Australia news live: CBA boss says repaying excessive fees to low-income customers could be seen as taking shareholder property

12.56am GMT The CEO of the country’s biggest lender says he is worried that housing credit is growing too quickly and foreshadowed a potential intervention by the banking regulator. Mat Comyn, speaking at a parliamentary committee hearing this morning, also said it was his “suspicion” that the government’s 5% deposit scheme for first-home buyers is only have a “very, very small” impact on housing demand. Still, Comyn was worried that lending was running too hot, with housing credit growing at about 6% a year, and double that annual rate for investor loans. “Obviously we benefit as an institution where housing credit is higher. But for long term financial stability, for equality and access to the housing market … that’s probably pushing a higher level than perhaps policy makers and regulators might be ultimately comfortable with.” “It will be interesting to see whether there’s some moderation to the demand side given there is, I think with good reason, much less confidence rates will be reducing any time soon.” 12.43am GMT Bowen says Australia ‘in it to win it’ on Cop31 bid The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, is at the fortnight-long Cop30 climate conference in Brazil, co-chairing a stream of the negotiations on technology and arguing that Australia and the Pacific should co-host next year’s summit, Cop31. That bid continues to be frustrated. Turkey remains in the race despite Australia having the backing of the majority of countries that have responsibility to nominate the host. If neither withdraws and consensus is not reached this week the event is expected to default to Germany, which is home to the UN climate headquarters in Bonn. As things stand, there is a real possibility. There is no deal on the table to resolve the deadlock. But it is also still only Monday night in the Amazonian city of Belém. Observers say if a deal is done it is unlikely to be until late in the week, when things can move quickly. It’s worth remembering the Germans do not want to host Cop31. International media asked Bowen about the issue a couple of hours ago. He said Australia was “in it to win it”. It respected Turkey’s bid, “but we also point out we have the most support”, he said. We have a very important contribution to make as president of Cop31… We’re fighting hard, we don’t know how we’ll go, but we’re in it to win. Read more on the Cop31 fight here: Related: From Australia to Turkey and, reluctantly, Germany: the tug-of-war over hosting Cop31 Updated at 12.46am GMT 12.29am GMT NSW Liberal plan to stick with net zero at odds with federal party The move to stick with net zero puts the NSW Liberals at odds with their federal colleagues, who have voted to abandon the target, and junior Coalition partner the NSW Nationals. Liberal MPs were presented with YouGov polling that suggested a net zero target was supported by a majority of NSW voters. Overall, 52% of voters in NSW say they will only consider a party ready to govern if they have credible policies to address climate change. Only 33% of voters in NSW think the Coalition should drop its commitment to net zero by 2050, while 48% of voters think they should keep it. In the Liberal party’s heartland seats on the north shore and in the east and south of Sydney, support for climate change policies was particularly strong. The polling suggests that only 33% of voters in NSW think the Liberal-National Coalition is aligned with their personal values and priorities. There were only 14 seats where a majority said the Coalition was aligned with their values. Earlier, the NSW Nationals elected Gurmesh Singh, the member for Coffs Harbour, as the new leader of the Nationals in NSW. The fourth generation Indian Australian is a former blueberry farmer who was first elected to parliament in 2019. 12.25am GMT Speakman remains leader of NSW Liberals, for now Mark Speakman is still the leader of the NSW Liberals after a party room meeting on Tuesday agreed to stay committed to net zero emissions by 2050. The Liberal party decided to stick by the target and the NSW energy transition roadmap developed by the previous state Coalition government during a “respectful and detailed” discussion. But the leadership issue is far from settled, with sources saying another party room meeting will likely be held on Thursday or soon after the end of the parliamentary session. The frontrunner to replace Speakman is the relatively new member for Vaucluse, Kellie Sloane. She’s a former journalist and a moderate. Alister Henskens, the Wahroonga MP, manager of opposition business and right faction member, has also been canvassing support among colleagues. Updated at 12.26am GMT 12.18am GMT Queensland teachers to strike next week Queensland state school teachers will walk off the job next Tuesday, with the union blaming a breakdown in negotiations over a new bargaining deal. The Queensland Teachers’ Union has been locked in pay negotiations with the state government for months. The state government has taken the dispute to arbitration after conciliation failed at the Industrial Relations Commission. QTU president Cresta Richardson said the government refused to enter dialogue with the union. This is quite simply a failure of the premier, the minister, and the director-general to do their jobs. The deals offered have been roundly and