1m agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 3:47am
Nationals whip ‘upset’ by Barnaby Joyce’s move
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Nationals MP Michelle Landry did a ring around of some of her colleagues this morning as part of her duties as the chief whip and she doesn’t think any of her colleagues could be lining up for a switch to One Nation.
She says she’s “quite upset” about the news Barnaby Joyce won’t re-contest the seat of New England (while also keeping the door open to joining Pauline Hanson’s party).
“It’s a sad thing … but obviously he thinks it’s time for him to move on,” Landry says.
“I have spoken to a few of my colleagues this morning as the whip and you know, I feel that they’re not a lot of talk about people going over to One Nation, that’s for sure.
“So you know, Barnaby is a big boy, he can make his decisions on what he wants to do.”
The whip’s job is to keep party MPs in line and organised, so makes sense she was on the blower to check the mood of the wider team.
30m agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 3:18amLey called Barnaby Joyce after he went public with his decision not to recontest seat
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says she called former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce after he left the door open to joining One Nation.
Ley says Joyce’s decision not to recontest his seat at the next federal election is a matter for the National Party, and she won’t give “gratuitous” advice to her Coalition partners.
“I did give Barnaby a call because we’ve been colleagues in parliament for a long time and I just wanted to check in. I’m obviously not going to give you any more details on the discussion other than to say it’s just a check in,” Ley says.
44m agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 3:03am
‘I’m not anti renewables’: Sussan Ley
Sussan Ley says she isn’t anti-renewables energy, but doesn’t want renewables without baseload power.
The opposition leader says the government’s current energy policy is placing pressure on businesses.
“I’m not anti renewables, but I’m certainly anti government policy which is renewables at all costs and a disregard for baseload power,” Ley says.
45m agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 3:02amAlbanese arrives in Washington
Just breaking into our coverage of Sussan Ley’s address to let you know that Anthony Albanese has touched down in Washington ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Anthony Albanese touches down. (AAP: Lukas Coch)
While a red carpet was rolled out for the prime minister’s arrival, the weather certainty didn’t get the memo as Albanese arrived in pretty wet and windy conditions.
Albanese was greeted by officials and Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd.
“It’s wonderful to be here,” he said as he greeted officials.
The PM didn’t stop for questions on arrival opting to get out of the rain and into his awaiting motorcade.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:44am
Sussan Ley prepared to look at ‘waste and inefficiency’ in government departments
The opposition leader has been asked whether the Coalition risks not being upfront about the spending cuts required to achieve lower government spending.
Sussan Ley says she’s ready for another election campaign of “fear and cuts” from Labor.
She has suggested the Coalition will look to the public service and government departments to find efficiencies.
“I’ve been a public servant, as you know, but you can look around your government department or your, you know, workplace,” Ley says.
“You can find areas where there’s waste and inefficiency. We all know they’re there. So let’s address them. Let’s do something about it,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:35am
Coalition would oppose universal childcare: Sussan Ley
Sussan Ley has been asked whether the Coalition will stand against universal childcare — an idea floated by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The opposition leader says the Coalition will stand against universal childcare in principle because it stands in contrast to Liberal Party values.
“I always say with Labor it’s tax, spend, interfere. But it’s also one size fits all. We believe in freedom and choice and aspiration and enterprise,” Ley says.
“If someone can afford to pay for something, then the government shouldn’t be subsidising them to the same degree that they are to someone who can’t afford to pay for that something,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:31am
Would the Coalition cut the corporate tax rate?
The opposition leader has been asked whether a future Coalition government would consider lowering Australia’s corporate tax rate.
Sussan Ley says the Coalition always wants lower, simpler and fairer taxes, but hasn’t committed to a position on company tax.
It seems income tax will be the Coalition’s priority for now.
“But again, with the priorities that we are faced with, the personal income tax that I have, that line today is our first priority,” Ley says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:29am
Budget repair or lower taxes — which one happens first?
Sussan Ley has just sat down for questions, and she’s been asked which will be the priority — lower personal income tax or budget repair?
The opposition leader says she’d look at personal income tax cuts first.
“Clearly we cannot ignore the state of the books. But, Michael, individuals, people deserve, as I’ve said, many times, to keep more of what they earn,” Ley says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:24am
Australia faces a ‘weaker nation’ under Labor: Ley
Sussan Ley has concluded her speech by saying that voters will be offered a choice at the next election.
“A weaker nation under Labor, or a stronger future built on hard work, fairness and lower taxes under the Coalition,” Ley says.
“Our vision is of a confident, competitive Australia where productivity growth delivers rising incomes, families can afford homes, and future generations inherit opportunity not debt,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:22am
Sussan Ley pledges to improve productivity with ‘comprehensive’ pre-election plan
The opposition leader says the Coalition will task the Productivity Commission and ACCC with identifying areas where competition in insufficient.
Sussan Ley that includes cracking down on anti-competitive behaviour and removing barriers to entry for new players.
“The Coalition will task the Productivity Commission and ACCC with identifying areas where competition is insufficient and recommending changes to unleash competitive forces,” Ley says.
“Whether that’s cracking down on anti-competitive conduct, removing barriers to entry for new players, or reforming oligopolistic market structures.
“These are just initial steps in our policy development,” she says.
Ley says the Coalition intends to go to the next election with a “comprehensive, costed” plan to improve productivity.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:18am
Ley proposes introducing a Skills Passport
Sussan Ley says Australia needs to revisit the country’s approach to tertiary education and training.
The opposition leader says it means working closely with industry to ensure vocational training and higher education are more closely aligned with the modern economy.
“We will look at reforms recommended by experts in the field: for instance, implementing a Skills Passport, making it easier for Australians to access short courses to acquire new skills quickly, and better integrating our university and vocational systems with employers’ needs,” Ley says.
