Malcolm Turnbull is being asked if he will allow a same-sex marriage bill to be presented to Parliament and if he would allow a free vote in that instance. The Prime Minister says 'no', knowing any other response would blow his leadership wide open and possibly split the Coalition. Technically he is right, but these are the wrong questions.
In different ways, the pair have become powerful irritants to their ideological colleagues.
Nobody is ready for a repeat of The Real Politicians of Parliament House.
The Defence Force should not waste any time or effort on this demeaning frippery.
An inner-city cocktail bar named after one of the poncier fruits – the cherry – is exactly the kind of place you would expect left-wing government schemers to hatch a plot to legislate gay marriage.
If centre-right governments want to win elections, they must present an alternative vision.
The public has little appetite for war, but supports using the military to fight terrorism.
Atop Capital Hill, the giant flag hung motionless amid a crystal winter's day.
Politicians need substance to succeed, but no one's taking the lead.
An expatriate journalist living in Britain wrote an apocalyptic tract this week, published by Fairfax Media, warning fellow Australian travellers not to take a holiday in London.
Journalists must protect their sources. That does not include the trivialities of a large ball.
Language and communication are the key tools of politics. Yet a clear message can sometimes be discerned from what is not said rather than what is.
Tasmania, similar in size to Canberra, does not need more than four times as many politicians.
In the end, the admirably calm Education Minister cleverly used the Greens' package as the road map to an acceptable deal with a far less progressive cross-bench.
The Victorian Supreme Court holds the future of Greg Hunt, Michael Sukkar and Alan Tudge in hands.
Privatisation. Back in the day, opposing it was the province of self-interested public sector unions and sentimentalists.
The GST on tampons isn't much. But it's about a lot more than the small amount of revenue it raises.
Whatever Parliament decides this week, the education debate will grind on until the next election.
For fractious Coalition MPs amassed under Malcolm Turnbull, Monday's depressing 47-53 Newspoll was old news. Fourteen surveys old.
It's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the current hostilities are simply about Saudi arrogance.
On Friday, a group of activists from the Australian Education Union staged a protest outside Derryn Hinch's Melbourne office.Â
We must act urgently to reduce carbon emissions. But what if we rush to implement the wrong policy?
Governments only worry about 'fixing' tax brackets when the rich and middle classes complain.
Jeremy Corbyn's great strength is he not beholden to his parliamentary colleagues.
A prime minister delivers a light-hearted - even hilarious - speech to more than 600 frocked-up and tuxedoed guests in the Great Hall of Parliament House.
Is Tony Abbott's post-leadership decompensation entering its final stage where the real harm is to his own legacy?
The left has a bad habit of celebrating glorious losses. I prefer victories.
Think of the ozone hole and you might get a preview of the humiliation awaiting the current champions of coal-fired energy.
You don't agree to a payout of more than $90 million if you are confident you can defend your position in open court.
Where is the environment in debates about climate change and energy?
The hurly-burly of the 2016 election campaign, as seen through the eyes of Fairfax reporters and photographers.
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