Finn McHugh

3 days ago | capitalbrief.com | Anthony Galloway |Finn McHugh

The Liberal Party has elected its first female leader in Sussan Ley, a historic milestone that immediately raises an uncomfortable question: is she the party’s saviour, or just its next scapegoat? Ley’s narrow 29–25 victory over Angus Taylor underscores the fragility of her mandate. Many in the Right faction, which was backing Taylor, will see her elevation as a temporary setback.

1 week ago | capitalbrief.com | Finn McHugh

“Net zero makes everything more expensive and it is not helping the environment given that the US, China and India are no longer even paying lip service to it,” he wrote. Canavan said Littleproud could be “enormously proud” for his role in establishing the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy and defeating the Voice referendum. “But this debate is not about protecting his job or mine. This is about fighting for the jobs and livelihoods of the many people we represent,” he said.

1 week ago | capitalbrief.com | Finn McHugh

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will now allocate portfolios from a 30-person executive, half of which is made up of women. There had been speculation new MP Rebecca White, who was Labor’s state leader in Tasmania between 2021 and 2024, would be immediately promoted to cabinet. But White will have to wait for the opportunity after she was left off the list. Albanese urged his expanded party room to maintain a “laser-like focus” on the Australian voters.

1 week ago | capitalbrief.com | Anthony Galloway |Finn McHugh

A day after his election win, Anthony Albanese pledged a “disciplined, orderly government in our second term”, vowing Labor would not “take for granted” the opportunity afforded by voters. As he delivered those assurances, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles was already working the phones to dump Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. By Thursday, it was clear he'd been successful.

1 week ago | capitalbrief.com | Finn McHugh |Anthony Galloway

As Labor reshuffles, Jacinta Price’s defection to the Liberals has shaken the party, bolstering conservatives and shifting the battle for the party’s top job. Ministers Ed Husic and Mark Dreyfus will be dumped from the frontbench, as moderate Liberals brace for Nationals defector Jacinta Nampijinpa Price entering their party room. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appears unlikely to intervene to protect the two ministers, who lost their cabinet spots during Labor faction meetings on Thursday.