12m agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 6:00am

Kovacic confirms petition proposal for leadership challenge

Liberal senator Maria Kovacic has confirmed to Afternoon Briefing our earlier reporting that moderates in the party want to force Angus Taylor to present a petition proving he has the numbers to challenge her leadership.

“I think that transparency is important here,” Kovacic says.

“If we’re going to have change and we are going to fix things and allow Australians to trust us again… we need to be open and clear about who we are.

“We need those individuals to be very transparent about why they want a spill.

“If we’re being accountable, put your name to it. Enough is enough.”

16m agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 5:56am

ABC managers quizzed on editorial guidance for Israel-Gaza war

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi is up next and she’s asked ABC managers about the organisation’s editorial guidance for staff reporting on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Faruqi says the guidance requires ABC journalists to challenge claims of crimes against Israel.

But she says that same guidance doesn’t explicitly require journalists to provide a counter-perspective on claims made by the Israeli government about Palestinians.

ABC Editorial Director Gavin Fang has rejected that and says the guidance does require journalists to interrogate contentious claims and seek “relevant perspectives”.

“I think what you’re reflecting there is that there are specific allegations that often get made in relation to this conflict about the conduct of the State of Israel,” Fang says.

“Like any comment, any claim, any contentious issue that we that we report on, we need to seek relevant perspectives from all sides that are who all parties that are relevant to that issue where we can,” he says.

Faruqi says it would be good to see that made explicitly clear in the editorial guidelines.

23m agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 5:49am

Ugly scenes in Sydney ‘entirely foreseeable’ says Steggall

Independent MP Zali Steggall has told Afternoon Briefing  it was “completely foreseeable” that Herzog’s visit would be disruptive to social cohesion in Australia.

She holds the PM responsible for the ugly scenes playing out in Sydney overnight, including protestors being punched by police.

“It is incredibly concerning when we are putting a foreign head of state ahead of what I think are valid concerns from members of our community,” she says.

“The Prime Minister has a responsibility to the whole of Australia and to our whole social cohesion as a diverse, multicultural, multi-faith nation, and I squarely put it on him that this was completely foreseeable, that this was going to disrupt our social cohesion.”

She says while she accepts the Jewish community are the priority for the Prime Minister and mostly view the President in a different light to the protestors, the government must make “tough calls” when it comes to social cohesion.

“This is Australia first and foremost and our social cohesion must be the primary focus of the government,” Steggall says.

29m agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 5:43am

Four Corners was upfront about verification of claims by former ASIO agent: ABC MD

The environment and communications committee is back from a short break to continue its grilling of ABC management.

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson has probed ABC MD Hugh Marks about last night’s Four Corners program on the Bondi terror attack.

The program aired claims that an ASIO agent informed the organisation about gunman Naveed Akram’s terrorist associations and alleged radicalisation, six years before the Bondi Beach attack.

Henderson has asked what the basis was for the program airing those claims, given the former agent was apparently disgruntled with ASIO.

Marks says sometimes a program or piece of journalism is based off a sole source or witness.

He says the program was upfront about the fact that the ABC was not able to verify some of the former agent’s claims.

“I think in broadcasting the documentary we made those things clear to the audience so that the audience is able to see the claims made in the context of those facts,” Marks says.

45m agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 5:28am

Leeser says Australians are ‘sick’ of protests

Back to Afternoon Briefing: 

Shadow Education Minister Julian Leeser, who is a Jewish Australian, has been asked about the rallies in Sydney overnight where we’ve seen some confronting scenes of protesters being punched by police.

He says the protesters chose to hold their rally in an area that police had declared an exclusion zone during Isaac Herzog’s visit.

“The protesters could have gone to Hyde Park. They chose instead to thumb their nose at that decision and to protest elsewhere in the city,” Leeser says.

“We’ve had 2.5 years of protests of this sort, and I think Australians are sick of seeing protests of this sort.”

He accused the protesters of “resorting to violence” and “calling for the death of people”.

He says the phrase ‘globalise the Intifada’ calls for the murder of Jews.

As Afternoon Briefing host Patricia Karvelas points out, people in the Pro-Palestine movement say the term is not antisemitic and does not imply violence toward Jews.

The Arabic word ‘Intifada’ translates to ‘uprising’ or ‘shaking off’.

Leeser says the phrase should be criminalised across Australia as it has been in Queensland. 

46m agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 5:27am

ABC MD says ASIO got his email wrong for complaint about Four Corners episode

Hugh Marks says the nation’s domestic security agency got his email wrong when attempting to contact him about last night’s Four Corners episode.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) released a statement raising concerns ahead of the release of the episode on the Bondi Beach terror attack.

The security agency raised concerns about the motivation and credibility of one of the program’s sources.

Marks has defended the program and says it was transparent and “stood up very well”.

