While Whitehaven Coal and the NSW Government continue to trash the nation, former Wallabies captain David Pocock has made a principled stand — to the fury of rugby officialdom.

This year is in the running to be the hottest globally and for the UK since records began, early estimates show.

Tony Abbott’s claim that no one would get a better rate than defence workers appears to be disputed at Senate estimates hearing.

Some public servants are getting a bigger pay rise than defence personnel, despite Tony Abbott’s assurances to the contrary.

Who could have predicted what a hash a Coalition government would make of its first budget? If Joe Hockey wants to lift his game in 2015, as we must hope he will, there are lessons the government - and its bureaucratic advisers - need to learn.

If Denis Napthine had an extra $20 billion to spend he might have fared a little better over the weekend in the Victorian election. That's the size of the war-chest mooted by the NSW Liberal government as they head to the polls early next year, pledging to privatise the state's electricity networks.

The Federal Government has announced backdowns on its university overhaul and defence force pay, after what Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described as a "ragged week" for his government.

In a wide-ranging press conference this morning, Mr Abbott said he wanted to address "head on" some of the recent criticism of his government.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says nuclear energy remains an option for Australia, describing it as an "obvious direction" as it considers how to cut carbon dioxide emissions after 2020.

Ms Bishop called for a an open discussion about the feasibility of nuclear power, given Australia's abundance of uranium, but accused Labor of resorting to a scare campaign when the issue was raised during the Howard government years.

Jobs are being reclassified onto lower bands on lower wages. The new jobs, which are about bringing in digital skills, are in lower bands than the journalists that are being let go, aren't they?

The week didn't start well for federal MP Clive Palmer and it's ended badly too with a family home suffering a partially collapsed roof in Brisbane's wild storm.

"If you dress police officers up as soldiers and you put them in military vehicles and you give them military weapons, they adopt a warrior mentality. We fight wars against enemies, and the enemies are the people who live in our cities—particularly in communities of colour." —Thomas Nolan, criminology professor and former police officer

The entire Australian political establishment seized on the tragic deaths of 298 people in the crash of MH17 in Ukraine to ratchet up the escalating US led provocations against Russia.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has accused the Opposition of sabotaging sensible reform after the Government abandoned its planned GP co-payment.

The $7 co-payment was one of the Coalition's key budget measures, but the Government has walked away from its proposal, knowing it did not have enough support in the Senate.

The power to provoke, stir, enlighten, amuse or simply provide a different perspective in a single picture is unique to cartoonists, who have a range of weapons photographers do not.

But the editor of a collection of the top Australian political cartoons for 2014 has warned the art form's influence is facing an inevitable decline.