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The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
First weaving hung in 3D zooms in on tiny river life
A hand-woven tapestry that's as wide as a tennis court will be hung across two storeys of a major new hospital. Measuring just above four by 10 metres, the artwork woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop will be hung in the shape of an ellipse, or hollow cylinder, making it the nation's first major three-dimensional tapestry project. "We haven't done anything quite like this before, we have done large-scale tapestries woven in multiple panels and double-sided tapestries, but we have never done one that hangs in the round," said senior weaver Amy Cornall. Titled Welcome to Country – now you see me: seeing the invisible, the tapestry is so big it will be installed across two levels in the foyer of Melbourne's $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital, opposite the Maribyrnong River. The finished artwork weighs more than 135 kilograms and will be suspended from a specially designed frame using extra-strong Velcro fasteners. Designed by First Nations artists Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney, it depicts the microscopic cellular structures of river reeds, overlaid with blue lines representing the flow of a river. River reeds have been a feature of Clarke's work for about two decades, and her part in the design came from tiny slices of reed cells that she viewed under a microscope at Melbourne University. Clarke has also spent hours inside the old Footscray Hospital while her husband received medical care, and remembers there were only advertisements to stare at on the walls: "it was boring as batshit really," she said. She hopes the Welcome to Country tapestry in the new building will be not only visually interesting, but also calming for patients and their families. "I think every time you look at it you're going to see something different, I just love how the blue skims across the top like a river, and the colours are just beautiful," she said. On Tuesday the workshop is hosting a ceremony to begin the process of cutting down the tapestry from its two giant looms. More than a year of painstaking weaving will then be unrolled, enabling the artists and weavers to view the project as a whole for the first time. A dozen weavers have been hard at work since April 2024, with the tapestry taking more than 10,000 hours to complete. "On a good day we can do an area that's maybe the size of an A4 piece of paper, so it's quite slow, but you can see it progressing from week to week and that's quite satisfying," said Cornall. Artist Mitch Mahoney says working with a team of weavers has been the ultimate collaboration. "To have twelve people create one work that looks like one hand made it is amazing, yet it has a bit of all of them in it," he said. Hanging the artwork in an elliptical shape will mean people can stand directly under it and see the reverse side that is usually hidden from view, revealing hundreds of loose threads. "The front is all resolved as the artist has intended it to be, the back is the nuts and bolts of how it's made, the evidence that it was made by people," said Cornall. Using wool from Victorian farms, two dyeing specialists at the workshop made 103 colours of yarn for the project, including eight shades created specifically for the tapestry. If kept out of direct sunlight, the weaving could last centuries - fragments of Coptic tapestries, for example, have survived from before the middle ages. Construction of the hospital is slated for completion in 2025. A hand-woven tapestry that's as wide as a tennis court will be hung across two storeys of a major new hospital. Measuring just above four by 10 metres, the artwork woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop will be hung in the shape of an ellipse, or hollow cylinder, making it the nation's first major three-dimensional tapestry project. "We haven't done anything quite like this before, we have done large-scale tapestries woven in multiple panels and double-sided tapestries, but we have never done one that hangs in the round," said senior weaver Amy Cornall. Titled Welcome to Country – now you see me: seeing the invisible, the tapestry is so big it will be installed across two levels in the foyer of Melbourne's $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital, opposite the Maribyrnong River. The finished artwork weighs more than 135 kilograms and will be suspended from a specially designed frame using extra-strong Velcro fasteners. Designed by First Nations artists Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney, it depicts the microscopic cellular structures of river reeds, overlaid with blue lines representing the flow of a river. River reeds have been a feature of Clarke's work for about two decades, and her part in the design came from tiny slices of reed cells that she viewed under a microscope at Melbourne University. Clarke has also spent hours inside the old Footscray Hospital while her husband received medical care, and remembers there were only advertisements to stare at on the walls: "it was boring as batshit really," she said. She hopes the Welcome to Country tapestry in the new building will be not only visually interesting, but also calming for patients and their families. "I think every time you look at it you're going to see something different, I just love how the blue skims across the top like a river, and the colours are just beautiful," she said. On Tuesday the workshop is hosting a ceremony to begin the process of cutting down the tapestry from its two giant looms. More than a year of painstaking weaving will then be unrolled, enabling the artists and weavers to view the project as a whole for the first time. A dozen weavers have been hard at work since April 