TRANSCRIPT:
Robert Prevost has been elected as the new Pope.
He will be known as Pope Leo the fourteenth and is the first American to become Pontiff.
The 69 year-old was born in Chicago, but spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being appointed Archbishop there.
Pope Leo has addressed thousands of faithful who gathered after white smoke signalled the election of a new leader.
"Peace be with all you. Beloved brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for God's flock. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they may be, to all peoples, to all the earth, peace be with you."
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The Australian Catholic community has welcomed the election of the new Pope.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe says the new pontiff is known for being approachable and willing to listen.
Catholic Social Services Australia executive director Jerry Nockles has also offered congratulations.
Ms Nockles says Pope Leo's appointment has come at a critical time when the world is yearning for compassionate leadership.
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Former Prime Minister Paul Keating has slammed the demotion of Ed Husic from Labor's new Cabinet.
Mr Keating says Mr Husic's expulsion as the Cabinet's sole Muslim member is an appalling denial of the former Industry Minister's diligence.
He says it also represents a contempt for what he has described as the measured and centrist support provided by the broader Islamic community at the general election.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to address the issue this afternoon at Labor's first Caucus meeting in Canberra.
"The government brings with it responsibility, and no individual is greater than the collective, and that includes myself. And we need to approach this term with humility to make sure that we deliver on the commitments that we made to the Australian people."
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Liberals M-P Sussan Ley has confirmed she is nominating to be the new leader of the Opposition party.
Ms Ley has told Channel 7 she is running because the Liberals need a new approach.
"It's about making sure that I am listening to my colleagues and that I demonstrate to them that we want a strong approach that includes everyone. I want to harness all of the talent in my team, take it forward under my leadership and meet the Australian people where they are."
Sussan Ley will be competing for the job against Angus Taylor and Jacinta Price - who has defected from the Nationals to the Liberals in order to bid for the top job.
Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie has told Sky News she is disappointed by the Senator's defection.
"Yeah absolutely. I think it's a devastating loss to our party room, particularly our senate party room. We're a tight team. We're a close knit team. We fought many battles together, and whilst we're strong coalitionists, we are very, very separate parties, and so it's very disappointing news that Jacinta has decided to head over to the Liberals."
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Oil and gas producer Woodside's annual general meeting has been disrupted by noisy protesters.
The interruption forced chief executive and managing director Meg O'Neill to play promotional and sponsorship videos as protesters repeatedly blew high-pitched sport whistles during her opening remarks.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific chief executive David Ritter says the protest was designed to convince shareholders to reject Woodside's plans to drill in Scott Reef off West Australia's coast.
He has argued that Woodside's planned gas field would entail drilling up to 50 wells as close as two kilometres from the Reef, which is home to nesting sea turtles, endangered pygmy blue whales, and dusky sea snakes.
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A team of Australian researchers are back home after a trip to Antarctica to study a rapidly melting glacier.
The Denman Glacier has retreated five kilometres in the last 20 years.
There are concerns that if it melts entirely that would raise global sea levels by 1.5 metres.
The trip's science coordinator Dr Damien Stringer says the team's newly acquired data will help refine existing models to understand warm water flows around the glacier.
