National Party leader David Littleproud faced a leadership spill motion proposed by party MP Colin Boyce today. However, most observers believe he has enough support to survive the challenge and retain leadership.

The challenge stems from recent cracks between the Nationals and the Liberal Party. The Nationals withdrew from the coalition over the government’s handling of the Hate Speech Act, causing several shadow cabinet members to resign and creating a stalemate. Boyce advocated reuniting with the Liberals, warning that continued division could lead to loss of voter support.

The leadership position of Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley is also uncertain. Some party members wish to maintain stability without undermining her, while conservative supporters could challenge her in the coming weeks.

The Nationals are set to negotiate with Ley on whether to repair the coalition or allow the split to persist. Some Liberal MPs have drafted temporary shadow cabinet arrangements, potentially filling seats that have not rejoined the coalition in the short term.

A former member who claims to have worked inside South Korea’s Shincheonji Church for several years told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he was part of a team responsible for contacting and recruiting other church pastors. This is not ordinary evangelical outreach; it is a strategic operation with plans, lists, and progress tracking, aiming to attract entire parishes or congregations to Shincheonji.

The former member, Matthew, said the team, called the “Pastor Evangelism Team,” targeted pastors across Australia to convince them to adopt Shincheonji teachings. Once a pastor changed allegiance, they would bring their entire congregation with them. At least ten pastors reportedly had ongoing dialogues with the team, and around five showed keen interest in joining. Internal records revealed that Shincheonji had compiled over a thousand Australian churches’ and pastors’ contact details, tracking progress of communication, whether the pastor knew the church had been labeled a cult, and whether they opposed it.

Melbourne pastor Rasenberger said he had received multiple contact invitations. Some invitations appeared to be “interchurch dialogue” or “Bible study sessions” but were actually disguised recruitment activities. Upon investigation, he immediately refused and warned colleagues that it was a cult.

Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee claims to be “divinely inspired,” teaching that only he can interpret the true meaning of the Book of Revelation and promising salvation to believers at the end of days. Mainstream Christian churches generally consider Shincheonji a fringe religion or cult rather than traditional Christianity.

The report notes that Shincheonji’s Australian branch is registered as a charity, currently enjoying certain legal protections and tax benefits. Supporters of former members and aid organizations are calling on the government to review which groups can receive such benefits to prevent cults from exploiting legal loopholes.

A new report from the think tank The Superpower Institute proposed that Australia impose a “polluter pays” levy on companies that extract or import fossil fuels and increase profit taxes on domestic gas producers. These measures are expected to generate an average of 35.6 billion AUD per year for the government between 2026 and 2050.

The plan aims to encourage emission reductions, improve federal budget outcomes, and ensure companies with the highest greenhouse gas emissions pay a fairer share of costs. The report also suggests taxing the extraction and import of coal, gas, and oil consumed in Australia, and raising domestic gas producers’ profit tax rate from around 30% to nearly 60%, similar to levels in major energy-exporting countries like Norway. Initial tax revenue is expected to be below 20 billion AUD, rising above 40 billion AUD after 2030.

Subsidies will be prioritized over the next decade to help households transition from gas, petrol, and diesel to clean electricity, with small businesses also receiving compensation. Polls cited in the report show about 68% of Australians support taxing major emitters. Former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry also expressed support, calling it an opportunity to implement major reforms in the current political environment.