2024, with the tapestry taking more than 10,000 hours to complete. "On a good day we can do an area that's maybe the size of an A4 piece of paper, so it's quite slow, but you can see it progressing from week to week and that's quite satisfying," said Cornall. Artist Mitch Mahoney says working with a team of weavers has been the ultimate collaboration. "To have twelve people create one work that looks like one hand made it is amazing, yet it has a bit of all of them in it," he said. Hanging the artwork in an elliptical shape will mean people can stand directly under it and see the reverse side that is usually hidden from view, revealing hundreds of loose threads. "The front is all resolved as the artist has intended it to be, the back is the nuts and bolts of how it's made, the evidence that it was made by people," said Cornall. Using wool from Victorian farms, two dyeing specialists at the workshop made 103 colours of yarn for the project, including eight shades created specifically for the tapestry. If kept out of direct sunlight, the weaving could last centuries - fragments of Coptic tapestries, for example, have survived from before the middle ages. Construction of the hospital is slated for completion in 2025. A hand-woven tapestry that's as wide as a tennis court will be hung across two storeys of a major new hospital. Measuring just above four by 10 metres, the artwork woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop will be hung in the shape of an ellipse, or hollow cylinder, making it the nation's first major three-dimensional tapestry project. "We haven't done anything quite like this before, we have done large-scale tapestries woven in multiple panels and double-sided tapestries, but we have never done one that hangs in the round," said senior weaver Amy Cornall. Titled Welcome to Country – now you see me: seeing the invisible, the tapestry is so big it will be installed across two levels in the foyer of Melbourne's $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital, opposite the Maribyrnong River. The finished artwork weighs more than 135 kilograms and will be suspended from a specially designed frame using extra-strong Velcro fasteners. Designed by First Nations artists Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney, it depicts the microscopic cellular structures of river reeds, overlaid with blue lines representing the flow of a river. River reeds have been a feature of Clarke's work for about two decades, and her part in the design came from tiny slices of reed cells that she viewed under a microscope at Melbourne University. Clarke has also spent hours inside the old Footscray Hospital while her husband received medical care, and remembers there were only advertisements to stare at on the walls: "it was boring as batshit really," she said. She hopes the Welcome to Country tapestry in the new building will be not only visually interesting, but also calming for patients and their families. "I think every time you look at it you're going to see something different, I just love how the blue skims across the top like a river, and the colours are just beautiful," she said. On Tuesday the workshop is hosting a ceremony to begin the process of cutting down the tapestry from its two giant looms. More than a year of painstaking weaving will then be unrolled, enabling the artists and weavers to view the project as a whole for the first time. A dozen weavers have been hard at work since April 2024, with the tapestry taking more than 10,000 hours to complete. "On a good day we can do an area that's maybe the size of an A4 piece of paper, so it's quite slow, but you can see it progressing from week to week and that's quite satisfying," said Cornall. Artist Mitch Mahoney says working with a team of weavers has been the ultimate collaboration. "To have twelve people create one work that looks like one hand made it is amazing, yet it has a bit of all of them in it," he said. Hanging the artwork in an elliptical shape will mean people can stand directly under it and see the reverse side that is usually hidden from view, revealing hundreds of loose threads. "The front is all resolved as the artist has intended it to be, the back is the nuts and bolts of how it's made, the evidence that it was made by people," said Cornall. Using wool from Victorian farms, two dyeing specialists at the workshop made 103 colours of yarn for the project, including eight shades created specifically for the tapestry. If kept out of direct sunlight, the weaving could last centuries - fragments of Coptic tapestries, for example, have survived from before the middle ages. Construction of the hospital is slated for completion in 2025. A hand-woven tapestry that's as wide as a tennis court will be hung across two storeys of a major new hospital. Measuring just above four by 10 metres, the artwork woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop will be hung in the shape of an ellipse, or hollow cylinder, making it the nation's first major three-dimensional tapestry project. "We haven't done anything quite like this before, we have done large-scale tapestries woven in multiple panels and double-sided tapestries, but we have never done one that hangs in the round," said senior weaver Amy Cornall. Titled Welcome to Country – now you see me: seeing the invisible, the tapestry is so big it will be installed across two levels in the foyer of Melbourne's $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital, opposite the Maribyrnong River. The finished artwork weighs more than 135 kilograms and will be suspended from a specially designed frame using extra-strong Velcro fasteners. Designed by First Nations artists Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney, it depicts the microscopic cellular structures of river reeds, overlaid with blue lines representing the flow of a