Key events
Asked whether the aim is to “have the coalition back together before the next election,” Nationals leader David Littleproud says “my door’s always open”.
He was speaking on ABC Radio National:
The last conversation Sussan and I had yesterday was about that we’d both expend energy in trying to keep the communication lines open to the extent that we can get back a coalition, but not at any cost. And you know, we want to see the Albanese government brought down. To do that, you’ve got to go to the electorate and say you stand for something, and that’s what we’ve drawn a line in the sand and said we stand for this, and we’re prepared to support the Liberal party, and we understand they’re going through a journey of rediscovery. We’ll let them do that and create the environment for that. But we don’t intend to stand still or look backwards. We intend to look forward.
Littleproud: Ley approached coalition agreements in great faith
Nationals leader David Littleproud recognises Liberal leader Sussan Ley approached coalition discussions in good faith while dealing with an “insidious situation” of having to rebuild the Liberal party after their brutal federal election loss.
He was speaking on ABC Radio National a short while ago:
Sussan went into these discussions in great faith, and she’s in an insidious situation too. I think we’ve got to appreciate that she’s rebuilding a party that’s lost 30+ seats over the last two elections, and I understand the predicament she’s in.
We had a great hug at the end of it, when I went around and told her the formal notification of our position, and I’m committed to … helping Sussan get her party up and going, but I’m not going to do that at the expense of the people we represent.
Littleproud said the Nationals would still have split with the Liberals if the leader were Angus Taylor instead of Ley:
If the same situation was put to us, this would be the same circumstance.
David Littleproud says there are conditions to forming a coalition with the Liberals again
Nationals leader David Littleproud says conditions have to be met before they form a coalition with the Liberal party again. He was speaking on ABC Radio National a short while ago:
If we get to a juncture after the next election where we can form a government with the Liberal party, then obviously we’re going to support the Liberal party. But there will be conditions, and the conditions are about those things that are core to making the lives of those people that we represent better, and giving them a future, keeping them safe …
Littleproud reiterated policy differences between the Nationals and Liberals, including those you can read about here:
We’re not asking for a lot, but I appreciate the Liberal party couldn’t get to a juncture to guarantee that, and we made this decision predicated on principle.
O’Brien says Nationals could not give a guarantee for shadow cabinet solidarity
Ted O’Brien doesn’t see why differences between the Nationals and Liberals “couldn’t be settled in the usual way”. The deputy Liberal leader said the Nationals could not guarantee shadow cabinet solidarity. He was on ABC Radio National a short while ago:
I see no reason why those differences, again, the extent to which they were to arise, couldn’t be settled in the usual way.
But the National party did make the decision that the second point of difference, over and above process of formulating policy, was that the National party could not give a guarantee that shadow cabinet solidarity would be on it. As you can imagine, this is a big deal.
I’ve sat in the shadow cabinet room and you have fierce debate – and it’s not a debate always, by the way, between the National party the Liberal party – but that’s what that’s what a good cabinet process is all about.
But once things are thrashed out and resolved, you leave that room as a united shadow cabinet. So that was another sticking point, where the National party could not give a guarantee that that solidarity would be honoured.
Deputy Liberal leader says coalition split ‘on process to formulate policy’
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien is optimistic his party and the Nationals can get back together. He is speaking on ABC Radio National this morning.
He said the Coalition split “actually wasn’t on policy, it was on process to formulate policy”:
None of the policy positions that David Littleproud put to Sussan Ley were rejected. None of them were.
Instead, as Sussan had made it clear to the Australian people last week, we heard a big message from the Australian people on the third of May. We now need to listen to them. We need to respect, reflect and represent modern Australia, and we need to go through a process, and that process includes having every MP and every senator in the Liberal party who were elected by their constituents to be heard, to have a say, and the policies that the National party have very deep interests in, and I respect that, that they will go through that process.
That was the big issue that came to a head. To do anything other than that would be for Sussan Ley to make a captain’s call, and she made it very clear that she won’t be doing that. That’s not the style of her leadership.
Bridget McKenzie says Nationals left coalition as Liberals could not guarantee nuclear and supermarket policies
The Liberal party could not guarantee keeping policies on nuclear and divestiture of supermarkets, Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie says.
She is speaking on ABC News Breakfast:
The decision we made yesterday was to leave the Coalition and it was based on principles. We had four policy positions that were really the first gate for us to get through as a partnership before signing a coalition agreement and it was clear to us that the Liberal party had no way to be able to guarantee that we would be keeping policies that we believe deeply in, like divestiture of supermarkets and big-box retailers, like mobile-phone coverage in the bush, like nuclear power generation, and indeed our $20bn regional futures fund.
If you can’t get through the front door and guarantee the bare minimum, we saw that as an opportunity for us now to go alone.
