Australia's system of dividing Goods and Services Tax revenue between the states is broken "beyond comprehension by the public, and poorly understood by most within government", the Productivity Commission has declared in a landmark report.

The Turnbull government is hinting that the rapidly declining cost of renewable energy is undermining the case for further clean-energy subsidies, as it maintains it will make a decision on a clean energy target in coming months.

A breakthrough leukaemia and lymphoma drug that normally costs $187,000 per treatment will become easily affordable under a new government subsidy.

A Labor government would overhaul National Energy Market rules to better serve consumers and relax renewable energy investment thresholds to get more capital flowing into electricity storage projects.

Tony Burke says the government must resume processing applicants as normal if the bill is defeated.

States that fail to fully develop their gas and mineral reserves will come under further pressure.

Nick Xenophon will continue to have his say on federal legislation and could even take an active role in negotiations in Canberra despite quitting the Senate to run for a South Australian seat.

Michael Danby is making no apologies for his taxpayer-funded ads attacking an ABC reporter but says he won't be running any more of them.

Less than half an hour after the Las Vegas shooting started, DFAT received its first call from a concerned relative in Canberra.

The poll found 68 per cent of Australians opposed a possible $1 billion loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund.

A candidate for Nick Xenophon's SA-Best party has been fired after the discovery of controversial photos he posted on his Facebook page in 2015.

Anton Block, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the Labor MP had been targeted because he supports Israel.

Lawyers have sounded the alarm bells over an agreement allowing children as young as 10 to be held without charge for up to two weeks on suspicion of terrorism offences.

• EXCLUSIVE

Attorney-General George Brandis says the 'no' campaign was wrong to predict the laws would inhibit freedom of speech.

"But don't throw away those bomb-shelter plans just yet – we aren't going to have a national defence system anytime soon."

The alleged suicide of a refugee in a Manus Island hospital raises serious concerns about the health system that awaits refugees.

Dual citizen politicians who "honestly swear" they didn't know they held foreign citizenship should not be ruled ineligible to sit in Parliament, Attorney-General George Brandis has told the High Court.

The competition watchdog will demand ESSO and BHP Billiton explain in more detail why gas supplies from its secretive Bass Strait joint venture will decline sharply next year.

Buried inside the National Firearms Agreement signed days after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre is a measure that is enriching and emboldening Australia's gun lobbyists.

One of Australia's biggest political donors has been accused of engaging in clandestine activities to "advance the interests of the People's Republic of China".

It is the report that can end a parliamentary career – revealing how much federal MPs have splurged on travel, charter flights, office facilities and other work expenses.

Nick Xenophon will quit the Senate to run for the state seat of Hartley.

The head of the French firm helping to build Australia's $50 billion fleet of new submarines has admitted it faces a significant battle to find a qualified and experienced local workforce.

• SKETCH

"The tables have Turn-bulled, now it's Shorten's house".

The Turnbull government has called a Labor proposal to ban the cladding responsible for London's deadly Grenfell Tower fire "ignorant," putting it at odds with the Property Council of Australia and the recommendations of a Labor chaired Senate inquiry.

Low wage growth, higher electricity and gas bills and out-of-cycle mortgage rate increases have been blamed for a slump in consumer spending in July and August - the worst since 2010.

• EXCLUSIVE

One of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's closest political allies, Arthur Sinodinos, has revealed he is fighting cancer.

• ANALYSIS

The decision by COAG required no courage at all. That does not make it wrong per se. But it should prompt concerns.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has defied pressure from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to embrace controversial gas exploration, saying her state is "not budging".