Tom Crowley

Peter Dutton said the quiet part out loud this week when asked why he was taking so long to release his nuclear costings.

Dozens of bills are set to pass the Senate in an end-of-year flurry of deals across the parliament.

Thirty-two government bills have passed the Senate, with the social media ban the last item of business.

The proposal was one of 36 government bills awaiting its fate on the final sitting day of the parliamentary year.

Labor's Senate leader Penny Wong moved the motion, saying Senator Thorpe's actions had compromised workplace safety in the Senate.

The government proposal is expected to pass through parliament this week with the support of the Coalition.

Sweeping new powers to deport non-citizens are set to pass the parliament after Coalition members of a Senate committee voiced their support.

The federal budget is sliding deeper into the red, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has confirmed, with next month's mid-year budget update to show a larger deficit than had been expected in May.

Party leader Adam Bandt says the Greens had pushed "as hard as they can" for Labor to go further, but would support the bills without amendment.

Labor says its proposal is about getting big money out of politics, but crossbenchers and Clive Palmer say they are shutting out competitors.

The changes will see some future recipients of residential and in-home care pay more for food and accommodation, saving the federal budget $12.6 billion over 11 years.

The federal government's decision to have the fund invest in housing and green energy has ruffled Coalition feathers.

Australia's $230 billion sovereign wealth fund would retain its focus on making a return, and the government has pledged not to draw down on it for eight years.

Minutes from the RBA board's last meeting suggest a rate cut is not assured even if December inflation is low using the Reserve Bank's favoured "underlying" measure, which excludes volatile items.

The government is bracing for the last parliamentary session of the year, and perhaps the term, with dozens of key policies unresolved.

The federal government will require businesses to accept cash as payment for groceries, fuel and other essentials, but will phase out cheques entirely within five years.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refuses to commit to announcing a 2035 target ahead of the election, only promising to do it "sometime next year".

The Albanese government is pushing for the biggest shake-up of funding and disclosure laws in more than a decade.

Championing higher wages is in Labor's DNA, but wage growth may not be able to overcome inflation anger if a rate cut doesn't arrive soon.

The opposition leader said the inflation environment and government spending undermined the affordability of restoring the Coalition's full tax cut for high earners.

State governments will be rewarded if they clear away red tape to unlock more modular homes, under a new federal government fund to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers today.

American elections are ripe for information overload. With dozens of states and thousands of counties, the story of the night can be told and retold in endless ways.

Australia's COVID-19 response frayed after early successes, damaging the public's trust and making it unlikely that lockdowns or other harsh restrictions will be tolerated again, a federal government review has found.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says pokies companies' use of tax credits designed to promote innovation is "problematic".

The polling shows solid support for negative gearing and capital gains tax changes, but stronger support for more supply and first home buyer grants.