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Andrew Hastie on the backbenches on Wednesday.

Andrew Hastie gets tongues wagging with question time reading material

The Liberal MP pulled out of a prospective leadership battle less than a week ago, but was happy to be seen with a copy of The Art of War on his desk during question time on Wednesday.

  • Natassia Chrysanthos

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: Shadow Minister for Defence Angus Taylor and Shadow Minister for Defence Industry and Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel Melissa Price. Back row: Nationals leader David Littleproud and Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan during Question Time

‘They make the Beckhams look like a happy family’: Jibes fly in parliament

This question time offered something genuinely unusual and extraordinary.

  • Matthew Knott
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen went to Brazil thinking he’d triumph over Turkey, until Anthony Albanese conceded.

Australia beaten by the Turks. Don’t mention the war

Australia has a long history of being defeated by determined Turks. And now, in the age of climate change, it’s happened again.

  • Tony Wright
A Russian diplomat who had been staying at a shed on the site of a proposed Russian Embassy in Canberra leaves in June 2023.

Russian embassy loses its land, its cool and all sense of irony

The Russian Federation has finally lost the land on which it was planning to build a new embassy in Canberra. The Australian government feared the embassy would be a nest of spies.

  • Tony Wright
Katter has served as the member for Kennedy (earlier named Flinders) for 50 years.

Katt and the hat: Portrait celebrates Katter’s 50 years – from Joh to Albo

Early rumours that Katter would attend the event in his inflatable pig suit were dashed, but the veteran MP still provided colour.

  • Michelle Griffin
Barnaby Joyce spent the day demanding the Nationals take an absolutism take on net zero and refusing to provide any clarity in return.

Schrodinger’s politician: Barnaby Joyce is precisely where he wants to be

The former Nationals leader spent all day refusing to say whether he’d stick with the Nationals, even if they bowed to his demands on net zero, and what he’d do if they didn’t.

  • Nick Bonyhady
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The awkwardness of the interaction was immediately apparent to everybody but Trump, who did not realise that Rudd was sitting across the table from him.

Forget AUKUS - this was the Kevin Rudd mortification show

After all the toadying needed to get an Australian PM into the White House, something always goes wonderfully awry.

  • Tony Wright
Mel Gibson

Mad Max comes to Canberra. Couldn’t happen. Could it?

Vague, unsubstantiated scuttlebutt suggests Mel Gibson could be appointed as the US ambassador to Australia. Sounds absurd – except this is the second Trump administration.

  • Tony Wright
Opposition Leader Brad Battin yells at the Speaker.

‘You want to silence the opposition!’ Brad Battin finally gets booted

Battin? ... Battin? ... Battin? The opposition leader was forced to take the rest of the day off after being suspended from parliament for yelling at the Speaker.

  • Rachel Eddie
Sam Rae has been a young man in a hurry

Labor’s new backroom man comes out of the shadows. The sunlight is very bright

Factional head kicker Sam Rae had a rapid ascent to the ministry. Now he’s being relentlessly targeted by the opposition and his boss has stepped in to compromise.

  • Nick Bonyhady