Sussan Ley ‘absolutely confident’ in the leadership she has delivered
Ley spoke to Channel Nine’s Today this morning, where she was asked about her future as leader of the Coalition. The opposition leader maintained that she was confident in her leadership so far, and the future of her role at the helm.
She said:
That’s a question that of course you would ask. But I am absolutely confident in the leadership that I have delivered, the leadership that I will deliver, and the strength of effort that my party and I are making every single day on behalf of the people. …
What’s really going on here is the business of opposition, and it’s important, and it matters.
Ley was asked if she was worried about a challenge from Andrew Hastie or Angus Taylor, but she said both were “strong, committed members of my team”.
Key events
Nationals MP says feedback from supporters is mostly ‘thank you’
When asked about the timing of the Coalition dissolution yesterday and whether it was respectful as Australia marked a day of mourning for the Bondi attack victims, Nationals MP Anne Webster told ABC RN it was “unfortunate” timing, but that “the feedback I have received is thank you”.
I have certainly been asked by a lot of people for some time now to separate from the Liberal Party. So, the feedback that I receive, and it’s my electorate that I speak to, then they are okay with what happened.
And you know, most people went to work yesterday. Politics is our work. We have a job to do”
Shadow communications minister acknowledges Australians ‘pretty unhappy’ with Coalition
When asked how long Sussan Ley will last as leader, the shadow communication minister, Melissa McIntosh, said she backed her leader but acknowledged Australians were “pretty unhappy” with the Coalition. Speaking on Sky News this morning, she said:
We ended the week talking about ourselves again, which is very disappointing.
When asked if Ley will be challenged, McIntosh said it was ultimately up to the party room but she “wasn’t making any phone calls”. Speaking broadly to the Coalition’s split, she said:
It doesn’t look good… our marriage has broken up twice in a year. I’m a Coalitionist and I really value the relationship.
I know we’re bleeding votes … the reason why we’re doing that is what’s happening right now.
Liberal senator says party still ‘believes’ in the Coalition
Anne Ruston, a Liberal senator, said the party still believes in the Coalition and would like to see it continue, but said Sussan Ley was left with “no option but to accept” multiple resignations after members of the Nationals broke a “fundamental rule”.
Ruston told RN Breakfast:
We believe in the coalition and we would like to see a coalition continue, but the circumstances around the actions of the National party this week left the leader with no option but to accept the resignations of three people who, by their own admission, broke the very fundamental rule of a coalition and that is shadow cabinet solidarity. So I think the leader is absolutely right.
The most important thing that we can do as of today is to focus on the future of responding to the needs of the Australian public because that’s what they elected us to do.
Ruston was asked if it was “disrespectful” for the Nationals to air their frustrations so publicly yesterday. She replied:
That’s obviously a matter for the National party and their deliberations as to why they chose yesterday as a day to make public comment, and I’m not going to make any further comment than that.
Ruston said the matter of the Liberal party’s leader was an issue for the Liberals, not for the Nationals “or anybody else for that matter”.
Sussan Ley ‘absolutely confident’ in the leadership she has delivered
Ley spoke to Channel Nine’s Today this morning, where she was asked about her future as leader of the Coalition. The opposition leader maintained that she was confident in her leadership so far, and the future of her role at the helm.
She said:
That’s a question that of course you would ask. But I am absolutely confident in the leadership that I have delivered, the leadership that I will deliver, and the strength of effort that my party and I are making every single day on behalf of the people. …
What’s really going on here is the business of opposition, and it’s important, and it matters.
Ley was asked if she was worried about a challenge from Andrew Hastie or Angus Taylor, but she said both were “strong, committed members of my team”.
Ley says door for conversations between Coalition factions ‘still open’
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said conversations between the factions of the Coalition are “still open” this morning as she seeks to maintain her grip on the opposition.
Ley said during an interview this morning:
The door between a coalition, between our two parties, from my point of view, is still open. But I’m not looking at that door.
I’m looking at the Australian people because they’re counting on us to deliver for them.
Tom McIlroy
Government launches new Made in Australia campaign
The federal government has launched its new Made in Australia campaign, part of a $20m election commitment to raise awareness of locally made products and encourage customers around the country to buy Australian.
