Housing policy and national security issues have dominated the second leaders debate between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Housing affordability in particular has been as a key issue in the campaign, with both parties aiming major policies at first homebuyers in recent days.

Defence Minister Richard Marles says that Indonesia has assured Australia that it will not allow Russia to access one of its military bases. But the ordeal has been a diplomatic test for the two candidates for Prime Minister, as we hit the halfway point of the election campaigns.

With a federal election just weeks away, a minority government seems increasingly likely. So, what is minority government?

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have formally launched their parties' respective election campaigns, with Labor holding its event in Perth and the Coalition in Sydney. The launches have been dominated by the release of competing housing policies aimed at helping first home buyers.

In 2016, Chinese super app WeChat caught the attention of the Australian media after Chinese Australian voters were found to be engaging with the federal election on the platform. Since then, there's been ongoing discussion about misinformation targeting multicultural communities on non-English social media platforms like WeChat. Despite the increased community awareness, Australia may not be prepared to address the issue this election.

The Liberal Party of Australia, currently led by Peter Dutton, has the most election wins under its belt out of any other party in Australia. We take a brief look at the party's history and how it became the Libs we know today.

Day 12 of the federal election campaign was again overshadowed by trade tensions between the US and China. In Queensland, the Prime Minister pledged funding for school children to visit the Great Barrier Reef. And the Opposition Leader promoted his policy to cut net overseas migration, in Melbourne.

The first of two scheduled election debates has taken place in Western Sydney, home to a number of battleground seats that could decide the election outcome: Fowler, Macarthur, Macquarie, Reid, Parramatta and Werriwa. Cost of living and immigration have loomed large in the debate as the leaders of the major parties seek to win over undecided voters.

Australia's environment laws are not fit for purpose - that's the consensus among campaigners, scientists, business and government. So why has it been so difficult to update the legislation? And will we see reform in the next parliament?

The Australian federal election season has begun and, before you head to the polls, here's a quick breakdown of how the Australian political system works so you can know exactly what you're voting for. In Voting 101, we explain the two chambers of the Australian Parliament and the major political players to be aware of.