Dock workers will vote this morning to cut short their week-long waterfront dispute that’s crippled ports in Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle. The Maritime Union says concerns from rural exporters have prompted it to lift those bans. 

 

An email naming and shaming Malcolm Turnbull for not turning up for some parliamentary votes has left some senior Liberals squirming. It’s reignited tensions between Mr Turnbull and his leader Tony Abbott. In an uncomfortable doorstop, Treasury Spokesman Joe Hockey denied there was a kerfuffle. 

 

A special report in The Economist magazine describes Australian politics as a “non-stop Punch and Judy show”. The less-than-flattering profile called “No Worries” describes the debate over asylum seekers as “hysterical stuff”. It says the current crop of Australian politicians couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding. But the report says there is some talent in our political ranks including Malcolm Turnbull and Labor Minister Greg Combet. 

 

A suicide car bomb has killed at least 24 people and wounded another 45 in north-west Pakistan. The blast targeted a police station in the town of Hangu. The Taliban has taken responsibility and warned bigger attacks are to come as payback for Osama Bin Laden’s death.