9m agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 8:06am
Joyce says Ley should reflect on ‘dignified’ work in the Liberal Party
As MPs leave parliament for the day, some have chatted to my colleague (and friend of the blog) Samantha Dick about the expected spill.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says if things don’t go well for Sussan Ley, she should reflect the “dignified” work she did in the Liberals.
“She had to break the ice and to have to pick up the pieces and be the first opposition leader is a hard job and I hope if things don’t work out for her, I hope she reflects on the fact that she did an honourable job,” Joyce says.
He says Angus Taylor is a “decent human being” but that he’s focused on One Nation’s success.
Liberal MP and leadership aspirant, Andrew Hastie, stopped to talk for a moment and said he wouldn’t weigh into the leadership speculation.
“It’s a privilege to represent my electors in Canning and that’s what I’m focused on at the moment,” Hastie says.
25m agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 7:50am
Liberal party ‘needs a way forward’, shadow minister says
Liberal shadow minister Tim Wilson has left the door open to the possibility of serving on an Angus Taylor-led frontbench.
The Goldstein MP has told Sky News that he will serve however the Liberal Party wants him to serve.
He says the Liberal Party “needs a way forward” and that it “doesn’t much matter who sits in the swivel chair”.
“I want to see Liberal governments elected, I want us to be driving a really hard agenda on small business, small traders, family businesses and the self employed,” Wilson says.
38m agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 7:37am
Tony Abbott urges Liberals to resolve leadership by the end of this week
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has added his voice to the chorus of Liberals urging the party to resolve its leadership issue soon.
Speaking to Sky News, Abbott says the Liberals need to resolve the leadership question “one way or another” by the end of this week.
He says Liberals should not take the rise in the One Nation vote as a sign the party should become “teal-lite”.
“The important thing is to have good, strong policies on energy, on immigration, on the role of government, on national pride and respect for national symbols,” Abbott says.
“The rise of the One Nation vote, that is not a sign that the Liberal Party should become teal lite, that’s a sign that the Liberal Party has got to go back to being the party it was when the One Nation vote was negligible, namely the Howard Liberal Party or dare I say it the Abbott Liberal Party,” he says.
53m agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 7:22am
Ukraine still negotiating security agreement with Australia: ambassador
Back at the National Press Club earlier, Ukraine Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said his country was still negotiating a security agreement with Australia.
Australia has made several high-profile donations of military equipment to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion almost four years ago — with total support now reaching more than one and a half billion dollars.
But the two countries have also been in discussions about a separate security pact.
The ambassador didn’t go into details about it, but said the embassy was “working very actively with DFAT on this, and we’ve progressed and certainly Ukraine would be very interested in it.”
He said it would help to create a “framework for our engagement on defence, on security, on other matters” and open the door to military cooperation that “we haven’t had before”, including cooperation on new defence technologies.
“As you know, the innovation in electronic warfare and unmanned systems in Ukraine has been quite phenomenal during the past four years,” he said.
“And that innovation was, of course, driven by war. And we have been sourcing different components, including here in Australia, but also in other countries.”
1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 7:10am
When will Angus Taylor resign?
Still no official word yet.
One senior Liberal says it’s still not certain if Angus Taylor will resign this evening, explaining many in the party are confused about the delay and describing it as a “cluster f..k”.
1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 6:59am
No ‘rule-in, rule-out game’Â ahead of budget, Gallagher says
In economic estimates, focus is returning to speculation the government is considering scaling back the capital gains tax discount.
Liberal senator Jane Hume, a former shadow finance minister, has asked Deputy Secretary of Revenue, Small Business and Law Group Diane Brown whether Treasury is analysing the potential impact of rolling back the discount.
“To indicate specific matters or specific taxes under discussion … would risk inhibiting the delivery of process. Decisions of budget are normally made at budget time by the Treasurer,” Brown replies.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher backs up Brown’s answer, telling Hume the government “is interested in a discussion on the intergenerational issues around housing.”
“We aren’t going to be sitting having a rule-in, rule-out game … you will see the budget in May,” Gallagher says.
Hume, who supported a Select Committee on the Operation of the Capital Gains Tax Discount, replies, “I think that’s going to frighten the horses for a lot of investors out there”.
1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 6:51am
Ley says Herzog’s visit an opportunity to strengthen ‘strained’ bilateral relationship
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has just released a statement after her meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The opposition leader says the pair discussed how both countries could strengthen their alliance.
Ley says Herzog’s visit is an important opportunity to reset and strengthen “a strained bilateral relationship”.
