As it happened: MP Colin Boyce to move spill motion for National Party leadership; Littleproud reacts; Victorian MP Chester ‘embarrassed’ by party focusing on itself

Emily Kaine and Alexander Darling

Updated January 28, 2026 — 5:48pm,first published January 28, 2026 — 6:52am

Key Posts

What we covered today

‘I am embarrassed’: Nationals MP vents spleen after leadership rumblings

Some Apple devices having trouble making and receiving calls

Bushwalker’s grim discovery in search for missing tourist

Australia to boost investment in Timor-Leste

More structures lost to Victorian fires

Two officers fired shots during encounter that killed Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti

Fires and floods: Extreme weather continues to batter opposite ends of Australia

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Australian visit confirmed

Shadow treasurer says Chalmers not being upfront about inflation

5.48pm on Jan 28, 2026

What we covered today

By Rachael Ward and Alexander Darling

Thank you for joining us this afternoon, as Nationals leader David Littleproud faces a looming spill motion for the party’s top job when parliament returns.

Read more about that here from chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal – apparently, Liberal leader Sussan Ley has just sent a letter to Littleproud in an attempt to save the Coalition.

David Littleproud (left) and Colin Boyce.Nine

Here’s what else happened today:

Telstra has confirmed there is an issue affecting some older Apple devices, which can’t make or receive calls, including to Triple Zero.
Victoria continues to deal with a heatwave and bushfires as other parts of the country face flash flooding. Thunderstorms in Far North Queensland brought 50 millimetres of rain in an hour around Cairns. Read our coverage from reporters on the ground here.
China’s top diplomat in Australia has warned of retaliation from Beijing if the Albanese government forces the sale of the China-owned Port of Darwin.
The organisers of an Invasion Day rally held in Perth’s CBD on Monday have urged police to investigate a man who allegedly threw an improvised bomb into the crowd for potentially committing an act of terrorism and a hate crime.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will have to find spending cuts on top of potentially unpopular economic measures in his May budget after a jump in inflation all but guaranteed the Reserve Bank will inflict higher interest rates on home loan borrowers within days, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright writes.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more live news updates.

5.31pm on Jan 28, 2026

‘I am embarrassed’: Nationals MP vents spleen after leadership rumblings

By Alexander Darling

“Here we go again,” began Gippsland MP Darren Chester on Facebook, a few hours after one of his Nationals colleagues announced his intention to move for a leadership spill.

In one of today’s top stories, Colin Boyce, an MP from Queensland, revealed on Sky News he would seek to replace David Littleproud as leader next week, following Littleproud’s decision to take the Nationals out of the Coalition.

Nationals MP Darren Chester.Simon Schluter

Chester, a former cabinet minister, didn’t mention anyone by name in his post, but said: “At a time when Australian families are struggling with the increased cost of housing, energy bills and everyday expenses, I am embarrassed that my party has spent the past week talking about itself.

“I entered politics to make a difference for the people of Gippsland, not to participate in self-indulgent Canberra games about leadership and issues which have no real impact on people in my community.

“Thank you to all the journalists who have tried to call me following the member for Flynn [Boyce]’s announcement that he will run for leadership of the party on Monday. You can quote from this statement.”

Chester said he would not support the spill motion, nor enter as a leadership candidate.

“Seriously, the sooner the Liberals and the Nationals can resolve any internal leadership debates and set up a plan to transition back to a functioning Coalition, the sooner we can hold this poor government to account,” he said.

“We owe it to the Australian people to do better.”

Chester ended the post with a picture of some participants in the “Cycling Without Age Gippsland trishaws”.

5.01pm on Jan 28, 2026

Some Apple devices having trouble making and receiving calls

By Alexander Darling

Telstra has said some older Apple devices are having trouble making and receiving calls, including to Triple Zero.

“We’re currently investigating an issue making and receiving calls, including calls to 000, on older Apple devices,” Telstra said in a statement on Wednesday. “We’re working on this as a priority with Apple and will share updates as we have them.”

