• EXCLUSIVE

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who is responsible for keeping government spending under control, billed taxpayers almost $23,000 for weekend trips to the beach resort town of Broome with his wife over four years.

The future of America's engagement with the Asia-Pacific under Donald Trump's looming presidency was a key focus of Prime Minister's Malcolm Turnbull's talks with his Japanese counterpart. 

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has pulled out of today's Portsea Polo, citing the visit of Japan's Prime Minister as the reason for her absence.

Clive Palmer has accused the Gold Coast City Council of endangering the lives of small children with a cull of his sex-crazed deer.

A political divide is forming over renewable energy's future in Australia.

Conservative coalition MP Kevin Andrews drew on his taxpayer-funded "study allowance" when he travelled to the United States to attend a prayer breakfast and address a right-wing think tank.

CANBERRA, Jan 9 AAP - GOVERNMENT MPs WHO'VE MISBEHAVED SINCE THE COALITION CAME TO POWER IN 2013:

Conservationists are urging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to make a last ditch appeal to Japan's Shinzo Abe to halt the slaughter of whales underway in waters near Antarctica.

More than 80 per cent of Australians believe there is corruption in federal politics and want a new independent watchdog set up to stamp it out.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accepted Sussan Ley's resignation from his frontbench and announced major changes to the political entitlements system.

Embattled MP Sussan Ley resigned as health minister on Friday, amid growing controversy about her travel expenses and purchase of a luxury Gold Coast apartment while on a ministerial trip. 

Former prime minister Paul Keating has rounded on the incoming US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, accusing him of threatening to bring on war with China by making "ludicrous" comments on the tense South China Sea dispute.

Allowing civil marriage celebrants, government employees and businesses exemptions from same-sex marriage laws would uphold discrimination and homophobic attitudes, advocates for gay and lesbian Australians have told a parliamentary inquiry.

Turnbull government minister Sussan Ley claims she had no choice but to take expensive charter planes along two busy capital city routes, saying last-minute diary conflicts made commercial flights impossible.

Trade Minister Steve Ciobo has argued the case for politicians to attend sporting events on the taxpayer dime, describing it as the kind of activity that voters expect.

Former senator Rodney Culleton has mounted an eleventh-hour effort to save his parliamentary career, seeking to appeal a Federal Court decision that rendered him bankrupt and demanding Senate President Stephen Parry immediately withdraw his declaration of a vacancy.

A leading international human rights advocacy group has slammed the Turnbull government's hardline and highly secretive offshore immigration detention regime and ongoing efforts to strengthen counter-terrorism laws in an annual review of practices in more than 90 countries around the world. 

Taxpayers picked up the bill for a $4000 five star "working dinner" that included seven bottles of fine wine hosted by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton at a prestigious luxury hotel in Washington D.C.

Finance Department flexed its muscles against flag-ship project of agile government.

Former One Nation senator Rodney Culleton has threatened a High Court challenge to his disqualification from federal Parliament for being bankrupt.  

Politics might be show business for ugly people - but new research suggests Australian MPs on the right are more attractive than those on the left.

Colleagues of embattled Health Minister Sussan Ley say her position has become "completely untenable" and do not expect her to resume her place in the ministry despite her insistence she will soon return to her ministerial duties. 

When naming the rooms in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade building, its chiefs had a great idea - honour the many distinguished diplomats and public servants who had dedicated their lives to bettering Australia. 

Centrelink will resume sending out controversial debt recovery letters to thousands of Australians within days, despite an ongoing controversy.

There is value in politicians attending major events but it depends which one, and who's there, experts say.

Julie Bishop is the latest politician facing scrutiny over travel expense claims as calls for an overhaul of the entitlements system grow louder.

• EXCLUSIVE

Turnbull government cabinet minister Darren Chester completed the purchase of an investment property on a taxpayer-funded trip to Melbourne in which he also attended the Australian Open tennis and a soccer match.

• EXCLUSIVE

Sidelined Health Minister Sussan Ley charged taxpayers $13,000 to fly herself along two busy commercial routes.

Calls for reform of the parliamentary entitlements system have again intensified following the latest expenses scandal, which has centred around Health Minister Sussan Ley's Gold Coast travel.