The new Made Right Here campaign kicks off on Friday with a launch at Capral Aluminium in Smithfield, in NSW. The campaign includes a major “buy local” push in stores, online and across media.
The Australian Made logo, with its recognisable green and gold kangaroo, makes it easier for discerning shoppers to buy Australian made products.
Currently, about 4,500 businesses are licensed to carry the Australian Made logo, with sales supporting thousands of jobs across the manufacturing sector.
The industry minister, Tim Ayres, said if households spent an extra $10 a week on Australian-made products, it would boost our economy by $5bn and create 10,000 jobs.
“If you look for and choose the iconic kangaroo logo when you do your shopping, you’re supporting local jobs and investing back into the local economy,” he said ahead of Australia Day on Monday.
“Buy proudly Australian this long weekend!”
At least two dead after New Zealand landslides
Landslides hit a house and a campground in New Zealand on Thursday, leaving at least two dead while emergency crews were trying to rescue others buried in rubble, officials said.
The Associated Press reports the first hit a house in the community of Welcome Bay on New Zealand’s North Island at 4:50 a.m., police said. Two people escaped the house, and the bodies of two who were trapped inside were recovered hours later, Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said.
Later the same morning, emergency services were called to a second slide at the base of nearby Mount Maunganui. The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano. Images showed vehicles, travel trailers and an amenities block crushed by debris.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the “single figures.”
All NSW beaches open for Australia Day long weekend after week of shark attacks
All NSW beaches are expected to be open for the Australia Day long weekend after a spate of shark attacks prompted days-long closures.
It comes as at least five days of temperatures above 40C are forecast for parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW, prompting heatwave and bushfire warnings.
Sydney can expect a top of 28C on Saturday, before things heat up to 34C on Sunday and back to 27C on Monday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Melbourne is forecast to see a top of 40C on Saturday before it cools down to a top of 25C on Sunday and a top of 30 on Monday.
Adelaide’s mercury is set to climb to 42C on Saturday before relenting slightly to 36C on Sunday and back to a top of 43C on Monday, BoM says.
Aussies in the running for Oscar glory
Australian actors Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi are among a slew of Hollywood heavyweights who have been nominated for the industry’s highest honour – an Oscar.
Byrne, raised in Sydney, is in the running for best actress for her “knockout” performance in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, a psychological comedy-drama.
Elordi, a Queenslander, was nominated in the best supporting actor category for his beastly role in Frankenstein, which the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described as a “monstrously beautiful melodrama”.
See the full list here:
Graham Readfearn
Sulphur cleanup helped accelerate coral bleach on Great Barrier Reef, study finds
Steps to clean up the shipping industry by removing sulphur from fuels intensified a major coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef by allowing more of the sun’s energy to hit the oceanic wonder, according to a new study.
Sulphur pollution can cause respiratory problems for humans and cause acid rain, but it also has a shading effect and can make clouds brighter, providing more shade to areas underneath.
Dr Robert Ryan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Melbourne who led the research, said the removal of sulphur from the fuels – which he believes is necessary – had paradoxically caused “a lot of extra sunlight getting on to the reef”.
Read more from our reporter Graham Readfearn here.
Challenge for Liberal leadership could occur today: sources
A challenge to Sussan Ley’s leadership of the Liberal party could begin to materialise as early as today, after the day of mourning for the Bondi massacre, senior Liberals have told Guardian Australia.
Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie are the leading contenders to replace her – Tim Wilson and Ted O’Brien have been mentioned internally, but are thought to be outsiders.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, on Thursday morning said the Coalition was “untenable” after Ley sacked three Nationals senators for crossing the floor over the laws, prompting all of the country party’s frontbenchers – including the leader – to quit the shadow ministry in solidarity.
Guardian Australia’s Tom McIlroy notes Ley has surpassed eight months and eight days as her party’s leader.
This meant that, no matter what would subsequently happen, she lasted longer in the top job than Alexander Downer did during his tenure as the shortest-serving Liberal leader.
Read more here:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to Guardian Australia’s live news coverage for today.
The very near future remains unknown for the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, after the Coalition broke up this week sparked by a spat over Labor’s controversial hate speech bill. Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie are the leading contenders to replace her, according to Liberal sources, who anticipate a challenge could begin to materialise as early as today.
In other news: all NSW beaches are expected to be open this long weekend following a week of shark attacks.
Stay with us.
