Australian workers either feel they are going backwards financially or not getting ahead, so whoever can solve the wage-growth puzzle will be best-placed to secure government in 2019, writes Andrew Probyn.

Yet again, we are paying no heed to our farmers. We're stepping over them for a big coal company from another country.

Everything is going Bill Shorten's way, with Tony Abbott rampaging against his colleagues and the Sunday penalty rate cut giving the Opposition Leader a clear policy to sell, Michelle Grattan writes.

Even if Australia decided to invest in ballistic missile defence, it would provide little-to-no protection from a nuclear-armed North Korean ICBM.

If Australians are to eat healthy, unprocessed meats while making sustainable choices, native animals would be an obvious choice, writes Jillian Garvey from La Trobe University.