Ley's first shadow ministry is on the mark. But now the hard work starts
Sussan Ley has finally stamped her authority on a much-diminished federal opposition, naming nine new members to her shadow cabinet and rewarding supporters and fellow moderates with roles on her frontbench.
Ley had assistance from voters in clearing out some of the familiar faces – Peter Dutton, David Coleman, Michael Sukkar and Perrin Davey lost their seats in parliament – but she has not hesitated to go further.
Ley and her team could find no space at the top table for former shadow cabinet members Jane Hume, conservative rising star Claire Chandler, former education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson – who has few allies in the party room – and Nationals turncoat Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who has been demoted to the outer shadow ministry.
The appointment of Price to the outer ministry is particularly apposite as the Trump-friendly 'Make Australia Great Again' senator will be bound by shadow ministerial solidarity and unable to freelance outside her defence industry portfolio.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has, as expected, ensured that his great rival and predecessor Barnaby Joyce was dumped, while Darren Chester returns to his former gig of veterans' affairs.
The newly minted opposition leader had an extra week to consider how to assemble her frontbench team because of the quickie Coalition split. The cracks have been papered over for now but divisions are certain to re-emerge when parliament returns and debate resumes on the giant, unresolved net zero fault line that divides the Coalition.
For the most part, Ley has made wise choices. Henderson made a lot of noise but achieved very little in the previous parliament. Hume, fairly or unfairly, is still wearing a decent chunk of the blame for the catastrophic end-work-from-home policy but she, along with Chandler, is likely to return to the frontbench in future.
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The net result is two fewer women in the 23-member shadow cabinet, though this is offset by the Liberals finally promoting a woman to the leadership.
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In Poland, the president holds a five-year term and has broad powers, including representing the country abroad, shaping foreign policy, appointing the prime minister and the cabinet, and serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces in the event of war. with dpa and Reuters Conservative pro-Trump candidate Karol Nawrocki has won Poland's presidential runoff election. Nawrocki secured just under 51 per cent of the vote in a very tight race against liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received just over 49 per cent. The close race had the country on edge since a first round two weeks earlier and through the night into Monday, revealing deep divisions in the country along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. The vote was seen as a test of the nation's support for a pro-European course versus US President Donald Trump-style nationalism. 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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese branded the move an act of "economic self-harm" and is expected to sit down with the American leader on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada later in June. Mr Trump's deepening trade war is considered destabilising to the framework that has benefited middle powers such as Australia. Announcing the steel and aluminium tariffs earlier this year, Mr Trump committed to imposing them "without exceptions or exemptions" in a bid to help shield domestic industries. The Albanese government has ruled out retaliatory tariffs against the US as it tries to secure an exemption for Australian goods. But Australia could take the US to the World Trade Organisation, as it did with China over punitive trade sanctions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as diplomatic relations hit a low. Trade Minister Don Farrell has said the government would continue to "coolly and calmly" argue its case for the removal of the tariffs. Canada has taken the US to the umpire, which determines global trade rules. Senator Farrell is travelling to France, leading Australia's delegation to the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. On the sidelines of that meeting, Australia will host an informal meeting of World Trade Organisation ministers to discuss the importance of an open, rules-based global trading system. In Mr Trump's first term, the US president gave Australia exemptions on the argument the US has a trade surplus with its ally. Australia is being urged to mandate the use of local steel in projects to protect the nation's workers and industry from Donald Trump's tariffs. The US president has announced a plan to double levies on foreign steel from 25 per cent to 50 per cent in coming days. Australian goods exported to the US are already subject to a 10 per cent baseline tariff. Australia must adopt strong domestic protections, says union secretary Arthur Rorris, whose South Coast Labour Council includes workers from BlueScope's Port Kembla Steelworks. "If we don't mandate the use of our steel for our own uses, we will become the path of least resistance for the glut of global steel," he told AAP. "If you don't defend your own markets, others will take them." Labor could not just talk about a future made in Australia but had to provide the funds to back it, Mr Rorris said. He said the government needed to understand the transactional nature of the Trump administration and use whatever leverage it had to get a better deal. Treasurer Jim Chalmers in February said quotas for Australian steel were under consideration. Australian Steel Association chief executive David Buchanan said he was yet to see dumping of cheap foreign steel into Australia. "We do have a very strong system to protect the industry from dumped materials," he told ABC radio. Mr Buchanan said the US president's decision would not have a major impact on Australian industry, but would result in increased prices for American consumers. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese branded the move an act of "economic self-harm" and is expected to sit down with the American leader on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada later in June. Mr Trump's deepening trade war is considered destabilising to the framework that has benefited middle powers such as Australia. Announcing the steel and aluminium tariffs earlier this year, Mr Trump committed to imposing them "without exceptions or exemptions" in a bid to help shield domestic industries. The Albanese government has ruled out retaliatory tariffs against the US as it tries to secure an exemption for Australian goods. But Australia could take the US to the World Trade Organisation, as it did with China over punitive trade sanctions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as diplomatic relations hit a low. Trade Minister Don Farrell has said the government would continue to "coolly and calmly" argue its case for the removal of the tariffs. Canada has taken the US to the umpire, which determines global trade rules. Senator Farrell is travelling to France, leading Australia's delegation to the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. On the sidelines of that meeting, Australia will host an informal meeting of World Trade Organisation ministers to discuss the importance of an open, rules-based global trading system. In Mr Trump's first term, the US president gave Australia exemptions on the argument the US has a trade surplus with its ally. Australia is being urged to mandate the use of local steel in projects to protect the nation's workers and industry from Donald Trump's tariffs. The US president has announced a plan to double levies on foreign steel from 25 per cent to 50 per cent in coming days. Australian goods exported to the US are already subject to a 10 per cent baseline tariff. Australia must adopt strong domestic protections, says union secretary Arthur Rorris, whose South Coast Labour Council includes workers from BlueScope's Port Kembla Steelworks. "If we don't mandate the use of our steel for our own uses, we will become the path of least resistance for the glut of global steel," he told AAP. "If you don't defend your own markets, others will take them." Labor could not just talk about a future made in Australia but had to provide the funds to back it, Mr Rorris said. He said the government needed to understand the transactional nature of the Trump administration and use whatever leverage it had to get a better deal. Treasurer Jim Chalmers in February said quotas for Australian steel were under consideration. Australian Steel Association chief executive David Buchanan said he was yet to see dumping of cheap foreign steel into Australia. "We do have a very strong system to protect the industry from dumped materials," he told ABC radio. Mr Buchanan said the US president's decision would not have a major impact on Australian industry, but would result in increased prices for American consumers. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese branded the move an act of "economic self-harm" and is expected to sit down with the American leader on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada later in June. Mr Trump's deepening trade war is considered destabilising to the framework that has benefited middle powers such as Australia. Announcing the steel and aluminium tariffs earlier this year, Mr Trump committed to imposing them "without exceptions or exemptions" in a bid to help shield domestic industries. The Albanese government has ruled out retaliatory tariffs against the US as it tries to secure an exemption for Australian goods. But Australia could take the US to the World Trade Organisation, as it did with China over punitive trade sanctions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as diplomatic relations hit a low. Trade Minister Don Farrell has said the government would continue to "coolly and calmly" argue its case for the removal of the tariffs. Canada has taken the US to the umpire, which determines global trade rules. Senator Farrell is travelling to France, leading Australia's delegation to the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. On the sidelines of that meeting, Australia will host an informal meeting of World Trade Organisation ministers to discuss the importance of an open, rules-based global trading system. In Mr Trump's first term, the US president gave Australia exemptions on the argument the US has a trade surplus with its ally.
