Eryk Bagshaw is a Federal Political Reporter, covering economics for Fairfax Media based in Parliament House, Canberra. He was previously The Sydney Morning Herald's Education Reporter.
Labor's human services spokeswoman Linda Burney has referred Human Services Minister Alan Tudge to the Australian Federal Police over allegations he broke the law by releasing the personal information of a Centrelink recipient to the media.
Human Services Minister Alan Tudge is getting regular updates from his department on welfare recipients who are "criticising or unhappy with the system", a senate estimates committee has been told.
Australia has avoided a second consecutive quarter of negative economic growth, rising by 1.1 per cent in the December quarter and beating market expectations.
Treasury boss John Fraser has implored Parliament to consider cutting the company tax rate, saying it would be "critical" to respond to international competition.
Company profits have surged to record highs at the same time wages suffered their sharpest decline in eight years.
"A simple alteration could deny a claimant millions of dollars and save the company in the process"
Pictures of Simon Birmingham visiting a trades training school with Bob Day six months before the school received a $2 million grant have sparked accusations by Labor that Senator Birmingham misled the Senate and should resign.
Dudded creditors are are weighing up whether to go after up to $2 million in loans and donations made to Family First.
The Turnbull Government is under pressure to explain why it gave $2 million to a small trades training college in suburban Adelaide linked to financially-stricken former senator Bob Day.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for maths and science to be made compulsory for all students finishing high school to arrest a steep decline in Australia's standards across both subject areas.
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