She says it was disappointing to see protests occur during the president’s visit to Australia and in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
“While peaceful protest is a democratic right, the timing and tone of these demonstrations risk compounding division at a moment that calls for unity and reflection,” Ley says.
“The focus right now should be on supporting victims and their families, rejecting antisemitism in all its forms and reinforcing the social cohesion that underpins our nation.”
1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 6:45am
Antic supports Taylor, says One Nation is ‘showing the blueprint’ for the Liberals
Conservative Liberal senator Alex Antic has thrown his support behind Angus Taylor ahead of an expected Liberal leadership challenge.
Speaking on Sky News, the South Australian senator says the party’s trajectory at the moment is “not good”.
Antic says “something has to happen” and the party cannot continue haemorrhaging votes in the way that the opinion polling is showing.
He says One Nation is “showing the blueprint” for how the Liberal Party moves forward.
“I voted for Angus the first time around. I think Angus is an exceptionally capable person. He is going to do a good job when his time comes whether it’s now, tomorrow, six months, two years, whatever it may be,” Antic says.
“I think something has to happen. We have to see this for what it is and we simply cannot continue to haemorrhage votes in the way we are,” he says.
1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 6:28amAngus Taylor to resign from Liberal frontbench soon, supporters say
Supporters of Angus Taylor say he is preparing to resign, having only been waiting for Sussan Ley to wrap up a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
One Liberal said they expected multiple frontbenchers to resign on Wednesday evening.
They also said the reason for confusion late on Wednesday was because Taylor had stopped telegraphing his movements with colleagues due to constant leaks to the media.
1h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 6:19amSussan Ley, Michaelia Cash meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash have met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at parliament.
They were joined by Liberal frontbenchers Andrew Wallace, Tim Wilson and Andrew Bragg for the meeting.
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2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 6:03am
Defence chief reveals Chinese flotilla passed just ‘5 or 7 miles’ outside Australia’s EEZ
Over in Senate estimates, fresh details have emerged about the flotilla of Chinese naval ships that sparked concern late last year amid fears it could be heading towards Australia.
Turns out, the ships came a lot closer than previously thought.
The four PLA-N vessels — a frigate, a cruiser, a refuelling ship and a landing helicopter dock — passed just “5 or 7 miles” outside Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, according to Chief of the Defence Force David Johnston.
They were monitored closely by the Australian Defence Force.
“Its closest proximity to us was through the north-eastern part of the Queensland coast,” Admiral Johnston said.
“It moved through a number of Pacific islands and then turned north just outside of our 200-mile zone.”
He said the response involved close coordination with regional partners.
“It was a very collaborative approach. There was strong interest from our Pacific partners on what the task group was doing while it was conducting its deployment,” he said.
Admiral Johnston described the activity as a “reflection of the growing capacity the Chinese military and particularly the navy has.”
“It’s a demonstration of its ability to operate much further from China’s shores than it has routinely done. It unquestionably is demonstrating into our region that the Chinese navy is capable of deploying.”
2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 6:01amJournalists stake out Ley and Taylor’s offices in parliament
Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley’s offices are only a short walk from each other, so journalists are staked out in a corridor in anticipation of Taylor resigning from the frontbench in order to challenge Ley.
But it’s been pretty uneventful.
Taylor was forced to emerge from his office briefly when a division was called, joking to the gathered journalists “have you got your sleeping bags?”
A Ley staffer dropped in to offer packets of chips — possibly left over from the election campaign.
There’s as many interested MPs finding reasons to wander past as there are journalists.
Taylor and Ley are both back in their offices now. Even many of Taylor’s allies say if he wants to challenge, he should do it now.
2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 5:46am
Greens in discussions with Labor on superannuation taxation laws
Greens senator Nick McKim says his party is having conversations with the government over superannuation taxation.
Labor wants to raise the tax rate on super balances over $3 million from 15 per cent to 30 per cent, affecting about 90,000 account holders.
The federal government also wants to create a new threshold of 40 per cent taxation for super balances over $10m.
Speaking to Afternoon Briefing, McKim says the Greens are open to helping the government pass the laws through the Senate.
“It was a bit difficult to have the conversations when we hadn’t seen the legislation, so we’ll have a look at the bill now and I’ve got no doubt there’ll be conversations on some level with government around our approach here,” McKim says.
“There is a pathway there, I’m sure, for firstly a constructive approach and secondly some negotiations around the passage of the bill,” he says.