river. River reeds have been a feature of Clarke's work for about two decades, and her part in the design came from tiny slices of reed cells that she viewed under a microscope at Melbourne University. Clarke has also spent hours inside the old Footscray Hospital while her husband received medical care, and remembers there were only advertisements to stare at on the walls: "it was boring as batshit really," she said. She hopes the Welcome to Country tapestry in the new building will be not only visually interesting, but also calming for patients and their families. "I think every time you look at it you're going to see something different, I just love how the blue skims across the top like a river, and the colours are just beautiful," she said. On Tuesday the workshop is hosting a ceremony to begin the process of cutting down the tapestry from its two giant looms. More than a year of painstaking weaving will then be unrolled, enabling the artists and weavers to view the project as a whole for the first time. A dozen weavers have been hard at work since April 2024, with the tapestry taking more than 10,000 hours to complete. "On a good day we can do an area that's maybe the size of an A4 piece of paper, so it's quite slow, but you can see it progressing from week to week and that's quite satisfying," said Cornall. Artist Mitch Mahoney says working with a team of weavers has been the ultimate collaboration. "To have twelve people create one work that looks like one hand made it is amazing, yet it has a bit of all of them in it," he said. Hanging the artwork in an elliptical shape will mean people can stand directly under it and see the reverse side that is usually hidden from view, revealing hundreds of loose threads. "The front is all resolved as the artist has intended it to be, the back is the nuts and bolts of how it's made, the evidence that it was made by people," said Cornall. Using wool from Victorian farms, two dyeing specialists at the workshop made 103 colours of yarn for the project, including eight shades created specifically for the tapestry. If kept out of direct sunlight, the weaving could last centuries - fragments of Coptic tapestries, for example, have survived from before the middle ages. Construction of the hospital is slated for completion in 2025.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
First weaving hung in 3D zooms in on tiny river life
A hand-woven tapestry that's as wide as a tennis court will be hung across two storeys of a major new hospital. Measuring just above four by 10 metres, the artwork woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop will be hung in the shape of an ellipse, or hollow cylinder, making it the nation's first major three-dimensional tapestry project. "We haven't done anything quite like this before, we have done large-scale tapestries woven in multiple panels and double-sided tapestries, but we have never done one that hangs in the round," said senior weaver Amy Cornall. Titled Welcome to Country – now you see me: seeing the invisible, the tapestry is so big it will be installed across two levels in the foyer of Melbourne's $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital, opposite the Maribyrnong River. The finished artwork weighs more than 135 kilograms and will be suspended from a specially designed frame using extra-strong Velcro fasteners. Designed by First Nations artists Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney, it depicts the microscopic cellular structures of river reeds, overlaid with blue lines representing the flow of a river. River reeds have been a feature of Clarke's work for about two decades, and her part in the design came from tiny slices of reed cells that she viewed under a microscope at Melbourne University. Clarke has also spent hours inside the old Footscray Hospital while her husband received medical care, and remembers there were only advertisements to stare at on the walls: "it was boring as batshit really," she said. She hopes the Welcome to Country tapestry in the new building will be not only visually interesting, but also calming for patients and their families. "I think every time you look at it you're going to see something different, I just love how the blue skims across the top like a river, and the colours are just beautiful," she said. On Tuesday the workshop is hosting a ceremony to begin the process of cutting down the tapestry from its two giant looms. More than a year of painstaking weaving will then be unrolled, enabling the artists and weavers to view the project as a whole for the first time. A dozen weavers have been hard at work since April 2024, with the tapestry taking more than 10,000 hours to complete. "On a good day we can do an area that's maybe the size of an A4 piece of paper, so it's quite slow, but you can see it progressing from week to week and that's quite satisfying," said Cornall. Artist Mitch Mahoney says working with a team of weavers has been the ultimate collaboration. "To have twelve people create one work that looks like one hand made it is amazing, yet it has a bit of all of them in it," he said. Hanging the artwork in an elliptical shape will mean people can stand directly under it and see the reverse side that is usually hidden from view, revealing hundreds of loose threads. "The front is all resolved as the artist has intended it to be, the back is the nuts and bolts of how it's made, the evidence that it was made by people," said Cornall. Using wool from Victorian farms, two dyeing specialists at the workshop made 103 colours of yarn for the project, including eight shades created specifically for the tapestry. If kept out of direct sunlight, the weaving could last centuries - fragments of Coptic tapestries, for example, have survived from before the middle ages. Construction of the hospital is slated for completion in 2025.
