wants to restrict migration to just three groups.

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Keating says Howard should 'hang his head in shame' over Iraq war

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 25:  Former Prime Minister Paul Keating at Goat Island in Sydney harbor, announcing a ...

Georgina Mitchell 7:44 AM   Former prime minister Paul Keating has called for John Howard to "hang his head in shame" over Australia's involvement in the "un-mandated assault" of the Iraq War.

Howard defends 2003 Iraq decision

Former prime minister John Howard talking about the Chilcot report.

David Wroe, Deborah Snow   Former prime minister John Howard has dismissed a British inquiry's finding that the controversial 2003 invasion of Iraq was launched before diplomatic options had been exhausted.

The downgrade that will make mortgages cheaper

Standard and Poor's has little patience with the forecasts of Malcolm Turnbull's first budget.

Peter Martin   Standard & Poor's has just made your mortgage cheaper.

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Katter the kingmaker holds court in Brisbane

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 07:  Independent federal politician Bob Katter pledges his support to Malcolm Turnbull and ...

Cameron Atfield   Bob Katter has relished in his role as a possible political kingmaker following his meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday.

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Andrew Wilkie blames Iraq invasion for Lindt siege

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has called for Mr Howard to face a war crimes trial over the decision.

David Wroe   Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has called for former prime minister John Howard and members of his Cabinet to face war crimes trials over the 2003 Iraq invasion and blamed the invasion for attacks on Australians including the Lindt Cafe siege.

Qld LNP boss backs Bernardi's push for new conservatives

Cory Bernardi says the gap is widening between the political class and ordinary voters.

Queensland's Liberal National Party boss has thrown his support behind a movement to unite the country's conservatives, regardless of their political affiliation.

Windsor angry over 'fraudulent letter' about Joyce

Tony Windsor believes the letter will be referred to police for investigation as a 'fraudulent document'.

Heath Aston   It was three days out from Saturday's election when residents in Inverell and Glen Innes received a letter in the post urging them to vote for Barnaby Joyce.

Defiant Wyatt Roy says he's still in the race

Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy may no longer have his prominent seat in Parliament once the postals are counted.

Cameron Atfield   Labor may have claimed victory over the Liberal National Party's Wyatt Roy on Sunday, but Australia's youngest ever federal parliamentarian has refused to give up on holding the Queensland seat of Longman.

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PM takes responsibility for poor campaign

Malcolm Turnbull has flagged new efforts to restore trust in the Coalition.

Mark Kenny   Malcolm Turnbull has moved to steady his teetering leadership declaring his confidence is growing of forming a majority government, while taking full responsibility for campaign mistakes.

Hanson offsider wants climate scepticism taught

Malcolm Roberts - the second One Nation senate candidate in Queensland.

Nicole Hasham   The One Nation candidate with a strong chance of joining Pauline Hanson in the Senate, Malcolm Roberts, wants climate scepticism taught in schools and says the CSIRO and United Nations' peak climate body endorse corruption.

ABC's Catalyst under review, reporter suspended

<i>Catalyst</i> host Maryanne Demasi.

Matthew Knott   The ABC will apologise to its viewers and review its science program Catalyst after an independent investigation found a controversial episode on the health risks of Wi-Fi that went to air earlier this year breached its editorial standards.

Better late than never: PM strikes leadership note

Malcolm Turnbull cannot afford to become even a perceived loser.

Mark Kenny   Malcolm Turnbull remains admirably upbeat about his chances of forming a majority. Why? Perhaps he knows something the rest of us don't?

Author slams Christian Lobby over use of her book

The Australian Christian Lobby election flyer featuring Jo Hirst's book <i>The Gender Fairy</i>.

Tom McIlroy   Federal election 2016: Author Jo Hirst slams Australian Christian Lobby over use of her book Gender Fairy 

ABC axes The Drum

Gaven Morris ABC IMAGE SOURCE WWW.STORYOLOGY.ORG.AU

Matthew Knott   The ABC will scale back its presence in online analysis and opinion by axing The Drum website.

Labor offers stability Coalition can't deliver

Nick Xenophon may well help decide who forms the next government.

Peter Martin   In a complete reversal of rhetoric during during the campaign, Labor has emerged as the party most likely to guarantee stability after the election.

Defiant Credlin unleashes on Turnbull's 'hapless set of bedwetters'

Peta Credlin talking to Andrew Bolt.

Latika Bourke   A furious Peta Credlin had launched an excoriating attack on the "hapless set of bedwetters" she says plotted to oust her former boss Tony Abbott as prime minister, squander the "wonderful victory of 2013" by giving Malcolm Turnbull poor advice.

