New opposition leader says if ‘someone doesn’t subscribe to our core beliefs, the door must be shut’
Rounding out his speech, Taylor says the Liberals will stand for an immigration policy “that puts the interests of Australians first, and puts Australian values at the centre of our policy”. He said:
If someone doesn’t subscribe to our core beliefs, the door must be shut.
He said Liberals will stand for lower inflation, lower interest rates, and lower taxes. Stating the party will “fight Labor’s bad taxes … on our children’s future”.
We know that government must live within its means, so Australians have the means to live. Moreover, our goal is to grow the economy so that it delivers for you – and that means giving confidence Australian businesses to invest.
He singles out “net-zero ideology” and says the Coalition will “get rid of Labor’s bad carbon taxes on the family vehicle, on manufacturing” and electricity.
Under my leadership, the Liberals will nurture national confidence and love for our country. We’ll focus things the unite us – family, community, and nation. And that revitalisation starts today.
His message to the PM is that the Liberals will fight on “every bad tax, every reckless spending policy that drives up inflation and keeps interest rates higher for longer”:
The Liberal party is under new leadership, and with that leadership will come change, because our country needs change for better.
Key events
Taylor has a mandate, Liberal MP says
Liberal MP Andrew Wallace is next up on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing. He was a Sussan Ley supporter, but said he hopes the party can draw a line under the leadership now.
As a result of today, the results were an emphatic outcome, a very supportive outcome and Jane Hume and [Angus Taylor] now have a mandate. He has a licence to put his stamp of approval on new policies to take us forward and I look to being part of that team.
Wallace said he walked in with Ley as he is a loyal person, and wore his heart on his sleeve. He said he believes Ley is the best person for the job and wanted to demonstrate that.
The party room has spoken and, you know, I support the leader.
He said he hasn’t spoken to Taylor about keeping the shadow attorney general role, and said it was up to Taylor.
He’s got bigger fish to fry at the moment, Olivia. I’ll give him space and if Angus sees a future for in whatever he sees appropriate then, you know, I’ll accept that. But that’s a matter entirely for Angus and I respect the outcome.
Hogan says potential Nationals candidate in Farrer ‘not unhealthy’
Hogan says a decision on whether the Nationals will run a candidate in Farrer against the Liberals is a decision to be made by the NSW Nationals, but he said it would be a healthy contest if they do.
I don’t think it’s unhealthy that we run three-cornered candidates where we run both Nationals and Liberals candidates.
[Ley’s retirement] means the seat is open for both parties to run. We obviously preference each other and that, in some cases can be helpful. I’ll for the New South Wales state division to make that decision [that] wouldn’t rule out a three-cornered contest and in some cases, that can be helpful.
Smoother relationship for Coalition, Nats deputy says
The National’s deputy leader, Kevin Hogan, said the Nationals are looking forward to working with new Liberal leader Angus Taylor and deputy Jane Hume. He told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
I know Angus, [a] very exceptionally impressive work history before politics. He’s a very smart guy, has a lot of capacity. We are looking forward to work[ing with] Angus …
As a Nat, I’ve learned a long time ago, I do not comment [on] the Liberal party’s choices about who is the best candidate in leadership. We respect [their] decision. We respect their decision today and [look forward] very much to working with both Angus and with Jane.
He said it will be a smoother ride from here for the Coalition, following codifying issues around legislation following the hate speech laws.
The relationship, I think, is going to be much smoother going forward, albeit we are two distinct parties and there will always times and issues and things that are problematic for us to deal with. We have codified the process which means the relationship will be smooth going forward, I believe.
Joyce on potential One Nation addition to Coalition: it would depend on policy
Joyce says One Nation has many who are asking to be put up as candidates. He said Pauline Hanson will work with the local branch members for candidates.
Joyce asked about Angus Taylor’s comments on immigration, he said Taylor did not quantify how much immigration should be reduced, and what standards should be put on immigration.
Asked whether One Nation could be in Coalition with the Liberal party, it will come down to a discussion on policy, focusing on One Nation voters and members.
