Australian news and politics live: Sussan Ley losing support, Liberal says, amid climate policy unrest

Fellow Victorian Senator Jane Hume says she doesn’t share the view of her Liberal colleague Sarah Henderson that their leader is losing support.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Senator Hume says she’s glad opposition leader Sussan Ley has convened a meeting next week to settle climate policy.

“I think Sussan has been really consistent in her messaging since she was elected. She has wanted to lower emissions, but not at any cost,” she says.

“It’s important we get this policy right because Australians have seen their energy prices rise by about 40 per cent under Labor,” Senator Hume adds.

Sussan Ley will speak to media alongside Ted O’Brien shortly.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest.

Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson has conceded Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is losing support in the party room as the Coalition continues to grapple with climate policy.

Appearing on Sky News, she said she can’t pretend the situation in the Liberal Party is good after a “dire” Newspoll result showed its primary vote at a record low.

“There’s been a lot of pretty brutal backgrounding, and I don’t want to do that. I want to be authentic, and I want to be honest. As a member of parliament, I can’t pretend things are good”.

“We’ve had a dire Newspoll result, a primary vote of just 24 per cent. Things are not travelling well. I do have to say, really honestly, I do think Sussan [Ley] is losing support.

“But I do believe in miracles, we can turn things around. But things are not good. I don’t support things the way they are at the moment”.

A Virgin Australia plane has caught fire with 180 people on board the aircraft.

Virgin Australia flight VA454, which had flown from Darwin to Brisbane, had just touched down around 7.30pm when the brakes appear to have caught fire.

Emergency crews raced to the plane, while passengers were still on board, dousing the tyres as they desperately attempted to control the situation.

Concerned onlookers captured the moment emergency crews battled the blaze, with smoke seen billowing from under the plane.

No injuries have been reported, however, the concerning incident has sparked an official investigation.

“Airport firefighters responded to a brake fire on flight VA454 which occurred after landing at Brisbane Airport last night,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson told The Nightly.

Read the full story.

Sussan Ley has been savaged by a former Liberal leader for lacking strategy and leadership, as the party grapples with infighting and demoralising polling.

The Opposition Leader has been accused of failing to articulate a way forward for the Liberals, who are edging closer to a final position on their energy and climate change policy.

After a fortnight of damaging infighting and wild leadership speculation, Ms Ley has called a series of party room meetings to bed down a new approach to energy and emissions reduction.

As the party prepares to negotiate its final policy, former Liberal leader John Hewson has delivered a withering assessment of Ms Ley and the party she leads.

“She hasn’t shown any clear strategy, or any strong capacity in terms of leadership,” he told AAP.

Read the full story.

Liberal MP Phil Thompson has recounted how he was inadvertently hit by capsicum spray on Tuesday as anti-war activists clashed with police at a Sydney weapons expo.

Over a dozen pro-Palestinian activists were arrested when hundreds of demonstrators protested outside the opening of the International Maritime Exposition at Darling Harbour this week.

“The protesters got quite close to where I was walking, and, you know, there wasn’t a job between them, and they attacked the police and the police horse,” Mr Thompson said.

“The police used up some pepper spray and some tear gas stuff, and the wind changed, and I got caught in the middle of it, and had to go spend some time in the shower. I’ve had to throw out some shirts.”

“It clears the sinuses out, but it’s definitely not a pleasurable experience,” the Queensland MP told The Nightly.

The inaugural head of the Australian Submarine Agency, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, will step down from his role in mid next year.

Since 2021, the senior naval officer has been overseeing Australia’s efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS program, first as the head of a secret task force and then as ASA boss.

In a statement, Defence Minister Richard Marles thanked Vice Admiral Mead for making “an enormous contribution to the development of the AUKUS optimal pathway”.

“Over the next six-months, Vice Admiral Mead will remain with the ASA while it approaches the next phase of the optimal pathway with the establishment of Submarine Rotational Force–West from 2027, allowing for continuity within the organisation.”

A replacement for Vice Admiral Mead is yet to be named, but the government says it will consider one “in due course”.