2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 5:35amSharma says Liberals must resolve leadership question
Liberal senator Dave Sharma has added to calls for anyone interested in challenging Liberal leader Sussan Ley to put their name forward.
“I don’t know if Angus Taylor is intending to declare his candidacy. I don’t know if anyone else is,” Sharma says.
The Liberal senator says it’s important that the matter is “put to bed one way or the other”.
Sharma says the opposition isn’t articulating an alternative to the government at the moment because it is focused on internal matters.
“I’m conscious that we’re not doing the job we should as elected representatives here to represent communities, or as an opposition in holding the government to account,” he says.
2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 5:30am
Peter Khalil and Dave Sharma weigh into Isaac Herzog visit
Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil and Liberal senator Dave Sharma have joined the Afternoon Briefing political panel.
They’ve been asked about Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia, which has attracted protests this week.
Khalil says Australia must maintain dialogue with Israelis and Palestinians to help achieve peace in the Middle East.
“The importance that peace in the Middle East is dependent upon us being able to engage with both Israelis and Palestinians, keep that dialogue open, even when we disagree with the actions and the government has disagreed with many of the Netanyahu government’s actions,” Khalil says.
Sharma says decisions about who or who shouldn’t come to Australia shouldn’t be beholden to “several thousand angry protesters”.
“He didn’t come here with a message of antagonism or hate. He wasn’t here trying to bring malice amongst our community,” Sharma says.
2h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 5:23amBen Small will back Angus Taylor if he puts his hand up for the Liberal leadership
Liberal MP Ben Small, who previously supported Andrew Hastie, says he would back Angus Taylor if he put his hand up for the Liberal leadership.
Angus Taylor should make his intentions clear about his ambitions for the Liberal leadership today, Small has told Afternoon Briefing.
Small says discussion has been rife within the Liberals about the party’s leadership.
But he says he thinks the continued speculation is “robbing us of oxygen” and preventing the opposition from holding the government to account.
Speaking to Afternoon Briefing, Small says he would back the shadow defence minister for the leadership if he put his hand up for the job.
“If he puts his hand up as someone who has already expressed a need for the party to reassert its traditional values — pride and patriotism and a strong economy,” Small says.
3h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 5:13amLiberal frontbencher says community is ‘sick to death’ of party leadership question
Shadow Industry Minister Melissa Price hasn’t held back what she thinks about the continued leadership speculation in the Liberal Party.
Speaking to Afternoon Briefing, the West Australian MP says the Liberals need to resolve the leadership question “as quickly as possible”.
Price says everyone in the community is “sick to death” of the speculation and that “if somebody wants to put their hand up to be leader of the Liberal Party, they need to say so”.
She says she doesn’t think Sussan Ley has been given a fair go and that it’s still early in her leadership.
“I think there’s a lot of people who have not helped her to succeed and we have to, one way or another, change the leader or keep the leader and if we keep the leader, I encourage my colleagues, we’ve got to get behind her,” Price says.
Price wouldn’t be drawn when asked if she thought Angus Taylor would do a better job than Sussan Ley.
But she thinks the opposition leader has done a “very good job in very bad circumstances”.
Asked if she would put her hand up for the leadership, Price says she wouldn’t “after the way Sussan has been treated”.
3h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 5:02am
Afternoon Briefing has started! 📺
Join along as we bring you the program here live!
3h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 4:59am
Protests against Herzog in Melbourne
In Melbourne, dozens of protesters gathered outside the office of MP Peter Khalil, former special envoy for social inclusion.
(ABC News: James Oaten)
The office in Melbourne’s inner-north was closed, with roller doors protecting the facade.
Protesters temporarily blocked the street before marching down Sydney Road in Coburg.
(ABC News: James Oaten)
3h agoWed 11 Feb 2026 at 4:47am
‘How long does it take to count to 26?’
They say politics is a numbers game, and nowhere is that truer than at economics estimates, where millions and billions are thrown around gleefully.
But it’s a much smaller number that Katy Gallagher has in mind as the finance minister does her best to disrupt James Paterson who is trying to ask whether Jim Chalmers got numbers muddled about economic growth on last week’s Insiders: 26.
She tells Paterson he’s “spending more time on the internals of [his] own political machine than actually caring about the future of this country”.
Paterson laughs and says he has been “demonstrating my interest in the budget all day”.
“Oh come on,” groans Gallagher. “Whilst you’re also organising how to count to 26. How long does it take to count to 26?”
That being the magic number for a leadership change in the Liberal party room, in case that wasn’t obvious.