What we learned today, Friday 30 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Andrew Hastie has declared he won’t challenge for the Liberal party leadership, conceding he doesn’t have the numbers to roll Sussan Ley. Hastie ended a week of speculation about his intentions with a statement on Friday afternoon.
Two adults and two children have been found dead in the Perth suburb of Mosman Park this morning in a suspected double murder-suicide, police said.
Sussan Ley has appointed an interim Liberal-only shadow ministry after the Coalition split. The opposition leader has assigned the old Nationals portfolios to existing Liberal shadow ministers in an acting capacity for the upcoming starting week, which starts on Tuesday.
Nine Entertainment has sold its radio network for $56m and bought an outdoor media platform for $850m and converted its wholly owned regional television station NBN in northern NSW to an affiliate station.
NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious while visiting locations across Sydney.
The median wait time between older Australians getting approved for in-home care packages and the support starting has blown out to 245 days, up from 118 days in 2023-24, according to data released by the Productivity Commission.
Taxpayers spent $1.1bn a year imprisoning children as detention numbers rise across Australia, an increase of $100m in one year, AAP reports. The Productivity Commission’s latest report on government services, released late on Thursday, shows youth detention spending has surged by $400m in five years.
More than 1,550 structures across Victoria have been damaged by bushfires, including hundreds of homes. There are still four major fires active: Longwood, the Wonnangatta and Dargo fires in Gippsland, and the Carlisle River fire in the Otways.
Anthony Albanese says the Danish royals will visit Australia in March. King Frederik and Australian-born Queen Mary will visit from 14 to 19 March, their fourth official visit to Australia and the first since Frederik became king.
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Updated
More on the Danish royal visit
The Royal House of Denmark has released more information on the upcoming visit of King Frederik and Queen Mary to Australia.
They will be accompanied by Denmark’s deputy prime minister, the minister for foreign affairs, and minister for climate, energy and utilities, as well as a large business delegation.
“The purpose of the state visit is to further develop the already strong relations between Australia and Denmark, both culturally, economically, and in terms of foreign policy.
“A strengthened partnership with Australia is particularly important at a time when geopolitical shifts have economic and security implications that link developments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.
“Building on the strategic partnership between Australia and Denmark signed in 2023, the state visit aims to enhance cooperation across a broad range of areas, including the green transition and economic security.”
Updated