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Aboriginal Group Cuts Ties With Melbourne Storm After Welcome to Country Axing
The Victorian Aboriginal Health Services (VAHS) has ended its alliance with the Melbourne Storm after the National Rugby League club cancelled the Indigenous Welcome to Country ceremony at its Anzac Day home game against the Rabbitohs. In a letter to Melbourne Storm CEO Justin Rodski and approved by VAHS CEO Michael Graham, the VAHS said the 'difficult decision' had been made to withdraw from the partnership, citing disrespect for Indigenous elder Aunty Joy Murphy who would have delivered the ceremony. The Deadly Choices Health Check partnership included the Storm printing the VAHS logo on their warm-up shirts, which were also made available to health check participants. The initiative, at its core, worked to encourage Indigenous Australians to make healthier decisions on diet and exercise, with the VAHS playing a role as a key organiser for Indigenous children to play half-time games. 'The Melbourne Storm Board's decision to cancel the Welcome to Country was disrespectful to Aunty Joy and the Wurundjeri People, has had a ripple effect and hurtful impact on Aboriginal People throughout Naarm (Melbourne) and across the country, and is not reflective of VAHS' values of respect, cultural integrity, and cultural safety,' the VAHS said in a statement 'This decision made by the Melbourne Storm Board demonstrated a lack of respect and cultural sensitivity towards Aboriginal people and communities, specifically in relation to the treatment and recognition of Aunty Joy and the Wurundjeri people, particularly their cultural protocols and practices.' Related Stories 4/26/2025 4/24/2025 VAHS said the move by the Melbourne Storm ran counter to cultural integrity and safety. Aunty Joy Murphy speaks at the Welcome To Country for the Trophy arrival ceremony during day one of the 2024 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 14, of Ceremony a Misunderstanding: Club The Welcome to Country was cancelled on match day, soon after a group of men booed and heckled Melbourne's flagship Anzac Day dawn service. The Melbourne Storm later issued a statement to say the axing of the ceremony had been a 'misunderstanding' and denied any link to earlier events. 'We will continue to have discussions with First Nations and Māori communities to understand and strengthen our ongoing relationship,' the Storm said in a statement. The Epoch Times contacted the Melbourne Storm for comment on the withdrawal of the VAHS partnership. Not So Welcome to Country Started in the 1970s, the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement to Country, are ceremonies performed by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander elders to 'welcome' guests to their land at public events. It has become a topic of debate with those in favour saying the ceremony represents a mark of respect for tradition and culture, while those against say it has lost its relevance and meaning through overuse. Former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said its overuse would cheapen its significance, while current One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson Additionally, a serviceman who spoke at the Melbourne Dawn Service told reporters some veterans were avoiding Anzac Day services because they felt the Welcome to Country was disrespectful. 'I have a lot of veteran mates who haven't come today solely because of the Welcome to Country because our friends died for this country, for this soil, and for them the 'welcome' is a slap in the face,' he told The ceremony has opposition amongst the Indigenous community, too. Last year, Queensland's Juru Indigenous people
Sky News AU
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Sussan Ley says nation should ‘unite under the one Australian flag'; dodges questions on nuclear energy in first address as Liberal leader
Sussan Ley has said the nation 'should unite under the one Australian flag", whist remaining coy on the future of nuclear energy in her first official address as Opposition Leader. Ms Ley was elected as the first female leader of the federal Liberal Party after defeating rival candidate Angus Taylor in a tightly contested ballot on Tuesday morning. She won 29 of the party room votes compared to 25 for the shadow treasurer. The deputy leadership ballot was won by shadow energy minister Ted O'Brien. In her first address as Opposition Leader, Ms Ley stood firm by her former boss Mr Dutton's belief that people should 'unite under the one Australian flag'. When asked if she thought it was divisive to appear in front of the Aboriginal flag, Ms Ley insisted that the one flag policy was her 'firm view' but conceded she was 'happy to stand in front of the Indigenous flag' having done so previously. She was also questioned by a reporter about her thoughts on Welcome to Country ceremonies and whether she believed they were necessary, stating that if the ritual was 'simple, if it matters, if it resonates, then it's in the right place'. 'If it is done in a way to tick a box on a Teams meeting then I don't think it is relevant. I think it diminishes the value of (Welcome to Country),' Ms Ley said. The Liberal leader dodged questions about the future of the Coalition's controversial nuclear energy policy, after vowing there would be 'no captain calls' under her tenure. She refused to back in the party's pledge to build federally-owned nuclear power stations and said the Coalition 'would work through every single policy issue and canvas the different views and take the time to get it right'. 'You might hear me saying, 'take the time to get it right' quite a lot this morning. Because that's really important," the Opposition Leader continued. Flanked by Mr O'Brien who served as a vocal supporter and designer of the nuclear plan, Ms Ley added the policy would be subject to a review by the party room. The unresolved issue remains a contentious topic within the wider Coalition, with Nationals leader David Littleproud stating his party would continue to pursue the nuclear agenda while moderate Liberal members openly criticised the policy. Turning her attention to the issue of women, Ms Ley conceded the Coalition had failed the crucial demographic at the May 3 election and the Liberal Party needed to do more to secure the backing of women of all ages around the country. 'We did let women down. There is no doubt about that and that is true the number of women who are supporting us is declining," she said. Ms Ley also added more women were needed in the Liberal Party but stopped short of endorsing gender quotas for party pre-selection, despite previously backing the idea to boost the number of women within the parliamentary ranks. "I want to say right here and now we need more women in our party. We need more women in the organisation, and we need more women in this party room," she said. "Had we done better at the last election we would have outstanding women in the party room… Our fortunes when it comes to electoral defeat unfortunately mean we lose strong women." She fiercely rejected assumptions her appointment to the Liberal leadership was an example of the 'glass cliff' effect, which refers to women being more likely to be appointed to management positions when an organisation faces turmoil or a crisis. "I don't accept that," she said. "I do say it sends a signal to the women of Australia that the Liberal Party has elected its first woman leader but my agenda is much more than that". The former deputy leader acknowledged Mr Taylor for nominating for the party leadership and promised he would have an 'integral role' in the party moving forward, evidently hinting at a senior position in the shadow frontbench. 'He would have been a fine leader of the Liberal Party at this time,' she said. Ms Ley added she would still move to appoint MPs to the shadow ministry who didn't vote for her and stressed there was no bad blood between her and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Senator Price defected from the Nationals party room to seek the deputy Liberal leader position, but did not nominate herself after Mr Taylor's bid proved unsuccessful. 'I welcomed Jacinta into the party room this morning with a big hug, and many of my colleagues did. Jacinta is a clear and talented communicator. I want to make it clear, and I have many times, how much we welcome Jacinta into this party room," Ms Ley said. 'I will have more to say about the shaping of my shadow cabinet going forward, but I will say this - my shadow cabinet will include people who did support me in this room this morning, and people who did not."