“They [ASIO] wrote to me, they didn’t seek to call me or contact me, they did get my email address wrong,” Marks says.

“I think it says more about ASIO if they can’t even get the email address of the managing director of the ABC right,” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says.

59m agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 5:13am

Leeser tight-lipped on petition demand

I’m interrupting your play-by-play of the ABC in estimates to bring you some news from our friends over at Afternoon Briefing. 

Host Patricia Karvelas has asked Shadow Education Minister Julian Leeser about the moderates in the party pushing for Angus Taylor and his supporters to present a petition to prove he has the numbers to roll leader Sussan Ley. 

Leeser is a moderate himself but says he wasn’t involved in those discussions and it isn’t what he wants to focus on.

He says Ley has shown herself to be a strong leader in her response to Bondi.

“She showed herself to be a great leader in a national crisis,” he says.

Karvelas asks again if he thinks Taylor should have to demonstrate that he has enough support through signatures for

He doesn’t bite.

“This is a matter for people who are thinking about leadership issues in the party. I reiterate my strong support for Sussan,” Leeser says.

1h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 5:12am

Disposal freeze notice won’t impact journalists’ access to sources: ABC management

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has asked ABC managers about what impact a disposal freeze will have on the organisation.

A disposal freeze notice has been issued to the ABC ahead of the antisemitism royal commission.

It requires the organisation to retain documents that could relate to the inquiry and fall under the remit of the commission.

The managers have been asked what impact the disposal freeze notice could have on journalists’ ability to access information from sources.

ABC editorial director Gavin Fang says the corporation will always seek to protect its confidential sources to meet its journalistic ethics.

“My understanding is that we will continue to protect our sources, as we would do, using the variety of different means that we would, and that would obviously extend beyond that type of messaging app,” Fang says.

1h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 4:56amLiberal moderates want Taylor to clear hurdle before potential spill

Liberal Party moderates want to force Angus Taylor and his supporters to present a petition to prove he has the numbers if he wants to trigger a spill of Sussan Ley’s leadership.

The moderates have officially put the proposal to Ley’s office to require Taylor to collect signatures in order to move a vote.

The proposal is being considered by Ley.

A senior moderate Liberal MP said it was “important for transparency” and the move is to force the challengers to prove they have enough support for a spill.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull famously used a petition in an attempt to call Peter Dutton’s bluff and delay his leadership challenge in 2018.

Spill rules are governed by convention so it’s unclear whether the mechanism can be used again.

1h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 4:51am

Henderson questions ABC management about ‘Silenced’ documentary

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson is up and she’s asked ABC managers about a documentary called ‘Silenced’.

The documentary, which is linked with the ABC, discusses the Brittany Higgins defamation trial, according to Henderson.

Henderson has asked if there’s anything in the documentary that could defame former Liberal minister Linda Reynolds.

The ABC’s editorial director Gavin Fang says the corporation hasn’t viewed the script yet.

Hugh Marks has stepped in and says the ABC will review the program to make sure it holds up editorially before it features on any ABC platform.

“I can assure you that we will perform all reasonable reviews of the program before and to ensure that it meets all standards and does not fall foul of the areas that you’re suggesting,” Marks says.

“If it has the potential to fall foul of [that], we will, of course, make sure that that’s done,” he says.

Marks says the ABC contributed $340,000 to the program and it will feature in the United States first.

1h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 4:39am

ABC in the hot seat at Senate estimates

It’s the ABC’s turn at Senate estimates this afternoon, with the corporation’s managing director Hugh Marks up first.

Marks has begun with an opening statement, outlining that the broadcaster remains Australia’s most trusted media organisation.

He’s announced the ABC will launch a program called National Forum that will begin in March and will discuss issues of “national significance”.

“It will be a public square, healthily pluralistic, which aims to elevate discussion on important issues affecting Australia, because some conversations can be difficult, that as a nation we can’t shy away from discussing them,” Marks says.

He says the first forum will focus on the lives of Jewish Australians, including issues arising from the Bondi terrorist attack.

1h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 4:15am

📷 Question Time in pictures(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 4:09am

A short and sweet QT!

Oh my goodness. It’s a short and sweet Question Time today.

After days and days of extended QTs, Anthony Albanese pulls up stumps early. That’s because he’s got a flight to catch.

Before the chamber wraps up, Speaker Milton Dick says he’s reflected on the moment that occurred earlier in QT.

I believe he’s referring to Michael McCormack yelling “disgrace” as he left the chamber during a question about the anti-Herzog protests. It was followed by Colin Boyce’s “rip her apart”remark, which he was forced to withdraw.

Dick asks MPs to reflect on the language they use in the chamber, saying the tone was unacceptable.

QT returns for more fun tomorrow.

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 4:09amPM asked about Grace Tame comments

Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh asks the PM why Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek “refused to categorically condemn Grace Tame’s conduct” at a Sydney rally this morning.

