NSW premier says Molly Ticehurst’s ‘bastard’ murderer should have more jail time
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says Daniel Billings is a “bastard” and his prison sentence is inadequate.
Billings, 31, will spend at least 20 years behind bars, before becoming eligible for parole, for murdering his ex-girlfriend Molly Ticehurst, who was a childcare educator and young mother from Forbes, in central western NSW.
Justice Natalie Adams sentenced Billings to a maximum term of 28 years in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, finding he acted out of revenge after Ticehurst reported allegations of sexual assault to police.
At a press conference earlier today, the premier was asked whether he thought Billings’ sentence was adequate. Minns responded:
No, it’s a vicious, horrible crime. I would have loved to see him far, far longer.
And obviously, we’ve changed the law since that horrific murder to have a standard non-parole period of 25 years, but you know the judge made the decision, and I just feel terrible for the family who are decent, honest, hardworking people who’ve lost their daughter at the hands of a complete bastard.
Billings was out on bail when he smashed through Ticehurst’s bedroom window and stabbed her 15 times with a hunting knife just before midnight on April 21, 2024.
Crackdown on reckless prescribing as regulator ramps up peptides oversight
Australia’s medical practitioner regulator is cracking down on high-volume prescribers of drugs including unapproved peptides, medicinal cannabis and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) announced on Wednesday it will also soon release conflict-of-interest guidance for doctors as concerns grow about commercial influence over their prescribing.
In a statement, Ahpra said the agency has been investigating unsafe prescribing and “is concerned growing consumer demand for certain medicines, coupled with undue commercial influence, has led some practitioners to depart from established professional standards”.
The statement said:
Telehealth prescribing and the provision of certain medicines require practitioners to demonstrate even greater rigour to prevent harm to patients.
Ahpra can take regulatory action against practitioners over unsafe prescribing, with the most serious cases referred to tribunals.
Medical Board of Australia chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer warned doctors and prescribers “active in these new pharmaceutical frontiers” that they have ethical and legal obligations, saying that:
A patient may want peptides, but that doesn’t mean they need peptides. It doesn’t mean that peptides are clinically justified.
For patients, the Ahpra chief executive Justin Untersteiner, said people “should not be taking chances on black-market peptides or advice from online influencers with zero clinical knowledge or training”.
Anyone with concerns about a doctor or other health professional’s conduct should contact Ahpra.
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‘We do not want Peter’s death used to promote political agendas’: family issues statement after Victorian motorcyclist dies in reported pothole crash
The family of Peter Mason, a 71-year-old motorcyclist who died on Monday after reportedly hitting a pothole on a regional Victorian highway say his loss has “left an enormous hole” in their lives.
Mason, known as Tiki, was the president of a social motorcycle club, Eureka Social Riders, and was widely respected within the community. He died on Sunday after reportedly losing control on the Western Highway near Trawalla Road, with his death reigniting a political debate over the condition of Victoria’s roads in the lead-up to the November state election.
His family issued a statement this afternoon asking people not to use his death to “promote political agendas”. It reads:
There are no words to express the heartbreak our family is experiencing following the sudden and devastating loss of Peter Mason.
Peter was so much more than the circumstances of his death. He was a much-loved member of our family and a friend to many. His loss has left an enormous hole in our lives, and we are struggling to come to terms with a life taken far too soon.
We are aware of the public interest surrounding the circumstances of Peter’s death, including the condition of the road where the incident occurred. If, through the appropriate processes, changes are identified that could prevent another family from experiencing this devastation, we sincerely hope something positive can come from Peter’s death. However, these matters should be dealt with by the appropriate authorities.
We do not want Peter’s death used to promote political agendas, and we ask that no one speak on behalf of our family or claim to represent our views.
The family thanked everyone who had reached out with condolences, support and memories of Peter. They also asked reporters to be “respectful , factual and sensitive”.
