Our national impoverishment, at the hands of poor-quality leaders, knows no bounds.

Today Mr Hockey said the Coalition risked repeating the mistakes made by the Labor caucus under the previous government.

The impasse has caused great uncertainty for students who have just received university offers for 2015. While their fees are locked in for the current year, students will not know the fee scale for following years of their degrees. So far, only two universities have released fee estimates in the event the legislation passes the Senate.

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Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Mr Abbott said he stood by the decision but accepted that some people disagreed with the appointment.

"I accept it's been a contentious decision, I absolutely accept that. I absolutely respect people's rights to disagree with my call on this," he said.

US technology giant Apple has reported the biggest quarterly profit ever made by a public company.

Some of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's most senior colleagues are bewildered, angered and dismayed by his decision to award an Australian knighthood to Prince Philip.

Prince Philip and former Defence Force chief Angus Houston were named Australia's newest knights today, under an honours system reinstated by Mr Abbott last year.

It's about 120 years since the birth of a lot of technological advancement in the history of humanity. There had been some mighty science development before this time but it was quite limited in its application. 120 years ago, the invention of the steam engine and that of the combustion engine were supplemented by the broad usage of electricity. 

As well, about 120 years ago, the new science of "climate change" was first being studied with proper mathematical models.

On his show this morning Jones acknowledged he had received the statement of claim.

"Stick with me, Abbott pleads" is the headline of the Sydney Morning Herald on this glorious global warming day of the 23rd of January in the godly graceful year of 2015...

It's barely 8:30 (summer time) in the morning and the temperature is already above long-term MAXIMUM average. With the BoM, and the various news outlet, it's hard to know. The SMH posts 27 on its mast head, with a maximum of 28 — the ABC posts 25.9 with a maximum of 30, while the weather chart of the SMH shows it's 25.3 with a maximum of 29...