He said Peter Dutton’s style of politics failed at the last election because he appeared amorphous, which seemed similar to Labor:
We don’t set out for them to not like us but people have a strong opinion about One Nation because they know exactly what we stand for and that’s why the vote is growing. And because people want you to be electorally honest with them as to exactly who you are. That’s what One Nation does.
Liberal change a reaction to One Nation, Joyce says
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says the change in leadership of the Liberal party is a reaction to One Nation’s rise in the polls. He tells ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that there has been a rise in One Nation support due to “One Nation’s clarity, its unity”.
He congratulated Angus Taylor and wished Sussan Ley the best, noting she had been given a poisoned chalice in being leader after the election loss.
On Taylor’s speech, he said Taylor did not define what the values and principles of the party are, and said Taylor should define “what is a wrong immigrant”. He said there were “motherhood statements”.
I understand they don’t want to make a mistake on the presser but they’re going to judged by the details of the policy, not the overarching placat[ing of] people’s feelings, because people aren’t that stupid. They’re going to look down at the details.
He said the Farrer byelection would be interesting for any implications for the Murray-Darling plan, and noted it would coincide with the SA election. He said it will also mean policies on the plan from both the Nationals and the Liberals.
Watt rejects calls to declare Maugean skate critically endangered
Lisa Cox
The environment minister, Murray Watt, has rejected calls for the conservation status of the Maugean skate to be upgraded to critically endangered and said the skate would retain its existing endangered listing.
The skate is an ancient ray-like species found only in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, where salmon farming is the main threat to its survival.
Watt announced the decision on Friday as political attention in Canberra was focused on the Coalition’s leadership change.
Watt said his decision was informed by advice from the independent Threatened Species Scientific Committee, which advises the government on listings decisions. The reassessment followed a public nomination for the species to be uplisted.
Watt said the International Union for the Conservation of Nature had used similar assessment criteria for its international red list of species and late last year also determined the skate should retain a listing of endangered:
The Australian government remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure the Maugean skate does not go extinct on our watch.
This decision does not change the need to undertake critical actions for the Maugean skate and its home in Macquarie Harbour.
Watt’s decision sits against a backdrop of criticism of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour and a legal challenge to legislation passed last year that prevented the impact of salmon farming on the skate from being assessed under national environmental laws.
Here’s the video of the outgoing opposition leader, Sussan Ley, speaking earlier today.
Independent who lost to Ley to contest seat of Farrer
Michelle Milthorpe, who ran against Sussan Ley at the last election recording a two-party preferred vote of just over 43%, has said she will stand as an independent candidate in the byelection triggered by Ley’s resignation from politics.
She said:
For too long, the people of Farrer have been left wanting.
Party politics too often gets in the way of practical outcomes. Our communities deserve a reliable and relatable representative; someone who listens, understands our regional context, and is prepared to do the work in Canberra to make policy better reflect life in rural and regional Australia.
She acknowledged Ley’s contribution to public life, but said the undermining of Ley’s leadership meant the Coalition had sidelined regional communities while focusing on itself.
As a rural, remote and regional electorate, we feel the burden of floods, fires and droughts first – and hardest. We live with the consequences of water mismanagement and infrastructure neglect.
We need strong, principled leadership that advocates fiercely for practical solutions that reflect the needs of regional and rural communities, and delivers outcomes that make a real difference in people’s lives. I am that person.
Israel promises to investigate destruction of Australian war graves in Gaza
Ben Doherty
The destruction of Australian war graves by Israeli Defense Force bulldozers in Gaza will be investigated by the Israeli government, the country’s president has promised, after Australia’s prime minister raised the issue with him in meetings.
The Guardian last week reported that most of the graves destroyed by Israeli military earthmoving in the middle of the last year were those holding the remains of Australian soldiers killed during WWII.
The Gaza Commonwealth War Cemetery, in the Tuffah area of Gaza city, has been extensively damaged by shelling, but also by Israeli forces bulldozing headstones, and building an earthen berm through the middle of the cemetery.
