Australia news live: Sussan Ley praises mother’s ‘determination’ in eulogy; CommBank says funds transfer issue resolved | Australia news
Sussan Ley’s touching tribute to her late mother
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has farewelled her late mother with a touching eulogy at a funeral in her home town of Albury. Angela Braybrooks died just days after Ley was elected the first female leader of the federal Liberal party.
Born in England in 1931, Angela Weston first travelled to Australia as a young nurse before returning to the UK, where she met her future husband, Edgar Braybrook.
Sussan Ley delivered the eulogy at the funeral of her mother at St Matthew’s Church in Albury, NSW. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
She would soon move to be with him in Nigeria, where Edgar was serving as a colonial police officer. Ley was born in Nigeria in 1961. In the eulogy, Ley said:
As a child, I saw my mother as a devoted wife, but I also saw the determination with which she wanted to carve out something that was just hers.
Ley reminisced about Braybrooks’ passion for the stars and bird watching – the latter a topic of conversation during her daughter’s time as environment minister.
Photographs on the coffin of Angela Braybrooks. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
The now-Liberal leader spoke of how her mother was a “lifeline” while she raised three small children on a farm and how she was supported after deciding to attend university aged 30.
She said:
As I sat quietly last weekend, in a precious window of time, going through my mother’s papers, letters and photographs, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the things she taught me: patience, persistence and self reliance, how to lift your eyes and without fear, take on the world.
I think of my own grandmother, stoic in the face of so much wartime and personal hardship, insisting that Angela, her only child, leave England for a chance at a better life.
And I think of my inquisitive five-year-old granddaughter and the unbroken chain of strength and love that connects three generations of women.
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Updated at 00.04 EDT
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Andrew Messenger
Queensland nurses ‘likely’ to start industrial action next week
Queensland nurses and midwives are “likely” to start industrial action next week, after rejecting a revised pay offer from the state government today.
Nurses union secretary Sarah Beaman said stage one of industrial action would include things like wearing campaign shirts and badges.
The union’s 55,000 members operate in public health facilities such as hospitals and Queensland Health clinics statewide.
“We are preparing to commence protected industrial action as early as next week,” Beaman said.
More than 96% of those who voted said yes to taking protected industrial action to protect patients and their colleagues.
Protected industrial action will likely begin in Queensland health facilities statewide next week. I would like to remind Queensland that patients and aged care resident safety remains paramount during protected industrial action which has been approved by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.
Union members rejected a state government pay offer and voted to take industrial action this week. The state government updated its offer, but the union said it remains “subpar” and would reduce rights and conditions.
“The government threatened us with the removal of eight weeks’ backpay if we didn’t accept this substandard offer by close of business today. However, we continue to stand strong for a fair agreement and the backpay the government owes us,” Beaman said.
The nurses union hasn’t walked off the job since 2002. It will give three days’ notice of any industrial action.
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Updated at 01.43 EDT
The week of media news is here with Amanda Meade’s Weekly Beast.
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Josh Butler
Hanson welcomes One Nation’s best ever election results
Pauline Hanson has welcomed her party’s best ever election result, with a fourth senator confirmed elected today.
The newly elected Warwick Stacey in NSW and Tyron Whitten in Western Australia join Hanson and the re-elected Malcolm Roberts in Queensland, taking the One Nation contingent to four in the Senate. That equals the party’s best result in the 2016 double-dissolution election.
Hanson:
Our national vote increased significantly across Australia at this election thanks to a strong campaign with great candidates, common sense policies and dedicated volunteers.
There is no more dedicated servant of Queensland than Malcolm Roberts and he’s seen off challengers from all sides to be re-elected yet again. I’m also delighted that Tyron Whitten and Warwick Stacey will be joining us on the Senate crossbench. They both have much to offer their respective states and they are great additions to our team.
This team will continue the work we have always done in parliament on behalf of the Australian people: hold this toxic Labor government to account; raise the important issues; embody the strong conservative values that built this nation; defend our democracy, rights and freedoms; and put our country and its people first.
In his first comments since being elected, Whitten said:
I’m looking forward to representing the people of WA and standing for the values that make this country great.
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Updated at 01.11 EDT
That’s all for me today, I’ll leave you with Josh Taylor who will guide you through the rest of today’s news. Take care.
