The first failures of the abortion pill have been reported in Australia amid a surge in the take-up of RU486. Therapeutic Goods Administration data shows use of the controversial drug increased greatly in the second half of last year after a national chain of day clinics was licensed to use it. In NSW, terminations with RU486 went from none to 1154 between July and December. In Queensland it increased from four to 323 and from 42 to 412 in Victoria

Legal euthanasia could mean some medics deeming the seriously ill not worth saving.

Victoria has become the national test bed of how the main parties deal with the Greens. Victorian Liberal leader Ted Baillieu is weighing a desperate throw of the dice. He faces an election in eight weeks and his vote is falling.

Tony Abbott is facing a backbench push to abandon his promise not to touch Labor's industrial relations regime.

Labor Party traitors wanted federal independents to make Tony Abbott prime minister, it has been revealed by one MP who eventually opted for Julia Gillard.

The number of people in Australian detention centres will pass 5000 today after the 100th boat this year arrived at Christmas Island.

We know Julia Gillard clung to power with help from the Greens. But a new analysis shows Greens preferences flowed less strongly to Labor at the August poll than at the 2007 election.

Police are investigating whether a member of Collingwood's premiership team was involved in a pack rape of a woman early on Sunday morning.