Telstra has reported issues with some older Apple devices.Eamon Gallagher

“We recommend customers using these devices delay updating the software on their device until we confirm the issue is resolved.”

Devices that may be affected include:

iPhone 8 updated to iOS16.7.13
iPhone 8 Plus updated to iOS16.7.13
iPhone X updated to iOS16.7.13

4.53pm on Jan 28, 2026

Bushwalker’s grim discovery in search for missing tourist

By Rachael Ward

Human remains have been found during a search for missing Belgian Celine Cremer, who was last seen at Tasmania’s west coast more than two years ago.

Cremer, 31, was last seen bushwalking at Waratah on June 17, 2023.

Another bushwalker searching the area on Wednesday morning made the discovery near Philosopher Falls, police said.

Celine Cremer has not been seen since going bushwalking in Tasmania on June 17.

Forensic testing is still being undertaken, but police said a pathologist had confirmed they were human remains and Cremer’s family in Belgium had been notified.

“We understand how distressing this development may be for her loved ones, and while everyone involved hopes it will help to provide answers, formal forensic analysis is required before we can determine whether the remains belong to Celine,” police said in a statement on social media.

“The person who located these remains has been dedicated to searching for Celine for some time, and their continued efforts and that of other volunteer search parties reflects the strong community support behind this matter.”

4.48pm on Jan 28, 2026

Paddle out to remember schoolboy shark attack victim

By Kat Wong

Surfers and swimmers have been urged to return to the water to commemorate a schoolboy who died after being mauled by a shark.

Nico Antic sustained critical injuries after he was bitten near a popular swimming spot at Vaucluse in Sydney’s east, and died on Saturday.

To honour the 12-year-old, his school, Rose Bay Secondary College, has organised a community paddle out on Sunday morning at North Bondi.

“Nico was a happy, vibrant and social young person – widely known and deeply loved by a large network of friends,” the school said in a statement posted to social media.

“He brought warmth, energy and kindness to those around him and will be remembered for the joy he shared so freely. Nico will be deeply missed.”

The attack that claimed Nico’s life was the first of four in two days across Sydney and NSW’s Mid North Coast.

AAP with Alexander Darling

4.39pm on Jan 28, 2026

Shane Wright’s take: Rate rise all but guaranteed after inflation jump

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will have to find spending cuts on top of potentially unpopular economic measures in his May budget after a jump in inflation all but guaranteed the Reserve Bank will inflict higher interest rates on home loan borrowers within days.

Financial markets and most economists believe the bank will use its first meeting of the year on Monday and Tuesday next week to lift the official cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.85 per cent in an effort to dampen inflation pressures.

Read more from senior economics correspondent Shane Wright here.

4.19pm on Jan 28, 2026

Remembering the Challenger disaster 40 years on

By Alexander Darling

Four decades ago today, the American space program changed forever.

On January 28, 1986, at 11.30am, the space shuttle Challenger launched from Florida on a mission to deploy a satellite to observe Halley’s Comet.

The Challenger space shuttle explodes on January 28, 1986.

The mission was scheduled to last six days. It ended in 73 seconds.

Challenger disintegrated 14 kilometres above the Atlantic, after the failure of its O-rings – rubber seals designed to contain fuel pressure within the rocket boosters.

The failure allowed fuel to escape, a breach that became apparent in footage from different angles after the disaster: a small plume of black smoke began emanating from the shuttle while it was still on the launch pad. One minute after lift-off, that smoke became a flame that breached the ship’s liquid oxygen tank, triggering a catastrophic explosion.

The last words recorded from the seven-member crew came from pilot Michael J. Smith: “Uh-oh.”

The Challenger erupted into a ball of flame and white smoke. Two distinct white trails curled off from the main blast site. One of them was the cabin, which remained intact with the crew still in it after the main blast.

Investigators believe the seven crew lost consciousness as the cabin lost oxygen during its several-minute fall towards the ocean. None survived, and their remains were found on the ocean floor months later.