soundly rejected and the serious issues facing state education ignored. The Crisafulli government can’t attract new teachers to work in unsafe classrooms with crippling workload. It can’t retain valued educators who’ve been abused and burnt out. In the end, Queensland students who can’t vote will wear the consequences. The state government is offering teachers an 8% pay rise over three years. Members will walk off the job for 24 hours on 25 November. Demonstrations and protests will be held across the state. An estimated 600,000 students were affected by an earlier strike in August, the first since 2009. Related: Thousands of Queensland teachers have gone on strike with 600,000 school students affected. What happens next? Updated at 12.21am GMT 12.11am GMT NSW officer who allegedly assaulted Hannah Thomas faces court for first time today The New South Wales police officer who allegedly assaulted Hannah Thomas had his matter briefly heard before court for the first time this morning. Thirty-three-year-old senior constable, Christopher Davis, is facing two charges after Thomas sustained a serious eye injury after she was arrested at a protest in June. The charges include assault occasioning actual bodily harm and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm. The latter charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, and the first charge a maximum of five years’ imprisonment. Thomas was arrested and charged alongside four others at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney on 27 June that was attended by about 60 people at SEC Plating. Thomas, a former Greens candidate in the prime minister’s seat of Grayndler, was taken to hospital and underwent three rounds of surgery to her right eye. In September, prosecutors dropped all three charges against Thomas, who was later awarded more than $22,000 in legal costs. Davis, who was not required to appear and has not yet entered a plea, had his matter heard before Bankstown local court. It was adjourned to 21st January. Out the front of the court, about 20 protesters had gathered in support of Thomas.Erima Dall, of the Maritime Union of Australia, read out a statement on behalf of Thomas: I’m so grateful to everyone who showed up in solidarity. Thomas underwent a third surgery to her eye a few weeks ago. She’ll learn the long-term prognosis for her eyesight next month. She told Guardian Australia she has spent more than $20,000 on medical bills so far. Updated at 12.15am GMT 12.05am GMT Will Australia be part of an international force in Gaza? After the UN vote on an international stabilisation force in Gaza, we’re checking in with the federal government on whether Australia would be contributing or offering assistance. Guardian Australia understands there has been no formal request made of the Albanese government, but that the government would consider any request made, and supports the broad thrust of US president Donald Trump’s Gaza plan. We’ll bring you more as we hear back. Updated at 12.08am GMT 11.59pm GMT CommBank CEO says it’s incorrect to say banks are making ‘super profits’ The CEO of Australia’s biggest retail bank, CBA, says it’s wrong to accuse the big lenders of making “super profits”. Matt Comyn, who in August revealed a $10.3bn cash profit for the most recent financial year, told a parliamentary committee this morning that this was a “narrative” that the banks for decades had done “a poor job of countering” and “largely left unchallenged”. The long-serving boss said it was in the national interest to have a profitable and financially secure banking sector. He said for every $500,000 home loan, the bank needed to put aside $15,000 in capital – and that this lifted to $100,000 if the loan went into arrears. Rather than a tight oligopoly, the sector had seen some “very significant competitive shifts”, not least led by global technological changes. Comyn also said cash would be around “beyond all our natural lives”, but that there were costs associated with managing cash payments, particularly in regional and remote Australia, that were difficult to manage. 11.53pm GMT CBA boss defends decision to not repay fees to vulnerable customers The chief executive of CBA, Matt Comyn, has mounted a fierce defence of the bank’s decision to not repay $270m in fees to 2.2 million low-income customers after a report by Asic in July. CBA has already paid $25m in “goodwill payments” to tens of thousands of low-income Indigenous customers, after the regulator in 2024 released a report which found banks were keeping vulnerable customers in high-fee accounts. But Comyn this morning doubled down on the bank’s hardline approach to Asic’s more recent report that accused the bank of charging hundreds of millions of dollars in excessive fees to millions of customers who were eligible for low-fee accounts. Ed Husic, a Labor MP and the chair of the house standing committee on economics, asked why the bank wouldn’t automatically ensure its most vulnerable customers were in the lowest-fee accounts. The bank boss said there was “nothing improper” about the fees charged to these customers, as they were charged in line with the published terms of conditions. He said the bank was a commercial entity, and that at its extreme, returning those fees to its customers could be seen by the bank’s shareholders as “an appropriation of our property”. Still, he did say there was potentially an “alternative test” that could be applied to