Federal Politics

Nick O'Malley

Nick O'Malley is a senior writer and a former US correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy met Bill Leak at the time of the Spycatcher trial.

Turnbull warns Australia is in an 'energy crisis'

Declaring that Australia is in the midst of an energy crisis, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he will call together the chief executives of east coast gas companies to address the threat to their customers.

Conservative Senator Cory Bernardi.

Splitting the difference

Can Cory Bernardi capitalise on growing divisions in Australia, or is he simply splintering the conservative vote?

Liberal MP Jamie Briggs appears to have lost his seat of Mayo, in Adelaide.

Jamie Briggs set to lose Mayo

Rebekha Sharkie has become the first member of the Nick Xenophon Team to take a seat in the lower house, taking Mayo from the one-time Liberal Party minister Jamie Briggs.

SMH.  Still Portraits of Independant Senator Nick Xenophon as part of the Politicains for the Instagram Fairfax ...

Xenophon ready for the SuperShock

Less than a day before polls open Nick Xenophon – buzzing through Adelaide in his tiny, filthy Toyota Yaris to his last press conference of the campaign – insists he will emerge a king-maker on Saturday night.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten holds up his Medicare card at a press conference.

The art of going negative

If political campaigns have seasons, the last week is the winter, and it has come. Get ready for an ugly week.