At last. Do we see signs of Malcolm Turnbull finally beginning to flex that prime ministerial muscle? Today's news is dominated by two big shifts in the Coalition's climate policy.

First, Turnbull is killing off Tony Abbott's so-called 'Green Army.' [Phillip Coorey/Financial Review]

And just as the conservative/hard-right of the Liberal party feared, a carbon price is back on the agenda under Turnbull.

Fairfax reports the government will consider whether to introduce a carbon price post-2030 and whether to allow international permits for carbon reduction cuts overseas as part of a 2017 review promised in 2015 by former environment minister Greg Hunt. [James Massola/Adam Morton] [Mark Ludlow]

Minister for Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg with Jean-Claude Van Damme in Parliament House. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Energy and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg, considered a likely PM (and not too far in the future, either), has the delicate task of shepherding the review of the Coalition's own Direct Action policy through the partyroom and, ultimately, through the parliament. It will be critical to his leadership ambitions and he knows it. Hence why you have seen him strongly criticising renewable energy targets, which are loathed by the right.

Labor right now has every right to rail against Turnbull as an astounding hypocrite over carbon pricing. Turnbull lost the leadership over the issue to Tony Abbott in 2009. Turnbull, at first, criticised Direct Action, but eventually backed it over Julia Gillard's carbon pricing, and then during the election campaign claimed Labor's commitment to a carbon price would drive up electricity prices.

But if Labor really cares about the future of climate policy, it would be wise to learn from Kevin Rudd's colossal mistake in choosing to politically wedge his like-minded opponent, Turnbull, rather than take the deal that was on offer.

In other politics news:

Senator Sam Dastyari. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Sam Dastyari is back. He's about to be promoted back onto the frontbench just four months after Fairfax Media revealed he asked a Chinese donor to pay his personal debt to the Commonwealth. And the Labor stuntman is writing a book about his short time in the political sin-bin, with the working title Snack Packs, Villages and Senate Inquiries. Publisher Louise Adler, of Melbourne University Press, tells Michael Koziol that Dastaryi is pumping out 1000 words per day. That's a lot of introspection. [Fairfax]

The Nationals continue to push for the Adler shotgun to be classified in a way that farmers can import the weapon. [Julia Holman/ABC] Turnbull has handballed the issue to the states. [AAP]

Constitutional lawyer George Williams says there is a "good case" for amending Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and there is a "straightforward fix." [The Sydney Morning Herald]

A new system matching Centrelink recipients allowances with their tax data is expected to net the federal government $4 billion in recovered funds – that is, if it's all paid back. [Sarah Martin/The Australian]

Meanwhile a report for Industry Super Australia has identified $4.6 billion in unpaid super for workers. [Joanna Mather/Financial Review] [Peter Ryan/ABC]

Amanda Vanstone says the protesters who interrupted Parliament's final week were narcissists, typical of the left. [The Age] 

2. Far-right concedes in Austria

There are two important elections taking place in the European Union: one in Italy and the other in Austria.

In Austria, the far-right has suffered a defeat in the re-run of the presidential vote, sparking some hope for the left that that anti-establishment movements perpetuated by the populist right may have been halted. [Reuters]

Posters for the 'No' campaign in Rome. Photo: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg 

But by far the most important result to watch for is the one in Italy, where Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, a centre-left politician, wants to streamline the political process and reduce the Senate's powers. But populists are leading the campaign against his proposals. Renzi has said he will quit if he loses the referendum, which polls show is likely. [BBC]

3. Trump's big new tax for businesses

The President-elect has warned US companies offshoring their manufacturing plants to countries where labour is cheaper would be a "very expensive mistake."

In a series of six Twitter posts, Trump threatened a 35 per cent tax or tariff on goods being sold back into the US. [Bloomberg/Reuters/Washington Post]

This is entirely consistent with Trump's vow to "Make America Great Again" by reclaiming jobs lost to globalisation, the victims of which, form his core group of supporters. But Paul Krugman writes, "the white working class is about to be betrayed."

"Trump can't bring back the manufacturing jobs that have been lost over the past few decades. Those jobs were lost mainly to technological change, not imports, and they aren't coming back," Krugman says. [The New York Times]

Trump broke decades of diplomatic protocol when he spoke with Tsai on the phone. Photo: AP

The reaction to Trump's acceptance of a phone call from Taiwan continues.

Australia will stick to the One China policy but continue to "work constructively with the Trump administration ... on regional and global issues," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says. [Joanna Mather/Financial Review]

Sober analysis piece from David Wroe, who cites foreign policy experts saying Trump's phone call with Taiwan sends a much-needed signal to an increasingly assertive Beijing. [Fairfax]

Greg Sheridan says that in taking the phone call, Trump has achieved what Barack Obama could not – putting Beijing off-balance. [The Australian]

Trump continues his thin-skinned, inane obsession with Saturday Night Live.

Alec Baldwin has responded in superb fashion. He says he'll happily give up the impressions if Trump releases his tax returns. [AP/The Washington Post]

4. Boris v Rudd

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Photo: Carl Court

Boris Johnson is beginning to flex his muscle. He's taken a different line on Theresa May and Amber Rudd's plan to crackdown on foreign students as part of efforts to bring net migration down to the "tens of thousands."

This is a battle to watch. [Ashley Cowburn/The Independent]

He also revealed that his "slightly worn look" on the morning of the referendum result, which many interpreted to be his utter shock at the result which he may have only half-heartedly wanted, was because his friend David Cameron has just resigned. 

5. Finland shooting

Police investigate the area where three women were killed in a shooting incident outside a restaurant in Imatra, Finland. Photo: AP

I've just returned from Finland, a tiny but peaceful country with a population of just 5.4 million.  Finland ranks first on Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom Index. (Australia, embarrassingly, ranks at 25, mainly due to media blackouts relating to offshore detention camps for asylum seekers).

In Transparency.org's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, Finland ranks second, just behind Denmark. Neighbouring Russia ranks 119 out of 168.

And it's on the Russian-Finnish border where three women: two journalists and a local politician have been shot dead in what is being reported as a "random" attack by a sniper. [AAP/Reuters]

Local police have told AP the man arrested on suspicion of murder has a criminal record but did not appear to know his victims. There are more than half a million gun owners in Finland, but murders involving guns are rare. [Matti Huuhtanen]

6. War in Syria

A Syrian woman displaced with her family from eastern Aleppo. Photo: AP

The Syrian military believes it will reclaim Aleppo within weeks. [Reuters]

Interesting response from Boris Johnson when pressed on the Andrew Marr show about Britain's impotence regarding Syria and Russia. He says Assad's win will not be a victory as the dictator's rule will ultimately be rejected by his citizens, who have been pulverised by the civil war. [AFP]

And that's it from me today – you can follow me on Facebook for more.

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