An audio recording has been made public by authorities, capturing a distress call made by a 13-year-old Australian boy who swam for an extended period to seek assistance for his family after they were caught in a strong current at sea in early February.

During the call, the boy, identified as Austin Appelbee, informs emergency services that his brother, Beau, 12, sister, Grace, eight, and their mother remain in the water, awaiting rescue.

Austin expresses concern for his family's well-being, stating that he is unsure of their current condition, which is causing him significant distress.

The teenager also reports feeling severely exhausted, a result of his prolonged and physically demanding effort to reach shore and call for help.

Following the call, Austin lost consciousness and was hospitalized, where he later received news that his mother, brother, and sister had been rescued approximately 14 kilometers offshore and were in good health.

Sussan Ley, the first female leader of the Liberal Party, is facing renewed scrutiny following the departure of Angus Taylor, her shadow defence minister, from the party's leadership team.

Taylor's resignation is expected to pave the way for a potential challenge to Ley's leadership, with local media outlets suggesting he has been quietly working to unseat her for some time.

Ley's tenure has been marked by struggles, including a narrow victory over Taylor in a leadership contest last year, which was held in the aftermath of the party's worst-ever electoral performance.

The Liberal-National coalition, a partnership that dates back to the 1940s, has experienced significant instability under Ley's leadership, having split and reunited twice during her tenure.

On Wednesday, Taylor, a member of the party's conservative faction, announced his resignation from the leadership team, citing his commitment to continuing to serve the Liberal Party.

In a statement to reporters, Taylor expressed his disappointment with the party's inability to hold the current Labor government accountable, emphasizing the need to protect Australians' way of life and restore their standard of living.

Taylor stated that he does not believe Ley is capable of leading the party effectively, citing the need for a change in leadership.

It remains to be seen whether Taylor's allies within the shadow cabinet will follow his lead and resign from their positions.

Local media reports suggest that Taylor's supporters are planning to request a special party meeting to consider a spill motion, which would allow the party to reconsider its leadership.

If Taylor were to succeed in his bid for leadership, it would bring an end to the ongoing speculation surrounding Ley's tenure, which has been marred by uncertainty.

The coalition's most recent split, which occurred in January, was followed by a reunification just days ago, after a dispute over hate speech laws, which Ley had supported in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack in December.

At the time of the initial split, Nationals leader David Littleproud explicitly stated that his party could not continue to serve in a shadow cabinet under Ley's leadership.

Recent polling data has shown the One Nation party, which secured 6% of the national vote in the previous election, surpassing the Coalition to take second place behind Labor, while Ley's personal approval ratings remain low.

The coalition has yet to reach a consensus on the factors that contributed to its decisive election loss to Labor, which saw the Liberals suffer significant losses in major cities.

In the aftermath of the election, the coalition briefly split over disagreements on climate and energy policy, including its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a policy that the Liberals later abandoned under pressure from the Nationals and their own right-wing faction.

The Nationals, which have a strong presence in rural areas and tend to lean more conservative than the Liberals, have been pushed further to the right in response to the surge in support for the One Nation party, according to political analysts, who note that this shift may hinder the Liberals' ability to appeal to centrist voters in urban areas.

A court in Australia has convicted an author of producing child sex abuse material, which was presented in the form of a romance novel featuring an age-gap relationship.

During the trial in a New South Wales court, it was revealed that the novel revolves around the story of Lucy, an 18-year-old, and Arthur, a 45-year-old friend of her father, including descriptions of Arthur's desires that originated when Lucy was a minor, as well as scenes where Lucy pretends to be a young child.

Lauren Mastrosa, who works in marketing for a Christian charity, faced charges after her book generated widespread outrage on the internet, but she maintained in court that the protagonist, Lucy, is explicitly portrayed as an adult throughout the story.

Magistrate Bree Chisholm delivered a verdict on Tuesday, stating that the novel's content constitutes the sexual objectification of children, thus rejecting Mastrosa's defense.

Prior to the complaint filed with the police, Lauren Mastrosa, 34, had shared an advance copy of the novel, whose title has not been disclosed by the BBC, with 21 readers in March of the previous year, prompting a subsequent investigation into its contents.

After reviewing the book, published under the pseudonym Tori Woods, Chisholm concluded that a typical reader would likely find the content to be unquestionably objectionable.

The novel, whose cover features a pastel pink background and title spelled out in alphabet blocks reminiscent of children's toys, portrays its protagonist exhibiting immature behavior, dressing in childish attire, and communicating in a simplistic manner.

According to Chisholm, the occasional mentions of the character's age as 18 were not enough to counteract the overall impression that the character is a minor.

As reported by the Australian Associated Press, Chisholm noted that the book's descriptive language and character portrayals, which evoke the image of a young child, are used in sections where sexual activity is described.

Chisholm stated that the narrative ultimately creates a disturbing visual impression in the reader's mind, suggesting an adult male engaging in sexual activity with a minor.

Mastrosa has been convicted of three offenses: creating, possessing, and distributing child abuse material, and is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on April 28.

Following Mastrosa's charges, BaptistCare informed the Daily Telegraph that she had been removed from her position temporarily, pending the outcome of an investigation.