May 22, 2013 A bleak picture of disadvantage among single parents forced onto Newstart has emerged, with a new Salvation Army report finding the contentious policy has compounded levels of deprivation.

May 22, 2013 Tony Abbott is facing internal pressure from Victorian Liberals to privatise the ABC and SBS if he wins the September 14 election amid claims both organisations are struggling to comply with their charters.

May 22, 2013 Stephen Conroy brokered a deal with the television industry to allow betting companies to continue spruiking live odds during sports broadcasts, despite the growing public backlash against the spread of gambling culture.

May 22, 2013 A virtual war over gay marriage has broken out between key Labor government figures and a powerful Christian lobby group.

May 22, 2013 A war of words over gay marriage has broken out between Labor government figures and a powerful Christian lobby group whose support has long been regarded as necessary to winning elections.

May 22, 2013 Communications Minister Stephen Conroy brokered a deal with the television industry to allow betting companies to continue spruiking live odds during sports broadcasts, despite the growing public backlash against the spread of gambling culture.

May 22, 2013 Self-harm rates among asylum seekers in Australian detention centres has dramatically fallen since September 2011.

May 21, 2013 Self-harm rates among asylum seekers detained in Australian detention centres have dramatically fallen since September 2011.

May 21, 2013 A 170,000 hectare extension of Tasmania's World Heritage Wilderness zone has hit a roadblock, with an international cultural conservation group insisting the area must be studied for indigenous significance before it can be protected.

May 21, 2013 Finance Minister Penny Wong has condemned the Australian Christian Lobby over comments likening children of same-sex couples to the stolen generations, saying the group's "bigotry" has no place in modern Australia.