the charges which may lead to some “appropriate level” of payments. Updated at 12.29am GMT 11.41pm GMT NSW health minister says federal funding shortfalls at state hospitals ‘massive challenge’ The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said federal funding shortfalls at state hospitals “keeps me up at night”, saying hospitals’ costs are a “massive challenge at the moment”. Park spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, after the ABC reported yesterday prime minister Anthony Albanese wrote to state and territory leaders recently to say they needed to rein in hospital spending. Park said without more support “we will continue to see pressures across the hospital system, the likes we haven’t seen before”, pointing to difficulties moving people from acute care to a residential aged care bed or to NDIS support. He said: We are spending an enormous amount because the growth and pressure on our hospitals is significant … That is not fair under a system that is meant to be jointly funded. We don’t mind doing our heavy lifting. New South Wales will take responsibility for acute care. When people need to come into emergency departments, when they need their operations, that’s on me. But what I can’t do is I can’t have 1.200 people lying in a bed right now in New South Wales hospitals that don’t need to be there. Updated at 11.49pm GMT 11.34pm GMT Are we in ‘the killing season’? The Liberal party faces leadership tensions and turmoil this week, with a change in Victoria and challenges speculated upon in NSW and federally. You may hear the phrase “the killing season” a bit this week. The phrase was popularised by the award-winning documentary of the same name from the ABC, about Labor’s vicious leadership fights in its previous time in power. But the documentary-makers didn’t coin the phrase. In an article for Melbourne University Press, journalist Sarah Ferguson explains: Weeks from broadcast on the ABC in 2015, the three-part documentary series on the Rudd–Gillard governments had no title. Everyone working on the series called it ‘the Labor doco’. Series producer Deb Masters burst into the room where I was writing. ‘What about “The Killing Season”?’ she said. I smiled. She didn’t need to explain. The title had been staring at us for months in the opening lines of the series: ‘The last week of Parliament: in politics they call it the killing season. Labor leader Kim Beazley is about to be overthrown’. The lines described the turmoil inside the Labor Party in December 2006 as Kevin Rudd prepared to challenge Kim Beazley for the leadership. Former trade minister Craig Emerson claimed credit for the phrase: ‘I was the person who coined the phrase ‘the killing season’. There’s a time for every purpose under heaven, or under Kevin. If there was to be a challenge it would have to be in that sitting fortnight’. Updated at 11.38pm GMT 11.23pm GMT Victoria’s new Liberal leader says state has ‘clear choice’ at next election Jess Wilson said Victorians have “a clear choice” at the next state election in November 2026: A choice between retired out-of-touch Labor government or a new generation [of Liberals] with me as leader. On Monday, senior state Liberal figures who support Jess were eager to emphasise her economic and policy knowledge. But they also referenced her gender and how she’d present “a very different and compelling face for the Victorian Liberal party”. Read more here: Related: Victorian Liberal party ousts Brad Battin to install Jess Wilson as first female leader Updated at 11.26pm GMT 11.15pm GMT Police fatally shoot man in Queensland after knife attack An armed man who stabbed one man before threatening a woman with a knife has been shot dead by police, Australian Associated Press reports. The confrontation unfolded in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, early on Tuesday after reports a man had been stabbed in the neck. The alleged offender escaped on foot before threatening the woman when cornered nearby by police, Queensland police said. Officers opened fire when the man refused to surrender, and he died at the scene. The woman in her 20s was treated at the scene for a small cut to the arm and shock. The injured man was rushed to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital with severe wounds to the neck, where he remains in a serious condition. Police remain at the scene, with the shooting under review by the Ethical Standards Command and the Crime and Corruption Commission. Updated at 11.19pm GMT 11.04pm GMT E-commerce giants respond to button battery claims The online platforms selling children’s toys that failed Australia’s mandatory button battery standards have started to respond to the report by consumer group Choice. A spokesperson for Amazon said that “the products in question have been removed” and that “products offered in our store comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies”. A representative of AliExpress said the platform enforces strict safety standards. “Upon being notified, we immediately removed the listings in question and have further expanded our review to identify and remove any similar products that may violate our policies,” the representative said. A Shein spokesperson said after learning of Choice’s claims, it immediately “removed the items from its site as a precaution while the company investigates”. A spokesperson for eBay said the company “provides regulators with a dedicated