News and politics live updates: Ben Carroll unanimously elected Victorian Premier succeeding Jacinta Allan

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has been linked with a Christian conservative Liberal Party factional group at an anti-corruption hearing.

Former Liberal staffer Dylan Whitelaw, who was a member of the party’s Mittagong branch in the NSW Southern Highlands, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption that Mr Taylor supported the Reformers, a right-wing grouping within his party as the member for Hume in 2020.

Mr Taylor had also agreed to speak at one of their events in Goulburn, which was then in his Federal electorate.

“It refreshes my memory,” Mr Whitelaw said.

“I don’t recall Angus ever doing an event in Goulburn.”

Liberal powebroker Chris Elllis had asked Mr Whitelaw to expand the reach of the Reformers into the southern part of the State.

“I may have asked Angus if he would be able to help but I don’t have any recollection of that event happening,” Mr Whitelaw said.

Ben Carroll has officially been sworn in as Victoria’s premier during a ceremony at Government House.

The oath of office was administered by Lieutenant-Governor Professor James Angus AO, who stepped in for Governor Margaret Gardner AC in her absence.

Ben Carroll has said he is “honoured and humbled” to have been unanimously elected as the new Premier of Victoria.

In a video shared to Instagram, he thanked his colleagues for their confidence in him.

Mr Carroll said it was clear the government “needs to go in a new direction”.

Controversial MP Moira Deeming has resigned from the Liberal Party.

It comes less than two weeks after she was disendorsed from the party after declining to apologise over unsubstantiated claims of violence against former leader Matthew Guy.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson made the announcement on Tuesday.

“This morning I received the resignation from the Parliamentary Liberal Party from Moira Deeming,” she said.

Previously, Ms Wilson had said that Ms Deeming would remain in the Liberal party room for the final weeks of the parliamentary term.

Anthony Albanese says a new $4 million pre-feasibility study, jointly funded between the State and Federal governments, could help Australia build its first new oil refinery in decades.

He said it was important to explore how Australia could build its national resilience amid energy shocks prompted by the Iran war and an increasingly fragile global environment.

Speaking in northern WA on Tuesday, Mr Albanese said Australia were “not protagonists in it” but noted it was “having an impact here”.

“Like it’s having an impact right around the world,” he said.

“One of the things that building national resilience does is it makes Australia less vulnerable to the impact of events around the world.

“We know that it’s an important part of national resilience.

“We obviously want to make sure that there’s a commercial opportunity.”

Anthony Albanese has accused Pauline Hanson of ignoring WA and challenged reporters in the north of the state to tally up her appearances.

Speaking in Karratha on Tuesday, the Prime Minister was asked if he was intentionally avoiding appearing in the southern state seat of Secret Harbour ahead of a by-election.

“It’s not normal for Prime Ministers to attend state by-elections and I reckon Roger Cook’s governor is doing a fantastic job,” he said.

“If someone can tell me that there’s been a leader or a minister from the east coast since Federation who has been to WA more often than I have, then good luck with that.

“I don’t come just during to an election campaign.

“I’d ask you to add up how many times I’ve been to WA.

“I’ve been to Karratha more than some political leaders and Prime Ministers in the past have been to WA, as Prime Minister in the last four years.

“I note that the leader of One Nation has been in Parliament for the same period of time as I have been. I’d ask you to add up how many times she’s been to WA.”

Ben Carroll has won the leadership and will replace Jacinta Allan as Victorian Premier.

The Party room selected the former deputy leader after a reportedly chaotic caucus meeting.

Gabrielle Williams was elected as the new deputy Premier.

The meeting ended just before 12pm, when the Party needed to attend Parliament.

The announcement was made by Labor whip Julianna Addison.

“I am delighted to announce that we have a new Premier of Victoria,” she said.

“Ben Carroll has been unanimously endorsed by the State Parliamentary Labor Party as our next Premier of Victoria.

“I am also delighted to announce that Gabrielle Williams will be our Deputy Premier.

“I want to thank our former Premier Jacinta Allan, an extraordinary person who has contributed so much to the Parliament of Victoria.

“Personally, as a regional woman, to have her as our Premier is something I’m incredibly proud of.”

Gabrielle Williams has reportedly been elected interim leader of the Victorian Labor Party.

Ms Williams, who secured the party’s deputy leadership, will step in as Premier until nominations close for leader.

This comes after Sonya Kilkenny threw her hat in the ring alongside Ben Carroll.

It is understood that Steve Dimopoulos also nominated for the deputy leadership.

What was initially expected to be a smooth process has become chaotic, with lots of yelling heard behind the closed doors of the caucus.

Anthony Albanese has claimed that a newspaper report referencing his attendance at a fundraising event at the Sydney harbour side mansion of Felix Lee, the son of a Chinese billionaire accused of tax evasion, is “wrong”.

The dinner, initially reported by The Australian Financial Review, was hosted in Point Piper and attended by former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn.

Mr Lee’s father faces allegations of deceiving the Australian Tax Office about his holdings in order to channel large sums of money into Australian bank accounts.

However, the Prime Minister claimed on ABC Insiders on Sunday that he wasn’t aware of Phillip Dong Fang Lee’s legal troubles.

“I’ve answered those questions. I attended a range of functions last week, and that is what I do,” he said on Tuesday.

“And we declare any donations that are made to the Labor Party.

“The premise of the original reporting of that event was wrong.

“The newspaper was told it was wrong in advance.

“They chose to make those assertions anyway.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised Victoria’s departing Premier describing his state colleague as a “very decent human being” following her decision to step down.

“(She is) motivated by her passionate belief in the lifestyle and in education, health, transport of Victorians, and delivering for Victorians,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Western Australia.

“She’s someone who can be proud, I think, of her achievements over a long period of time, and I wish her well for her future. This will have been a very difficult day”.

Mr Albanese says he will also work well with whoever takes over as Victorian Premier.