Australia politics live: Chaney joins Haines and Ryan in ruling out joining potential teal party; house prices fall as auction i

Kate Chaney pours cold water on speculation she will join teal party

It seems like more independents might be out than in, after Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender both confirmed that conversations have been taking place around a potential teal party (but said there was nothing yet to announce).

WA independent, Kate Chaney, has just dropped a statement saying that she intends to remain an independent. Her colleagues, Monique Ryan and Helen Haines also ruled themselves out of joining a teal party.

She says that while she’ll continue to collaborate with the crossbench, she will remain an independent “right now”.

double quotation markOur political poles are shifting. The Liberal Party is moving further to the right. The big issues impacting the lives of everyday Australians no longer fit on the convenient left-right political spectrum.

In this context, I have had many conversations with my fellow community independents about the challenges Australia faces, and have thought deeply about how I can best contribute to a healthy democracy.

I am interested in working more collaboratively with other crossbenchers on policy – many of our communities have similar values – but right now I do not think that requires me to be a member of a political party.

Updated at 02.37 CEST

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Over in estimates this morning, the environment minister, Murray Watt, and the shadow communications minister, Sarah Henderson, have been at each other’s throats in the environment hearing over … checks notes … Labor’s broken promises on tax changes.

How is this relevant, asks Watt? To which Henderson says that there are many “small business operating in the energy and environment sector” that will be impacted by the CGT changes.

Watt calls the line of questioning “pathetic”.

It’s all happening while the teals publicly consider forming a new party. You can watch the fiery exchange below:

Murray Watt calls Sarah Henderson’s Senate estimates question on changes to tax ‘pathetic’ – videoShare

Updated at 03.01 CEST

Bondi a ‘surprise attack’ to intelligence agencies, Royal Commission hears

Caitlin Cassidy

The Bondi terror attack was a “surprise attack” to intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the royal commission has heard.

Counsel assisting, Richard Lancaster SC, outlined some of the information received by the commission from NSW police that can’t be addressed in public hearings, which he said provided “important matters of context” in assessing their response.

double quotation markThere is no evidence that any intelligence agency or law enforcement agency had any actual knowledge or specific information to suggest that there might be an armed attack on the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi on 14 December 2025. In that sense it was a surprise attack.

Lancaster said the evidence would indicate that CSG asked NSW Police for police presence for the “entirety” of the Hanukkah events at Bondi Beach and Dover Heights.

He said NSW Police “decided not to provide a static presence for the duration of the Bondi event” and instead allocated mobile tasking – meaning officers were instructed to attend periodically.

double quotation markAt the time the shooting began, there were four police officers at Archer Park … Within 29 seconds of the start of the shooting, eleven people were shot, tragically ten of them fatally … Within five minutes, there are eleven officers on the scene … The first shooter was shot and killed and the second shooter was shot and apprehended around seven minutes and 41 seconds after the start of the shooting.

Updated at 02.55 CEST

Nick Visser

Senators call out Albanese government for lack of action against Israel

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi and independent senator Lidia Thorpe were at Sydney International Airport to greet the returning Australians.

Faruqi said it was a “good day” to see “these brave global Sumud flotilla” participants return after carrying “love, humanity and commitment to a free Palestine”.

But she had harsh words for the role of the Albanese government, urging Labor to sanction Israel and cut ties with the country:

double quotation markIsrael has been able to so brazenly assault and torture these Australian humanitarian because Israel has been given full cover … and active support by countries like Australia.

Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong should be ashamed of calling Israel a friend and ally. Words of concern from Penny Wong are useless because they do nothing to stop the killing of Palestinians.

Thorpe said Australians had a duty of care to “not watch this genocide in real time”.

double quotation markWe have to take this seriously. What is it going to take? I’ll be going back to parliament today and I’ll be sending the message that we have heard today.

Cabinet minister Mark Butler said this morning that the treatment of activists by Israeli forces was “disgraceful” and that the government had raised concerns with Israel in the “strongest possible way”.

Updated at 02.49 CEST

Seven Australians return to Sydney airport after detention by Israeli forces

Nick Visser

Seven Australians captured and detained by Israel after participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla returned to Sydney this morning, where they were greeted by dozens of family members and supporters.

Zack Schofield, wearing a grey Israel-issued sweatsuit with the logo crossed out, was travelling on board the flotilla. Standing outside the international terminal at Sydney airport, he described abuses and broken bones, alleging Israel had used “violence and humiliation to punish us … for trying to help Palestinians”. He said:

double quotation markToday you’re going to hear of the abuses that they experienced at the hands of Australia’s ally, the state of Israel. … How can we live in a safe world when our government continues to call this state a friend and ally? How can any of us be proud to be Australians?

