Australia will get its fourth prime minister in three years after a shocking late night vote ended the rule of Tony Abbott as leader of the governing center-right Liberal Party.
According to the BBC, Abbott will be replaced as Prime Minister by the more moderate Malcolm Turnbull.
Turnbull defeated Abbott 54 votes to 44 in a party room vote.
Turnbull will become prime minister after Abbott sends his resignation letter to the governor-general.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Photo Credit: Troy/Flickr (CC By 2.0)
In a statement made earlier in the day, Turnbull made clear his intentions to challenge Abbott.
“Now this is not a decision that anyone could take lightly. I have consulted with many, many colleagues; many Australians; many of our supporters, in every walk of life. And this course of action has been urged on me by many people over a long period of time,” Turnbull said. “It is clear enough that the Government is not successful in providing the economic leadership that we need. It is not the fault of individual ministers, ultimately the Prime Minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs; he has not been capable of providing the economic confidence that business needs.”
Abbott seemed flat-footed in his response to the snap leadership election, as many in his team did not even acknowledge it would happen until hours before the final vote took place.
Abbott has been prime minister since 2013.
WATCH: Malcolm Turnbull speaks after winning Liberal Leadership Snap election.
A Tweet sent earlier in the day on September 14 showed how unprepared Abbott was for the vote:
Getting on with the job of delivering the Northern Connector in Adelaide – more jobs & less congestion on SA roads pic.twitter.com/DHnBMigSs1
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) September 14, 2015
Turnbull is more progressive than Abbott and many others in the Liberal Party. He supports gay marriage, believes in the existence of climate change.
Al Gore, the former Vice President of the United States and Democratic Party candidate for President in 2000 seemed to celebrate the change of Australian leadership in a Tweet.
New PM offers fresh opportunity for Australia to stand beside the US and China in a leadership position going into #COP21
— Al Gore (@algore) September 14, 2015
Some in the Australian press are having fun with the situation. The right leaning Herald Sun had to change their front page after the results were announced.
So @theheraldsun re-thinks its initial front page.. #libspill #returnbull @rupertmurdoch pic.twitter.com/iajWbQ2Qb2 — Auskar Surbakti (@AuskarSurbakti) September 14, 2015
Even Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson signaled his support for Turnbull after the vote.
Congrats @turnbullmalcolm. I wish you all the best and hope social progress & good governance follow. pic.twitter.com/Kvcit3TPE3
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) September 14, 2015
This is a developing story. We will update this story as more information becomes available. Cover Photo Credit: Clare Wilkinson/Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Paul Ryan Elected Speaker of the House
Update: 10:44 AM EST
Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been elected as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives after a vote by the full House.
Final Vote Total:
Ryan (R): 234
Pelosi (D): 185
Webster (R): 9
Other: 3
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the chair of the house Republican conference nominated Paul Ryan (R-WI).
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), the chair of the house Democratic conference nominated former Speaker and current house minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Ryan was expected to easily win after gaining the support of the House Freedom caucus.
The election was prompted after Speaker John Boehner announced that he would be stepping down from his position in late September.
Ryan did not immediately throw his hat into the ring to be the next speaker, indicating that he would prefer to stay in his job as the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
However, after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy couldn’t gain the confidence of the Tea Party wing of the Republican conference, the then frontrunner for the job choose to stand down.
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Broward School Board Candidate Posts Video Of Moldy Classrooms And Wet Floors At Hallandale Beach Elementary School
What’s New With This Story:
-Broward County School Board candidate Elijah Manley posted a video to his campaign Facebook page which purports to show mold and severe water damage inside multiple Gulfstream Academy of Hallandale Beach classrooms.
-Manley claims that the video was taken by a Gulfstream Academy teacher on November 21, 2017.
-The teacher did not want to be publicly identified for fear of retaliation.
-Broward County Public Schools have been in the headlines in recent months due to allegations of widespread mold problems at various county schools.
Elijah Manley, an 18 year old candidate for Broward County School Board made waves on social media today after he published a video that he said was taken by a teacher at Gulfstream Academy of Hallandale Beach.
The video shows a woman going from room to room narrating issues she finds along the way.
Some of the things seen in the video?
A broken window, wet floors, wet electrical boxes and water stains on roof tiles.
The woman in the video also says that she smells mold and thinks that mold in growing under the wet floors.
Manley said that the video was taken on November 21 by a teacher at the school. He then said that the teacher posted the video to a group chat that Manley is part of, on Sunday.
Manley then posted the video to Facebook.
He said that he spoke to the teacher who recorded the video today but said that she did not want to go publicly on the record.
Manley, who is running for an at-large seat on the School Board said he posted the video because he wanted to draw attention to the problem.
“A lot of the other candidates aren’t talking about it at all,” Manley said. “Now, they can’t deny it.”
Broward County schools have been the subject of recent international headlines after allegations of widespread mold issues caused hundreds to get sick.
In a statement, Broward County Schools said that the video shows a part of the school that is not used to educate children and that it is several weeks old.
Here is the full statement:
“Broward County Public Schools takes all matters concerning the upkeep, maintenance and repair of school facilities seriously, and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff. Per the District’s Facilities & Construction Management Department, the video does not reflect repair and restoration work that has already been completed – with many of the images taken prior to the now completed work. Furthermore, the video includes images from some areas that are currently unoccupied (not being used by students or staff) due to ongoing repair work. The building has also undergone roof restoration work within the last 60 days. Additional interior and exterior restoration and repair work is ongoing and scheduled for completion by the end of the upcoming winter break. Once again, the District is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students and staff.”
RISE NEWS has reached out to a spokesperson for the Broward County Teacher’s Association but we could not get an official statement before the time of publication. The principal of Gulfstream Academy could not be reached before publication time.
We will update this story as it develops.
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VIDEO: Sea Level Rise Is Not Just Impacting Miami Beach In South Florida
By Maria Serrano
As the national debate over climate change intensifies, South Florida has become a flashpoint. And South Florida is much more than South Beach.
On Nov. 24, 2015, fifteen days after king tide day, the largest tidal range seen over the course of a year, the residential neighborhood known as the Upper East Side in Miami was still experiencing floods.
The area has an annual estimated income per household of $45,000.
Similar to Miami Beach, the Upper East Side is a middle-income community facing the consequences of sea level rise, but it has not received the attention or funding necessary to protect its residents, their houses, and small businesses.
Scientists, researchers, legislators and residents recently met at Little River Pocket Park, located in the Northeastern section of the neighborhood, to collect data, learn about sea level rise, and discuss that this is not simply an issue for Miami Beach, but a coastal issue for much of South Florida.
“It’s designed to get citizens involved in being a part of the solution,” Juliet Pinto a, Journalism Professor at Florida International University and organizer of the event for EyesOnTheRise.org said.
More events like this are being planned by EyesOnTheRise.org in the upcoming months to increase the awareness about sea level rise and the consequences for residents of South Florida.
WATCH: Sea Level Rise Impacts In Upper East Side of Miami
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