regulatory portal that enables them to efficiently and effectively report non-compliant listings, which are removed within two hours”. Choice said the product failures included batteries that could be accessed without the use of a tool, absence of safety alerts or warnings, and removable screws. Updated at 11.15pm GMT 10.53pm GMT Lebara customer dies after Samsung device fails to connect to triple zero TPG – the parent company of Vodafone – said a customer who attempted to dial triple zero on an incompatible Samsung device on 13 November could not make the call and subsequently died. TPG said in a statement to the ASX that it was informed of the incident at 5.22pm yesterday, following advice from NSW ambulance. The company wasn’t experiencing a network outage, it said, but early investigations suggest the Lebara customer was using a Samsung device using software that was not compatible with making triple zero calls on the TPG (Vodafone) network. TPG, Optus and Telstra send out advisories about these devices on 7 November. Under the rules, customers who do not update their handsets after a period of 28-35 days will be blocked from the network. TPG CEO Iñaki Berroeta said: Customer safety remains our highest priority. This is a tragic incident and thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones. Access to emergency services is critical. We urge all customers with outdated software to replace or update their devices without delay to ensure they can reach triple zero in an emergency. NSW ambulance was approached for comment. It follows a number of deaths during an Optus triple zero outage in September. Updated at 11.00pm GMT 10.44pm GMT Concerns Battin had become ‘one-trick pony’ on crime Some, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, raised concerns that Battin had become “a one-trick pony” on crime whose campaign was diluted by Jacinta Allan’s decision to allow 14-year-olds to serve adult jail sentences. Wilson, a former advisor to federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, is seen by her supporters as someone who can comfortably talk about the economy and the cost of living while uniting the party. She was appointed to the shadow treasury portfolio last month in a reshuffle that is also reported as destabilising his support in the party room. Wilson, who has described herself as “a small l” Liberal, is a former president of the Victorian Young Liberals and the daughter of former Liberal MP, Ron Wilson. She has worked as a policy director at the Business Council of Australia. Wilson unsuccessfully challenged Battin in late December, when he replaced former leader John Pesutto. On Monday evening, her supporters were eager to brief the media that she had been encouraged to run, rather than plotting a challenge. Wilson was elected at the 2022 state election to represent the affluent seat of Kew in Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs. She has ties to the right-wing thinktank, the Institute of Public Affairs, and is a close ally of Liberal frontbencher James Paterson. Updated at 10.48pm GMT 10.28pm GMT Wilson flags budget, crime, health and home ownership as priorities An energetic Jess Wilson has emerged from the party room and named her four priorities as the new leader of the Victorian Liberals: One, to get the budget back on track. Two, to end the crime crisis. Three, to make sure that Victorians can create access to the health care they need and deserve. Four, to give every Victorian best opportunity to own their own home in this state. We’ll get a detailed press conference with Wilson a little later this morning. Updated at 10.31pm GMT 10.25pm GMT Battin says he is ‘proud’ of his work as leader Brad Battin has made a few short remarks after leaving the party room without his leadership: I stand continuously proud in the role that I’ve done and the things that I’ve done for the community. The Victorian Liberal party now has a very clear path to go towards the next election. Obviously … the vote didn’t go my way. The Victorian Liberal party needs to make sure it’s on a path to ensure that we can get into power at the next election. Politics isn’t about just being inside the parliament, it’s about the people. Updated at 10.28pm GMT 10.14pm GMT Jess Wilson new leader of the Victorian Liberals First-term MP Jess Wilson has become the first woman to lead the Victorian Liberal party after defeating Brad Battin in a leadership challenge on Tuesday morning. The majority of the party room rallied behind the 35-year-old shadow treasurer after a group of senior MPs told Battin he had lost their support on Monday afternoon. Battin, a former police officer, lasted less than a year in the job after replacing former leader John Pesutto, whose position became untenable after losing a defamation case against his upper-house colleague Moira Deeming. Battin’s subsequent support for a loan to ensure Pesutto avoid bankruptcy and pay Deeming’s costs enraged sections of the party, which launched a legal challenge to stop it. But it was Battin’s performance as leader in recent months that convinced supporters to consider replacing him before the end of the parliamentary year. Updated at 10.17pm GMT 10.10pm GMT Brad Battin is out in Victoria Brad Battin has lost a leadership challenge and is no longer leader of the Victorian Liberals. We’ll bring you more details shortly. 