Israel’s prison service has denied the allegations.

Juliet Lamont, who was also detained on another flotilla last year, said she had returned for the latest action, but it was a “bittersweet” moment coming back to Australian shores:

double quotation markWhy were we forced to set sail to deliver humanitarian aid and medicine and baby food to the most vulnerable people in the planet? It was not our job to be out on the Mediterranean and do that.

She described being cable tied and hog tied by Israeli forces during her detention, saying so much water had been thrown into her face at one point “I thought I was going to drown”.

Surya McEwan, another participant, said he had lost count of the number of times he had been punched and kicked in the face and body. He said he had a fractured cheekbone, a contusion on his lung and a concussion after his detention.

The Israeli ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, has claimed that the detained flotilla members were handled with “great sensitivity”. He rejected claims of violence and sexual abuse.

Royal commission begins second block of hearings

Caitlin Cassidy

The royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion has begun its second week of hearings in Sydney. This week, the commissioner will examine the circumstances surrounding the Bondi attack, including the terrorism threat level and security environment in the lead up to 14 December and the conduct of security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

The commissioner, Virginia Bell, said that most of the evidence after Wednesday would occur in hearings closed to the public due to their sensitive nature.

Counsel assisting, Richard Lancaster SC, noted prior to Asio’s director general Mike Burgess’ appearance that the national terrorism threat was raised to “probable” by Asio in August of 2024, and antisemitism was identified as one of Asio’s most pressing issues in 2025.

He said despite an overall increase in funding to Asio from 2020 to 2025, the proportion of money allocated to counter-terrorism significantly declined in the same period.

Burgess maintains that Asio was not underfunded in the period leading up to and including 2025.

Updated at 02.39 CEST

Kate Chaney pours cold water on speculation she will join teal party

She says that while she’ll continue to collaborate with the crossbench, she will remain an independent “right now”.

Updated at 02.37 CEST

‘Go your hardest’ says Haines on teal party, but says she won’t be joining

Helen Haines has ruled herself out this morning from joining any teal party (as has Melbourne independent Monique Ryan), but tells her colleagues to go for it if they want to.

Haines quotes her colleague Bob Katter:

double quotation markLet a thousand blossoms bloom, if people want to talk about forming more formal allegiances through a party, go your hardest … it’s not something for me.

Alongside her, regional SA independent, Rebekah Sharkie says that there are “a lot of similarities” between all the teal independents but also says it’s “not for me”.

And former Nationals MP turned independent, Andrew Gee, who represents the regional seat of Calare also says he won’t be making the switch (if there is indeed a party set up)

double quotation markMy independence has been hard won, there’s a mandate for it and I value it too highly

Updated at 02.11 CEST

Haines says independents can take on One Nation

Community independent, Helen Haines, who has ruled out joining a teal party, believes the movement can take on One Nation.

Polling by Redbridge Group and Accent Research released over the weekend stipulated that One Nation would win up to 59 seats if an election were held today – leaving the Coalition just a handful of seats and pushing Labor into minority.

But Haines – speaking to reporters at Parliament – believes that the independents can counter the right wing party.

double quotation markCommunity independents are really smart, and the best part of their smarts is they have the collective smarts of their community behind them.

But it’s perhaps not so simple. The independent candidate for Farrer, Michelle Milthorpe, lost against One Nation’s David Farley at the recent byelection, which was her second attempt at winning the seat.

ShareTory Shepherd

Aboriginal stockman’s long journey home

The remains of an Aboriginal stockman who was found dead almost 70 years ago will finally be returned home.

Lower Southern Arrernte man Thomas Cowell died of natural causes while droving cattle in South Australia’s far north and was found in his swag on 27 March, 1959. He was buried nearby but local flooding disturbed his remains in 1966, and because the family could not be found the remains were sent to the SA Museum.

But now, his extended family has been identified and they will be part of a reburial ceremony on 28 May in Witjira National Park in outback SA.

SA Museum’s Aboriginal heritage and repatriation manager, Anna Russo, said:

double quotation markTom was about 65 and it seems he may have been a bit of a loner when he died almost sixty years ago.

But that doesn’t mean he’s been forgotten, and the museum has worked very hard over the past few years to find his family and community and ensure he is returned home to Country.

ShareLuca Ittimani

House prices slipping as auction and open home interest fades

Australia’s house prices are slipping as the market slows, with auction success rates and open home attendance stuck at their recent lows

The national auction clearance rate was 58.2% in the week to Sunday, Cotality reported. It has held below 60% for much of the past two months, indicating housing has become more of a buyer’s market.

