Shopping strips are the most litter-strewn parts of the nation and the amount of rubbish dumped on beaches has spiked, suggesting decades of anti-littering campaigns have failed to teach some Australians to 'Do the right thing'.

The TPP risks falling into a complex "noodle bowl" of trade agreements unless Australia's bilaterals with eight of the countries are torn up, a leading business lobby group says, pouring cold water on the economic promise of the scheme amid calls for a full Productivity Commission review of its merits.

Labor has warned that "politicising" the African crime debate in Victoria could damage future opportunities for Australia in fast-growing African economies, particularly in mining.

The crowd, who politely ate packed lunches as they listened to the speakers, were far too genteel for booing and hissing.

The Turnbull government has opted out of an international pact to protect three species of threatened sharks, drawing accusations that it was undermining global conservation efforts.

• EXCLUSIVE

Labor frontbencher Mark Butler is considering running for a second term as ALP president, after his scathing attack on the party's factional warlords further galvanised his support among members who want internal reform. 

Nick Xenophon's influence in the Senate is under increasing threat after the federal government backed a defector's bid to seize one of his party's seats.

Australian businesses will be the "big winners" when the revived trans-Pacific partnership trade deal involving 11 countries is signed off in six weeks time, Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said after senior trade officials in Japan struck a breakthrough to revive the mega pact.

• EXCLUSIVE

Greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector would be reduced at twice the rate proposed by the Turnbull government under a radical new plan outlined by the Australian Energy Market Operator.

The Turnbull government is at loggerheads over the plug-in vehicle industry.

Health groups have raised alarm about a new bill that, if passed, would see the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) abandon the pre-approval process of advertisements for complementary and alternative medicines, potentially risking lives.

China's $1 trillion "belt and road initiative" that builds transport infrastructure in needy countries is a "game changer" in how it is using money to build political influence across the world, says Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong.

Labor MP Anne Aly has warned that echo chambers of social media pose a growing threat to democracy after Facebook highlighted a false rumour spread about her last year as a notable example of misinformation "corrupting" politics.

A new poll of Australian opinions on Donald Trump has revealed a "surprising" gap between what they think of the United States depending on whether he is mentioned.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his New Zealand counterpart are at odds over whether New Zealand's offer to take 150 refugees from Manus Island and Nauru has driven a rise in people-smuggling operations.

Can you guess where Barnaby's portrait is hanging?

New laws could deter whistleblowers in Australia's spy agencies from speaking out, national watchdog says.

One Nation defector Fraser Anning has sacked his top adviser just two months into his Senate stint, as speculation swirls about his plans to join another party.

A second group of Manus Island refugees – a planeload of 40 men mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan – have left Papua New Guinea bound for the United States under the resettlement deal with Washington.

Did you know that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 5000 people are fleeing their homes every day as communal violence worsens? 

The Turnbull government has officially backed a Tasmanian mayor to replace Jacqui Lambie in the Senate, potentially frustrating Pauline Hanson's plan to seize a fourth seat for One Nation.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has defied Coalition critics on electric cars, vowing the Turnbull government will support the fledgling technology and insisting it is better for the environment than traditional cars.

• EXCLUSIVE

ALP president Mark Butler has lashed out at the "backroom buffoonery" of the party's factional warlords, accusing them of blocking internal reforms and leaving Labor's members with fewer rights than in any comparable movement in the world.

The figure, which is equivalent to nine in every 1000 children in the population or nine in every average sized school, is one of a series of findings in the commissions report on child protection.

A peak American business group has complained Australia's new "foreign influence" laws will deprive its members of freedom of speech, while universities warn US Defence funding will be put at risk.

The former prime minister was on Monday again throwing his support behind keeping the existing date of Australia Day.

"If you get shot, what am I going to say to Janette and the kids?" 

Spend your political capital when you have it – otherwise it will disappear all on its own – and never leave people in any doubt about what you believe in.

The Australian Electoral Commission failed to achieve value for money when it awarded $36 million in contracts last federal election, according to the National Audit Office.