Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says a coalition government will make savings to allow households to keep their promised tax cuts.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says the senior staffer in a drunken brain snap won’t be out of the cold forever because of one unprofessional lapse. The staffer, Dr Mark Roberts, was overheard threatening to ‘cut the throat’ of funding of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation to its chief Andrew Penfold when the coalition won government.

Labor’s signature national disability care program will get $14.3 billion in new money to ensure it will be fully up and running on time.

Treasurer Wayne Swan’s federal budget has mapped a path to surplus that has required some cuts that could anger families and business.

Centre-left political group The Lamington Party has said that it will be a “close shave” in their goal to register with the Australian Electoral Commission before September’s federal election, with the organisation’s leadership hopeful that they will obtain the 500 members necessary to qualify as a registered political party. The party have recently released their policy platform, with a focus on health care, and tackling problem gambling.

Katter’s Australian Party is facing a leadership restructuring after the shock resignation of the party’s national director Aidan McLindon earlier today.

The federal government is taking advantage of internal coalition criticism of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s generous parental leave plan.

The influx of recently established political parties in the 2013 Australian election season has continued with the formation of the Lamington Party, a fledgling group dedicated to promoting equality, sustainability and innovation.

The Medicare levy will be raised by half a per cent to two per cent to cover part of the cost of the national disability insurance scheme.

Supporters of embattled federal MP Craig Thomson have set up a web page to raise money for his legal bills.

OPINION | The rise of the minor party in Australian politics should not be seen as an unnecessary aberration, or a trivial moment in the country’s democratic development. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity to reform a stagnating electoral system.

The fledgling political party launched last week by mining magnate Clive Palmer has announced its first parliamentary representatives, with former Queensland LNP members Alex Douglas and Carl Judge telling state parliament today that they had signed on with the United Australia Party.

The federal government is expected to raise taxes and charges in the May budget as the company tax take slides and public demand for services rises.

Mining magnate Clive Palmer has declared his intentions to challenge Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott for the position of Australian Prime Minister, with the billionaire launching his campaign for federal parliament earlier today with the launch of the newly formed United Australia Party.

South Australia will transition to the full national disability insurance scheme, covering all people with a disability by mid-2019.

The Gillard government will go head-to-head with Queensland law-makers over changes to the royal succession, with the Newman government refusing to surrender their decision-making powers to the federal government at a Council of Australian Governments meeting later this week.

The latest Fairfax-Nielsen poll has revealed that Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks Party will find it difficult to win elected office at the next federal election unless support for the revolutionary political organisation increases before the September poll.

A coalition government won’t necessarily roll back changes that would lift the tax rate on superannuation earnings of rich Australians, says Tony Abbott says.

All Australians should be required to pay a fee for consular assistance, levied on international airfares or passports, to cover services for those who find themselves needing DFAT’s help overseas, says a new report from the Lowy Institute.