Australia news LIVE: Angus Taylor resigns from frontbench, paves way for leadership spill; Israeli President Isaac Herzog to arrive in Melbourne as police prepare for protests

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will head to Melbourne today, in what will be the final stop of his controversial Australia visit.

Victoria’s Supreme Court granted special powers to police yesterday, under terrorism legislation, ahead of his visit.

The special powers allow police to stop and search vehicles or people in public places, seize items and detain people as a preventative measure.

They come as thousands are expected to gather in Melbourne’s CBD to protest Herzog’s visit at 5pm tonight, and also follow the president’s decision to cancel a planned visit to the Adass Israel synagogue – the site of one of Australia’s most infamous antisemitic attacks – for security reasons.

The powers apply to specific areas Herzog intends to visit and are not designed to impact the planned protest, authorities said.

Angus Taylor’s resignation has finally opened the door to him launching a leadership challenge to Sussan Ley, but a date and time has not been set – yet.

The now former shadow minister for defence was at pains to stress he had resigned during his meeting with Ley and nothing more.

But it is almost unthinkable that a vote would not be held in the Liberal Party room either today or tomorrow.

Taylor’s supporters confirmed that there would be more resignations today.

That’s for one simple reason: a series of resignations by the Taylor supporters on the Liberal frontbench will create momentum for the potential challenger.

For Ley and her supporters the impression created is one of chaos, of a ship going down slowly.

It’s a tried and tested method: in 2009, close to a dozen Tony Abbott supporters faxed and emailed their resignations to Malcolm Turnbull’s office over a day or two and badly damaged the opposition leader.

The same method was used by Peter Dutton supporters against Malcolm Turnbull in 2018, with senior MPs including Mathias Cormann, Michaelia Cash and Mitch Fifield pulling the pin.

Taylor and his supporters have the same plan, and Thursday morning will bring more frontbench carnage for Ley – and likely, a time and place for the pair’s final showdown.

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Thursday, February 12. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming our coverage this morning. Here’s what is making news today.

• Leadership aspirant Angus Taylor quit Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s frontbench yesterday evening, paving the way for him to launch a challenge to her leadership. He did not confirm his intention to call a spill, but it is expected that more resignations will put further pressure on Ley in the coming days.
• Israeli President Isaac Herzog will head to Melbourne today, in what will be the final stop of his Australia visit. Victoria’s Supreme Court granted special powers to police yesterday, under terrorism legislation, in preparation for his arrival. The special powers allow police to stop and search vehicles or people in public places, seize items and detain people as a preventative measure. The special powers come as thousands are expected to gather in Melbourne’s CBD to protest Herzog’s visit at 5pm, and also follow the president’s decision to cancel a planned visit to the Adass Israel synagogue – the site of one of Australia’s most infamous antisemitic attacks – for security reasons.

• The fallout from Monday’s violent clashes between police and protesters over the Israeli president’s visit continues, with a 69-year-old grandmother calling for police to be charged after she alleged they shoved her and broke her spine in four places. All four NSW Labor MPs who protested on Monday night have joined calls for an independent inquiry into police’s actions at Town Hall.

• And overseas, ten people, including a suspected shooter, are dead after a shooting in the small town of Tumbler Ridge in the Canadian province of British Columbia yesterday. Six people were found dead inside a high school, two more were found dead at a property that police believe is connected to the incident, and another died on the way to hospital, CBC News said, adding that the suspected shooter had been confirmed dead. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said more than 25 people were injured, with the shooter’s motivation still unclear.

Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and around the world throughout the day.