PM

The cricketers' union, the Australian Cricketer's Association, says it's unlikely its long-running pay dispute will settle by the end of June. That means more than 200 cricketers will be unemployed and the Australian tours of South Africa, Bangladesh and even the Ashes series are in doubt.

The Tasmanian Government is investing almost $600 million in two new wind farms in Tasmania. The 82 turbines will produce enough electricity to power almost half the homes in Tasmania. The State Government says it will protect the state's internal electricity supply and also place Tasmania as 'the renewable energy battery of the nation' as power is sold across Bass Strait.

Farmers are often at the mercy of their conditions and a single bad day can spell a devastating end to a season. Some have taken to producing their crops under the protection of glasshouses, which can be energy intensive and expensive. But a new deal struck in Victoria will soon take one protected crop farm off the traditional grid, and power it solely with renewable energy at a lower cost.

Soaring electricity prices has forced an Adelaide plastics recycling company to close its doors, and lay off 35 workers. The 40-year-old family business went into liquidation after its monthly power bills more than doubled to $180,000 over almost two years. The state's peak business group says businesses have little choice but to ride through the price rises, or face the same fate.

On Business PM: Big news for home buyers; CBA slugs interest-only investors with a rate rise just as stamp duty relief for first home buyers in Victoria and NSW comes in; And the latest census data shows home ownership rates are plunging as housing stress takes centre stage.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has outlined what policies he believes the Coalition needs to introduce to ensure it wins the next election. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says backbenchers are entitled to express their views, but the suggestions are nothing new.

As India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington to meet American President Donald Trump, India's religious right is hoping the President's harder stance on Islamic terror will translate into support for India against its regional rivals, Pakistan and China. Mr Trump's controversial entry ban on people from Muslim majority nations remains blocked in America's courts, but it has support from conservative Hindus in India.

An aviation expert is urging Australians to think twice before flying with budget airlines, after an Air Asia X flight bound for Malaysia was forced to return to Perth after a mid-air drama. Passengers have reported hearing a loud explosion before the plane began to shudder. Some say the pilot urged them to pray they would return safely.

Divisions have emerged over the latest assessment of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. An expert analysis says the plan is on the verge of failure and hasn't delivered an overall improvement since being put in place. It's calling for substantial changes to deliver on its environmental goals of returning the Murray-Darling to full health.

Secret recordings of Senior Minister Christopher Pyne speaking at a Liberal Party event have been leaked to the media. He can be heard boasting about the power of the left faction and suggesting same sex marriage will be legalised sooner than expected. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been quick to reaffirm the Government remains committed to a plebiscite to resolve the same sex marriage debate.