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Hugh Riminton to leave 10 and retire from journalism after near-five decade career
Veteran Network 10 journalist Hugh Riminton has told his colleagues he will retire on 2 October after a 48-year career.
Riminton made the announcement in an email to Network 10 staff earlier today, in which he said:
One of my emotions is excitement. I got my first job as a cadet reporter aged 17. I am now 65. 48 years in daily news is probably enough.
This reporter’s life has given me the world. I leave with nothing but gratitude for every hour of it.
In the coming weeks and months, I plan to support my son as he does his HSC. I also want to spend some time with my splendid Dad who is coming on 98.
Every hour is precious.
After that, I am sure projects will emerge to keep me busy.
I want to thank you all for being my colleagues and friends for the past 17 years.
There is no one among you I am not proud to work alongside.
Martin White, a vice-president of news at 10’s owner, Paramount, wrote:
As you’ve heard already, the great Hugh Riminton has made the tough decision to move on. After a near half-century on the day-to-day news, it’s an innings few of us can comprehend, let alone get close to.
While I’m sad, and will miss him greatly, I’m also proud to have been able to call him a colleague. I’ve even subbed a few of his scripts, though I can’t recall ever changing a word!
He is rightly celebrated as one of the premier journalists in this country and has had a vital impact on the Australian media, and on Australian democracy.
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Sarah Abo announces she is leaving Today
Sarah Abo has announced she will finish up as co-host of Today and leave Nine at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities.
In a statement today, Abo said:
Words can’t express how grateful I am to our viewers for letting me into your homes to be part of your morning routine. Without you, there is no Today show.
Together with 60 Minutes, I’ve spent my time at Nine chasing stories, travelling and reporting from all over the world, interviewing some incredible and inspiring people from all walks of life. Becoming a mum has heralded a new chapter and sharing that with our audience has been truly special. As many of you know, this has been a significant journey for my family and will continue to be my greatest achievement.
Nine’s executive director of news and current affairs, Fiona Dear, thanked Abo and said she had been an “integral part” of the team, “bringing warmth, energy and first-class journalism to the program each morning”.
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Police appeal after woman’s body found in central Queensland sand dunes
A young woman has been found dead in sand dunes days after visiting a hair salon, sparking a police appeal, AAP reports.
Payge Leembruggen, 31, was discovered by a man walking his dogs at a popular Mackay beach in central Queensland about 8am on Tuesday, police said.
She was last seen at 8.55am on Friday at an Andergrove salon, located about 6km from the beach.
Speaking to reporters in Mackay earlier today, Det Insp Emma Novosel said:
We’re trying to fill a four-day gap at this time.
That’s why we’re seeking information from members of the public.We’re obviously going through that bushland area to try and find any items of interest that could assist us in determining what happened to Payge and how she came to be in that location.
The mother-of-one’s cause of death was unknown but an autopsy had been scheduled, Novosel said.
Leembruggen was not reported missing and it was not unusual for her to travel from her Mount Jukes address – where she lived with extended family – to Mackay, about 40km away.
Support was being provided to Leembruggen’s family who were “understandably” upset, and her young child was being cared for by family members, police said.
Leembruggen is described as Caucasian and about 178cm tall with brown hair.
She was last seen wearing a white top, bright red yoga pants and a red bow in her hair, with a small backpack-style handbag.
Police have urged anyone who saw her between Friday and Tuesday or with any information to contact them.
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First hearings announced in royal commission into Victoria’s Big Build
The royal commission into the Victorian government’s Big Build will hold its first public hearing next week.
Known formally as the “royal commission into the integrity of major public and civil infrastructure construction projects in Victoria”, the inquiry headed by Chris Kourakis confirmed it will hold its opening hearing next Wednesday.
The hearing will be held in the Melbourne magistrates court from 10am and will be live-streamed.
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Hello, I hope you’ve had a nice day so far. I’ll be with you on the blog until this evening.