SES issues evacuation warnings in Buladelah as rain threatens mid north coast
More on the heavy falls around the NSW mid north coast continuing today: six-hourly rainfall totals between 100mm and 140mm are possible through the day, the SES has warned.
In the state’s Hunter region, the Myall River is among the areas on flood watch with local residents warned to monitor forecasts and rainfall and be ready to move to higher ground. The SES warned Buladelah residents to evacuate some areas yesterday afternoon.
Rain is expected to continue into the weekend amid the multi-day flood event.
Taree copped more than 267mm of rain across Monday and Tuesday, among some of the heaviest falls from the system.
– Australian Associated Press
People trapped by flooding as river rise breaks record
Intense falls and major flooding have hit Australia’s most populous state as a slow-moving system dumps rain, causing a major river to rise to the highest level in almost 100 years.
Heavy falls are occurring around the NSW mid north coast and will continue today as a coastal trough slowly tracks north.
Heavy rainfall may cause life-threatening flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Kempsey, Sawtell, Dorrigo, Barrington Tops, Wingham and Yarrowitch are in line for more rain as rivers continue to rise.
Locals around the Manning River were warned to evacuate yesterday evening as the river surged past major flooding levels.
By this morning, the river was flooding at a level “never seen before” at Taree, surpassing the 1929 record of six metres, the NSW State Emergency Service said.
In the past 24 hours, the SES responded to 892 incidents, including 130 flood rescues, the bulk of which were in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne.
The rescues included several cars caught driving into flood water, and as the night progressed, many people reported rising water into their homes, with some needing to seek refuge on their roofs, the SES said.
“Unfortunately, we’ve … had a large number of calls for help in areas that were subject to evacuation warnings and we are still assessing how best to access those locations,” state duty commander, the assistant commissioner, Colin Malone, said today.
🔴 Emergency warnings have been issued with some communities now isolated due to major flooding in Northern NSW.
NSW SES is urging the community to monitor conditions, know their risk and leave early if required.
📰 Read more on our website: https://t.co/F80xLZRhy0 pic.twitter.com/4iwZ7hUrYR
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) May 20, 2025
– Australian Associated Press
Tim Wilson claimed victory in Goldstein last night but Zoe Daniel yet to concede
In the electorate of Goldstein, Liberal Tim Wilson has hung on to beat Zoe Daniel by 128 votes, which we reported in the blog last night. There are no envelopes left to count.
But Daniel, who won the seat off Wilson at the 2022 election, is yet to concede despite Wilson claiming victory. And although the margin is over 100 votes, the independent can request a recount.
Taree expected to be hit by record flood
The town of Taree in NSW is experiencing major flooding, the NSW SES says.
The Manning River was expected to peak at a new record of 6.3 metres, and remain above the major flood level of 3.7m all today.
The SES warned people not to enter flood water for their own safety this morning.
The ABC reported that some residents in Taree and nearby towns had been isolated by flood waters and some had taken refuge on their roofs.
Rafqa Touma
Thank you to Martin Farrer for getting us started on the blog this morning. I’ll be keeping you posted from here – let’s go.
Sydney commuters told to avoid train travel on morning after high-voltage wires collapsed on train
Sydney commuters have been told to avoid travelling by train this morning after major disruptions to the network yesterday afternoon involving high-voltage wires collapsing on the top of a train and shutting down the entire westbound line.
“Passengers planning on travelling on the rail network this morning are advised to avoid travel or use alternative transport if possible,” Transport for NSW said in a media release this morning. Trains are running on all lines but at a reduced frequency.
A defective train has been removed and repairs have been completed to overhead wiring overnight.
Final inspections are being completed before Transport for NSW reinstate power later this morning so all six tracks from the west through Homebush can operate. Normal timetabled services are expected to return for the afternoon peak.
“Sydney Trains apologises again to passengers for the inconvenience of the continuing disruption,” Transport for NSW said.
“Where the incident occurred is a major rail artery and critical part of the network, which saw five of the six lines closed from 2:30pm yesterday.”
Dutton hit wrong note throughout campaign – Labor chief
Tom McIlroy
The architect of federal Labor’s 3 May election victory is speaking at the National Press Club today, explaining how Anthony Albanese held onto government in a landslide result.
The Labor party’s national secretary and campaign boss, Paul Erickson, will speak at 12.30pm and take questions from the Canberra press gallery. Excerpts of the speech provided to the media last night show Erickson will talk about how efforts to bring down inflation and sell Labor’s cost-of-living message helped secure the historic win.
He says the prime minister hit his strides just at the right time to win. He will say:
From the first Monday of January through to election day, the prime minister was in the form of a lifetime. At a presentational level, the prime minister’s campaigning was exemplary.
The rallies, the speeches and the launch. The street walks, the school visits and the shifts on pre-poll. The debates, which every sensible observer scored four-nil.
Albo was in his element, connecting with everyday people and enjoying it.
Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton speaks at the function centre for the 2025 Federal Election, at the Federal Liberal Reception in Brisbane, Australia, May 3, 2025. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/Reuters
Erickson will say defeated opposition leader Peter Dutton hit the wrong note for voters:
Peter Dutton was gloomy about the country, downcast about the future, and most animated when magnifying the problems facing Australia. Which connects to the more substantive dimension to the leadership contrast.
The prime minister and the opposition leader were confronted by some critical leadership tests. The imposition of tariffs on Australian aluminium and steel. Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Liberation Day. The disruption of Anzac day commemorations by a neo-Nazi.
The contrast was as clear as night and day: the prime minister offered authentic, measured and firm leadership. And Peter Dutton never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
If you’ve not heard of Erickson before, we have a handy profile which you can read below.
Albanese due home after international post-victory tour
The disarray in the opposition ranks will no doubt put a spring in the step of Anthony Albanese when he returns home today after completing his first international engagements since being re-elected.
After meetings with President Prabowo Subianto in Indonesia, the prime minister joined Catholics and world leaders at the Vatican to represent Australia at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
Albanese had a private audience with the newly elected pontiff and formally invited him to Australia for the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028.
Albanese also met a range of other world leaders, including Volodomyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Ursula von der Leyen from the European Commission.
On his final stop, Albanese met the prime minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, during a stopover in the city state on the way back to Australia.
Speaking about his last leg, Albanese said: “Australia’s prosperity and economic future are linked with south-east Asia. I look forward to further discussing with Prime Minister Wong my government’s focus on expanding Australia’s comprehensive strategic partnership during our annual leaders’ meeting later this year.”
Ley and Littleproud refuse to take blame for Coalition split
Krishani Dhanji
Sussan Ley and David Littleproud both spoke to media last night, refusing to take the blame for the coalition breaking up.
On ABC 730, Sarah Ferguson asked Ley whether she’d “blown up” the Coalition. Ley said “absolutely not”.
“Absolutely not. I’m very disappointed that the Nationals have chosen to walk away from the Coalition. But I remain very respectful of David Littleproud and his team.”
Ferguson asked Littleproud the same question in an interview on the program. The Nationals leader said the party was in an “untenable position” after not getting a guarantee from the Liberal party on four policy areas they wanted in the new Coalition agreement.
Ley told 730 she was also concerned that the Nationals would break shadow cabinet solidarity, particularly over climate policies.
“Obviously, the concern would be that it [breaking solidarity] might relate to climate policy and it might relate to other policies, where we should present a united front to the Australian people.”
But Littleproud told 730 earlier in the program that the splinter wasn’t related to net zero by 2050 or other climate policies. “Our position at the moment is to support net zero,” he said. “So, nothing has changed with respect to that.”
Sydney trains still disrupted after yesterday’s power failure
Sydney commuters face widespread disruption this morning as the city’s train network recovers after a high-voltage wire fell on to the top of a train at Strathfield yesterday afternoon, trapping 300 passengers and sparking chaotic scenes during the evening rush.
Sydney Trains said earlier that “services on most lines will be impacted this morning due to power supply issues at Strathfield. Trains will continue to operate on all lines but will not run to timetable and the frequency of service will be reduced”.
Train services on most lines will be impacted this morning due to power supply issues at Strathfield.
Trains will continue to operate on all lines but will not run to timetable and the frequency of service will be reduced. pic.twitter.com/1R7XvRPOJe
— T9 Sydney Trains (@T9SydneyTrains) May 20, 2025
In another social media statement, the organisation said people should avoid non-essential travel. All lines would be working through Strathfield by 6.30am it said.
Limited buses are supplementing trains between Lidcombe and Ashfield.
Please delay all non-essential travel or consider using other transport where possible.
We expect all lines at Strathfield to be open again around 6:30am. pic.twitter.com/dkPYPqIbdF
— T9 Sydney Trains (@T9SydneyTrains) May 20, 2025
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then my colleague Rafqa Touma will take over.
Sydney Trains have warned commuters to expect delays this morning and try different travel options after yesterday’s overhead line collapse at Strathfield paralysed large parts of the system and caused extensive delays. Train services on most lines will be affected this morning, Sydney Trains said. We’ll have updates soon.
The gender pay gap at more than 100 commonwealth public sector employers including the ABC has been laid bare for the first time. Data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows the national broadcaster pays men nearly 10% more than women, but the private sector gap (21.1%) was more than triple the average public sector gap (6.4%).
Sussan Ley and David Littleproud have both refused to take the blame for the Coalition breaking up. On ABC 730 last night, Ley responded “absolutely not” when asked if she had “blown up” the Coalition, while Littleproud said he had been left with no choice but to pull the Nationals out. More coming up.
And the NSW floods have continued to hit regional towns, with Taree a particular focus, where residents have reportedly had to wait on their roofs for rescue. More on this soon too.
