PM

The Turnbull Government's response to terrible rates of violence against Indigenous women came in for some hefty criticism at the National Press Club in Canberra this afternoon. Outspoken University of Melbourne Professor Marcia Langton said those who've developed the Government's national action plan had 'drunk the Kool-aid' by recommending case-managed support for perpetrators of domestic violence, rather than going to police and the courts.

The Productivity Commission has found only a small fraction of government-funded programs that are supposed to help improve the lives of indigenous Australians are being properly evaluated. It's just the latest in a string of recent reports that have found a lack of evidence for decisions over billions of dollars of funding for programs in Indigenous affairs. The researchers who've delivered the reports say Indigenous Australians deserve much better.

For the first time in years, official data show Australian employment growth is trending down. Despite a strong lift in full-time jobs in October, a large number of part-time jobs were lost, leaving the unemployment rate steady at 5.6 per cent. The national jobs picture is mixed, but analysts claim Western Australia is one state that's really feeling the pinch. Research shows the state just produced the longest stretch of continuous job losses on record.

India's Government is on the defensive over worsening hardship following its decision to ban major banknotes last week. The anti-corruption and tax evasion move saw 85 per cent of hard currency rendered worthless overnight. But the Government hadn't prepared replacement money and that's since forced it to adopt a series of stopgap and contradictory moves as anger grows.

Producers of both renewable and coal-fired electricity have told a senate committee the Federal Government must come up with a plan for the phasing out of coal power stations. A Senate inquiry into the retirement of coal powers stations held a public hearing in Melbourne today. The hearing heard the absence of a clear plan or schedule for retiring coal power stations means market forces can result in unpredictable, sudden closures, and that's having a detrimental impact on the ability to plan for change.

It's been a tough few weeks for the New South Wales Premier, with Mike Baird now being accused of watering down the powers of the state's crime and corruption watchdog. New South Wales' Parliament is debating laws which, if passed, will radically overhaul powers of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The restructure would mean ICAC would have three commissioners, with two having to agree before a public inquiry can be held. A number of former judges and ICAC commissioners have spoken out against the changes, saying they reek of political payback.

Education experts have called out their own sector for inflating cut off scores to increase their university's prestige. The findings are included in a report released by the Federal Government today, compiled by its Higher Education Standards Panel of university experts. They found the university entry system lacks transparency and could disadvantage poorer people who are unfamiliar with higher education. The report has ben widely welcomed, but there's concern it didn't address other issues around low entry standards.

A week ago tonight, the US election had a winner and we were waiting to hear from the new President-elect. Since then Donald Trump has done little publicly, busy with his transition team, planning what his new administration would look like. Across America, Trump supporters are waiting and watching, wondering if all the faith they've placed in this man will be fulfilled.

The Prime Minister this afternoon suggested there was nothing surprising to hear post-election talk in the United States of American building a so-called 'gigantic military force' to counter China in the Pacific. Malcolm Turnbull says a stronger United States means a stronger world. He's attacked the shadow foreign minister Penny Wong for arguing Australia should be prepared to assert its own national interests within the US alliance - and to have a better road map in Asia.

Women, on average, are still earning $27,000 a week less than men. That's according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. It's evidence, say researchers, that Australia is no where near achieving gender equality in the workplace. So what exactly is holding women back in the workforce?