That’s all from me today folks, thanks for following along on the blog!
I’ll leave you with the brilliant Catie McLeod for the rest of the day’s news while I coax myself to go outside and get some fresh air.
See you back here tomorrow.
Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
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The spotlight was heavily on the prime minister and health minister Mark Butler today, who defended himself over planned cuts to private health insurance rebates for over 65s.
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Anthony Albanese’s patience was also somewhat tested over his links to former Play School host and ex-Labor staffer Rhys Muldoon, who was yesterday stood down over “abhorrent” social media posts.
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Tony Burke acknowledged immigration numbers do need to drop, ahead of his appearance at the National Press Club tomorrow (a month after he was first due to speak).
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The opposition also tried to corner Labor on whether the prime minister had sought cabinet approval before extending the increase to Australia’s humanitarian intake to 20,000. Burke replied that it showed how far away the Coalition was from understanding government function.
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And Jim Chalmers nearly got kicked out today after he called Tim Wilson a “karaoke clown”. He was referring to this.
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Question time ends
After a final dixer to Kristy McBain, that was surprisingly rowdy and nearly led to housing minister Clare O’Neil getting booted, the prime minister calls time on QT.
‘All care, no responsibility’, Albanese defends private health insurance changes
Why doesn’t the government properly tax coal and gas, cut the $11bn diesel fuel rebate or reconsider the $368bn Aukus agreement if it needs to find savings, asks Monique Ryan, instead of targeting pensioners by cutting private health insurance rebates for over 65s.
It’s not a misprint – Ryan has been given a second question today, lucky her.
Anthony Albanese spends half of his answer defending Aukus, and then also defends the decision to change the private health insurance rebate.
He then takes aim at the crossbench.
I expect the Independents don’t have to come up with a budget, and that’s fine. All care – no responsibility. But as a government, we have to.
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Rhys Muldoon comments ‘outrageous and completely unacceptable’ says Albanese
Before we get to the next question, Ben Small is booted, after a dixer to Tony Burke where he was railing off about the Plymouth Brethren church and their involvement in the election.
Then Tony Pasin returns to the dispatch box, and asks the prime minister point blank if he provided Rhys Muldoon a reference for his role as an Australia Day ambassador or any other role.
Anthony Albanese says it was appropriate that Muldoon was immediately stood down after several old social media posts surfaced.
There are two roles in which action has been taken. One was he was a relief staff casual employee for Senator Dowling, and the comments, when people became aware of them and the senator became aware of them, he took immediate action and that’s appropriate.
Albanese says Muldoon was an Australia Day ambassador since 2014 but was not this year.
The assistant minister has taken action today, who has responsibility for those issues, to clearly say that it is not appropriate for him to be an ambassador. I find his comments outrageous and completely unacceptable.
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Butler on the defence over decision to lower private health insurance rebates for over 65s
Monique Ryan has picked up the baton and is also asking the government about its decision to lower the private health insurance rebates for over 65s. Modelling by the parliamentary budget office that she commissioned found half of the $3bn in savings would be paid for by pensioners.
She asks if pensioners were “really the only place that you could find budget savings?”
Mark Butler says, for the 50th time, that the government has had to make “hard decisions” and that it’s necessary to pay for more aged care beds and home care support.
He says the initial decision by John Howard to give over 65s a higher health insurance rebate was done in a very different economic scenario.
I would like to be able to maintain that arrangement but we have had to make some difficult decisions to find the aged care investment that is necessary.
Now in this debate there have frankly been a lot of misinformation about what the impact will be. Our modelling indicates that first of all the average impact on a private health insurance member of these changes will be in the order of 70 cents per day.
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‘Zero to do with me’: Albanese distances himself from Muldoon
Anthony Albanese has tried to completely distance himself from Rhys Muldoon, the former Play School host, and brief Labor staffer who was yesterday stood down after “abhorrent” posts were unearthed.
Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin asks what involvement Albanese had in Muldoon’s appointment as a Labor adviser and if he provided Muldoon with a reference for his Australia Day ambassador role.
Albanese says no, and no.
On the first part of that question, none. On the second part, his Australia Day role began under the former Coalition government … and his appointment had zero to do with me.
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‘We do need to get net overseas migration down’, says Burke
Net migration does need to come down, says Tony Burke, ahead of his national press club address tomorrow.
Regional independent MP Helen Haines asks him whether the government will speed up visa processing for regional areas, who are struggling to get critical workers.
We do need to get net overseas migration down, we do …
To be able to work through this, we need to be able to make sure that we deal with the numbers – we need to make sure that we deal with the numbers overall and do so in a sensible, targeted way that provides the easiest pathway through for the Australian economy.
He doesn’t exactly answer the question on whether he’ll reverse the “go-slow” on visa processing for the regions.
He does say there are more tools that the government has at its disposal to improve the migration system and he’ll says he’ll have more to say about that tomorrow.
A bit of a forward sizzle, as it were.
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Butler holds firm on private health insurance rebates for over 65s
Nationals MP Michelle Landry is next and asks about a warning from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists which says Labor’s reduction of private health cover rebates for over 65s will lead to “increased costs for older women who require gynaecological care”.
Anthony Albanese says broadly that the government has introduced the largest ever women’s health program.
The health minister, Mark Butler then takes over and says that submissions are still coming into the inquiry taking a look at the changes, and the government will consider them.
But he holds firm and maintains the changes are necessary.
We are doing this … to find necessary savings to fund more beds in aged care, more packages at home and better care, particularly changing the co-contribution arrangements which I think have been advocated by the opposition, among others, around showering and other hygiene activities.
The changes that we make restore arrangements to their original design which did not differentiate between members or private health insurance holders based on their age.
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Chalmers on a warning for ‘karaoke clown’ barb
Jim Chalmers has lashed out after Tim Wilson seized on a story in Nine Newspapers reporting that the treasurer’s colleagues are worried about inflation and rate rises. Chalmers reportedly held a private briefing with backbenchers ahead of an intergenerational report.
Chalmers quips that at least he’s taken more seriously by his own colleagues than Angus Taylor is by his.
Of all the people to ask a question like this, I don’t think the karaoke clown over there …
Cue the uproar.
Dan Tehan comes to the dispatch box (stifling a laugh mind you) but Milton Dick says he’s got this one in hand, and puts Chalmers on a warning, who’s then forced to withdraw the remark.
Chalmers says:
I do take my colleagues seriously and I take our economic challenges seriously as well. It’s why I make myself available to discussions with the parliamentary party, it’s a very informed and very engaged group, and I will continue to engage with them in good faith about the most important issues.
We will take these things more seriously than those opposite take them.
Before he gets to the end, Liberal MP Henry Pike gets booted for interjecting too much.
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Coalition tells Labor to take responsibility for interest rate rises
Liberal frontbencher Julian Leeser is up next to the dispatch box and asks the prime minister when he will “take responsibility for Labor’s 15 interest rate rises”, with two more predicted this year.
Anthony Albanese says he understands the cost-of-living pressure that Australians are facing, and then rattles off a list of economic measures Labor has implemented to help.
Angus Taylor quickly gets up and says Albanese isn’t being relevant. He gets shut down by Milton Dick.
Albanese then decides to stick the knife in, accusing the Coalition of wanting to “decimate Australia’s superannuation” and “gut Medicare”.
Dan Tehan then has another go to try to force the prime minister back on track. Dick says “nice try”, but the opposition can’t make the same point of order twice.
So the prime minister then sticks the knife into Tim Wilson:
Here is someone who doesn’t want low interest rates in this House. That’s someone who is on the record saying, ‘Nobody wins from low interest rates’ … You know what? The leader of the opposition made him shadow treasurer.