The catastrophe is seared into the consciousness of many Americans – and Australians. Millions watched the disaster unfold on live television, including 2.5 million schoolchildren. The parents of the astronauts were filmed at the spectator site, crying.

The disaster sent shockwaves through NASA. It was supposed to be a year of monthly shuttle launches; instead, it became a time of self-reflection. The shuttle fleet was grounded until late 1988 as NASA overhauled its launch criteria and redesigned the O-rings.

Today, the legacy of the fallen crew lives on through Florida’s Challenger Centre for Space Science Education. Established in April 1986, the organisation works to spark children’s interest in STEM subjects.

The Space Shuttle program ended in July 2011, replaced by the Orion spacecraft.

3.58pm on Jan 28, 2026

‘We will see’: Beijing hints at retaliation over Port of Darwin lease

By Matthew Knott

China’s top diplomat in Australia has warned of retaliation from Beijing if the Albanese government forces the sale of the China-owned Port of Darwin.

Chinese firm Landbridge bought a 99-year lease on Darwin port in 2015. Yesterday in Darwin, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated that he wanted the port to return to Australian ownership, and that the government would “examine the process” to achieve this end.

Ambassador Xiao Qian also issued a stern instruction for Australia to respect China’s position on the need to reunify with the self-governing island of Taiwan.

Qian argued it was a mere coincidence that China had decided to conduct live fire exercises in the Tasman Sea while circumnavigating the Australian continent last year, as he left the door open to similar future visits by the Chinese navy.

Australia to boost investment in Timor-Leste

By Alexander Darling

Australia will spend millions more developing Timor-Leste, its northern neighbour, under initiatives announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the country’s capital, Dili, this afternoon.

At a press conference with Timor-Leste president Jose Ramos-Horta, Albanese said the two had signed a deal “elevating the [nations’] friendship to a new level”.

This involves Australia – already the tiny nation’s largest development partner – boosting its funding for “technical assistance” by $8.2 million, taking it to $20 million.

Albanese said there would be two new programs. “A private sector development program and a human development initiative to improve quality and reach of critical health services, education and disability support,” he said.

“You don’t get to choose your neighbours, but you do get to choose your friends, and Timor-Leste is a friend, and has a friend in Australia as we go forward.”

Albanese said his friendship with Ramos-Horta went back to their first meeting in 1999.

Yesterday, Albanese fielded questions about accusations from Ramos-Horta in 2024 that Albanese never visited, and that Australia acted like a “neglectful godparent” to Timor-Leste.

The nation of 1.4 million people has been navigating offers of co-operation from the West and China for several years. It signed a partnership with China in 2023 to “enhance high-level military exchanges”.

3.17pm on Jan 28, 2026

Invasion Day rally organisers say threats were made before bomb scare

By Hannah Murphy

The organisers of an Invasion Day rally held in Perth’s CBD on Monday have urged police to investigate a man who allegedly threw an improvised bomb into the crowd for potentially committing an act of terrorism and a hate crime.

They say they were also subject to “several serious threats” in the lead-up to the event.

A 31-year-old man from Perth’s north, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with throwing the explosive into the crowd on Monday at a rally protesting against Western Australia’s Australia Day celebrations.

As it happened: MP Colin Boyce to move spill motion for National Party leadership; Littleproud reacts; Victorian MP Chester ‘embarrassed’ by party focusing on itself

Key Posts

What we covered today

‘I am embarrassed’: Nationals MP vents spleen after leadership rumblings

Some Apple devices having trouble making and receiving calls

Bushwalker’s grim discovery in search for missing tourist

Paddle out to remember schoolboy shark attack victim

Shane Wright’s take: Rate rise all but guaranteed after inflation jump

Remembering the Challenger disaster 40 years on

‘We will see’: Beijing hints at retaliation over Port of Darwin lease

Australia to boost investment in Timor-Leste

Invasion Day rally organisers say threats were made before bomb scare

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