One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce has been calling for the former Australian of the Year to be stripped of her award after she spoke at a rally protesting Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia.

“Say it with me, from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada,” Tame said.

Pro-Palestinian protestors have long maintained the term is not antisemitic, but some in the Jewish community say it is threatening and offensive. 

Albanese refers the chamber to his previous answer on Herzog.

But he also says this is not a time to look for “political opportunities”.

“The second is, we need to not continually look for political opportunities from what is a devastating situation, we need to turn the temperature down,” he says.

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 3:52am

Dealing with cost of living to be handled ‘primarily through the tax system’

We’re back to the crossbench for another question on inflation. Allegra Spender is direct to Jim Chalmers, asking what he’s going to do about it.

The treasurer acknowledges that inflation is “higher than anyone would like” and is a major challenge in our economy.

Chalmers says the plan is to help with the cost of living “in the most responsible way that we can, primarily through the tax system”.

He notes the government still has more work to do on getting the budget back into “better condition”.

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 3:49am

Bowen back with another question on energy

Next question is from Nats MP Colin Boyce. 

He asks how many solar panels and wind turbines must be installed to meet the government’s renewable energy target.

Bowen is back — okay Mr Popular! — and starts with a little jab, saying he’s surprised by the question given Boyce doesn’t accept the science of climate change.

Bowen says the government’s energy plan is not to be 100 per cent renewable, but to have a mix of 82 per cent renewable backed up by gas.

He also says the policy is informed by our best and brightest minds at the CSIRO and will be driven by investment in renewable energy from the private sector.

Looks like we don’t know how many solar panels Australians need to hoist onto the roof to meet the target, but it seems like it will probably be more than a few.

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 3:45am

Cost of living the focus for the Coalition(ABC NEws: Ian Cutmore)

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is back on the mic. She takes up the issue of Australians skipping meals and maxing out their credit cards to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

She puts this on the government’s “reckless spending” and economic management.

Anthony Albanese acknowledges the hip pocket pain and turns the table back on the opposition. He’s like, ‘If you care so much about the cozzie livs then why you oppose all our cozzie livs measures (paraphrasing)?’

Anyway, he moves on and once he gets to the mention of an Urgent Care Clinic, it gets the usual response from Lyne MP Alison Penfold. 

Penfold has a running gag going where she yells something along the lines of “what about Taree?” whenever someone mentions UCC’s.

The chamber gets a good chuckle out of that. We move on.

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 3:35am

Bowen heckled as he’s asked for renewable energy receipts

Nationals MP Michelle Landry has the floor and is asking the Energy and Climate Change Minister if he can lay out the total cost of the renewable energy policy to taxpayers.

It’s a rather broad question and as Chris Bowen starts his answer he is met by plenty of heckling from the other side of the chamber.

He says the majority of investment in renewable energy will come from the private sector.

But he says he can’t really give a dollar figure because it’s commercial in confidence.

This does not fly with the Opposition – more yelling ensues – and after a point of order Bowen is given another stab at answering the question.

“Commercial in confidence is not a new thing, it is not a new principle, it is one that is well established. The vast majority of investment in the cheapest form of renewable energy will come from the private sector,” he says.

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 3:26am

Chalmers ramps up attack on ‘old mate’ Taylor

And we’re back to usual programming. Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien steps up to the despatch box and asks, “When will inflation come down?”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says his department will update its forecasts in “the usual way” in the budget. Having been asked a variation of this question several times this week, he uses the bulk of his time to launch into an attack on O’Brien and his “old mate” Angus Taylor, a former shadow treasurer.

(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)

“The reason those opposite are in a real bind …  because half of the party room supports the Member for Hume and the other half have met him,” he says.

“And the other half have met him and they know that when it comes to their lack of economic credibility, the Member for Hume is part of the problem not part of the solution.”

2h agoTue 10 Feb 2026 at 3:24amPM asks to ‘turn temperature down’ on Herzog visit

Now that McCormack has exited the chamber, the PM has the call. But before he can answer, there’s a point of order from Independent Kate Chaney. 

She says Member for Flynn Colin Boyce, a Nationals MP, said “rip her apart” during the previous questioning regarding Herzog’s visit.

Boyce then withdraws his comments.

Okay – back to the original question.

The PM says he supports Herzog’s visit as an important moment for the families of the victims of the Bondi terror attack.

But he says we need to turn the temperature “right down”.

“Including in the rhetoric that just took place in that exchange in this chamber,” he says.

He said people are entitled to have different and strong views about the Middle East.

But he said the footage from the protest last night would have been confronting to “all Australians”.

“I note that the New South Wales police have said they will examine the footage which was taken last night, including, I note that many people who saw the footage, particularly of the people who were praying, and then action was taken will want to know all of the circumstances around that,” he says.