Penny Wong and gay partner expecting baby

Federal Finance Minister Penny Wong and her gay partner are having a baby.

Treasurer has resisted the temptation to buy votes

Wayne Swan has delivered a face-saving, legacy-building budget that makes hard decisions to fund Labor's visions and goes a long way towards improving government finances over the medium term.

Business fears poor revenue outlook will hit tax breaks

Tim Colebatch A sharp slump in revenue has left the federal budget looking at a potential shortfall of $17.5 billion, raising fears in business circles that the Gillard government will shut down a range of...

Nile demands straight talk on gay union poll

Heath Aston, Dan Harrison Christian groups calling for referendum on gay marriage say Australians will reject change to the status quo.

Gillard in turmoil

Mark Kenny and Jessica Wright Julia Gillard's extended election campaign has suffered another damaging blow with the shock resignation of two of Labor’s most senior Cabinet ministers, the Attorney-General Nicola Roxon and the...

Roxon to bring in laws for gender bias

Dan Harrison DISCRIMINATION on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity would be outlawed nationally under a proposed overhaul of federal discrimination laws to be unveiled on Tuesday.

Mining tax unsustainable, says Oakeshott

Phillip Coorey The federal independent MP Rob Oakeshott has declared the mining tax "unsustainable" and said unless the federal and state governments sort out the dispute over royalties, the tax must be brought...

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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Kelly a champion of women on boards

Stephanie Peatling Westpac boss Gail Kelly, Telstra chairwoman Catherine Livingstone and businessman David Gonski will be announced today as ''champions'' for increasing the number of women on boards by the federal...

Universities angry over $1b in cuts

Bianca Hall Universities are in uproar over yesterday's mid-year budget cuts of more than $1 billion to the sector.

Extra public service recruits in Swan's revision

Markus Mannheim The federal government has offered the bureaucracy a slight reprieve from its austerity drive, funding an extra 1300 full-time jobs this financial year.

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Inside the Rudd hit

Maxine McKew It was one of the most brutal coups in Australian political history and Julia Gillard was at its heart.

PM silent on McKew's claims of disloyalty

Chris Johnson Prime Minister Julia Gillard is refusing to buy into the debate about the removal of her predecessor but Kevin Rudd wants those involved in the 2010 coup against him to come clean about the roles...

SA ticket clouding the 'vision thing'

Ross Peake Julia Gillard is riding a new wave of confidence that her camp fervently hopes she can hang on to, right through to the next election.

Labor seeks end to 'gender war'

Labor appears to have eased back on the so-called gender wars with Finance Minister Penny Wong calms for calm.

Gay marriage bill defeated

Advocates will shift their focus to legalising same sex marriage at the state level, after Federal MPs yesterday voted down a bill which would have allowed gay couples to marry.

Same-sex debate now shifts to states

Dan Harrison ADVOCATES for legalising same-sex marriage will shift their focus to the state level, after federal MPs yesterday defeated a bill that would have allowed gay couples to marry.

Seniors group disputes hoarding claims

Peter Martin Older Australians hoard thousands of dollars in cash to pay for their funerals, but they don't do it to get the pension, says Seniors Australia, which has labelled the suggestion seniors use cash to...

Show us the evidence, says offended seniors group of fraud claim

Peter Martin, Henrietta Cook OLDER people hoard thousands of dollars in cash to pay for their funerals, but they do not do so to get the pension, says Seniors Australia, which has labelled the suggestion they use cash to defraud...