"The fact is that gender and sexuality don't make any difference to a relationship. This is especially clear to me because I've experienced both a heterosexual and a same-sex marriage."

An "entirely unscathed" Mr Abbott has used the incident to decry the "brave new world of same-sex marriage" and cement his claim the "yes" side was responsible for the increasing ugliness of the debate.

EXCLUSIVE: Fairfax Media has confirmed that Mr Brandis has been given detailed intelligence briefings that suggest Chinese Communist Party-affiliated lobbyists and business people have sought to exert influence in local, state and federal governments, and with ex-politicians in Australia.

In a statement, Tasmania Police urged the alleged attacker to turn himself in. They said they contacted the former prime minister after "becoming aware of the claims".

Pauline Hanson told her 200,000 Facebook followers "hand on heart" Roberts was in the clear and it was all just a media witch hunt. She's either wrong or a fool, writes Adam Gartrell

The "no" side have no right to complain they are losing the public debate, they're the ones who asked for it, writes Mark Kenny

A Coalition MP standing next to the PM has been caught dismissing a question about female representation as "f---ed"

One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts may have sent emails attempting to check and renounce his citizenship to email addresses that were shut down more than half a decade earlier.

"I actually know quite a lot about what's good for children and I can tell you this - children are better with people who love them and respect them and I saw some horrific examples of what happened to children in heterosexual relationships, you know, terrible abuse, neglect.

Kids are well off when they're with people who love them and respect them, and as a society we should love and respect them. So when I hear people that say I - and people like me - are not capable of caring for children, that is deeply hurtful, deeply offensive and deeply wrong."

Ms Bishop described Ms Trump as "charming, delightful, very intelligent [and] committed".

The groups - ReachOut, Headspace, Orygen, the Black Dog Institute and Sydney University's Brain and Mind Centre - will launch their #mindthefacts information campaign on Thursday in a bid to cut through the noise and emotion of the divisive postal survey debate with tangible research about the human toll of LGBTIQ discrimination.

Of the arguments against broadening the definition of marriage, Tony Abbott has found the most circular, writes Mark Kenny

A ReachTEL poll has found six out of 10 voters see a strong future for renewables in Australia and only 12 per cent favour extending the life of coal-fired power stations.

They are two communities that often find themselves exposed to vitriol and hate masquerading as respectful debate. Muslims and gays, unlikely bedfellows in some circumstances, know the battle scars of discrimination and prejudice.

On Monday night, in the offices of the AIDS Council of NSW, a campaigning outfit called Muslims for Marriage Equality celebrated its official launch. Its footprint is modest - founder Fahad Ali estimates 250 people have expressed interest in volunteering nationally, and the group has 1500 followers on Facebook - but its goals are somewhat grander: to shirk the conservative cloak that surrounds Islam and show the flock does not necessarily follow the leader.