Independent inspections at youth prisons or immigration detention centres will be permitted after the Turnbull government pledged to ratify a United Nations treaty in a bid to stamp out torture.

A resurgent Malcolm Turnbull has accused Labor of being "drunk on left ideology" as he capitalised on another serious blackout in South Australia to defend gas and coal-fired generation while slamming Labor's rush to solar and wind power for the failure.

Victoria and NSW have been warned they could follow South Australia in being hit by electricity blackouts in years ahead unless Canberra comes up with a bipartisan national plan to deal with energy and climate change.

A group of Australian Christian church leaders has urged the Federal Government to provide more visas to persecuted minorities in Syria and Iraq,  including Christian groups and Yazidiis, an ancient Persian group. 

Public servants' strike action over "robo-debt" debacle illegal, say Centrelink bosses.

NSW faces its biggest test of the summer, with soaring temperatures set to drive electricity demand to record levels, strain hospitals, and bring "catastrophic" fire conditions to some areas.

A Coalition senator is threatening to vote against his own government's plan to axe the notorious Life Gold Pass.

Papua New Guinea has begun forced deportations from Australia's offshore detention centre on Manus Island, attempting to remove two failed Nepalese asylum seekers from the island early Thursday morning, according to advocates.

Indigenous activist June Oscar has been named the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.

Greens, Labor join the chorus of opposition to relocation policy.

NSW faces potential power shortages during the coming heatwave, prompting the electricity market operator to demand additional supply.

• ANALYSIS

It is hardly surprising that Malcolm Turnbull has immediately followed up his personal attacks on Bill Shorten with more of the same.

Delight among Coalition MPs over Malcolm Turnbull's Question Time attack on Bill Shorten has led to a second day of insults, with Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce accusing the Opposition Leader of confected outrage and creating class warfare.

Cardinal George Pell has dismissed a Greens motion in the Senate calling on him to return to Australia to aid a police investigation into misconduct as a "political stunt".

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has doubled down on his character assassination of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, labelling him a "fake" who "doesn't have a fair dinkum bone in him".

• EXCLUSIVE

Immigration Minister is seeking what the Labor opposition calls "Trump-like" powers to target foreign nationals and require them to revalidate their visas.

The Turnbull Government has moved to transform its relationship with Indigenous Australia by announcing a new advisory group that includes Aboriginal educator Chris Sarra.

Students are expected to be among the hardest-hit by proposed changes to welfare which make jobseekers under the age of 25 ineligible for the Newstart unemployment benefit.

George Christensen has warned Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce he is preparing to cross the floor and vote against government policy, just days after Liberal senator Cory Bernardi abandoned the Coalition.

Guard dogs and x-box consoles are among the items that over 154,000 small businesses have claimed as tax breaks for equipment used in the workplace.

As he unloaded on the nearest target, Malcolm Turnbull's colleagues couldn't get enough of him.

Here is a full transcript of the Malcolm Turnbull tirade.

• EXCLUSIVE

Turnbull government minister David Gillespie's real estate dealings have cast a constitutional cloud over his political career.

The Turnbull government has been accused of holding parents "hostage" by surprisingly combining its childcare reforms to $8 billion worth of payment cuts to young jobseekers, welfare recipients and families eligible for paid parental leave from their employers.

The odds of a joint action against the federal government's Centrelink debt recovery program have narrowed, with lawyers saying it's unlikely such an action would succeed.

The government has scrapped the Life Gold Pass for former MPs, and family reunion benefits could be next on the chopping block.

"I'm entitled to my opinion, just like every other Australian is, and I think many would agree with me."

US cattle lobby was disappointed with Mr Trump's decision to axe America's role in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

The Turnbull government has moved closer to victory on its signature $3.5 billion child care package by watering down proposed cuts to family payments and extending the taxpayer-funded paid parental leave scheme.