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Angus Taylor reveals shadow ministry, elevating Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price

Clare Armstrong - 17 February 2026

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Angus Taylor has elevated a new generation of right-faction Liberals into his new-look shadow ministry and reinstated the suspended Nationals to the Coalition front bench.

The federal opposition leader unveiled his senior team this afternoon in Sydney, confirming the promotion of prominent figures, including West Australian MP Andrew Hastie and Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

"This is a team that blends proven experience with the next generation of Coalition talent," Mr Taylor said.

"The team is designed to do two key things — one, prosecute Labor's failures … and two, ensure the Coalition changes Australia for the better."

To make room for his appointments, Mr Taylor has dumped key supporters of Sussan Ley, whom he defeated in a Liberal leadership ballot 34-17 last week, to the backbench.

Mr Taylor has also allowed Nationals MPs and senators serving a six-week suspension from the front bench as part of the Coalition reunion negotiated by Ms Ley and Nationals Leader David Littleproud to return to their respective roles immediately.

"Today marks a fresh beginning," Mr Taylor said.

"An opportunity to put the past behind us. Historically, strength comes through unity.

"I think it's signalling a strong reset, an important reset in the leadership.

"It's time to get on with it and get back to the unified Coalition we know has been such a strength for our side of politics and such a strength for this nation."

'Next generation' refresh

Mr Hastie will be the opposition's shadow industry and sovereign capability minister, while Senator Nampijinpa Price has been appointed as shadow skills, training and small business minister.

Goldstein MP Tim Wilson, a moderate and one of the few inner-city based Liberals in parliament, has been elevated to shadow treasurer, replacing former deputy Liberal leader Ted O'Brien.

Senator Jane Hume, who as deputy Liberal leader is able to choose her role, will have a broad economic remit as shadow minister for employment and industrial relations, as well as productivity and deregulation.

"Without productivity, we simply cannot have rising wages without inflation, without productivity, we cannot have a growing economy that will deliver the prosperity and promise for future generations," Senator Hume said.

"This will be my relentless focus."

Taylor supporters main winners in reshuffle

Most of the major changes benefit right-faction Liberals, with Tasmanian senator Claire Chandler promoted to shadow finance and public service minister and Victorian senator James Paterson moved to defence.

Herbert MP Phil Thompson has been lifted into the shadow cabinet with the defence industry and personnel portfolios, as has Victorian senator Sarah Henderson, as shadow communications and digital safety minister.

Casey MP Aaron Violi has been promoted to the outer shadow ministry in a broad portfolio including science, technology, cyber security and the digital economy.

Joining him in the outer ministry will be West Australian senator Matt O'Sullivan in a rebadged portfolio titled shadow minister for choice in child care and early learning.

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Broad shake-up across Liberal ranks

Mr O'Brien has been given foreign affairs, with WA senator Michaelia Cash shifting from that portfolio to instead take on the shadow attorney-general position.

NSW senator Andrew Bragg will remain as shadow housing and homelessness minister and also added environment to his role, while Wannon MP Dan Tehan has kept shadow energy and emissions reduction minister.

Tasmanian senator Jonno Duniam stays as shadow home affairs minister and also has responsibility for immigration, while South Australian senator Anne Ruston keeps the health and aged care portfolio.

Lindsay MP Melissa McIntosh has been given a range of shadow cabinet roles, including women, NDIS, families and social services.

Berowra MP Julian Leeser will remain in the shadow cabinet with the Indigenous Australians and education portfolios.

Ley backers move to backbench

Supporters of Ms Ley, including Queensland senator Paul Scarr, MP Alex Hawke, Wright MP Scott Buchholz, Durack MP Melissa Price and Fisher MP Andrew Wallace, were booted from the shadow ministry.

Moncrieff MP Angie Bell has been moved backwards to an outer ministry role covering sport, youth and art.

Queensland senator James McGrath has also been shifted to the outer ministry as shadow urban infrastructure and cities minister and shadow special minister of state.

Mr Taylor thanked the outgoing members of the shadow ministry for their "tireless service".

"We are fortunate to have talent in our party room, and I'm committed to drawing on all of it," he said.

Mr Taylor said "healthy competition" among his front bench would lift his whole team to deliver for Australians.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-17/angus-taylor-preparing-to-unveil-shadow-ministry/106354092

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vv2GGz4dm4

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>>24218887

Perth Invasion Day rally: Man accused of attempted terror bombing named

PAUL GARVEY - 17 February 2026

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The identity of the accused ‘pro-white’ terrorist allegedly behind the attempted bombing of an Invasion Day rally in Perth can finally be revealed after a court overturned a suppression order protecting him.