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Widower's bittersweet $3.3m Lotto win, Trump announces 'total reset' with China, Sussan Ley's promise as new Liberal leader
Yahoo's live news blog for Tuesday, May 13 has now concluded. A Queensland widower has claimed $3.3 million on the Gold Lotto – a game he continued playing after years of buying tickets with his late wife. Sussan Ley has been confirmed as the new Liberal Party leader. She defeated Angus Taylor in a close party room vote and has promised to do things "differently" as the party looks to rebuild following a disastrous election. Donald Trump has announced the US has agreed a "total reset" with China following the countries' tit-for-tat trade war. Both sides will pause tariffs for 90 days and Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss trade levies soon. See all of the day's updates below. We'll finish up for today with this great photo from police in Far North Queensland. Officers were conducting an RBT operation when a cassowary passed by. Enjoy. Coles has followed in the footsteps of rival supermarket Woolworths by slashing prices on hundreds of popular grocery items in a bid to ease cost-of-living pressures for Australian families. Just two days after Woolworths revealed it would reduce the cost of almost 400 essential products in a move it said was not just a short-term offer, Coles announced it had lowered the prices of more than 680 items across its stores and online, claiming average savings of 21 per cent. Read more from NewsWire here. There were a fair amount of people in the party to vote against Sussan Ley in this morning's leadership vote but she won't be holding any grudges. She stressed those who voted for Angus Taylor will take up key roles for the party. "I will say this — my shadow cabinet will include people who did support me in this room this morning, and people who did not," she told reporters. While Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was set to run for deputy leader if Taylor won the vote, Ley said Price was warmly welcomed into the party room after shifting from the Nationals. Sussan Ley was pressed on her predecessor's refusal to standi in front of the Aboriginal flag, and while she didn't go as far as Peter Dutton, she said she believed Australia would benefit from having one flag. "We should unite under the one Australian flag. That is my firm view. Of course I'm happy to stand in front of the flag," she told reporters. Ley was also asked about Welcome to Country and whether it could be overdone at times. She said being able to justify its place in Australian life was "simple". "If it's meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates, then it's in the right place." Sussan Ley has revealed she thought Sunday might have been the last time she saw her mother, just 48 hours out from learning whether she'd become the next leader of the Liberal Party. Ley said her mother is in end-of-life care and visited her on Mother's Day. "Before I came up here, I called in to see her and I thought that it might be the last time that I did," she told reporters. "After I've taken all of your questions exhaustively, I will be heading home to be by her side. And my mum grew up in wartime Britain, and the values of resilience, self-reliance, and persistence that I believe I have today come from her. So, thank you, Mum." Sussan Ley is now addressing the media for the first time as Liberal Party leader, saying it is an "enormous privilege" to be the party's first federal female leader. "I want to do things differently and we have to have a fresh approach," she told reporters. "I want to harness the talents of every single person in our party room going forward to develop the clear, articulate policy agenda that does meet Australians where they are." She stressed Angus Taylor, who she defeated in a close leadership vote on Tuesday morning, will have a vital role in the Opposition, praising him for his contributions to the party over many years. A mother has been charged with murder after a horror house fire that ended up killing three of her children. The 36-year-old woman had been airlifted to a Brisbane hospital in a critical condition and placed under police guard after the family home went up in flames. Neighbours helped six people escape the Toowoomba home west of Brisbane when it burst into flames in the early hours of May 7. A body, believed to be the woman's nine-year-old son, was found in the charred remains. Two of the woman's daughters, aged four and seven, later died of their injuries after being airlifted to a Brisbane hospital. A 34-year-old man - the father of some of the children - and the woman's two other sons - aged 18 and 11 - managed to escape the fire. The man underwent surgery for serious arm injuries while the 18 and 11-year-olds were treated for minor injuries. The mother remains in hospital in a critical condition, police said on Tuesday. The woman has been charged with three counts of murder and attempted murder along with one court of arson following an extensive investigation into the "suspicious" fire, police said. "Police are not looking for anyone else in connection to this incident," a police statement said. The matter is expected to be mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday and adjourned to a future date. