Bill Shorten

Celebrations broke out across Australia after a two-month national postal survey came out “overwhelmingly” in favour of legalizing same-sex marriage.
Results released Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed 61% of the population voted to allow same-sex marriage, with 38% voting against.

Greek Parliament may not have a special committee for the Friends of the Parthenon, but Australian lawmakers do! On Wednesday, Australian Opposition Leader Bill Shorten joined more than 60 Australian MPs and leaders of the New South Wales community to launch the Parliamentary Friends of the Parthenon group.

Australia moved closer to recognising Aboriginal people in its constitution July 6 after talks with indigenous leaders, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said as he urged an end to the "echoing silence" in the founding document.

The leader of Australia's opposition Labor Party introduced a bill to legalise same-sex marriage on June 1, adding the backing of a major party to growing public support for the issue after last month's landmark 'yes' vote in Ireland. 

Australia's failure to end the entrenched disadvantage of Aboriginal people was described by Prime Minister Tony Abbott Wednesday as "profoundly disappointing" with key targets missed and employment levels actually worsening.