Federal Election 2016: Live coverage, polls and results

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Georgina Mitchell   Follow all the latest news, results as the poll goes down to the wire.

'Perfect storm' behind thundering comeback

Pauline Hanson on Monday.

David Wroe   "Australia for Australians" is the headline on Pauline Hanson's One Nation party's webpage outlining what the resurgent party is all about.

AAA credit rating safe, for now

Moody's senior vice-president, Marie Diron, said the short-lived political uncertainty would have "limited" credit ...

Peter Martin   Credit ratings agency Moody's says Australia's triple-A rating is not under immediate threat from the election outcome, but could be if the deficit isn't wound back.

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Hanson warns of terror on the streets

Pauline Hanson.

Nicole Hasham   One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has warned of "terrorism on our streets" and says some Sydneysiders still fear their suburbs have been "swamped by Asians" as she claimed her party could snare up to six Senate spots.

Dutton pays out on bikies, union thugs, Labor

Peter Dutton's majority had dwindled to just 1250 votes on Monday.

Nicole Hasham   Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has blamed bikies, union thugs, activists and "sneaky" Labor tactics for his plummeting popularity in his Queensland seat of Dickson.

Liberal blames loss on 'dishonest' GetUp!

Andrew Nikolic is aming to be first member for Bass returned in 15 years.

Adam Morton   Ousted Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic has taken to social media to accuse left-wing lobby group GetUp! of running a "dishonest, nasty, personal campaign" that cost him his seat.

'I think he lost my number': Hanson hasn't heard from PM

Pauline Hanson is feeling the cold shoulder of the political establishment.

​The red-head from Queensland could find herself friendless on the red benches of Parliament.

Federal Election 2016: Live coverage, polls and results

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Michael Koziol, Stephanie Peatling   Follow all the latest news, results as the poll goes down to the wire.

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Vote counting - why so long?

The votes are cast, but counting them is no simple task. Peter Martin explains the process - and why it takes so long.

No Christopher, the Coalition has nothing in common with Hawthorn

Let's re-wind the clock. It's the Tuesday before polling day and Tony Nutt, Malcolm Turnbull's campaign director, rings his Labor counterpart with an offer George Wright could not refuse: a final leaders' debate on prime time TV.

Turnbull boxed in by narrow win

Technically it remains unclear whether the beleaguered premiership of Malcolm Bligh Turnbull will continue uninterrupted. Practically however, it is now virtually inevitable.

The mind-boggling incompetence of Bush, Blair and Howard laid bare

The three buccaneers took leave of their senses in invading Iraq – George W. Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard.

Morrison and Bishop undermine PM's mea culpa

Listen to Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop and the explanation for the Coalition's disastrous election result is all down to Labor telling a lie about Medicare and the gullible voters falling for it.

'Mediscare' worked because voters were scared

Scare campaigns only work when they reinforce or add to what is already known.

Amid the howling, Turnbull becomes Gillard

If you awoke on Sunday to a feeling of deja vu, you weren't imagining it. Six years ago Australia awoke to something spookily similar.

Turnbull hits out and misses the mark

The well-known Turnbull temper boiled pretty close to the surface on election night after his endlessly repeated offer of strength and stability was thrown back in his face by an unimpressed electorate.

Count looms as one of the most engrossing in memory

 Australians overwhelmingly expect Malcolm Turnbull to prevail in Saturday's election, but appear determined to give him a nervous night and an unconvincing victory.

Leavers had a dream but not a plan

The Brexit vote was driven by racism and fantasyland dreams and there is no joy in witnessing the disintegration of the EU.

Turnbull's Faustian pact is unravelling

When Tony Abbott suddenly declared the push for marriage equality to be "an important issue" last year it was tempting to imagine the Coalition had undergone a sea change of attitude.

Shorten's final pitch: budget security begins at home

After eight weeks of dawn-past-dusk campaigning, Bill Shorten still looks fresh, even ebullient.

Julie Bishop: The Coalition's lethal asset

In chess, as in politics, the Bishop is a highly valued piece because it may move as far as it wants, "but only diagonally" meaning it is vital but cannot rival its King or Queen. The rules state the "each bishop starts on one colour (light or dark) and must always stay on that colour".There's no danger of Julie Bishop changing colours. Nor it seems, getting beyond her station by moving vertically (in either direction) any time soon.

The Brexit hangover: Labour party civil war and Bregret

Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.

Turnbull plays the part of a solid conservative

Malcolm Turnbull has completed his transformation from progressive firebrand to ambassador for the conservative brand.