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Flood warnings for parts of South Australia
The BoM has issued flood warnings for parts of South Australia, saying river levels remain elevated as flood waters from the Warburton River reach parts of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.
Floodwaters may cut roads and access tracks, and in particular river crossings, impacting travel in the region.
The SA SES added flooding is likely to remain in the area for a few months, and warned those in the area to take care as the water recedes as roads may have been damaged.
You can read more here:
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Updated at 00.54 EDT
Australian deaths are down so far this year, ABS says
Australia saw 4.6% fewer deaths in the first two months of 2025 than during the first two months of last year, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The ABS recorded 27,536 deaths in January and February 2025. The leading causes were cancer (8,065 deaths); dementia (2,649 deaths); respiratory diseases (2,148 deaths); and ischaemic heart disease (1,838 deaths).
The health minister, Mark Butler, urged Australians to stay up-to-date with Covid-19 boosters amid the spread of a new variant. Photograph: Esther Linder/AAP
There were 128 deaths due to Covid-19 in February that were certified by a doctor, a sharp, nearly 53% fall from February 2024.
Earlier today the health minister, Mark Butler, urged Australians to stay up-to-date with Covid boosters amid the spread of a new variant.
Read more about that strain here:
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ABF reportedly intercepts up to eight people believed to be Chinese nationals seeking asylum
The ABC is reporting that up to eight people, believed to be Chinese nationals seeking asylum, have been intercepted by border officials in a remote part of the Northern Territory.
The eight are understood to have arrived on the NT coast by boat. Six were reportedly discovered by local workers on Tuesday, near the remote Indigenous township of Maningrida, about 500 kilometres east of Darwin. Another two men were found the next day by Indigenous rangers.
The group has reportedly been taken into custody by the Australian Border Force. The Guardian put questions to the Australian Border Force about the reported interceptions. The ABF responded:
The Australian Border Force does not comment on or confirm operational matters.
A number of groups of foreign nationals arriving by boat to Australia were detected across northern Australia last year.
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Updated at 00.33 EDT
Update: CommBank says services restored after banking issues
CommBank says it has fixed the issue that prevented some customers from transferring funds between their accounts or to other people earlier today. The bank said in a statement:
We have fixed an issue affecting some transfers from CommBank accounts. Customers can now make transfers between accounts and pay using PayID or BSB and account number in NetBank and the CommBank app.
Payments using cards and ATMs were not affected. We are sorry for the inconvenience and thank customers for their patience.
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Updated at 00.19 EDT
Wildlife smuggler handed nine-month jail sentence over live tortoises and turtles
A man was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to illegally importing live tortoises and turtles into Australia.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Daff) said the Australian Border Force discovered a package sent from the Philippines in March 2023 that was emitting a smell. X-rays revealed it contained reptiles and spiders, and a DAFF later discovered three snakes, six iguanas, three soft shell turtles and three tarantulas inside. Many were dead.
A two-year investigation later uncovered creatures at other locations linked to an illegal exotic trafficking gang, including hog nose snakes, eco-skeleton spiders and an African hedgehog, among others. Justine Saunders, the deputy secretary of biosecurity, operations and compliance at the Daff, said officials remained “united in their commitment to eradicate the illicit wildlife trade”, adding:
Daff has more than a thousand biosecurity officers working at our borders and in mailrooms every day who are trained to pick up anomalies in the system.
The illegal wildlife trade is the world’s fourth largest illicit transnational trade, after arms, drugs and human trafficking.
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Updated at 00.14 EDT
Sussan Ley’s touching tribute to her late mother
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has farewelled her late mother with a touching eulogy at a funeral in her home town of Albury. Angela Braybrooks died just days after Ley was elected the first female leader of the federal Liberal party.
Born in England in 1931, Angela Weston first travelled to Australia as a young nurse before returning to the UK, where she met her future husband, Edgar Braybrook.
Sussan Ley delivered the eulogy at the funeral of her mother at St Matthew’s Church in Albury, NSW. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
She would soon move to be with him in Nigeria, where Edgar was serving as a colonial police officer. Ley was born in Nigeria in 1961. In the eulogy, Ley said:
As a child, I saw my mother as a devoted wife, but I also saw the determination with which she wanted to carve out something that was just hers.