Sydney and Melbourne auction success rates picked up from last week but are still lower than they were a year ago, respectively at 56.9% and 60.2%.

Brisbane recorded a preliminary 45.7%, meaning more than half of reported auctions failed. Domain data for the week to Saturday found Brisbane’s rate was even lower, at 22%, with almost four in five auctions failing.

Real estate group Ray White reported interest is falling, with the number of people attending open homes staying at low levels. Ray White’s chief economist, Nerida Conisbee, said:

double quotation markThe most important signal remains open home attendance. Nationally, attendance averaged 2.1 attendees per property, broadly in line with last week, but well below 3.5 at the same time last year. This shows buyer foot traffic has not recovered after the sharp fall seen in recent weeks …

With policy uncertainty still settling, interest rates higher and buyer attendance materially lower than a year ago, this softer demand environment is likely to persist for some time.

Cotality home value data shows the median home price in Australia’s five biggest cities has been falling since 10 May, with growth slowing in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Sydney and Melbourne prices have been falling for months.

Updated at 01.32 CEST

Taylor bats aways teal party speculation

The Liberal party leader, Angus Taylor, says the teals have acted like a party for years, laughing off any concerns that moderates from his party would defect and join their ranks.

Standing up in Canberra alongside deputy Jane Hume, Taylor says:

double quotation markThe teals have already acted like a party for years. I don’t know what’s here, they act like a political party, but I tell you what, we are the one party or coalition that is fighting the Labor party every day.

Taylor’s also asked about the threat to the Liberals on the other side (and arguably now the bigger threat to the party), and comments from Barnaby Joyce this morning that the Liberals are “splitting the One Nation vote”. Taylor laughs awkwardly for a moment and says:

double quotation markSorry, look, honestly, if you want to fight the Labor party, support the Liberal and National parties. We are the ones fighting the Labor party every day.

Updated at 01.40 CEST

Haines and Ryan rule themelves out from potential teal party

Well we now know which independents are definitely not going to be joining any teal party – Helen Haines and Monique Ryan.

Ryan has just released a statement saying that she made a commitment to her electorate of Kooyong in inner Melbourne to represent them as an independent.

double quotation markRepresenting the people of Kooyong in Canberra has been one of the biggest honours of my life. I will continue to do that in the capacity in which I was elected: as a community independent, voted for and answerable to the people of Kooyong.

Monique Ryan in 2025. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

A spokesperson for Haines also confirmed to Guardian Australia that she will not be joining any party, and will remain as an independent.

Haines was an early community independent after being elected to the regional Victorian seat of Indi in 2019, succeeding the OG community independent, Cathy McGowan, who held that same seat from 2013 and retired in 2019.

Updated at 01.19 CEST

Ben Doherty

Spy boss to appear at antisemitism royal commission

Asio’s chief, Mike Burgess, will be the first witness to appear Monday morning at the start of Block 2 of public hearings of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.

The second fortnight block of hearings will focus of what police and intelligence agencies knew leading up to the Bondi terror attack, and how information was shared between security agencies.

Asio’s director general, Burgess, will give evidence, followed by Australian Federal Police assistance commissioners Stephen Nutt (global operations) and Leanne McCusker (counter-terrorism and special tactics).

Their evidence will be followed by two pseudonymised witnesses from the CSG Jewish community security organisation.

Among the issues under scrutiny will be security arrangements for the Hanukah by the Sea event that was targeted by two gunmen on 14 December and what was known by counter-terrorism agencies and police about the shooters before the attack.

Fifteen people were killed by the two gunmen, who targeted members of the Jewish community as they celebrated Hanukah at a beachside park.

While some of the commission’s proceedings will be open to the public, significant parts of the evidence of the second hearing block will be heard behind closed doors, to avoid revealing sensitive national security information and impacting the ongoing criminal prosecution of the surviving shooter, Naveed Akram.

The royal commission’s interim report has already detailed that, in the lead-up to the 14 December attack at Bondi, NSW Police were warned by CSG that a heightened atmosphere of antisemitism made a terror attack on the community likely. CSG told police in an email in November:

double quotation markA terrorist attack against the NSW Jewish Community is likely and there is a high level of antisemitic vilification.

Police planned to provide a high-visibility presence at the event, but they noted internally there was “no need to stay the entire duration” and ultimately only four officers and one area commander attended the event at various times.

Updated at 01.12 CEST

Melissa Davey

Government concerned as diphtheria cases continue to grow

The federal health minister, Mark Butler, told ABC News Breakfast on Monday that diphtheria “case numbers are continuing to grow particularly in the NT and the north of WA, so we are very concerned about this”.

