Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wanted to talk about Bill Shorten and why a Labor government would not be worthy of votes and trust, but the the Liberal National Party faithful at the annual state convention in Brisbane had other priorities. While Mr Turnbull set out to paint the Liberals as the party of aspiration, compared with Labor’s “party of grievance”, …

Venezuelan security forces have carried out hundreds of arbitrary killings under the guise of fighting crime, the UN’s human rights body says. In a report, it cites “shocking” accounts of young men being killed during operations, often in poor districts, over the past three years. The UN’s human rights chief said no-one was being held to account, suggesting the rule …

In recent months, Australia has been struggling with a vexing issue – how to stand up for its values and deal with China’s increasing influence. Australia has been moving to address the issue on various levels, from its politics to its economy and its universities. But hand-in-hand comes another question: how can this be done – and discussed – without …

The New South Wales Government has put off tackling the thorny issue of forcing priests to reveal abuse they learn about in the confessional, despite the Commonwealth saying it is largely a state responsibility. The NSW Government has unveiled its formal response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, accepting 336 of the recommendations. The Government …

US Defence Secretary James Mattis has raised the prospect of additional American steps against China if its “militarisation” of the South China Sea keeps apace. Mr Mattis said Beijing was intimidating and coercing others in the region by putting weapons systems on manmade islands. US President Donald Trump, backing the remarks by his Pentagon chief at an international security forum …

Barnaby Joyce has admitted he knew when his partner became pregnant in mid-2017 that he would lose his job as deputy prime minister. But he went on to fight a by-election without revealing his personal situation. Mr Joyce and his former media adviser, Vikki Campion, revealed the timeline in a paid interview with Channel Seven. Ms Campion told the program …

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has lashed out at another UN human rights expert for making critical remarks about his supposed role in the expulsion of the chief justice, telling him to “go to hell”. Mr Duterte dismissed the remarks of Diego Garcia-Sayan and told him not to meddle in domestic problems. Mr Duterte was replying to a reporter’s question before …

US President Donald Trump’s lawyers have composed a secret 20-page letter to special counsel Robert Mueller to assert that Mr Trump cannot be forced to testify in the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The letter also argues that Mr Trump could not have committed obstruction because he has absolute authority over all federal investigations. The existence of …

Financial institutions ANZ, Deutsche Bank and Citigroup will be prosecuted on criminal cartel charges, Australia’s consumer watchdog says. The allegations concern arrangements for the sale of A$2.5bn (£1.4bn; $1.9bn) worth of ANZ shares in 2015. The three banks said they would fight the charges. ANZ said it would also defend allegations against an employee. Australia’s scandal-plagued financial sector is at …

China’s Foreign Minister has told Julie Bishop that Australia needs to remove its “tinted glasses” and “translate its words into concrete actions” to improve ties after tensions over Beijing’s anger with recent political moves by Canberra. The terse remarks followed a meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Ms Bishop on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ conference in …