What we learned: Wednesday 11 February
We will wrap up the live blog here for the night.
This is what made the news:
Angus Taylor resigned from the shadow ministry, paving the way for a challenge to Sussan Ley for the Liberal leadership.
Australia’s Islamophobia envoy, Aftab Malik, has called for a public apology and investigation into New South Wales police grabbing men kneeling in prayer during a Sydney protest against Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit.
The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, apologised to community leaders for “any offence that may have been taken”.
A man was charged after allegedly shining a torch at police at a Sydney protest against the NSW police’s response to the Monday protest against Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.
Herzog, meanwhile, was in Canberra, and had meetings with the governor-general, prime minister and opposition leader.
His visit drew protests, and criticism from independent and Greens politicians.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he raised Zomi Frankcom’s death in Gaza with Herzog.
The head of Australia’s domestic intelligence agency has dismissed criticisms that his officers didn’t do enough to prevent the Bondi shooting attack as “baseless” while declaring claims by a former undercover agent aired on the ABC were untrue.
The high court has delivered a landmark win for survivors of clergy abuse this morning, finding the Catholic church had a duty of care to protect a child from one of its paedophile priests.
Household costs continue to rise with 5.4% jump in average rents in year to January.
The government has introduced its modified $3m super tax legislation into parliament this morning, as part of a reform which will also lift the threshold for the low income super tax offset that will boost the savings for more than a million Australians.
GP bulk billing rates have seen a record jump in the three months since the government’s bulk billing incentives began, the health minister claims.
The Commonwealth Bank has warned that interest rates remain under “upward pressure” from inflation after reporting a record $5.45bn half-year cash profit backed by surging home loan volumes and business lending.
And, for something far more wholesome than any of these, the recording of 13-year-old Austin Appelbee’s call to triple zero to save his family has been released.
Until tomorrow, enjoy your evening.
The Liberals are lining up on Sky News this evening. Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has declared – perhaps to no one’s surprise – she’ll be backing Angus Taylor if there’s a leadership spill.
Price said:
I don’t think it’s any secret that I’ll be backing Angus Taylor and I will be backing a move for a change of leadership. And as my colleague, Senator [Jane] Hume pointed out, if we do not make this change, we will be wiped out at the next federal election.
We are in a dire situation as the Liberal party, and if the current polls aren’t reason enough for, you know, some of my colleagues to realise we need a change of leadership, then we have to look at the fact that we haven’t been delivering on policy. In terms of energy policy, we should have come out earlier than what we did in terms of our position on net zero.
The Australian people have been screaming out to us, and we have to start reflecting their needs, answering their calls, and we need a leadership that can take us in that direction, and to me, Angus Taylor provides that direction for us.
The Northern Territory senator said she won’t put her hand up for the deputy leader role.
Updated
