Michael McCormack is the new National party leader and Australia’s deputy prime minister, replacing Barnaby Joyce. He is from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales’ Riverina region, and first entered parliament in 2010. From a homophobic editorial to his role in the bungled census of 2016, here are a few things you should know about the new Nationals leader

In an effort to fight an invasive fish species in Australia, the government is planning on releasing the herpes virus into its waterways, hoping it will wipe out the common carp. However, several scientists are questioning this method saying the species-specific virus may not be effective against the fish and also poses a serious risk to global food security. Australia has long been trying to control …

There have been 1,607 mass shootings in the United States since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut — none of which have been met with successful gun control legislation from the US Congress. Many activists pushing for gun control have looked to Australia as a model, which banned assault-style weapons after the deadly Port Arthur massacre in the mid-1990s. And this …

“We’re not going to give you a lecture [on gun control] from the other side of the world,” says Joe Hockey, Australian ambassador to the U.S. Australia has strict gun laws, enacted after a 1996 mass shooting that killed 35 people. Hockey says it’s a “tough issue” and pointed to the U.S.’ constitutional right to bear arms. The United States …

Former United States president Barack Obama will visit Australia next month as part of a trip that will also see him speak in New Zealand. The New Zealand United States Council announced on Sunday it would host Mr Obama at speaking events in Auckland and Sydney on March 22 and March 23 respectively. “President Obama’s presidency had an extraordinary impact …

While the world watches, our prime minister is failing to take his task seriously. It’s time to reopen the dialogue on Uluru n recent years, Australian politics has degenerated from comedy (Tony Abbott grovelling to the Duke of Edinburgh) to tragedy (Malcolm Turnbull grovelling to Peter Dutton) and now farce (with Barnaby Joyce … well, just being Barnaby Joyce). The …

Malcolm Turnbull ordered the head of his department to investigate Barnaby Joyce over possible breaches of the ministerial code of conduct, nine days into the growing scandal over his affair with a staffer, despite publicly resisting a probe. After saying an external probe into the growing controversy around Mr Joyce’s affair with former staffer Vikki Campion was unnecessary, Mr Turnbull …

Malcolm Turnbull has invited ­Donald Trump to visit Australia as early as this year after a groundbreaking visit to Washington in which the two leaders committed to stronger action against North Korea and the need for robust US military engagement in the Asia Pacific. During talks in the White House at the weekend, the Prime Minister ­extended an informal invitation …

Malcolm Turnbull was having evening drinks in Washington when he read the news that Barnaby Joyce was about to quit. The Prime Minister was shown a mobile phone with the news from Canberra, reported by The Australian Financial Review, almost two hours before his deputy made it official. There was no phone call from Joyce to deliver the news to …

President Trump’s combative phone call with Australia’s prime minister over a refugee agreement has set off a political storm in that country, one that threatens to weaken support for a seven-decade alliance with the United States just as many Australians say they want closer ties with China. Enthusiasm for the alliance in Australia, one of America’s closest partners, which hosts …