Federal Politics

Coal station closures inevitable, start planning: Labor and Greens

The Hazelwood power station will close in March.

Many of Australia's coal-fired power stations will shut in coming years no matter what the government does, but a national plan will be needed to ensure the lights stay on and price rises are limited while they are replaced with cleaner models, Labor and the Greens say.

Seized NBN documents to remain under seal

Former Labor communications spokesman Jason Clare. has won a battle to have documents protected by parliamentary privilege

Documents seized by the Australian Federal Police in raids on Parliament House should remain sealed and be returned to the Opposition, according to a powerful parliamentary committee.

'See you in court': law student rejects Labor MP's apology

Labor frontbencher Terri Butler apologised for her comments on Q&A but Calum Thwaites said it wasn't good enough.

A stoush between a Queensland law student and Labor frontbencher Terri Butler over claims of a "racist smear" is bound for court after he bluntly rejected her apology as a "sham" and vowed to press ahead with a $150,000 defamation lawsuit.

Shorten ramps up foreign workers fight

Bill Shorten has been criticised for using the 457 issue to harness anti-migrant sentiment.

Bill Shorten will ramp up his foreign worker fight as the Turnbull government tries to push its signature industrial relations legislation past a cranky crossbench

Greens in radical new drug legalisation push

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has outlined incentives for more electric vehicles in Australia

The Greens have made a radical change to their drugs policy which leader Richard Di Natale hopes will reignite the decriminalisation debate and pave the way for the legalisation of recreational drugs like cannabis.

Disenchanted but not deplorable: Narre Warren North's 'Trump-land'

Neil Bull lives in the Casey area, close to where a mosque was proposed.

         Narre Warren North – a small pocket of suburbia within the sprawl of Melbourne's vast and fast growing south east – is Trump-land, and proudly so. There is widespread distrust of and disaffection with establishment policy-makers who most around here consider politically correct fools.