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 We've now heard from Angus Taylor, who lost a close battle with Sussan Ley to become the next Liberal Party leader. He congratulated Ley who he said has led a "remarkable life". "Becoming the first woman to lead the Liberal Party is a milestone for Sussan and our party," he said in a statement. As did many of the MPs filtering out of the voting room this morning, Taylor called for unity to ensure the party "back in the fight" with Labor. Statement on the Liberal Party leadership. — Angus Taylor MP (@AngusTaylorMP) May 13, 2025 Plenty of you out there often tell us you're fed up with your council's lack of spending when it comes to fixing potholes. Well the NRMA's recent Council Backlog report has revealed which Sydney councils have the biggest bills when it comes to the cost of repairs needed and it's not great if you live in the city's west. Topping the list is Blacktown, with an $84 million backlog of repair work. It's followed by Canterbury-Bankstown ($77m), Parramatta ($75m), Liverpool ($55m) and Penrith ($54m). But those totals are nothing on regional NSW councils, with Clarence Valley topping that list with a whopping $390 million backlog. That's nearly double the $215m Mid-Coast needs to spend to fix their roads in second place. NRMA says the overall total ballooning to $3.4 billion, up from $2.8 billion the year before, is due to "unprecedented" wet weather events that have ripped up parts of the road network. Australians have been urged to temper their expectations after the treasurer warned that an overnight de-escalation in US-China trade tensions is temporary. Both countries have agreed to a 90-day pause on tariffs, with the United States committing to dropping 145 per cent levies on China to 30 per cent and Beijing lowering its 125 per cent rates on American imports to 10 per cent. Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the development but noted many issues remained unresolved. "Australia has got a lot to lose from a trade war between the US and China in particular, so we want to see these trade tensions de-escalated permanently, not temporarily," he told ABC radio on Tuesday. "There's a lot of uncertainty, unpredictability, and volatility in the global economy." Read more here. Outgoing Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds says she is "delighted" with Sussan Ley being elected the first female leader of the Liberal Party. "Australia spoke very clearly to the Liberal Party. We've listened and we've acted and we're united," she told reporters in Canberra as she left the voting room. A handful of female Liberals left the room together and while only Reynolds spoke, it was clear they were happy with the vote results. There was also a vote for the party's deputy leader. Ted O'Brien has defeated Phil Thompson 38 votes to 16. O'Brien and newly-appointed Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, the party's first ever female leader, will front the media later today. Well there you have it. Sussan Ley will become the new leader of the Liberal Party following Peter Dutton's exit from parliament, the ABC reports. She defeated Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor in a leadership vote on Tuesday morning. She won with 29 votes to Taylor's 25. A lack of female ministers within the party has been highlighted as one of the party's key issues, with Ley's appointment a step towards fixing that problem. Yet Liberal MP Andrew Wallace said her gender was far from the sole reason she won the vote, saying she had a wealth of experience in Canberra and was extremely well placed to step up after serving as the party's deputy leader. OK, let's just have a recap of what's gone down between the US and China since Donald Trump made the Asian powerhouse one of his main trade war targets. Scroll through the below graphic to see the tit-for-tat measures across what has been a whirlwind six weeks. Anthony Albanese announced his new-look Cabinet on Monday but the fallout from booting two frontbenchers last week continues, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted this morning it's been "messy". "I do think it was unfortunate, and I think it was messy," he told ABC News Breakfast of the decision to remove Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic from key portfolios. "I think that's self evident. This is what happens when you've got more good people than you can fit into cabinet or a ministry in the broader ranks." Another big change yesterday was taking the environment portfolio from Tanya Plibersek and making her Minister for Social Services. Albanese insisted Plibersek welcomed the news however speculation of tensions between the two continues to linger. NSW's government is promising "sensible" new road laws for e-bikes and e-scooters as community concern continues to fester across the state. While many fear the issue has been neglected by authorities, Transport Minister John Graham stressed the NSW government "recognises the community's concerns". "We believe a sensible set of rules will promote the health and lifestyle benefits of e-bikes and e-scooters while protecting the safety of riders and everyone else sharing the paths and roads with them," he said. NSW will on Tuesday table its response to a parliamentary inquiry into the use of the e-mobility devices, which was told their accessibility advantages must be balanced with severe safety risks. The government will propose e-scooters can be ridden on shared paths with a default speed limit of between 10 and 20km/h. On roads signposted at 50km/h, they would be limited to 20km/h. Riders would need to be at least 16, consistent with all Australian jurisdictions except the ACT - and European recommendations. The government does not intend to speed-limit e-bikes, as their motors are not the only source of power. It will however review the formal definition of an e-bike within NSW's road rules. With AAP Well after both countries promised to stand strong and not back down just weeks ago, we now have a 90-day pause on tariffs in the US's trade war with China. Donald Trump is calling it a "total reset" with tariffs dropping by 115 percentage points on both sides. "I think it's going to be great for unification and peace. We're not looking to hurt China. China is being hurt very badly," he told reporters. The US president said he'd likely speak to China's president Xi Jinping at some point in the coming days. Read from from Yahoo's Washington Correspondent Ben Werschkul here. While one Queensland man is over the moon he's won $3.3 million, he wishes one person could be by his side to enjoy it. 