June 20, 2013 Julia Gillard is planning a trip to Indonesia in two weeks to discuss with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ways to stem the rising flow of asylum seekers coming by boat before the September election.

June 20, 2013 Black tie was the order of the house at Wednesday night's annual Mid Winter Ball on Wednesday night – Canberra's night of nights.

June 20, 2013 Katia Lallo did not think twice about voting for Julia Gillard's party in 2010.

June 20, 2013 The main change in politics since 2010 is that Australians have turned off Julia Gillard. While the polls show Labor is now facing a landslide defeat, its fall has been minor compared with the collapse of the Prime Minister's support.

June 20, 2013 Corporate watchdog will face Senate inquiry into its performance that is likely to embroil Commonwealth Bank and raise questions about effectiveness of new financial reforms.

June 20, 2013 The federal government is scrambling to avoid an embarrassing defeat on its much-vaunted crackdown on the foreign skilled worker scheme.

June 20, 2013 The ultimate goals vary, but the motivation is the same for more than 60 indigenous women who gathered at Parliament House this week for a crash course in how to work the system.

June 20, 2013 The corporate watchdog will face a Senate inquiry following revelations in Fairfax Media that the regulator took 16 months to act on information from whistleblowers about serious misconduct inside the Commonwealth Bank's financial planning unit.

June 20, 2013 Holden is stepping up pressure on the federal Coalition to commit to funding for the automotive industry over the next decade.

June 20, 2013 Sri Lanka's external affairs minister has pleaded with Tamil refugees in Australia who fled the nation's bloody civil war to come home – having quietly slipped into Canberra for talks on combating people smugglers.