Politics

Refugees on Manus Island and Nauru have not yet been through vetting processes to determine whether they can resettle in the US, the Immigration Department tells a Senate committee.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull blames poor polling on an "outburst" by his predecessor Tony Abbott late last week, which is being roundly condemned by cabinet ministers.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten swap insults over penalty rates, with both parties accusing the other of hypocrisy. Follow live.

Malcolm Turnbull is facing not just the expected sniping from the sidelines but growing discontent from the political middle as tax reform and renewable energy policy go nowhere, writes Ian Verrender.

Support for One Nation and the Liberal National Party is neck and neck in the Queensland seat of Dawson, which is currently held by fractious LNP MP George Christensen — who has repeatedly threatened to leave the party if it does not return to its conservative roots.

Malcolm Turnbull's party woes go well beyond Tony Abbott's unholy war — in a fight for their lives against One Nation, some Government MPs might decide they can't battle an anti-establishment insurgency if they are the establishment.

Sunday penalty rates will be a major issue as MPs head to Canberra for a new sitting week, with Bill Shorten asking Malcolm Turnbull to support a Labor push to keep them.

Tax breaks for property investors should be slashed and the Medicare levy lifted to pump more funding into welfare spending, according to the Australian Council of Social Service.

Yemen is now classified as the world's worst humanitarian disaster and described by the UN as being "on the brink of famine" but Australia has committed no funding to help save lives there.

The Immigration Department cuts the length of time asylum seekers have to apply for protection visas from one year to 60 days in a move it is feared could deny up to 11,000 people the ability to claim asylum.

Residents of Victoria's Latrobe Valley are stressed and anxious about the looming closure of the Hazelwood power plant, warning there will be catastrophic consequences for the local economy.

Malcolm Turnbull and Joko Widodo hold formal talks in Sydney, reviving cooperation halted after the discovery of "insulting" posters at a Perth military training base, and reaching deals on trade and a new Australian consulate in east Java.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo hears first-hand the challenges Australian businesses face in investing in his country during Sydney visit.

Australian children's author Mem Fox has made more than 100 trips to the US over the years, but now says she is unlikely to ever go there again after her wrongful detainment by immigration officials at LA Airport earlier this month.

Parts of Australia's biggest cities could struggle to attract enough disability workers for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, a new report warns.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo makes his first bilateral visit to Australia this weekend — a sign a military spat early this year has been resolved and relations between the two nations are stable.

Australian Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan defends his workforce, insisting the vast majority do not "down tools" at 4.51pm, while also disputing claims by union officials.

The latest reshuffle of Queensland's electorates honours seven distinguished women from all over the state.

Attorney-General George Brandis was involved in the Bell Group matter one month earlier than he said he was, his West Australian counterpart Michael Mischin says, which would mean he misled Parliament over the issue.

Host: Ellen Fanning
Panel: Michael Biercuk, Verity Firth and Chris Berg
The panel discusses Tony Abbott’s latest dig at the Government, Elon Musk’s predictions for the future & Bill Gates' suggestion that we tax robots.

Paralympian Jan Pike Jan Pike is used to battling. But one of the biggest fights of her life has been dealing with the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

If Tony Abbott abandons hope of ever being prime minister again, he might settle for mortally wounding Malcolm Turnbull and letting someone else bury the corpse, writes political editor Chris Uhlmann.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull dismisses Ken Henry's scathing attack after the former treasury head claimed populism and partisanship had torpedoed every attempt to reform the tax system.

For Jan Pike, one of the biggest fights of her life has been dealing with the National Disability Insurance Scheme - so much so, that she says it almost cost her her life.

Barry York and Brian Pola were thrown into a maximum security prison for protesting against the Vietnam War, but almost five decades on they still say they have no regrets and they're certainly not after any apologies.