Ley reminisced about Braybrooks’ passion for the stars and bird watching – the latter a topic of conversation during her daughter’s time as environment minister.
Photographs on the coffin of Angela Braybrooks. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
The now-Liberal leader spoke of how her mother was a “lifeline” while she raised three small children on a farm and how she was supported after deciding to attend university aged 30.
She said:
As I sat quietly last weekend, in a precious window of time, going through my mother’s papers, letters and photographs, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the things she taught me: patience, persistence and self reliance, how to lift your eyes and without fear, take on the world.
I think of my own grandmother, stoic in the face of so much wartime and personal hardship, insisting that Angela, her only child, leave England for a chance at a better life.
And I think of my inquisitive five-year-old granddaughter and the unbroken chain of strength and love that connects three generations of women.
Share
Updated at 00.04 EDT
Customers vent frustration on social media after issues with CommBank accounts
Several peeved CommBank customers took to social media after experiencing issues transferring money from their accounts, as we reported earlier.
So over @CommBank, I’ve lost track of how many times this has happened over the years. This time I’m changing banks, not being able to access my own money when I need to pick my car up from the mechanics is infuriating. I’m out in the cold with a baby ffs. They were having… pic.twitter.com/aWaGfBoSqa
— Bec Freedom (@BecFreedom) May 30, 2025
I’ve lost track of how many times this has happened over the years. This time I’m changing banks, not being able to access my own money when I need to pick my car up from the mechanics is infuriating.
Exactly, that’s the problem I’m having. My brother has an expensive doctor’s appointment today and the money for it is in my Netbank Saver, along with my money. There’ll be no compensation for this either.
— Delliath (@LunaticMonkey23) May 30, 2025
My brother has an expensive doctor’s appointment today and the money for it is in my Netbank Saver, along with my money. There’ll be no compensation for this either.
In a short statement, CommBank said the company was seeing “only some customers impacted by the issue”.
We are working urgently to fix this issue and we thank customers for their patience and apologise for the inconvenience.
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NSW MP decries anti-Chinese violence in Sydney
Chinese Australian MP Jason Yat-Sen Li spoke in NSW parliament this week after a violent attack on a couple in Sydney.
Li argued “racism doesn’t need to be proven in court to be real in people’s lives” and said lawmakers should tackle root causes of youth crime: “Poverty, disengagement and trauma to young people and their families”.
Watch his speech below:
NSW MP decries anti-Chinese violence in Sydney – video
And read more from the Guardian’s Bertin Huynh here:
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Fourth man charged over alleged looting in flood-hit Taree
NSW police have charged a man on allegations he was in possession of stolen items on the flood-hit mid-north coast.
Police said they stopped a cyclist during their rounds in Taree yesterday and searched his bags. The search allegedly revealed several items suspected of being stolen, including a credit card, jewellery and watches.
The man, 37, was arrested and charged with six counts of goods in personal custody suspected being stolen, the possession of housebreaking implements and another charge linked to a bicycle helmet.
Three others have been charged with similar allegations this week linked to the flooding. Those allegations remain before the courts.
Taree was inundated in this month’s floods along the mid-north coast. Photograph: Aerial imagery by NearmapShare
Updated at 23.18 EDT
Australian retail trade falls slightly as Trump tariffs rattle customers
Spooked consumers slashed retail spending after Donald Trump’s tariffs sent a shudder through markets, AAP reports.
Turnover fell 0.1% in April after rising 0.3% the month prior, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported on Friday. The downturn ends a three-month streak of modest growth to start 2025.
On an annual basis, sales rose 3.8%, down from the 4.3% rise over the 12 months to March.
Consumer confidence took a beating last month, after Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariff dump on 2 April rattled financial markets and ripped billions from superannuation balances.
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Updated at 23.03 EDT
CommBank reports issue with transfers from some bank accounts
CommBank says it is working to fix an issue affecting customers’ transfers. The bank says some users “may be unable to make transfers between your accounts or pay someone using PayID or BSB and account number in NetBank and the CommBank app.”
You can still make payments using your card, and use ATMs.
The Guardian has reached out to CommBank for comment.
CommBank said users can still make payments using bank cards, and use ATMs, as it works to fix the issue. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAPShare
Updated at 23.26 EDT