'I'm a widower. My late wife and I have a set of numbers that we used to play together," the Toowoomba winner told The Lott after sharing the Gold Lotto division one prize over the weekend. "Ever since she passed away, I decided to continue to play them. 'The only bummer about it is that she's not here to celebrate the win with me. It would've been nice to share this moment with her, but she's looking down on me." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. We'll finish up for today with this great photo from police in Far North Queensland. Officers were conducting an RBT operation when a cassowary passed by. Enjoy. Coles has followed in the footsteps of rival supermarket Woolworths by slashing prices on hundreds of popular grocery items in a bid to ease cost-of-living pressures for Australian families. Just two days after Woolworths revealed it would reduce the cost of almost 400 essential products in a move it said was not just a short-term offer, Coles announced it had lowered the prices of more than 680 items across its stores and online, claiming average savings of 21 per cent. Read more from NewsWire here. There were a fair amount of people in the party to vote against Sussan Ley in this morning's leadership vote but she won't be holding any grudges. She stressed those who voted for Angus Taylor will take up key roles for the party. "I will say this — my shadow cabinet will include people who did support me in this room this morning, and people who did not," she told reporters. While Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was set to run for deputy leader if Taylor won the vote, Ley said Price was warmly welcomed into the party room after shifting from the Nationals. Sussan Ley was pressed on her predecessor's refusal to standi in front of the Aboriginal flag, and while she didn't go as far as Peter Dutton, she said she believed Australia would benefit from having one flag. "We should unite under the one Australian flag. That is my firm view. Of course I'm happy to stand in front of the flag," she told reporters. Ley was also asked about Welcome to Country and whether it could be overdone at times. She said being able to justify its place in Australian life was "simple". "If it's meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates, then it's in the right place." Sussan Ley has revealed she thought Sunday might have been the last time she saw her mother, just 48 hours out from learning whether she'd become the next leader of the Liberal Party. Ley said her mother is in end-of-life care and visited her on Mother's Day. "Before I came up here, I called in to see her and I thought that it might be the last time that I did," she told reporters. "After I've taken all of your questions exhaustively, I will be heading home to be by her side. And my mum grew up in wartime Britain, and the values of resilience, self-reliance, and persistence that I believe I have today come from her. So, thank you, Mum." Sussan Ley is now addressing the media for the first time as Liberal Party leader, saying it is an "enormous privilege" to be the party's first federal female leader. "I want to do things differently and we have to have a fresh approach," she told reporters. "I want to harness the talents of every single person in our party room going forward to develop the clear, articulate policy agenda that does meet Australians where they are." She stressed Angus Taylor, who she defeated in a close leadership vote on Tuesday morning, will have a vital role in the Opposition, praising him for his contributions to the party over many years. A mother has been charged with murder after a horror house fire that ended up killing three of her children. The 36-year-old woman had been airlifted to a Brisbane hospital in a critical condition and placed under police guard after the family home went up in flames. Neighbours helped six people escape the Toowoomba home west of Brisbane when it burst into flames in the early hours of May 7. A body, believed to be the woman's nine-year-old son, was found in the charred remains. Two of the woman's daughters, aged four and seven, later died of their injuries after being airlifted to a Brisbane hospital. A 34-year-old man - the father of some of the children - and the woman's two other sons - aged 18 and 11 - managed to escape the fire. The man underwent surgery for serious arm injuries while the 18 and 11-year-olds were treated for minor injuries. The mother remains in hospital in a critical condition, police said on Tuesday. The woman has been charged with three counts of murder and attempted murder along with one court of arson following an extensive investigation into the "suspicious" fire, police said. "Police are not looking for anyone else in connection to this incident," a police statement said. The matter is expected to be mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday and adjourned to a future date. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 We've now heard from Angus Taylor, who lost a close battle with Sussan Ley to become the next Liberal Party leader. He congratulated Ley who he said has led a "remarkable life". "Becoming the first woman to lead the Liberal Party is a milestone for Sussan and our party," he said in a statement. As did many of the MPs filtering out of the voting room this morning, Taylor called for unity to ensure the party "back in the fight" with Labor. Statement on the Liberal Party leadership. — Angus Taylor MP (@AngusTaylorMP) May 13, 2025 Plenty of you out there often tell us you're fed up with your council's lack of spending when it comes to fixing potholes. Well the NRMA's recent Council Backlog report has revealed which Sydney councils have the biggest bills when it comes to the cost of repairs needed and it's not great if you live in the city's west. Topping the list is Blacktown, with an $84 million backlog of repair work. It's followed by Canterbury-Bankstown ($77m), Parramatta ($75m), Liverpool ($55m) and Penrith ($54m). But those totals are nothing on regional NSW councils, with Clarence Valley topping that list with a whopping $390 million backlog. That's nearly double the $215m Mid-Coast needs to spend to fix their roads in second place. NRMA says the overall total ballooning to $3.4 billion, up from $2.8 billion the year before, is due to "unprecedented" wet weather events that have ripped up parts of the road network. Australians have been urged to temper their expectations after the treasurer warned that an overnight de-escalation in US-China trade tensions is temporary. Both countries have agreed to a 90-day pause on tariffs, with the United States committing to dropping 145 per cent levies on China to 30 per cent and Beijing lowering its 125 per cent rates on American imports to 10 per cent. Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the development but noted many issues remained unresolved. "Australia has got a lot to lose from a trade war between the US and China in particular, so we want to see these trade tensions de-escalated permanently, not temporarily," he told ABC radio on Tuesday. "There's a lot of uncertainty, unpredictability, and volatility in the global economy." Read more here. Outgoing Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds says she is "delighted" with Sussan Ley being elected the first female leader of the Liberal Party. "Australia spoke very clearly to the Liberal Party. We've listened and we've acted and we're united," she told reporters in Canberra as she left the voting room. A handful of female Liberals left the room together and while only Reynolds spoke, it was clear they were happy with the vote results. There was also a vote for the party's deputy leader. Ted O'Brien has defeated Phil Thompson 38 votes to 16. O'Brien and newly-appointed Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, the party's first ever female leader, will front the media later today. Well there you have it. Sussan Ley will become the new leader of the Liberal Party following Peter Dutton's exit from parliament, the ABC reports. She defeated Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor in a leadership vote on Tuesday morning. She won with 29 votes to Taylor's 25. A lack of female ministers within the party has been highlighted as one of the party's key issues, with Ley's appointment a step towards fixing that problem. Yet Liberal MP Andrew Wallace said her gender was far from the sole reason she won the vote, saying she had a wealth of experience in Canberra and was extremely well placed to step up after serving as the party's deputy leader. OK, let's just have a recap of what's gone down between the US and China since Donald Trump made the Asian powerhouse one of his main trade war targets. Scroll through the below graphic to see the tit-for-tat measures across what has been a whirlwind six weeks. Anthony Albanese announced his new-look Cabinet on Monday but the fallout from booting two frontbenchers last week continues, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has admitted this morning it's been "messy". "I do think it was unfortunate, and I think it was messy," he told ABC News Breakfast of the decision to remove Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic from key portfolios. "I think that's self evident. This is what happens when you've got more good people than you can fit into cabinet or a ministry in the broader ranks." Another big change yesterday was taking the environment portfolio from Tanya Plibersek and making her Minister for Social Services. Albanese insisted Plibersek welcomed the news however speculation of tensions between the two continues to linger. NSW's government is promising "sensible" new road laws for e-bikes and e-scooters as community concern continues to fester across the state. While many fear the issue has been neglected by authorities, Transport Minister John Graham stressed the NSW government "recognises the community's concerns". "We believe a sensible set of rules will promote the health and lifestyle benefits of e-bikes and e-scooters while protecting the safety of riders and everyone else sharing the paths and roads with them," he said. NSW will on Tuesday table its response to a parliamentary inquiry into the use of the e-mobility devices, which was told their accessibility advantages must be balanced with severe safety risks. The government will propose e-scooters can be ridden on shared paths with a default speed limit of between 10 and 20km/h. On roads signposted at 50km/h, they would be limited to 20km/h. Riders would need to be at least 16, consistent with all Australian jurisdictions except the ACT - and European recommendations. The government does not intend to speed-limit e-bikes, as their motors are not the only source of power. It will however review the formal definition of an e-bike within NSW's road rules. With AAP Well after both countries promised to stand strong and not back down just weeks ago, we now have a 90-day pause on tariffs in the US's trade war with China. Donald Trump is calling it a "total reset" with tariffs dropping by 115 percentage points on both sides. "I think it's going to be great for unification and peace. We're not looking to hurt China. China is being hurt very badly," he told reporters. The US president said he'd likely speak to China's president Xi Jinping at some point in the coming days. Read from from Yahoo's Washington Correspondent Ben Werschkul here. While one Queensland man is over the moon he's won $3.3 million, he wishes one person could be by his side to enjoy it. 'I'm a widower. My late wife and I have a set of numbers that we used to play together," the Toowoomba winner told The Lott after sharing the Gold Lotto division one prize over the weekend. "Ever since she passed away, I decided to continue to play them. 'The only bummer about it is that she's not here to celebrate the win with me. It would've been nice to share this moment with her, but she's looking down on me."