There are almost 250 cases associated with the outbreak, the latest national surveillance data shows, including 146 in the NT and 89 in WA.

“We’re supporting Aboriginal medical services who really are on the frontline here and are deeply trusted in their community, so providing that support will also help containment,” Butler said.

Support includes a $7.2m federal government package for vaccines, a health worker surge workforce and community outreach.

On Friday, the chief medical officer, Prof Michael Kidd, declared diphtheria a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance.

double quotation markThis is the largest outbreak since national records began in 1991.

If you are unsure whether your vaccinations are up to date, please check with your GP, Aboriginal Medical Service, pharmacy or local health clinic. Vaccination is the strongest protection against diphtheria, especially for children, older adults needing boosters, and people living in or travelling to higher-risk areas.

Updated at 01.01 CEST

Abbott ‘clearly a masochist’, says Turnbull on Liberal presidency

Malcolm Turnbull has been arguing that the Liberals have been listening to too much Sky After Dark and not enough to what the Australians want – and believes that they will make the same mistake when they confirm Tony Abbott as the Liberal party president.

Abbott will run for the presidency unopposed after the former foreign minister Alexander Downer withdrew from the race, aiming to run for vice-president instead.

Turnbull says, good for Tony:

double quotation markHe’s clearly a masochist. But anyway, he’s got a strong commitment to politics, so good on him.

For the Liberal party, I think the problem is that if you look at what Tony has been saying and what [Sky News host] Peta Credlin has been saying and the News Corp sort of columnists that are close to them are saying is, they’re basically arguing that the Liberal party’s mistake has been not being right-wing enough. They’ve been saying this, despite every election sending them the message that a significant part of the electorate feel they have gone too far to the right.

Updated at 00.56 CEST

Liberal party ‘validating’ One Nation platform, says Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull says the Liberals in Australia are making the same mistakes as the UK’s Conservative party by legitimising One Nation’s platform.

Turnbull has some choice words for the party he once led (no surprises there, it’s his favourite pasttime), telling RN Breakfast that the Liberals shouldn’t keep chasing Pauline Hanson to the right and abandoning the centre.

He says that Australians “historically have preferred to see the contest to be at the centre”:

double quotation markIf you’re the Liberal party leader … and say you essentially legitimise and validate One Nation’s platform, people will always go for the real deal. And this is exactly the mistake the Tories have made in the UK with Reform.

I was talking to [Reform UK leader] Nigel Farage about this in London just recently. It’s a real phenomenon. I mean, if centre-right parties abandon the centre, they will get overwhelmed by the party that is to their right. And so it’s a mistake happening in both countries, in the UK and Australia.

He says that both the Liberals and Conservatives in the UK are “seeing their vote dwindle at the expense of a competitor on the populist right”.

Updated at 00.51 CEST

Turnbull denies active involvement in setting up teal party

The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has denied any involvement in the talks between the teals to set up a party, but says that there “is a vacuum for an alternative centre party” which the teals could be a part of.

Turnbull’s name has been swirling around the rumour mill in recent days on the issue. He has previously talked up Allegra Spender’s credibility as an economic voice.

Joining the ABC’s RN Breakfast, Turnbull says:

double quotation markI think there is a vacuum in Australian politics at the moment because the Liberal party has moved so far to the right and in doing so is diminishing. It’s done itself enormous damage.

I think there is a vacuum for an alternative centre party. The teals would be obvious people to be part of that or to do that. And I’ve talked to them about that publicly. I mean, going back some years. But whether they actually decide to do so is up to them.

So I’m not involved with any plans to set something up.

Updated at 00.41 CEST

Tim Wilson on teals: ‘No one actually takes this party seriously’

Over on the other side of the political debate, the shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, has shut down the idea of Liberal moderates joining a potential teal party.

Speaking to Nine earlier this morning, the moderate – who won his seat back from the teal independent Zoe Daniel at the last election – said no one would take the group seriously.

His colleague Jane Hume, a fellow moderate, said that the teals have acted as a party for a while, with the same funding and same campaign teams (“if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck”… she said).

Wilson said:

double quotation markI don’t think there’s any chance of that because I think no one actually takes this party seriously. It’s about them achieving their own survival, not the good of the nation.

Updated at 00.24 CEST

Ref: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/may/25/teals-new-party-gaza-flotilla-activists-anthony-albanese-jim-chalmers-labor-angus-taylor-coalition-one-nation-budget-capital-gains-tax-estimates-ntwnfb