Descendants of Australian diggers buried there said they were outraged by the desecration and the government inaction in protecting Australia’s war dead.
Hanson promises more polices pre-election
Ending the press conference, Pauline Hanson says more policies will come before the election. She also expresses a preference to do away with full preferential voting, and would not say how many people had signed up to be members of One Nation in recent months except for “a lot”.
Hanson says there will be process to determine One Nation candidate in Farrer byelection
On One Nation’s chances in the Farrer by-election caused by Sussan Ley’s pending exit from parliament, Pauline Hanson says there have been a lot of expressions of interest from people wanting to run for One Nation but there will be a process.
The branch in Farrer is the second-largest in [the] country that we have. So I want the branch to be involved in want to see as their candidate.
She said the party had grown since the last election in polling but the real test will be the day of voting.
It’s going to be a test for the Liberal party as well, whether they hold that seat. And if you look at Angus Taylor, [as] he mentioned in his conference, know, about Farrer, about the real issues.
But it’s the water issues, the Murray-Darling, the farmers can’t get access to water. You know communities. Communities rely on the water. Plus also they rely on the farming sector which brings money to the towns. So these are very important.
Hanson says Liberal or National defectors won’t ‘automatically get a foot in the door’
Hanson said she has not heard from Liberal MPs or senators wanting to defect to One Nation, but she said:
You’d think they would because the Liberal party [is] down 15%, they’d be very concerned.
She said it was “a little too little, too late” in putting in Angus Taylor as the Liberal leader.
People may want to come across to One Nation. If they do approach me, they won’t automatically get a foot in the door. I’m going to look their past record … what they’ve fought for, what they’ve said on the floor of parliament. Are they going for the communities? Do they have the Australian values at heart or are they just career politicians that just want to make sure they don’t lose their seats?
Similarly Hanson said other Nats or LNP MPs other than Barnaby Joyce haven’t queried about defecting. Hanson said Joyce was sidelined by the Nats and “he felt worthless” but now he was a “different person”.
He’s got a spring in his step. He’s enjoying being a member of parliament again and he’s enjoying being with the party that he can have a voice on the real issues that matter to him.
Hanson on Liberal spill: ‘different jockey, same dead horse’
The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, is speaking in Brisbane following the Liberal leadership change.
Hanson is asked whether now the Liberal party has a more conservative leader, if she is worried it will cost her votes. She says:
They’ve changed the leader, but they’re still on a dead horse.
And when I hear all the time from Sussan Ley and as I’m hearing from Angus Taylor is motherhood statements … the people have had enough. They are hurting and they want strong leadership.
Hanson says people who were Liberal party members for years and decades are coming to her and saying ‘no more’, with the biggest issue being migration.
And you’ve got nearly 70% plus of people want lower immigration and nothing’s been done about it. So like I said, different jockey, same dead horse.
34 species added to threatened species list
Lisa Cox
Five reptiles, one marsupial, a fish, an insect, a mollusc and twenty-five plants (including a seaweed) have been added to Australia’s threatened species list.
The new listings include the lemuroid ringtail possum (endangered), the glossy grass skink (vulnerable), which has declined due to clearing of its habitat in north-east Tasmania, and the Mt Donna Buang wingless stonefly, which is found in a single square kilometre area on Mt Donna Buang, east of Melbourne. It is the only Australian stonefly that hatches in the snow and is highly vulnerable to a heating climate.
Sixteen of the plants, including the Myall Creek wattle, entered the list at critically endangered, the most urgent status before extinction.
The Australian Conservation Foundation’s Jess Abrahams said:
Australia has so many unusual and amazing species, yet an increasing number are threatened with extinction.
Caitlin Cassidy
Students for Palestine back LECC investigation
Students for Palestine has backed the announcement an independent inquiry will investigate reports of police brutality at a Sydney protest against Isaac Herzog’s visit as the “first step” to hold the force accountable for alleged violence.