10.00pm GMT Victorian Liberal spill meeting is under way The Victorian Liberals have begun a meeting to determine the leadership of the party, after a group of MPs told Brad Battin they no longer had support on Monday afternoon. The doors to the opposition party room are closed but reporters outside can hear occasional applause coming from inside. This is a regular party room meeting during a sitting week, so MPs must move to suspend standing orders and then move to spill positions. That would then trigger a vote on who should lead the party. We can expect a few brief remarks and an announcement once the meeting concludes. Several MPs told reporters on their way into the party room that they wanted the matter resolved today. Updated at 10.02pm GMT 9.51pm GMT NSW Nationals choose new leader Gurmesh Singh, the member for Coffs Harbour, has been elected as the new leader of the Nationals in NSW. Singh replaces Dugald Saunders, the former leader, who resigned on Monday. The former blueberry farmer was first elected to parliament in 2019. Singh’s election marks a decision by the Nationals to move to a younger generation of MPs. Kevin Anderson, the member for Tamworth and a long time MP has been elected as his deputy. Updated at 9.55pm GMT 9.34pm GMT John Pesutto: ‘We need to resolve this today’ Former leader of the Victorian Liberals, John Pesutto, says the party needs to resolve the issue of its leadership this morning. Pesutto was replaced by Brad Battin as opposition leader in late December, when his leadership of the party became untenable after losing a defamation case against upper-house colleague Moira Deeming. If Battin is replaced as leader this morning, the state Liberal party would have had three leaders in less than a year. Pesutto made a couple of comments on his way into Parliament: I just want to see a collective decision today as we move to the next election. At the end of the day, this is all about the Victoria people. These are challenging days for a leader and I think it’s important to remember that behind the leaders are families. I think the process needs to be very respectful and we will do that and we will come out with a decision. We’ve obviously got to resolve this matter today and focus on the Victorian people. Updated at 9.50pm GMT 9.24pm GMT Victorian Liberals share thoughts on Battin’s future before party room meeting this morning Deputy leader of the Victorian Liberals, Sam Groth, says he’s confident Brad Battin will remain leader of the Victorian Liberals after a party room meeting this morning. Battin is expected to face a leadership challenge after a cross-faction group of MPs informed him he no longer had their support. Shadow treasurer Jess Wilson is expected to challenge Battin after being urged to do so by several of her colleagues. Any full spill of positions may also impact Groth’s position as deputy leader. He made a few remarks on his way into parliament: [Brad] will come out this remaining leader of the Liberal party and we will continue to put pressure on the Allan government. Victorian Liberal Kim Wells says he’s confident a majority of colleagues will approve a spill of leadership positions in coming hours. On this way into parliament this morning, Wells was critical of the party’s direction in recent months: I think there has been a lot of unfortunate mistakes place over the last few months and that’s how we’ve got to this situation. Wells did not specify which mistakes he was referring to. Liberal MP Moira Deeming repeatedly but politely refused to answer questions from journalists while entering parliament. Updated at 9.43pm GMT 9.16pm GMT Business council calls for ‘sensible amendments’ on environmental protections The groups also want to ensure that “stop-work orders” issued by the new environment protection agency are subject to appeal, as well as an assurance that the disclosure of projected greenhouse gas emissions won’t be considered as part of the assessment process. The alliance of industry groups include the Business Council of Australia, the Minerals Council of Australia, Property Council of Australia and National Farmers’ Federation. The Business Council of Australia’s chief executive, Bran Black, said: With the sensible amendments we’ve proposed, these laws can deliver strong environmental protections and greater certainty and efficiency for business that we need to get urgent projects like housing and energy happening. Updated at 9.17pm GMT 9.09pm GMT Industry groups urge Labor and Coalition to negotiate deal on nature laws Business groups are ramping up pressure on Labor and the Coalition to negotiate a deal on new nature laws, sidelining the Greens and their push for stronger environmental protections. A group of 26 industry groups has written to the environment minister, Murray Watt, and the shadow environment minister, Angie Bell, urging the major parties to agree to several “sensible amendments” and then pass the laws when parliament returns next week for its final sitting of 2025. The long-awaited overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act passed the lower house earlier this month and Anthony Albanese wants them through the Senate before parliament rises on 27 November. But the government must first land a deal with either the Coalition or the Greens – neither of whom back the laws in their current form. In their letter to Watt and Bell, supplied to Guardian Australia, the groups request seven “essential changes” to the bill. The list includes amending the definition of “unacceptable impact” on the environment, which the groups claim is too vague and open to interpretation. 