Australian news and politics recap: Opposition Leader Sussan Ley farewells late mother Angela Braybrooks
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Sussan Ley pays tribute to late mother and inspiration
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has paid tribute to her mother and “inspiration” who died just days after her daughter became the first woman to lead the Liberal Party.
Ms Ley was deep in negotiations with Nationals leader David Littleproud to reach a new coalition agreement following the federal election loss, while tending to her dying mother.
Angela Braybrooks’ funeral service will be held at St Matthew’s Anglican Church in Albury on Friday morning.
The Nationals quit the coalition days after the death of Ms Braybrooks before the political parties later patched up their differences.
The opposition leader said Ms Braybrooks was “comfortable and at peace” in her final moments.
“My family and I feel this loss deeply,” she said in a statement.
Ms Ley paid tribute to the mental health nurse who she said had helped “so many people throughout her life”.
Hume disappointed by demotion in Liberal reshuffle
As the Coalition look to get back to business, Liberal Senator Jane Hume has spoken about her move to the backbench following the latest reshuffle.
“Of course it hurts. It hurts professionally because I was a hard-working and prolific and high-profile Member of the frontbench in the previous Opposition. It hurts personally, too, because you know, Sussan and I are friends,” Ms Hume told Sunrise.
“I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make a difference. I’m here to fight for the future of your kids, my kids, their kids for freedom and choice and personal responsibility and reward for effort and the importance of small business and the dangers of big government. I will continue to do that everyday from whatever position I am in.”
She added, “There is something very liberating about being on the backbench and being able to speak without having to stick to the party line and without having to stick to talking points. That’s certainly going to make for much more interesting Sunrise interviews.”
Hume also called for unity, saying, “The most important thing we can all do here now is get behind Sussan Ley, put our shoulders to the wheel. Because there’s a very big task ahead of us. Not only to win back the hearts and minds and votes of Australians but also to hold this terrible government to account and that’s exactly what I am going to be doing everyday and every single one of my colleagues are going to be doing everyday.”
She finished with advice from her mother: “Stop your nonsense, chin up, chest out, straighten your tiara and let’s get on with the job.”
Abott demands Ley continue NSW liberal intervention
Tony Abbott is urging Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to continue Peter Dutton’s efforts to reform the NSW Liberal Party, a move that could increase factional disputes following her recent frontbench reshuffle.
As Ms Ley prepares to decide on the future of the NSW division next week, Mr Abbott, now a Fox Corporation board member and a key conservative figure, wants her to back a federal takeover of the state branch. This is seen as a major test of her leadership.
The intervention began last September, when Mr Dutton and other leaders appointed three party elders to take control of the NSW branch after it failed to nominate candidates for 16 local council elections. This failure raised concerns about the branch’s professionalism.
Ms Ley recently reached a truce with the Nationals after an eight-day split, but her new frontbench has rewarded loyalists and sidelined some MPs who opposed her leadership.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald Mr Abbott said Ley must “rise above the factional infighting to side with the party administrators and extend the intervention beyond June 30.”
He added: “It’s always important for the parliamentary leadership to be bigger than any faction.”
He also warned against letting the intervention lapse as a “payback for past favours.”
Tariffs reinstated as White House blasts ‘activist judges’
Tariffs imposed on all nations by the Trump Administration, that were dramatically blocked by a US trade court on Wednesday, will remain in effect as the legal process continues.
US President Donald Trump’s controversial global tariffs have been temporarily reinstated while a court reviews an appeal filed by the White House.
This development follows a ruling by a panel of three federal judges who blocked the tariffs, stating that the President had “overstepped his authority.”
The Trump Administration is expected to take the case to the supreme court if it loses the appeal.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a stark warning, claiming the US “cannot function” if Mr Trump has his “trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges.”
