Uma Patel is a political journalist in ABC’s Parliament House Bureau, her first day in the office was on the night of the 2016 election. She returned to Canberra after starting Sky News Australia’s first foreign bureau in New Zealand in 2015. Uma studied at ANU and graduated with a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Psychology.
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Nationals MP Andrew Broad and Labor MP Pat Conroy are launching a new inquiry into modernising the power grid.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, industry, business-economics-and-finance, federal-parliament, parliament, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedThe "patchwork" of different renewable energy targets from the states and territories will "create widespread power system security problems", according to Danny Price, a respected expert who helped design Australia's national energy market rules.
Topics: government-and-politics, electricity-energy-and-utilities, alternative-energy, federal-government, business-economics-and-finance, emissions-trading, australia
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| UpdatedExport tariffs to China for many Australian products, including human hair and some military weapons, are decreased for the new year.
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| UpdatedCrossbench senator David Leyonhjelm says people who receive pension payments should not be proud because it shows they are poor, a day after the Government tightened the assets test for 300,000 older Australians.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, welfare, community-and-society, older-people, poverty, australia
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| UpdatedTony Abbott urges conservative Liberal MPs to "stay in and fight" in comments directed at ally Cory Bernardi, who has previously threatened to start a new party for disenchanted conservative voters.
Topics: abbott-tony, government-and-politics, federal-government, liberal-national-party-queensland, political-parties, australia
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| UpdatedSporting shooters in New South Wales are paying less than $30,000 a year to lease prime property from the Federal Government in a 50-year deal, according to Finance Department documents.
Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, malabar-2036, maroubra-2035, matraville-2036, australia
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| UpdatedThe sails of the Sydney Opera House were turned green to promote the trouble-plagued 2016 census at a cost of $14,850 internal documents reveal, a "major public relations opportunity" that did not include any information about the national survey.
Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, community-and-society, information-and-communication, australia, sydney-2000
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| UpdatedThe Federal Government insists Australia can still meet its climate change targets after a report reveals greenhouse gas emissions rose in the year to June, as the Australian Conservation Foundation warns the country is "not on track" to meet 2030 commitments.
Topics: environment, climate-change, government-and-politics, federal-government, tax, australia
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| UpdatedIncreased investment in renewable energy is leading to the closure of coal-fired power stations and contributing to rising electricity prices, the Australian Energy Market Commission says.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, industry, business-economics-and-finance, coal, wind-energy, alternative-energy, emissions-trading, australia
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| UpdatedNationals senator Bridget McKenzie is urging state MPs to vote against the heavy restrictions on the seven-shot Adler shotgun, saying they are not based on evidence.
Topics: states-and-territories, nationals, minor-parties, australia
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| UpdatedA possible new price on carbon is taken off the table by Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, after a backlash from some government backbenchers.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, liberals, environmental-policy, environment, australia
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| UpdatedThe White House casts doubt over the future of Australia's refugee resettlement agreement with the United States, conceding the incoming Trump administration could scuttle the deal.
Topics: federal-government, immigration, refugees, foreign-affairs, australia, united-states, papua-new-guinea, nauru
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| UpdatedPoliticians charge taxpayers for anti-abortion books, car cleaning, and how-to guides on being a minister, expenses records reveal.
Topics: government-and-politics, parliament, federal-parliament, australia
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Pro-refugee protesters who brought Parliament to a halt yesterday should be punished, a Federal Cabinet Minister says.
Topics: federal-parliament, refugees, federal-government, activism-and-lobbying, act
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| UpdatedFormer prime minister Tony Abbott is calling for a "big new push" on budget repair and has suggested the Government revisit some of the measures he announced in 2014.
Topics: abbott-tony, budget, federal-parliament, money-and-monetary-policy, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedForeign diplomats who disregard Australian law will be named and shamed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade amid a crack-down on reckless driving.
Topics: road, government-and-politics, foreign-affairs, canberra-2600
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| UpdatedLabor is pushing for more restrictions on foreign workers coming to Australia on sponsored business visas. But what are 457 visas?
Topics: government-and-politics, community-and-society, work, alp, federal-government, australia
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Federal Government backbencher Eric Abetz welcomes the withdrawal of a race discrimination complaint against cartoonist Bill Leak.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, indigenous-policy, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, community-and-society, race-relations, australia
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| UpdatedThe Federal Opposition criticises the Coalition for blocking a refugee settlement deal with Malaysia when Julia Gillard was prime minister, as reports emerge Malcolm Turnbull is about to sign a deal with the United States.
Topics: refugees, immigration, federal-government, government-and-politics, australia, malaysia, nauru
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| UpdatedAustralia's ambassador for people smuggling Andrew Goledzinowsk has never travelled to Nauru in the two years since his appointment, freedom of information documents show.
Topics: community-and-society, immigration, human-trafficking, government-and-politics, australia, nauru, papua-new-guinea, pacific
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As Labor steps up pressure on the Federal Government to find resettlement for asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru, the Government has given some hints as to where they could be sent.
Topics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia, nauru, papua-new-guinea
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The Productivity Commission recommends the Government legislate a "comprehensive right" to give consumers more control of their own data.
Topics: consumer-protection, federal-government, information-and-communication, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedFormer Labor leader Kim Beazley charged taxpayers $3,420 for 12 bottles of Penfolds Grange during his time as ambassador to the US in 2014, an expenditure list shows.
Topics: foreign-affairs, government-and-politics, federal-government, united-states, australia
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| UpdatedAs Treasurer Scott Morrison calls on state and territory governments to do more to stop house prices ballooning, take a look at what $600,000 can buy you around Australia.
Topics: government-and-politics, housing, sydney-2000, melbourne-3000, brisbane-4000, perth-6000, darwin-0800, hobart-7000, canberra-2600, adelaide-5000, dubbo-2830, whyalla-5600
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| UpdatedImmigration Minister Peter Dutton launches a scathing attack on the ABC's Four Corners program focused on Nauru, saying the broadcaster is on a crusade against government policy.
Topics: immigration, community-and-society, government-and-politics