Dan Jervis-Bardy
Andrew Hastie has declared he won’t challenge for the Liberal party leadership, conceding he doesn’t have the numbers to roll Sussan Ley.
Hastie ended a week of speculation about his intentions with a statement on Friday afternoon.
“Over the past few weeks there has been speculation about the future leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia.
“I’ve previously stated that I would welcome the opportunity to serve my party and our country as leader of the Liberal Party.
“But having consulted with colleagues over the past week and respecting their honest feedback to me, it is clear that I do not have the support needed to become leader of the Liberal Party.
“On this basis, I wish to make it clear I will not be contesting the leadership of the Liberal Party.”
The statement comes after Hastie and Angus Taylor held secret talks on Thursday to determine which right faction MP would potentially challenge Ley.
The talks ended without a resolution.
Taylor’s office has been contacted for comment.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie says he won’t challenge for the leadership of the party. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 00.41 EST
Key events
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South Australia’s Port Augusta hit 50C at 2:43 today, the extreme temperature is the state’s hottest since 1960.
Media manager at Australia’s Climate Change Authority, Peter Hannam here with the historical comparisons:
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Victoria Police have arrested three people relating to a series of commercial burglaries on high-end clothing stores, jewellers and Botox and cosmetic clinics, worth more than $750,000.
In a statement, police said:
Investigators executed three search warrants at residences in Reservoir, Greenvale and Ascot Vale this morning.
It follows an investigation into a series of more than 25 alleged burglaries on businesses and commercial premises across metropolitan Melbourne since November 2024.
This includes six alleged burglaries on cosmetic and beauty clinics where more than $150,000 worth of Botox and cosmetic injectables were stolen, as well as high-end clothing, jewellery, cosmetics and skincare.
During the searches, officers seized a combined $50,000 worth of Botox, injectables and fillers, drugs and a prohibited weapon.
A 50-year-old Reservoir man has been charged with 46 offences including burglary (x20), theft (x20), handling stolen goods, possessing a traffickable quantity of drugs and possessing prohibited weapon. He will appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court later today.
A 33-year-old Ascot Vale woman and 41-year-old Greenvale woman were arrested and have been released pending summons.
Teenage boys charged after e-bike riders allegedly throw projectiles at police cars in NSW
Two teenage boys have been charged after five police vehicles were allegedly damaged by projectiles thrown from riders on illegal e-bikes and dirt bikes on the Central Coast, NSW police have said in a statement.
About 1.10pm on Sunday 25 January 2026, officers attached to Brisbane Water Highway Patrol were travelling on north along Ocean View Drive, Wamberal, when approximately 20 e-bikes and dirt bikes approached in the opposite direction.
Projectiles were allegedly thrown causing damage to four other police vehicles and injuring a police officer’s arm.
Later, during a search of the storage units and homes, police allegedly located and seized several items of interest including three motorbikes, an e-bike, 13.6g MDMA, 7g cocaine, 84g cannabis, and electronics.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested at one of the homes and taken to Gosford police station and a second boy – aged 17 – was arrested at Gosford police station.
Updated at 01.31 EST
Flood alert for rivers in NT
The Northern Territory Emergency Service issued a flood alert shortly after 1pm ACST for the communities in the following places:
Upper Victoria River, Victoria River below Kalkarindji, Fitzmaurice River, Daly River above Douglas River, Waterhouse River, Roper River, Towns River, Limmen Bight River, Rosie River, McArthur River, Robinson River, Calvert River & Settlement Creek.
They asked people in these communities to stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Risk factors include:
You may become isolated
Livestock and other animals and pets may become isolated
Fast flowing flood water can contain objects that may injure or trap you
Flood water may contain toxic waste, chemicals and dangerous animals
Updated at 01.36 EST
What to do if you have been to a measles exposure location
Vicky Sheppeard, the executive director of Health Protection NSW, said people should monitor for symptoms of measles and check the list of locations:
If symptoms develop and you’ve been at one of the locations at the time listed above or on the website, see your doctor or health service, including an emergency department. Call ahead to let them know that you may have come into contact with measles, so you don’t spend time in waiting rooms with other patients.
Symptoms to watch out for include fever, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body.
It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it’s important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms for this period.
Updated at 01.30 EST
Another measles alert in Sydney
NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious while visiting locations across Sydney.
The person recently returned from south-east Asia where there are outbreaks of measles.
There is currently a higher risk of measles in NSW, with 14 cases confirmed since 1 December 2025. As people return from overseas holidays, it is expected that additional cases may be identified.
People who were on board the flight below or who attended the following locations should watch for symptoms of measles. These locations do not pose an ongoing risk.
Tuesday 27 January:
Cebu Pacific Flight CEB39 from Manila to Sydney international airport, arriving at 10:50am.
