A motion to condemn Melbourne City's spending on changing traffic light symbols to women also passed.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has taken a not-so-diplomatic swipe at US president Donald Trump for praising the French first lady's body shape.

A radical plan from a think-tank proposes state governments reclaim their constitutional powers over income tax.

The Turnbull government insists its refugee deal with the United States is going ahead.

LNP members voted down a move to call on the Turnbull Government to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord at the LNP state convention in Brisbane on Sunday.

US officials interviewing refugees held in an Australian-run offshore detention centre left the facility abruptly, three detainees told Reuters on Saturday, throwing further doubt over a plan to resettle many of the detainees in America.

At three months old, Edward is understood to be the first baby to attend a cabinet meeting in Australia.

• EXCLUSIVE

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne says he wants Australia to become a major arms exporter on par with Britain, France and Germany

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has used the LNP conference in Brisbane to defend his government, following ongoing bashing of the Liberal leadership by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Malcolm Turnbull is a republican and an Elizabethan. Where does that leave Australia?

Labor will vote at its conference to abandon rules that force people to attend party meetings.

As many as 64,000 could die on the first day of a war unlike any seen in generations, perhaps ever.

"Every now and then I just wonder whether this was a gathering of the Ancien regime and that we are all eating cake at Marie Antoinette's party," says Varghese. "One day we might wake up and find the peasants are revolting."

Four east coast states will go it alone in drawing up plans for a clean energy target.

The co-deputy of the Greens has resigned from Parliament after discovering he was ineligible to stand at the 2016 election.

Private operators could soon take over large parts of Australia's immigration visa system.

"Weakening encrypted systems for them would mean weakening it for everyone."

Conservative hero and Australia's second longest-serving Prime Minister John Howard not only "trembled" at the thought of a Trump Administration but admitted he would have struggled to vote for one.

Josh Frydenberg has always been a man in a hurry.

The Turnbull government has warned the states their threat to "go it alone" on a clean energy target will only create chaos and inefficiency.

The head of Santos says Australia is at risk of mimicking Argentina in crippling it's own gas industry.

Technology companies such as Apple and Facebook will be forced to hand over encrypted messages to police under new laws.

Liberals believe General Jim Molan could defeat fellow veteran and Labor incumbent Mike Kelly.

The Greens have backed down on decision to exclude Lee Rhiannon from party room debates.

"This is another appalling intervention, not just by a backbencher, but by the chair of the coalition's energy policy committee."

• EXCLUSIVE

Attempts to blame renewable energy for high electricity prices are misguided says expert report.

• EXCLUSIVE

Philip Morris is running an under-the-radar campaign using forums and an offshoot smokers' rights lobby group.

However Josh Frydgenberg has acknowledged the government is examining new fuel standards.

ATO will waive some fines for late lodgement of tax information after latest online systems failure.