But its Sydney co-convenor, Shovan Bhattarai, said responsibility should also be laid at the feet of those who ordered an authorised the operation, including the premier, Chris Minns, the minister for police, Yasmine Catley and the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon.
“ICE-style police brutality is steadily being normalised under the Minns Labor government, where protest is treated as a crime while Israel’s genocide in Gaza is not. We have a right and a responsibility to stand up and protest against the perpetrators of genocide. The police who brutalised activists on Monday must be charged, and the ministers who gave the authorisation must resign.”
Taylor says ‘we need to put faith in Australians to invest in the future of their businesses’
Rounding out the press conference, Hume was asked whether she would seek the shadow treasury portfolio but she said she would not say until she had spoken to Taylor in the coming days.
Taylor was also asked why he thought the populist nationalist, anti-globalisation approach would not work for his party. He said:
The starting point for me on this is that we need to put faith in Australia, Australians to invest in the future of their businesses, and in doing that, they invest in their communities, and they invest in this country, and in the process, they employ people, they serve customers, they pay suppliers.
And we are all better off [for] that, but that can only come if we give the freedom and confidence to our businesses, small and large in this country. Big government is not the answer here. That’s been Anthony Albanese’s answer, and it’s failed. We see it everywhere we go.
We can do better, and I am confident that by putting faith back in the hands or putting faith in Australians, we can have a strong economy where standards of living are rising, our incomes are rising. We can pay our bills, we can pay our mortgages, and we can own homes. That’s what I want to say.
Taylor dodges question on how he will test whether people coming to Australia hate the country
Asked how he will test whether people coming to Australia hate the country, Taylor said coming to Australia is “one of the greatest gifts a human being could have ever received”:
This is the greatest country on Earth, and for someone to come here, it is an enormous gift, and I am absolutely sure that the vast majority of people who come to this country understand it, that if people want to come to this country who don’t believe in democracy, don’t believe in the rule of law and don’t believe in our basic freedoms, that is a problem, and it is unacceptable.
The truth is that some people do not want to change in order to fit with our core values. And those core values are pretty simple. They’re pretty fundamental, and they have stood the test of time for a great nation.
On the timing of the challenge around the apology anniversary breakfast, and meeting on the day of Katie Allen’s funeral, Taylor said no one wanted the Liberal party in its current position:
The reality is, there’s always a lot going on, some very important things going on every day in this place and around the country, but the decision was made by my colleagues, and it was clear that it was time for a reset. I’m humbled that that resulted in me becoming a leader. I’m sure I know Jane feels the same way about becoming a deputy leader, and we respect those important events that have been happening over recent days.
Taylor says he has ‘seen what good immigration can do’ but ‘standards have been too low’
On how the Liberal party might outflank One Nation, Taylor said he always believed migration is good for the country:
I grew up in a town not far south here, which was a migrant town, and I saw what it brought to the country. We had the first great cappuccinos in this country, and it was a wonderful, wonderful thing south of here.
So I’ve seen what good immigration can do, but we don’t want that. It has, as I said earlier, it’s been too high, the numbers and the standards have been too low, and that must change.
Hume was asked about her comments regarding “Chinese spies” handing out for Labor at the last election. Hume said those comments were “out of line”:
The comments that I made two days before the election were out of line. They were … look at the breakfast TV program where I said a throwaway line regarding foreign interference, or reported foreign interference in the Labor party during an election, they have been taken massively out of context.
Labor did a great job recognising that against us, and I have, in fact, apologised to those that were offended by that they were ill-considered remarks.
Of course, we are going to build relations with everything, because let’s face it, the Liberal party’s for all Australians, not a sectional interest like the other parties.
We’re not a party of reactionary responses, the way that One Nation is. We’re a party that responds, listens and responds, but doesn’t react.
Taylor laughs off Well Done Angus meme
Taylor is asked about the infamous “well done Angus” meme that has resurfaced this week around his leadership challenge.
Taylor said:
Look, I have passed mugs around the press gallery with that on it. People want to congratulate me, as they seem to like doing.
