PM

A Queensland cabinet minister has quit over a public transport debacle, and the businessman who investigated it has been appointed his replacement. Many Brisbane trains ground to a halt late last year over a shortage of drivers, despite earlier warnings by two consultants. An inquiry by the former Rio Tinto executive, Phillip Strachan, has found complacency and ineffective governance led to the problems.

A new smartphone app for identifying dragonflies in Australia's tropical regions has been created, to share and expand research on the insect. More than 50 dragonfly species have been included from across northern Australia, including Kakadu National Park.

Heavy Christmas discounting at retail outlets across the country offered up some great bargains for consumers, but it's come at a price. Retailers haven't been able to cover their costs, and economists say it could lead to job losses and lower wages this year. It comes as inflation and wages growth are already at worrying low levels, fuelling speculation the Reserve Bank may be forced to cut interest rate to new record lows.

Domestic violence support groups and victims are concerned a review of Queensland's bail laws is not including those affected. Queensland Attorney General Yvette D'ath directed her department to investigate the state's bail system, after a Gold Coast woman was murdered by her estranged husband this week while he was out on bail on domestic violence charges. The Women's Legal Service is struggling to cope with a surge in demand for its domestic violence phone help line, just as its about to face funding cuts.

It's been a day of legal blows for former West Australian One Nation Senator Rod Culleton. First, the High Court ruled his election in July was invalid. Now, Mr Culleton has lost an appeal against a Federal Court ruling that had declared him bankrupt.

One of America's most senior former diplomats says it was 'improper' for President Donald Trump to tweet his disdain for a refugee resettlement deal, adding that it's not the way the United States should treat a trusted ally. President Trump yesterday called the deal to send refugees from Manus Island and Nauru to the US 'dumb'. Today he said he 'loves Australia' and will respect the deal. PM speaks to Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Ian Bremmer is the President and Founder of the Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm. He's not confident that the Australia-US alliance will survive in its current form, saying Trump's tweet about the Australian refugee deal shows that his willingness to do damage to existing relationships is high. He says the US' existing allies may be doing some strategic thinking about where their future global ties lie.

The Trump Administration has given its first indication of what it'd do in response to aggression from North Korea. The US Secretary of Defence James Mattis, in South Korea on his first overseas trip, says any attack on the United States or its allies would be defeated. It's just what South Korea and Japan wanted to hear. They'd been questioning the strength of the US alliance since then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump cast doubt on it last year.

With uncertainty over the US alliance, James Mattis is emerging as the most reliable link for Australia inside President Donald Trump's Cabinet. The ABC can reveal the new US Defence Secretary was in regular face-to-face contact with Australian military figures before taking charge of the Pentagon. In recent months he's praised Australia and declared America must never forget the debt it owes to its long-time ally.

The Federal Government's Indigenous Advancement Strategy has been torn apart in a report from the Australian National Audit Office. The strategy was supposed to overhaul and streamline how the Federal Government funded Indigenous organisations. But the audit has found it was rushed, ineffective and lacked transparency. In response, the Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion has announced $40 million to improve program evaluation.