A staffer to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has lost her job after using social media to accuse her boyfriend, NSW Innovation Minister Matt Kean, of infidelity.
Caitlin Keage, a media adviser in the Prime Minister's office, used Instagram to share screenshots of Mr Kean's explicit texts with state MP Eleni Petinos.
The screenshots appeared to show an intimate relationship between Mr Kean and Ms Petinos, with the minister telling the MP that he was "tempted to drive down and see you".

Uber, Airtasker and other parts of the so called gig economy are driving down wages and will keep doing it until the government intervenes, nine of Australia’s most eminent economists have warned.
The responses in the latest poll conducted by Monash University and the Economic Society of Australia express concern at a shift in the bargaining power of workers in industries, such as driving and home maintenance, affected by the arrival of online platforms.

Paul Keating called him a "Labor rat" who should be "excommunicated". Mark Latham called him a "sell out". Julia Gillard called him her "closest confidant". A member of Bill Shorten's frontbench calls him brother.
You can call him the most powerful union boss in the country.
As national secretary of the CFMMEU - notice that extra "M", for maritime - Michael O'Connor will be head of a union with unprecedented scope and power. And he's proven, time and again, that he's not scared to wield power.

The Turnbull government has warned a merger of the militant construction and maritime unions will inflict "chaos" on Australian industry, claiming the 144,000 member-strong group will have unprecedented power over the economy and the financial firepower to shrug off fines for lawbreaking.
The three-way merger was approved by the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday and will have significant implications for Labor factional politics, employer groups and the union movement at a time of declining membership.

Bill Shorten has doubled down on his opposition to Adani's Carmichael coal mine despite a spike in internal criticism over his handling of the issue, with some Labor colleagues saying the Opposition Leader has isolated himself by suddenly hardening his view against the project in recent days.
But Mr Shorten, while reiterating his personal opposition to the controversial Queensland mine on Tuesday, has emphasised that a Labor government would not "rip up the contracts and the approvals" finalised by a previous government because of sovereign risk concerns, a statement that was welcomed by the Indian conglomerate.
"I don't support it because it doesn't add up commercially and environmentally," the Opposition Leader said, pointing to commercial shortcomings such as the company's repeated failure to meet deadlines and attract financing.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham has rejected calls for the criminalisation of so-called hazing rituals at university colleges, arguing current laws - if enforced - are adequate to keep students safe.
But in his strongest remarks on the subject to date, he rebuked the major universities for "clearly" failing to address the problem of assault and harassment quickly enough, and agreed universities should sever ties to scandal-plagued colleges if they don't get their act together.

Labor is vowing to put more women into senior public positions and deliver “measurable action” on pay equity, signalling it is open to setting pay targets in government and changing the workplace relations system if needed to get results.
Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek will outline the new targets today in an ambitious gender equality strategy which repudiates critics who claim that targets and quotas do not work.
A key part of the new policy document, seen by Fairfax Media, makes it clear that gender equality will help guide all Labor appointments to the judiciary, government boards and the senior ranks of the public service.

Australia’s landmark maritime treaty with East Timor is expected to make major concessions to the tiny nation to demonstrate Canberra’s commitment to the law of the sea, amid rising concerns over China bucking the rules in pursuit of its own territorial claims.
After 15 years in which successive Australian governments have implacably stuck to their claim over most of the natural gas-rich seas, Australia is understood to be eyeing a more strategic picture in 2018 in which a shared commitment to rules is the best hope of heading off tensions.

An internal review has found a confidential allegation of sexual misconduct against Barnaby Joyce was compromised by political interference, leading to the complainant's identity being exposed and denying the former deputy prime minister a fair hearing.
The secret review by WA Nationals state director Simon Glossop questioned the conduct of state MPs who had "regular" communication with Catherine Marriott, the woman who lodged a complaint with the Nationals about Mr Joyce's behaviour outside a beef industry event at Canberra's Kurrajong Hotel in 2016.
The WA Nationals instigated an investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations, which are denied by Mr Joyce. The existence of the investigation and Ms Marriott's identity were soon exposed in media reports.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has ordered the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman to investigate health fund Bupa for its decision to overhaul its medical gap scheme, which doctors have blasted as "one big leap towards US-style managed care".
Bupa, one of Australia's biggest health insurers, told doctors that insured patients will only be eligible for gap cover if they are treated at a Bupa-contracted hospital or day-stay facility. It will come into effect in August.
Bupa said this only affected doctors in public hospitals and four per cent of beds in the private system, but the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has warned the change was a harbinger of US-style managed care.

Minister for Women Kelly O'Dwyer has warned the "me too" movement could "silence the very women it wants to help".
In her first significant speech since taking on the portfolio, Ms O'Dwyer said the global movement - which began with sexual assault allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and generated investigations into several high-profile Australians - had successfully sent a message on the need to end harassment.
"But as the 'me too' movement continues to sweep the world, we need to think about the implications - both good and bad - that come with the airing of allegations in a public forum," she said in a speech ahead of International Women's Day on Thursday.

The Turnbull government and employer groups have failed in an attempt to derail the merger of the militant national construction and maritime unions into a new super union.
The National Secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, Michael O’Connor, welcomed the decision of the Fair Work Commission to approve the controversial merger of the CFMEU, MUA and the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia.

An obscure government agency plans to indirectly support Adani’s controversial mega-coal mine by financing a business that will supply the project, it has emerged.
The Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, which provides loans to exporters, is also considering inquiries from other Adani suppliers, and held discussions with Adani representatives as recently as last month.

Facebook and Twitter will be warned to act on “trolls” who try to shame women who lodge sexual harassment claims in a federal government move to prevent the social media platforms making a traumatic experience worse.
The Minister for Women, Kelly O’Dwyer, has written to the two biggest social media companies and others in a bid to lift their standards in handling posts that turn private complaints into public disputes.
A key concern is the power of social media users to target those who lodge complaints, denying them natural justice and discouraging others from coming forward.