Malcolm Turnbull has always known what he wants, and why. He eased into the leader’s chair on Tuesday with an authority that immediately put the Government on notice that things were now going to be very, very different for it. On Turnbull’s team things will be very, very different, too. And not just because he’s leader.

Coming almost 10 months after the Labor Party was swept to power on a promise to tear up the WorkChoices laws, the Workplace Relations Minister’s speech fleshing out the details of the Rudd Government’s replacement industrial relations regime was met with anger from unions, particularly over the revised unfair-dismissal rules.

The Business Council of Australia’s warning about the economic costs of the Rudd Government’s climate change strategy provoked a strong response yesterday from BP chairman Gerry Hueston. He said that arguments about trade-exposed industries was obscuring the need for Australia to quickly introduce an emissions trading scheme.

If popular independent state MP Rob Oakeshott, the hot favourite for the seat of Lyne, wins the September 6 byelection, the inexorable decline of the Nationals will be seen to continue. They’ll have only nine seats in the House of Representatives and the prospect of a merger with the Liberals will be increased.