Australian news and politics recap: NATO boss Mark Rutte says Donald Trump is ‘totally committed’ to alliance

While Sussan Ley says Coalition won’t decide on policy positions just yet, she’s willing to hear all feedback on the party’s stance on energy.

It comes after debate about whether the party will retain its nuclear ambitions and its net zero target.

Telling the National Press Club that the party would hold a range of meetings in coming days, Ms Ley said she’s eager to establish an informed position.

“As part of that policy development process, we will establish a dedicated Coalition working group on energy and emissions reduction policy,” she said.

“Over the course of this term, our task will be to develop a plan underpinned by two goals - having a stable energy grid which provides affordable and reliable power for Australian households and businesses, and reducing emissions so that we are playing our part in the global effort.

Opposition leader Sussan Ley has reflected on wearing second-hand clothes and not being taken seriously in pilot school as she wasn’t from a privileged home with parents who bankrolled lessons.

Ms Ley has shared her personal journey before politics at the National Press Club, including her efforts to become a pilot.

“My journey here is not one of privilege. It’s a story of work, struggle, persistence and belief in the country that gave me and my family a chance,” she said.

“I was not taken seriously in pilot training. I was nearly always the only woman in the group.

“The privileged boys whose parents bankrolled their lessons attracted more street cred than me.

“I lived in a bedsit under the bridge in Queanbeyan and my clothes were from Vinnies because every dollar I made went towards flying lessons.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley has declared she will ensure more women are preselected at the 2028 election.

She said the party had a long and strong history in supporting women and expressed her desire to ensure it reflects Australia women in its candidates.

“The Liberal Party operates as a federated model, meaning that each state division determines its own pre-selection rules,” she said.

“If some state divisions choose to implement quotas, that’s fine.

“If others don’t, that’s also fine.

“But what is not fine is not having enough women.

“As the first woman leader of our federal party let me send the clearest possible message - we need to do better, recruit better, retain better and support better.

“That’s why I will work with every division, as will my parliamentary team, to ensure we pre-select more women for the 2028 election.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley has outlined the scope of the review of the Liberal party’s crushing election defeat.

“It will look at the election campaign and also the period leading up it,” she revealed in a National Press Club address.

It will also include the overall performance of the Liberal Party at federal and state levels.

“As a federal executive, we’ve tasked the review with looking at the Liberal Party’s performance

across the country and among all voter groups and communities, including multicultural communities, women and youth, and urban and regional areas,” she said.

“They’ll also look at the way we conduct our research, our policy development, and how we communicate to Australians.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley has told the National Press Club she won’t be deterred by commentary on her gender in leadership.

“I’m the first woman elected to lead the Liberal Party, and the first woman Leader of the Opposition,” she said.

“While this sends a strong signal that we are taking a fresh approach, and doing things differently, I’m not here to spruik about milestones or firsts.

“Today will be my first address as Federal leader of the Liberal Party to the National Press Club and it will not be my last.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley has said the embattled Liberal party needs to “restore that promise” and “regain trust” with voters that it’s a party to respect, reflect and represent Australia.

Addressing the National Press Club on Wednesday, she admitted the party had a big task ahead.

“I’m here to talk about the important work we are going to do over the next three years to rebuild trust with Australians so we’re worthy of their support at the next election.”

“My focus will always be on helping those aspirational Australians, as we seek to regain trust with voters across our great country.

“The task before me and my team is to lead a Liberal Party that respects modern Australia, reflects modern Australia, and represents modern Australia.”

In candid comments before the National Press Club, new Liberal leader Sussan Ley bluntly stated the party was “totally smashed”.

“We didn’t just lose. We got smashed. Totally smashed,” she said.

“As leader of the Federal Liberal Party, I will always be honest and upfront with the Australian people. So let’s be honest and upfront about last month’s election.

“What we, as the Liberal Party, presented to the Australian people was comprehensively rejected.”

Sussan Ley has told the National Press Club on Wednesday that she wouldn’t have believed her younger self that she’d become Opposition leader.

“If you had told that girl then that she would be standing here now, she wouldn’t have believed you,” she said.

“No-one told her she could rise to a position of political leadership.

“Like many Australians, she never considered running for public office.

“It’s an enormous source of pride that in this country, any Australian from any walk of life can make a contribution to our national story.

“A country where a young migrant at Campbell High can seize the endless opportunities made available in Australia, to serve in the Federal Parliament, to sit in the Federal Cabinet and become leader of the Federal Liberal Party.”

The Treasurer spoke with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this morning at 8am, with critical minerals, tariffs and investment taxes on the agenda.

Mr Chalmers said the conversation was a “very positive discussion, very productive discussion”.

The primary conversation appears to have been attempts to convince Mr Bessent about Australia’s important role as an economic partner, with Dr Chalmers spending more of is press address time talking about critical minerals and the impending tax on funds invested in the US as part of Donald Trump’s tax and spending package.

Australia’s largest investors from super funds to the national Future Fund are large funders of US activity, and Section 889 of the Bill, also referred to as a ‘revenge tax’ would see investment returns crimped.

“We do not want to see our investors and our funds unfairly treated or disadvantaged I’m very grateful to Scott Besson for hearing me out we hope for some good developments on this front in the coming days, if not the coming days, (or) the coming weeks,” Dr Chalmers said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is speaking in Brisbane on something on a victory lap regarding today’s drop in inflation im May to 2.1 per cent, noting six consecutive months of headline inflation within the Reserve Bank’s target range.

“This means that the progress we’re making together on inflation is substantial, and it means that it’s sustained. These are very welcome developments because they illustrate the progress that Australians have made together when it comes to getting on top of this inflation challenge that we have had in our economy for some time now,” he said.

He said it is timely ahead of the upcoming “economic reform roundtable”.

“What it means is that we can focus even more substantially on some of the bigger, longer term structural challenges in our economy, whether it’s making our economy more productive, making our budget more sustainable, or making ourselves more resilient in the face of all of this global economic uncertainty,” Dr Chalmers said.