Newly minted ambassador to the United States, former treasurer Joe Hockey, has taken the time to publicly defend Australia's climate change efforts after The New York Times published an editorial criticising changes at the CSIRO.

Two weeks ago, the revered American newspaper argued the decision to shift focus from climate change research and monitoring to mitigation and adaption stunned the scientific community and undermined commitments made at the November summit in Paris.

Now what? Did you think that the United States had finally grown up and come to the realization that they could in fact share the same hemisphere as the people of Cuba, accepting Cuban society as unquestioningly as they do that of Canada?

In the 21st century Americans have been distracted by the hyper-expensive “war on terror.” Trillions of dollars have been added to the taxpayers’ burden and many billions of dollars in profits to the military/security complex in order to combat insignificant foreign “threats,” such as the Taliban, that remain undefeated after 15 years. All this time the financial system, working hand-in-hand with policymakers, has done more damage to Americans than terrorists could possibly inflict.

My name is Anne Kennedy, and I’m a farmer from Coonamble, in north-west NSW.

New laws proposed by the NSW Government this week would mean a possible seven year jail term for farmers like me if we try to stop coal seam gas mining from destroying our groundwater.

If the American presidential election winds up with Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump, and my passport is confiscated, and I’m somehow FORCED to choose one or the other, or I’m PAID to do so, paid well … I would vote for Trump.

Dr Evan Jones discusses the latest in a series of parliamentary inquiries into systemic bank corruption as the victims of fraudulent foreclosures continue to wait for justice.

ACTU Secretary, Dave Oliver said: "Unions are deeply concerned about the timing of the Liberal/Green proposals to reform Senate voting and have been voicing our concerns over their potential to open the door to a raft of anti-worker legislation since they became public."

"Malcolm Turnbull is using this deal to try and railroad crossbench Senators into supporting anti-worker legislation - such as the return of the ABCC - by directly threatening their seats in Parliament.

"Not to mention the potential damage that could be inflicted by a post double-dissolution joint sitting giving the Liberals the opportunity to radically attack workers' rights.

What does an examination of Tony Abbott’s record reveal?

It's not often that a 65 year-old retired politician can, with a straight face, pitch himself as the future-looking candidate in an election contest.

Tony Windsor just about got away with it.

Syria Dispatch: Most Syrians Support Assad, Reject Phony Foreign 'Revolution'