Sydney International Airport arrivals and baggage claim, from 11:00am to 12:00pm.
Sydney T8 Train Line from International Airport Station to Central Station, 12:30pm to 1:20pm.
Sydney T1 Train Line from Central Station to Hornsby Station, from 12:50pm to 2:20pm.
Updated at 01.05 EST
Andrew Hastie pulls out of Liberal leadership contention
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Andrew Hastie has declared he won’t challenge for the Liberal party leadership, conceding he doesn’t have the numbers to roll Sussan Ley.
Hastie ended a week of speculation about his intentions with a statement on Friday afternoon.
“Over the past few weeks there has been speculation about the future leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia.
“I’ve previously stated that I would welcome the opportunity to serve my party and our country as leader of the Liberal Party.
“But having consulted with colleagues over the past week and respecting their honest feedback to me, it is clear that I do not have the support needed to become leader of the Liberal Party.
“On this basis, I wish to make it clear I will not be contesting the leadership of the Liberal Party.”
The statement comes after Hastie and Angus Taylor held secret talks on Thursday to determine which right faction MP would potentially challenge Ley.
The talks ended without a resolution.
Taylor’s office has been contacted for comment.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie says he won’t challenge for the leadership of the party. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 00.41 EST
Melissa Davey
Humidity in Queensland making heat more dangerous, doctor says
Elderly and isolated residents in remote Queensland are among the most vulnerable during extreme heat, with humidity making conditions particularly dangerous, according to Dr Clare Walker, director of medical services at Longreach hospital in western Queensland.
She said the region is accustomed to hot weather, but heat combined with humidity creates additional risks for patients.
“When you’ve got humidity, your sweat doesn’t work anymore,” Walker said.
“It can catch up on you gradually, and people can end up in quite a bit of trouble by the time they come to hospital.”
Walker said the hospital commonly sees people with heat stress during summer, particularly those working outdoors, but some of the most at-risk patients are elderly residents living alone without access to reliable cooling.
“A lot of elderly people don’t have access to air conditioning and are often confined indoors,” she said. “Most rural towns out here don’t have shopping centres or cinemas where people can go and escape the heat. The main street, or even at home, is probably the hottest place to be.”
She said many older residents rely on evaporative air conditioning, which becomes ineffective during humid conditions, and cannot afford to upgrade to split-system air conditioning.
Walker said climate change, an ageing population, and social isolation are intersecting to increase health risks in remote communities.
Updated at 00.35 EST
More than 1,500 structures destroyed or damaged by Victoria bushfires
Wiebusch says more than 1,550 structures across the state have been damaged by bushfires, including hundreds of homes.
We’ve now seen just over 1,550 structures that have either been damaged destroyed across the state. The most significant number of those have been with the Longwood Fire, where we’ve seen 320 homes destroyed 19 severely damaged.
The burnt remains of a house in Gellibrand. Photograph: Michael Currie/EPAShare
Updated at 00.22 EST
Albanese on climate change: ‘There is a real cost’
The PM has been asked how Australia will continue to afford managing natural disasters.
Albanese says:
Australia has always had natural weather events, so you can’t say any specific event is just because climate change.
What you can do though is say that the science told us that there would be more frequent events and they’d be more intense. That’s why my government, as the Victorian government and most state governments, are taking action on climate change. There is a real cost, a real economic cost.
Anthony Albanese speaks to reporters in Melbourne. Photograph: Michael Currie/AAPShare
Updated at 00.19 EST
‘We need the community to remain vigilant’
Wiebusch says:
Our landscape does remain very dry – we know the bureau is forecasting dry lightning during Saturday and the early parts of Sunday. And so we need the community to remain vigilant. If you do see flames or new fires start, then please be ringing three to 000 so that we can get our fire crews onto those as soon as we possibly can.
Updated at 00.17 EST
Four major bushfires still active in Victoria
There are still four major fires active: Longwood, the Wonnangatta and Dargo fires in Gippsland, and the Carlisle River fire in the Otways.
On the last two, Wiebusch said:
Both of those fires really won’t be safe until we see decent rain, and there is no forecast rain in the near future. But both of those fires have remained in containment lines in recent days and we’re hoping come, early next week those fires may be deemed, in fact contained.
Updated at 00.17 EST
Cool change on the way for much of Victoria
Emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch is up now and he has good news – a cool change is on the way for a lot of the state.
We’re now entering into our sixth day of what is an eight day extreme to severe intensity heatwave here in Victoria. For our communities in the north of the state, they are still under those conditions that are in the 40s during the day and in the mid 20s overnight.
The good news is there is relief on the way. The vureau is forecasting that the cool change that will come through the southern parts of the state late on Saturday will reach the north of our state during Sunday morning.
Updated at 00.16 EST