What happened on Monday 23 May, 2022
With that, we’ll finish our live coverage of the day’s news. Here’s a summary of the key developments:
- Anthony Albanese was sworn in as Australia’s 31st prime minister in Canberra on Monday morning, before boarding a flight to Tokyo for a Quad leaders meeting. While onboard the flight, he spoke with UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
- Barnaby Joyce has signalled the Nationals may abandon their support for net zero emissions after the Coalition’s election defeat, revealing he will consult his colleagues on whether to change course.
- New Zealand will continue to push the conversation on Australia’s “problematic” deportation policy with the incoming government under Albanese, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said.
- Queenslanders will have access to free flu jabs across the state as the government seeks to curb rising cases.
- Former Liberal MPs Josh Frydenberg and Dave Sharma formally conceded to their teal independent challengers on Monday, however vote counting in some marginal seats is yet to indicate a clear winner.
Thanks for following along, we’ll be back to do it all again tomorrow.
Albanese speaks with UK PM Johnson
The new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has just spoken with the UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, while on board a plane to Tokyo.
An Australian government spokesperson said the pair had a 25-minute call, describing it as a “frank and very positive” discussion about the strong relationship between the two countries.
The spokesperson said the new government’s determination to act on climate change and support for Aukus were both discussed in the call.
