Andrew Robb

Parental leave furore: Tony Abbott's Liberal Party colleagues question the economic viability of his policy to give mothers six months' paid leave.

Party room to ask hard questions on leave scheme

Michael Gordon and Daniel Hurst Tony Abbott will be asked to defend, discard or modify his promised generous paid parental leave scheme in the Coalition party room next week, amid growing internal concerns that it is no longer...

Cost of gender gap put at $195b

Adele Ferguson Australia is missing out on $195 billion or 13 per cent of GDP by failing to close the workforce gender gap, says the chief economist at Goldman Sachs, Tim Toohey.

Gender gap costs country $195b, says economist

Adele Ferguson Australia is missing out on $195 billion or 13 per cent of gross domestic product by failing to close the gender gap, chief economist at Goldman Sachs Tim Toohey said.

Surplus is gone, economists say

Ross Peake The Gillard government will not achieve its much-hyped budget surplus this financial year, according to a withering analysis to be published on Monday by Canberra's respected Deloitte Access...

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Abbott lays down law to his MPs after feud

Phillip Coorey THE federal Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, has told his MPs to behave like adults and to not take victory for granted after a week of ill discipline caused by an internal fight over foreign...

Coalition vows it will wield razor to find disability funds

Phillip Coorey THE federal Coalition says it will find the $8 billion-a-year extra needed to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme by slashing spending, while Labor says it wants the states to contribute.

Robb commits to disability scheme

Chris Johnson A Coalition government would go ahead with Labor's National Disability Insurance Scheme and deliver it on schedule, according to shadow finance minister Andrew Robb.

Ministers giving grants to own electorates

David Wroe THE Auditor-General has found 110 instances of federal ministers approving grants in their own electorates, including 33 that were not properly reported to the Finance Department.

Liberal doubts aired at crash through tactics

Lenore Taylor Tony Abbott's last party room meeting before his MPs and senators headed home for Christmas should have been a happy event, with the polls showing the Coalition would win an election in a landslide.

Abbott slaps down dissenter

Michelle Grattan Opposition leader Tony Abbott has pointedly put down Victorian Liberal MP Kelly O'Dwyer after she questioned his controversial decision to keep Labor's higher superannuation guarantee if a Coalition...

Abbott victim of friendly fire as Liberals criticise Coalition leadership

Phillip Coorey TONY ABBOTT is under fire from his own party, as unhappy Liberal MPs take him to task over the behaviour of the Nationals and the decision of the Coalition leadership to support an increase to...

Coalition divisions widen on superannuation

Stephanie Peatling THE Opposition's finance spokesman, Andrew Robb, has contradicted Tony Abbott over the Coalition's superannuation policy saying it could not be maintained unless budget cuts were found to support it.

State won't commit to social sector pay increase

Phillip Coorey THE 150,000 community sector workers in line for a long-awaited pay rise will have it staggered to ensure the federal government can meet its promise to return the budget to surplus while at the same...

Coalition divided over promise to keep super increase

Phillip Coorey A DEEP split has opened in the federal Coalition over the decision to oppose the mining tax but keep the billions of dollars in superannuation increases it will help fund.

High risk of fraud for energy scheme: adviser

David Wroe AN ADVISER on the government's $10 billion clean energy fund has acknowledged there will be ''dodgy people'' trying to win green business financing from taxpayers, after the US launched a review of...

It's time for a rethink on free trade, says PM

Phillip Coorey JULIA GILLARD has declared that the decade-old push for global free trade has failed and unless a new, more realistic approach is adopted, the world could lurch back towards protectionism - and...

'One-morning wonder': Albanese dismisses backbencher's threat to quit

A Labor cabinet minister has dismissed as a "one-morning wonder" a government backbencher's threat to quit politics if Julia Gillard is toppled as prime minister.

Costello's budget the target for Coalition

Lenore Taylor THE Coalition would have to slice twice as much from federal spending as Peter Costello did in his tough 1996 budget to find $70 billion in cuts over the first four years of a conservative government.

Liberals look for rival to Thomson

Phillip Coorey THE Liberal Party is seeking a preselection candidate for the federal seat of Dobell as it tries to force out the Labor member, Craig Thomson, and spark a byelection.