Hello. It’s Friday, May 27th and you’re reading The Loop, a quick summary of today’s news.
Let’s start here
One of Scott Morrison’s final acts as Prime Minister was to instruct the Australian Border Force to publish the interception of a suspected asylum seeker ship on election day.
The ABC may reveal that the highly controversial measure during the election aftermath period followed a direct request from the Prime Minister’s Office to publicly disclose details of the sensitive ABF operation before it was completed.
During his last press conference, held in the early afternoon on election day, the then Prime Minister was asked about reports emerging of the arrival of a ship and confirmed to reporters that “there there had been an interception of a ship en route to Australia. “
The unusual revelation of operational “water issues” is now the subject of an investigation by Home Secretary Mike Pezzullo ordered this week by the new Labor government.
You can read this full story by defense correspondent Andrew Greene in its entirety here.
Something you’ll hear about today
Labor is just one seat away from forming a majority government after ABC election analyst Antony Green called on Lyon’s headquarters in Tasmania for the party yesterday.
Meanwhile, former Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester says he will challenge Barnaby Joyce for the leadership of the Nationals.
We offer you all the latest news on our live blog all day long, so go ahead and join the conversation.
News while you sleep
- Actor Ray Liotta, best known for his lead roles in Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, has died suddenly while sleeping at age 67. Liotta, who was in the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic shooting a movie, was engaged and leaves a daughter from a previous relationship
- Amber Heard has given her final testimony in a multimillion-dollar battle for defamation with ex-husband Johnny Depp, telling jurors that she has faced daily harassment and death threats since accusing the Hollywood star of abuse. Claims for the duel are expected to reach the jury on Friday (US time) after each side offers its final arguments.
What Australia has been looking for online
- Kevin Spacey. The British Crown Prosecutor’s Office has authorized charges against the plaintiff for multiple sexual offenses, including assaulting three men. The alleged crimes took place between 2005 and 2015
- Payne Haas. The Brisbane Broncos say they will “not have a pitch” after the props asked him to drop his contract after a break in negotiations.
You are up to date
Thanks for reading.
ABC / children