The 32-year-old man is Liam Hall, who was living alone in a state housing commission-owned home from the northern Perth suburb of Warwick when he travelled to the Perth CBD on Australia Day and allegedly threw a homemade bomb into the crowd of protesters.

The bomb, which was packed with ball bearings and nails, did not detonate after its fuse failed.

The lifting of the suppression order also allows reporting of the man’s mental health and medical issues, which prevented him from being able to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The nature of the man’s mental health conditions have not yet been disclosed, but the court previously heard that the man had a diagnosis of autism.

On Tuesday, Mr Hall’s lawyer Simon Freitag SC said his client and his two brothers, who also live in Perth, all had mental health conditions and that the mental wellbeing of all three men were at risk if his client was publicly identified.

Mr Freitag said that while he accepted that the order prohibiting publication of the details of Mr Hall’s health conditions should be lifted, he opposed publication of his name given those conditions and the potential risk to his safety if his name and location were revealed.

The suppression order was challenged by both commonwealth and state prosecutors as well as lawyers representing multiple media organisations.

WA police prosecutors did not initially oppose the suppression order when Mr Hall first appeared before the court last month, but on Tuesday said they agreed with the submissions calling for the lifting of the order.

The prosecutors and lawyers pushing for the lifting of the order argued that Mr Hall’s identity should not be protected, saying there was no evidence before the court that Mr Hall’s safety was in jeopardy and noting it was the responsibility of custodial services to protect prisoners who may be at risk.

They also said the man’s mental health vulnerabilities should not be a reason for protecting his identity, pointing out that many of those who appear and are named in court have similar conditions.

Commonwealth prosecutor Kirsten Nelson said there was no evidence of any specific risk to Mr Hall.

A continued suppression order over his identity would also give rise to a risk of misidentification, she said, telling the court there had already been one instance on Facebook of an individual being incorrectly accused of being the alleged bombmaker.

Two of Western Australia’s most notorious crimes – the Claremont killings and the murder of 15-year-old Aboriginal schoolboy Cassius Turvey – were cited in the push to lift the suppression order.

Tony McCarthy, representing Seven West Media, noted that the identities of the people accused of the attack that killed Cassius Turvey had all been publicly revealed with “no consequences to their safety”.

Mr Freitag, however, said he had represented one of those accused, Aleesha Gilmore, in her trial and said she was injured several times during her time in custody.

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The decision made on a suppression order application by Justice Stephen Hall during the trial of Claremont killer Bradley Edwards was repeatedly cited by both the lawyers representing media outlets and magistrate Lynette Dias, who paraphrased Justice Hall’s comments about the “fundamental principles of open justice” as she declared that the suppression order should be lifted.

The prosecutor representing the WA Police said the police had already reached out to family members associated with Mr Hall and had “initiated measures to mitigate any harm”.

Mr Hall does not appear to have had any online presence under his own name.

His father and two brothers all live in WA, Mr Freitag said, and his mother lived interstate. One of the brothers, he said, had a mental health condition that was “even worse” than that of Mr Hall.

He was initially charged with one count of making or possession of explosives under suspicious circumstances and one count of endangering the life, health and safety of others after he was arrested.

It took almost two weeks and a widespread public outcry before police charged him with engaging in a terrorist act, the first time such a charge had been laid in WA history.

WA police commissioner Col Blanch said at the time that the terrorism charge was laid that investigators had found that Mr Hall had been accessing and participating in “pro-white” ideology online.

He remains on remand in custody and will reappear in court at the end of March.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/perth-invasion-day-rally-man-accused-of-attempted-bombing-named-as-liam-hall/news-story/ca510a3a76fea491176b294b51f48c67

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX-mnqi8EbE

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‘No other choice’: Top senator says ‘100 per cent’ chance US will deliver on AUKUS

Matthew Knott - February 16, 2026

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A leading United States congressman says he has no doubt that a future US president will deliver on the pledge to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, as he backs the idea of a new AUKUS visa to accelerate implementation of the three-nation pact.

Tim Kaine, a Democratic senator who was Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate in the 2016 election, said China would weaponise any collapse in the AUKUS plan, making it crucial for the US to deliver on its promise to a close ally.

