Federal Politics

James Massola

James Massola is chief political correspondent in the Canberra bureau. He has worked in the federal press gallery for eight years, including stints for The Australian Financial Review and The Australian before joining the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Sydney.

How did the government get China treaty so wrong?

At 8.40am on Tuesday, just minutes after Julie Bishop had publicly backed a China extradition treaty and walked into a meeting of the leadership group, Bill Shorten rang Malcolm Turnbull.