What we learned, 1 February 2026
With that, we’re wrapping up the blog. Before we go, here are the major stories from Sunday:
Liberal senator Anne Ruston insisted the Liberal party could win an election without the Nationals on Sunday morning, saying “history” showed this was possible.
The deputy Liberal leader, Ted O’Brien, has ruled out leading the Liberal party amid speculation about Sussan Ley’s leadership.
Matt Canavan has similarly ruled out a bid for leadership of the Nationals, as David Littleproud is expected to face a challenge on Monday.
Sydneysiders have woken up to a blanket of bushfire smoke from fires north of Newcastle on Sunday.
The New South Wales deputy premier, Prue Car, is heading back to work after a battle with cancer that she says “changed me”.
Hundreds of people have joined a community paddle-out in memory of 12-year-old Sydney shark attack victim Nico Antic.
We’ll pick things up again tomorrow.
Updated
Auction activity roars back after long weekend
Auction activity has bounced back sharply this weekend, with 1,629 auctions scheduled.
This is almost four times the 305 auctions held at the long weekend last week, and a jump on the 1,390 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 69.7% across the country, but above the 59.4% actual rate in the final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 314 of 468 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 71.3%
Melbourne: 489 of 643 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 69.3%
Brisbane: 164 of 221 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 75%
Adelaide: 101 of 153 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 86.1%
Canberra: 123 of 135 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 39.8%
Tasmania: One auction to be held.
Perth: Eight auctions held.
Updated