Kaine also urged the Trump administration to move urgently to breathe new life into the Quad grouping of the US, Australia, Japan and India to ensure it does not lose relevance as a counterweight to Beijing’s growing influence in the region.

US President Donald Trump declared AUKUS was “full steam ahead” in his White House meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last October, but sceptics such as former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull continue to insist that the US is unlikely to sell three to five Virginia-class submarines to Australia as promised because of sluggish production rates.

“I believe 100 per cent we will provide them because I don’t think we have any other choice. I think the security demands make this a necessity,” said Kaine, who is in Australia visiting Defence facilities in Adelaide, Perth and Darwin.

“I can tell you that in Congress – Democrat, Republican, House, Senate – I’ve seldom seen an initiative that has had the bipartisan support that AUKUS has.”

Albanese announced a $3.9 billion down payment over the weekend to deliver a new submarine construction yard in Adelaide, following a $12 billion pledge last year to establish a new shipyard in Perth.

Kaine said the fact Australia had taken the difficult decision to send $US3 billion ($4.2 billion) to the US to improve its industrial base made it vital for the US to transfer Australia Virginia-class submarines from 2032 as promised.

Trump’s successor as president will be required to authorise the transfer.

“China would love … for [AUKUS] to fall short and they would use it falling short for a kind of disinformation advantage, and they would really promote that. And so I think we have to make sure that we meet those commitments,” he told this masthead.

“Because look, let’s face it, the US and Australia will make other commitments in the future on other important priorities … People need to know about us that if we go into a commitment like this, we’ll honour it.”

Kaine, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services’ seapower subcommittee, represents Virginia, one of the two states where the Virginia-class submarines are constructed.

He said 2025 was a good year for Virginia-class production “and we see that increasing”.

However, he acknowledged AUKUS was a “big and hard” project and that US submarine production rates needed to rise from the current level of 1.13 vessels a year.

“We’re really grappling with what is the path to having the adequate workforce to do that,” he said.

On proposals for a new AUKUS visa to address skills shortages, Kaine said: “I like that idea a lot … we have to be creative.”

The Australian parliament’s foreign affairs and defence committee recently said there was a strong argument for the creation of an AUKUS visa, echoing a proposal by former US ambassador Caroline Kennedy.

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Kaine revealed that senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby had been conducting a standalone review into AUKUS pillar II, which covers collaboration on advanced technologies such as hypersonic weapons and is separate from the submarine pact.

He said that, while Colby’s review into the AUKUS submarine program was classified, he could speak about its contents in general terms.

While the review backs the AUKUS pact, he said: “It raises some issues about the implementation on both sides.”

For the US, he said the report focused on increasing submarine production rates and addressing skills shortages. For Australia, it stressed the need to develop the infrastructure required to host regular American nuclear-powered submarine visits from 2027.

The review urges the adoption of ambitious short-term deadlines to ensure the pact’s success, he said.

Quad needed for ‘clear signal’ to China

Kaine and Republican Senator Pete Ricketts wrote to Trump over the weekend urging him to convene a summit with his fellow Quad leaders before he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in April.

“At this pivotal moment of intense strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China, convening a Quad Leaders’ Summit would send a clear signal of unity, resolve, and strategic coherence among leading Indo-Pacific democracies,” the senators wrote.

Last year’s Quad summit, scheduled to be held in India, was cancelled when trade tensions flared between the US and India, raising doubts about the future of the grouping.

Kaine, also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he understood why traditional US allies were alarmed by aspects of Trump’s foreign policy, including the imposition of tariffs on countries such as Canada and Australia.

But he said he did not fully agree with a dramatic speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last month in Davos in which he declared the global rules-based order a “pleasant fiction” that had lost relevance.

“I am not as pessimistic as him about [the] rules-based order being dead,” he said. “I think the rules-based order has served our nations, but also humanity, in a really powerful way, especially since the end of World War II.”

While global rules needed to be updated to reflect modern realities, he said: “I don’t think the right answer to change is to abandon the notion of rules.”

Trump has ordered the world’s largest aircraft carrier to sail to the Middle East as he tries to raise the pressure on Iran to strike a deal to curb its nuclear program.

Kaine said he believed it would be a “disaster” for Trump to launch military strikes in Iran, and that Americans did not want to become entangled in another war in the Middle East.

“Every action produces reaction,” he warned.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/no-other-choice-top-senator-says-100-per-cent-chance-us-will-deliver-on-aukus-20260216-p5o2kp.html