Relations with our Indonesian neighbours have been a touch awkward of late, ever since the Australian government got busted committing the international espionage equivalent of eavesdropping over the back fence.

The private sector, innovation and the Asia-Pacific region will be the main focus of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's "new approach" to foreign aid. Ms Bishop announced the policy on Wednesday during a speech at the National Press Club, with the focus on economic partnerships, rather than a "donor-recipient" top-down approach to aid. The changes will come in the form of a new innovation hub at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.

Australians retain warmer feelings to other English-speaking nations than to their neighbors in Asia, according to a new poll. But Britain rated only third, behind the United States and New Zealand, in the Lowy Institute poll, the results of which were released on Tuesday. The poll by the Sydney-based institute asked respondents to nominate Australia's 'best friend' from a list of six countries.

The annual UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting can be an exciting time for anyone who loves this planet's animals, plants and precious places.This year's meeting, which starts on Monday in Doha, Qatar, is shaping up to be very different story and it could actually prove quite an embarrassing affair for Australia. Firstly, the Australian Government is requesting that the World Heritage Committee remove World Heritage protection from ancient forests in Tasmania so that they can be logged.

Tony Abbott has revealed a secret and unlikely admiration for the world’s most powerful leader, describing Barack Obama as an “extraordinarily gifted man” and a potential friend to rival past ­presidents. But as the PM headed into his first official talks with the US President in Washington today, he pulled no punches in saying he would aggressively push for a historic strengthening of US-Australian relations.

The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC), the country's public service broadcaster, is facing some uncomfortable choices now that its budget has been cut by 1%. (Unlike the BBC, funded by licence fee, the ABC is funded by its country's government). The government has also axed the ABC's 10-year contract to run the Asia Pacific TV service, Australia Network. The initial result is that ABC's managing director, Mark Scott, will impose redundancies. Other cutbacks are very likely.

An inquiry will begin on Friday into the booming number of foreigners buying up Australia’s houses - with approvals of almost $18 billion last year.  Foreign investors were set to snap up 5091 existing houses nationwide last financial year - up from 647 three years earlier.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM)predicts there will be somewhere between 25 million and 1 billion people [internally or externally displaced] by the effects of climate change by 2050, with 200 million the closest specific estimate. The fate of these people is a distinctly moral question for developed nations that have contributed the majority of greenhouses gas emissions for decades and continue to do so today. Are those responsible for rising sea levels responsible for those who end up underwater?