“We will support measures that encourage businesses of all sizes to adopt new technologies, from AI to cloud computing, by removing barriers and providing targeted incentives for digital innovation,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:14am
‘We support work from home’: Sussan Ley declares
Sussan Ley has declared that the Coalition supports working from home, and says it was something the opposition got wrong in the lead up to the 2025 federal election.
“Let me be very clear: we support work from home,” Ley says.
“This is something that we got wrong in the lead up to the 2025 election. And we have listened,” she says.
But Ley says multi-employer bargaining laws are threatening small businesses with conditions they cannot afford.
“Labor’s push to legislate one-size-fits-all approaches across whole sectors ignores the needs of many employers and workers,” she says.
“We will chart a different course.”
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:10am
Ley says regulations are ‘strangling’ projects, preventing productivity
The opposition leader says regulations are preventing investment and productivity and “strangling” projects and entrepreneurship.
Sussan Ley says overlapping federal and state environmental assessments must be streamlined, and regulators must make decisions within a “reasonable timeline”.
“Our goal is simple: bring down the absurd delays and give investors and communities the certainty they need, crave and deserve,” Ley says.
“A broad coalition of industries has identified faster planning and project approvals as one of the top reform priorities for lifting productivity,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:06am
Ley promises to relieve debt burden on future generations
Sussan Ley says the Coalition will act to deliver intergenerational fairness.
She has declared that Millenials and Gen Z are Australia’s new “forgotten generation”.
Ley says a future Coalition government will relieve the debt burden on emerging generations.
“At the moment, Australians are paying $50,000 in interest every single minute,” Ley says.
“That is money that could have been invested in schools, hospitals, roads — or perhaps most crucially of all for Australia’s new forgotten generation, initiatives to restore the homeownership dream in this country.
“We will make decisions with the future in mind, so our next generations inherit opportunity,not a ballooning debt burden,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 2:01amCoalition to bring policy of lower income taxes to next election: Ley
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has announced the Coalition will take a plan to the next election to cut income taxes.
She says the shadow ministry’s primary goals is to lower personal income and budget repair.
The opposition leader has criticised the Albanese government’s level of income taxation.
She says the federal government collects $650 billion in taxes last year — roughly about $2 billion a day.
“Today I announce that at the next election, the Coalition will take to the people a plan for personal income tax cuts,” Ley says.
“We’ll start where the pressure is greatest — low and middle income earners who are feeling the squeeze from higher prices and rising living costs.
“Every instinct in my being tells me that Australians should keep more of what they earn,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 1:58am
Coalition will restore fiscal discipline in government spending, Ley says
Sussan Ley says the Coalition will restore fiscal discipline if returned to government.
She says the Coalition will reward and encourage enterprise, and ensure that Australia is a place where risk-taking is rewarded.
“It comes from the values instilled in me by the sacrifices of my parents who migrated to Australia, for a new and unknown life,” Ley says.
“It comes from my own journey, where I took risks to build a future in the country I came to love,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 1:56am
Next generation will miss out on quality of life gains without better productivity: Ley
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says businesses are warning that productivity growth must be fixed.
She says the next generation of Australians will miss out on the gains quality of life.
“With virtually zero productivity growth so far this decade, we are already well behind the pace needed to meet the Intergenerational Report’s long-term assumption of 1.2% a year,” Ley says.
“To course-correct, we would now need more than 2 % a year for the rest of the decade — something not achieved in generations,” she says.
1h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 1:52am
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley makes economic speech
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has begun her second major economic speech to the Centre for Independent Studies.
The opposition leader has started her speech by highlighting Australia’s challenges with productivity and economic growth.
She says the government is treating pandemic level spending as the “new normal” with serious effort to reign it in.
“We haven’t really got back to a clearly articulated framework for decision making with fiscal policy,” Ley says.
2h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 1:19am
Fines for supermarkets found to be price gouging
The federal government has today been spruiking its crackdown on supermarket price gouging.
Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh says Coles and Woolworths could face fines of up to $10 million if they’re found to be ripping customers off.
Leigh says it’s a significant improvement on the consequences supermarkets currently face of $0.
“We’re putting in place a system that will punish supermarkets who do the wrong thing,” Leigh said.
He says the legislation is built to protect consumers and suppliers, and is based upon models in the United Kingdom and European Union.
“Excessive pricing rules will be judged by courts using information such as the cost of supply plus a reasonable mark-up, or comparisons with prices in competitive jurisdictions,” he said.
“We know many Australians are feeling under pressure from the cost of the weekly shop, and our price gouging laws … will make sure we look after consumers.”
The draft legislation is open for submissions until November 3 — so if you’ve been looking for a platform to air your grievances about the cost of groceries — head to the Treasury consultation online.
2h agoMon 20 Oct 2025 at 12:50am
Decision making powers for environmental applications still to be decided: Murray Watt
(ABC News: Callum Flinn)
Environment Minister Murray Watt has been busy consulting key stakeholders on the government’s planned reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, the environment minister says the Labor still hasn’t decided whether a minister or independent authority should sign off on environmental applications.
Mining groups want the final decision making power to fall with the minister, but environmental groups would prefer an independent Environmental Protection Authority assume that role.
Watt says he’s still working with stakeholders on that key sticking point.
“There are obviously different views about that matter, Sally. But in the meantime, as I say, we’ve been able to make a lot of progress on other things,” Watt says.
“What you’ll be seeing us talk a lot more about, particularly this week, is some of the big environmental gains that we want to see achieved through these reforms as well,” he says.
The environment minister says we can expect to see the details of the bill in the next sitting fortnight, which starts on October 27.