What we learned; Tuesday 13 May
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow. Until then, here were today’s biggest developments:
Sussan Ley was elected by the Liberal party as the opposition leader, defeating Angus Taylor 29 votes to 25, with Ted O’Brien to join her as deputy. In her first press conference after the ballot, she said Australia was a place to “dream my biggest dreams”.
Taylor commended her for the “milestone” of becoming the party’s first female leader.
Meanwhile at Government House, the PM and his new ministry were sworn in for their second term in government. The start of the 148th federal parliament coincides with the world “entering a period of global dislocation not seen” since the second world war, Jim Chalmers warned.
The UN aviation council has ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 resulting in the deaths of 298 passengers and crew, including 38 Australian citizens.
And Linda Reynolds is suing the commonwealth for allegedly denying the Liberal senator the ability to defend claims made against her by former staffer Brittany Higgins while the government negotiated her $2.4m settlement.
Updated
Jactina Price says she feels at ‘home’ with the Liberals
Finally, Price said she didn’t regret leaving the Nationals “at all”.
I wanted to become a Liberal Party member when I was very first elected, and there were blocks in the way at that point. I was new to the game, but I absolutely feel like I am in my home.
Asked if the Senate was also her “home”, Price said it was where the biggest battles would be fought under the current government.
I’m geared up for those battles and to support the Coalition from the Senate … the Senate is where I’m focused.
Updated
