It's been 110 years since legislation passed granting non-Aboriginal women the right to vote in federal elections. Every now and again, it's worthwhile returning to some of the comments made in the upper and lower houses during that vote to consider gender equality progress.

Yesterday, Australian Christian Lobby boss Jim Wallace told an audience debating gay marriage that taking up smoking was a comparatively better lifestyle choice than engaging in the salacious activity associated with same-s-x marriage. Was he right?

The past isn’t what it used to be. Once upon a time, digging up old stories about leaders -- business or political -- was a difficult, slow, painstaking job. But this digital world is different. If you think you have closed the lid on a long-distant problem and nailed it shut, think again.

David Gonski has only been chairman of the Future Fund for three months but already he's hit real trouble with the fund's surprising determination to invest in tobacco. The value of the fund's tobacco holdings in 12 different cigarette companies is $210 million -- up 40% on a year earlier.

Christine Milne's ascension to one of the most powerful positions in Australian politics -- controlling the balance of power in the Senate -- saw the Greens senator described as a hardliner and uncompromising.

The Victorian Labor Party agreed to lobby for the interests of the African community in exchange for vital preferences that will help its candidate beat the Greens in tomorrow’s state byelection, the candidate has claimed.

Political events in Britain are providing a strange mirror image of the spectacle of Labor and the Greens ripping their own governing alliance to shreds.

The ALP suits crammed into the function room of Lygon Street’s legendary La Notte restaurant last Thursday to celebrate the first meeting of the Victorian party’s new think tank ‘Progressive Network’ were restless.

The Labor Right's attack on the Greens misses the point that disgruntled ex-Labor voters are only a part of the Greens' electoral support. Labor can look to the Democrats for that.

Thanks to the Greens' position on asylum seekers and a high carbon price, Tony Abbott is set to cruise into government with a large margin and a mandate to repeal the carbon tax.

Julian Assange's request for asylum in Ecuador has been strengthened by a letter from Greens Senator Scott Ludlam supporting his case that he has been effectively abandoned by the Australian government.

Time, popularity, history and a dearth of pythons: these are the reasons why Tony Abbott will backtrack on his blood oath to repeal the carbon tax if he ascends to the prime ministership.

Pyne and Abbott fight it out for the Lower House sprint, Julian Assange will learn his extradition fate tonight and XXXX Gold's hard-earned first.

SBS has today revealed the line-up for its second series of the hit documentary Go Back To Where You Came From, with former Howard defence minister Peter Reith confirmed to join five other well-known Australians for the reality show.

Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon and her media adviser ghost-wrote a controversial article attacking her own party for accepting a $1.68 million donation from internet entrepreneur Graeme Wood.

Trade unions have never been so irrelevant to Australians, and yet union leaders have incredible clout when it comes to political and economic life.

The Tasmanian Greens have chosen winemaker, academic and former investment banker Peter Whish-Wilson to replace Bob Brown in the Senate.

Support from Alan Jones, Barnaby Joyce and Michael Korger wasn't enough to save Tony Abbott's chief Senate whip, Helen Kroger, from being demoted on the Liberals' Victorian Senate ticket.

Political power in Canberra has become harder than ever to effectively use, so who's got the skills, popularity and support to wield it best? We're currently counting down the Top 10 most powerful and influential people in Canberra. Here, Bernard Keane presents the shortlist.

He's the states' rights champion who (unsuccessfully) challenged Kevin Rudd's stimulus package in the High Court. Now, legal academic and ex-National Party officer Bryan Pape is the man behind the latest bid to have the carbon tax deemed unconstitutional.