9.01pm GMT NSW premier says $60 toll cap will be extended ‘permanently’, considering two-way tolling on Harbour Bridge to fund it The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says a $60 toll cap for Sydney’s roads will be extended beyond its expiry date at the end of this year, and the government is considering two-way tolling on the Harbour Bridge to fund the cap permanently. The cap, under which drivers claim up to $340 a week back from the government after spending $60 for each registered vehicle, was put in place at the start of 2024, and was due to expire on New Year’s Day, 2026. Minns has told 2GB the government will now extend it beyond that date, and wants to continue it “permanently”. We’re going to keep it. We can’t get rid of it. It’s a massive cost-of-living relief measure for literally hundreds of thousands of people who live in western Sydney, and without a $60 a week toll cap, they’ll be paying full market rates to use toll roads in Sydney. It’s hugely, hugely onerous for them. Minns says the government is considering two-way tolling on state-owned tolling assets, the Harbour Bridge and tunnel and the not yet completed Western Harbour Tunnel and M6 Motorway, to fund making the cap permanent. Minns says it is costing the government about $200m a year. The government’s negotiations with tolling goliath Transurban to unify all tolling under the NSW Motorways agency continue. The transport minister, John Graham, has previously said an update on negotiations will be given before the end of this year. The Harbour Bridge was tolled in both directions - originally to fund its construction - until northbound tolling ended in 1970. Related: Is an end to Sydney’s ‘tollmania’ in sight? Negotiations for a fairer and simpler system slow to a crawl Updated at 9.04pm GMT 8.49pm GMT Pauline Hanson says Liberal dumping of net zero targets doesn’t go far enough One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is on Radio National Breakfast this morning, where she says the Liberal party’s decision to dump its net zero targets do not go far enough. Hanson said the opposition “should be getting out of the Paris Agreement” as well, “because you can’t have one without the other”, referencing the landmark climate deal forged at the UN Climate summit in 2015. Hanson said: The general public are fed up where the country is going. They say we want our country back. They want the politicians to run the country, not elitists and not the UN telling us how to run our country. Many of her claims on net zero are groundless, including an assertion that’s growing more popular among some that a transition to net zero will cost taxpayers $9tn. That’s false. Guardian Australia’s Adam Morton has more on the reality of the targets here: Related: Factchecking five Coalition claims about net zero, from power prices to the $9tn cost Updated at 8.52pm GMT 8.37pm GMT What’s the latest on the coloured sand clean-up? 25 schools in the ACT will remain closed today, as will nine Tasmanian Catholic schools amid ongoing concern over children’s play sand products that may contain asbestos. Dozens of schools are undergoing cleaning in the NT, although none are closed as students have been moved to other classrooms or alternative learning programs. And in South Australia, more than 300 sites have contacted the Department of Education for advice or to report sand products. Here’s more on what you need to know: Related: Schools in Australia have closed over asbestos in play sand fears – here’s what you need to know 8.26pm GMT ACCC has found wide lack of compliance over button batteries in the past The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has previously found a widespread lack of compliance with safety standards of button batteries, which can be deadly when ingested. When a battery is swallowed, a chemical reaction occurs that burns through tissue and seriously injures vital organs, according to the regulator. The products that failed the Choice test include an electronic writing pad, toy watch, video game and plastic piece, all purchased from AliExpress. Shein’s failed products include slatted glasses, lighted jelly rings, satin scrunchie, spin top and keyboard button chain. Amazon had three items, including bath toys, bendy tubes and a keychain, while an eBay-purchased fidget spinner, gloves, toy torch, glowing mouthguard and shoes breached regulations, according to Choice. 8.16pm GMT Good morning, Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s see what the morning has in store. 