Angus Taylor elected new Liberal Party leader | SBS News In Easy English 13 February 2026

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TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.

Angus Taylor has replaced Sussan Ley as the leader of the opposition, after winning a party room vote triggered by what's called a spill motion.

Mr Taylor secured two-thirds of the vote.

Jane Hume emerged as the winner of the deputy leadership ballot.

In his first post on social media after the vote, Mr Taylor says he's honoured to lead the party.

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Sussan Ley has announced she is quitting politics, after she was toppled as leader of the Liberal party.

Her resignation will trigger a by-election in her seat of Farrer, New South Wales.

Addressing a party still facing scrutiny over the way it treats women, she said she is grateful she had the opportunity to be the first female leader of the Liberal Party.

"When something ends in sadness, don't dwell on the disappointment. Be grateful that you had it at all. So today I want to express gratitude to the Liberal Party that I have belonged to and loved for more than half of my adult life, to the party room that elected me as their leader nine months ago, and to the Parliament of Australia that has been the most extraordinary workplace for 25 years."

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The group representing 80 Aboriginal community-controlled representative organisations says local networks are key to Closing the Gap.

Of the 19 Closing the Gap targets, four are on track to be completed, with a further six improving.

In his annual Closing the Gap speech to parliament, Anthony Albanese says the federal government is determined to achieve the targets.

He has announced extra funding for services like the 24-hour Indigenous crisis support hotline 13YARN.

The deputy co-covenor of Coalition of Peaks, Scott Wilson, says the support is welcome and the effort to improve outcomes must continue.

"We welcome the further investments that were announced that by the prime minister in the House of Reps in employment, food security and access to mental health services. They are not abstract policy areas. They go directly to whether our people can live with dignity, stability and hope."

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Australians are being warned to look out for possible artificial intelligence romance scams before Valentine's Day.

Scammers have long used Valentine's Day to target victims, but experts say the rise of AI means scammers can analyse social media and tailor scams to target each victim.

Consumer group CHOICE says Australians have lost more than $220 million to dating and romance scams alone since 2020.

CHOICE and other consumer advocacy groups are calling on the federal government to address gaps in their proposed scam protections.

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The sails of the Sydney Opera House have been lit up in red for Lunar New Year, ahead of ushering in the Year of the Horse.

The colour red traditionally symbolises luck, prosperity and new beginnings.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says it's a great time to pay tribute to the Asian community in Australia.

"People from the Asian communities have become prominent and successful in business and politics and academia. Literally transforming this country's trajectory, making it even better than before. And I think Lunar New Year, is such a great opportunity to pay tribute to the history for the rest of us."

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The powerful reach of radio is being celebrated on World Radio Day.

One broadcaster who loves the medium is Sagar Mehrotra who has spent the past 22 years of his career at Indian Link Radio.

He told SBS Hindi, radio is even more powerful today because of the use of the internet which enables content to reach even more people.

"Radio is a product that can reach to millions and gazillions. TV, you can't have it in your car, TV, you can't have it in while in the air. But radio is something that if you have the slightest internet connection these days, you have the reach. You have that facility not just to listen but to interact, TV doesn't give you that."

And that's SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.


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