The promotion of a seventh woman to Cabinet has failed to quell debate about quotas to boost the number of women in the Liberal Party. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he’s committed to boosting female representation in the Liberal Party, as government frontbenchers try to play down debate about introducing quotas. Liberal powerbroker Alex Hawke reignited the debate on Sunday, …

New Matildas coach Ante Milicic has faced the media to name his first squad for the Cup of Nations, saying he was unconcerned about the turmoil that came before his appointment. Milicic announced a 23-player squad for the four-team tournament which begins on February 28. Australia will face Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand in the Cup of Nations, ahead …

Women’s sport, what it represents and some of the perceived inequities involved when comparing it with men’s sport has become a hot discussion point over the last couple of years. But it is important to stop for a moment, put all of that aside and recognise what has been an exceptional period. If some of the recent statistics around TV …

Australian coal producers have suffered another savage hit, with Chinese authorities placing an indefinite ban on imports ahead of a strict new regime of quotas. The Reuters news agency reported customs officers based at the key northern port of Dalian stopped Australian coal imports and would move to cap imports through their harbours at 12 million tonnes a year. The …

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has announced she will retire from federal politics, in a surprise statement after Question Time. Ms Bishop has been on the backbench since the leadership spill last year. She has held the Perth electorate of Curtin since 1998 and was Australia’s first female foreign minister. The Liberal luminary had said she would contest the 2019 …

The future of the Coalition’s hold on power is at risk with the Federal Government becoming the first to lose a vote on its own legislation in almost 80 years. The majority of the crossbench and Labor joined forces in the House of Representatives to pass amendments to give doctors a greater say on refugee medical evacuations. But Prime Minister …

Officials have signed off on an agreement for the construction of the Australian Navy’s $50 billion project to deliver a fleet of new submarines. After several years of negotiations, officials have signed an agreement for the construction of the Australian Navy’s fleet of new submarines. On Monday the federal government announced the signing of the Attack class submarine Strategic Partnering …

Australian footballer Hakeem al-Araibi will return to Australia within the next 24 hours, after an extradition case against him in Thailand was dropped. The director-general of international affairs for the Thai Government confirmed to the ABC that the Attorney-General requested the case for Mr al-Araibi’s extradition to Bahrain be dropped. About 9:00pm AEDT on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed …

A Chinese billionaire who has been prevented from returning to Australia has asked political parties to return the millions of dollars in donations he’s made. Huang Xiangmo quickly rose to become a leading pro-China lobbyist, courting politicians and donating at least $2 million to Australian political parties directly and through his companies. But a decision from the Home Affairs Department to …

As Hakeem Al-Arabi’s teammates at Pascoe Vale Football Club in Melbourne prepare to start a new season, their star defender is about to mark two-and-a-half months in a Bangkok jail. The Bahraini refugee and Australian permanent resident was arrested in November last year, on an invalid Interpol red notice from the country he fled as he entered Thailand for his …