8.04pm GMT Multiple children’s toys breach button safety standards Seventeen out of 24 children’s toys purchased from major online retailers as part of a consumer shopping test by Choice failed Australia’s mandatory button battery standards, putting kids at risk of serious harm. Choice said the failures included batteries that could be accessed without the use of a tool, absence of safety alerts or warnings, and removable screws. The Choice director of campaigns, Rosie Thomas, said Australia urgently needed stronger product safety laws to make it illegal for all companies to sell unsafe products. Time and time again we see online marketplaces failing to ensure the products they sell are safe and compliant with the relevant safety standards — this is simply not good enough. The marketplaces profit from selling products in Australia but face no clear legal obligation to ensure they are safe. The products were purchased from Shein, AliExpress, eBay and Amazon. Guardian Australia contacted the four companies for comment. Choice, which has passed on its results to the consumer regulator, said Amazon and eBay removed the items in response to the findings. AliExpress rejected the findings and Shein didn’t respond, Choice said. Updated at 8.36pm GMT 7.55pm GMT Permanent battle to maintain security in Asia Pacific, says Wong Australia faces a permanent contest to maintain security and prosperity in the Asia Pacific, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, says. In a speech in Canberra on Monday night, Wong named China, as trying to dominate the region, including “reshaping” it in its own interests. She said Russia, Iran and North Korea are working to destabilise and sabotage countries like Australia. Wong talked up Labor’s record in securing the most comprehensive security architecture in the country’s history, but said there was an enduring shift in the power balance among our close neighbours, describing a permanent state of disruption. What we want is a relationship that allows us to cooperate and engage with China, while prosecuting our national interests and building security and prosperity in our region. Because we know that China will continue to be a major influence on our region, as well as on the multilateral system, which matters so much to Australia. Wong told the Australian Institute of International Relations event that Labor’s efforts to build strong partnerships close to home and further away was key to protecting the national interest. With so much activity and contest, things may not go Australia’s way every time. But we will keep pressing our national interest in the contest every day. Updated at 9.57pm GMT 7.48pm GMT Sussan Ley says Australian public ‘marks down’ political infighting Sussan Ley has declared she will “absolutely” lead the Liberal party to the next election while conceding the Australian public “mark us down” when descending into infighting. Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 program on Monday evening, the opposition leader said she knew there was “speculation” as to the future of her leadership. But she said she could “absolutely” guarantee that she would remain leader of the Liberal party after speculation that members of the faction could withdraw support for her struggling leadership in the fallout to the decision to dump a net zero emissions target. I know there’s speculation about the commentary and opinions. You have to ask these questions. I am not going to lose focus for a single second on the thing that matters today, which is our affordable energy plan. Because ... Australians deserve affordable energy ... We are here in the interests of the Australian people. I acknowledge, when it appears we’re talking about ourselves, people do mark us down. I accept that. Updated at 8.20pm GMT 7.40pm GMT Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin faces leadership challenge Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin will face a leadership challenge this morning from shadow treasurer and first term MP Jess Wilson, less than a year before the state election. A handful of Liberal MPs from different factions informed Battin on Monday afternoon that he no longer had the confidence of his colleagues as leader. Multiple Liberal sources said Battin had lost support from the majority of the party room with some concerned he had become a “one trick pony” on crime. The party has been bitterly divided by several scandals this year and those supporting Jess believe she is their best hope at unifying before an election in November 2026. The 35-year-old is a former adviser to federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg and the daughter of former Liberal MP Ron Wilson. She was elected at the 2022 state election to represent the affluent seat of Kew in Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs. Wilson is also former president of the Victorian Young Liberals and a former policy director with the Business Council of Australia. If she succeeds in replacing Battin, as several party sources expect, she would become the first woman to lead the Victorian Liberal party and its third leader in less than a year. Read more here: Related: Brad Battin faces spill after group of Victorian Liberal MPs say they have lost confidence in his leadership Updated at 8.23pm GMT 7.29pm GMT Welcome Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will pick up the action. We’re off to a busy start today with Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin facing a leadership challenge at a party room meeting at 8.30 this morning from shadow treasurer and first term MP Jess Wilson. MPs from different factions told Battin yesterday they had lost confidence in his leadership. More coming in a moment. Battin is not alone as a Liberal leader facing questions about leadership with federal leader Sussan Ley continuing to be obliged to answer questions about her own position. Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 last night, she said she could “absolutely” guarantee that she would lead the party at the next election. More coming up. And Penny Wong has delivered a major speech where she describes how Australia can, and in her mind should, navigate our relationship with China. More on that, too, soon.