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Can Australians trust Labor to transition out of fossil fuels?
How can Australians and the Pacific trust Labor’s commitment to transition out of fossil fuels when it continues to support and expand fossil fuels, asks independent Zali Steggall.
The climate change minister for Tuvalu is in the parliament today and has been calling on the government to take stronger action against climate change.
The federal climate change minister, Chris Bowen, says the government is going full steam ahead with building and investing in renewables projects and that he and the prime minister will be spending time in the Pacific, listening to Pacific leaders in the lead up to the Cop climate conference.
We will continue to work so closely with the Pacific because it is such a vital issue but I’d say this to the honourable member. The way that you build renewable energy is the pathway for transition. You’ve got to build the new energy before you replace the old energy.
But that’s not exactly what the question was asking – it was why the government is still building and expanding fossil fuel projects.
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Humanitarian intake remains at 20,000 says Burke
Angus Taylor tries again and asks more explicitly if the treasurer or cabinet approved the “$7bn humanitarian intake increase” and asks if the prime minister will rule out any cut to the intake.
Tony Burke again takes the question and says Labor had a commitment to increase the intake and has done so.
In Labor’s national platform, the party “aspires” to eventually increase the humanitarian intake further to 27,000 a year.
Burke says:
This government when we came to office made it clear we would be boosting the humanitarian program to 20,000 places. It remains at 20,000 places.
It’s question time!
Angus Taylor is up first today and asks if the prime minister got cabinet approval over a decision to extend the humanitarian intake, after it was due to drop from 20,000 to 13,500. The prime minister made an 11th hour intervention to the media after it was reported the number was dropping.
But the opposition says parliamentary budget office analysis shows keeping the intake at 20,000 will cost an extra $7bn.
Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, takes the question (cue a few groans from the opposition benches of those disappointed Albanese won’t answer).
He says it’s a “ridiculous assertion” that every temporary program is never renewed.
He adds that the Howard government used to “boast of having a generous humanitarian program” and that the opposition used to be proud of that position.
The concept that is in question from the leader of the opposition that somehow every terminating program is never intended to be renewed would be the end of portfolio after portfolio. It is a ridiculous assertion, and just shows how far they are from being an alternative government.
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Pacific urges stronger action on climate, as report calls for end to new fossil fuel mines
Australia needs a firmer plan to transition away from fossil-fuel production to help protect Pacific nations from the effects of climate change, according to a new report, AAP reports.
The Australia Institute has accused the government of letting words speak louder than climate action, by repeatedly approving coal and gas projects since taking office in 2022.
The institute’s report outlines three principles the government should adopt, including stopping new gas and coalmines being approved, halting subsidies for gas and coal projects, reducing fossil-fuel exports and implementing a 25% tax on gas exports.
Global warming and rising sea levels have become a truly existential threat for Pacific countries like Tuvalu, which according to Unicef will be 95% under water by 2100.
The country’s climate change minister, Maina Talia, was in Canberra on Wednesday and pleaded with the Australian government to do more as a leader in the Pacific.
[Australia is] saying ‘we love our Pacific neighbour and we continue to be part of the Pacific family’ … [They] are not on board on what needs to be done in order for countries like mine to stay above the water.
We want to ensure that we bring something to the people, real solutions, not a false solution.
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AI companies ‘like dinosaurs in Jurassic Park testing the fences’: Lambie
Jacqui Lambie has joined the chorus of critics warning the government against selling out artists and watering down copyright laws in favour of tech platforms.
She tells the Senate big tech are “greedy” and “have no moral compass” and have they money but don’t want to pay creatives for their work.
A leaked memo reported by the ABC shows the government is considering an “opt-out” option for artists, meaning they would have to proactively block their work from being taken by AI, rather than being automatically protected.
Every time big corporations get a sniff of any regulation they threaten to leave the country …
They tried this on in the UK, but the British government told them they wouldn’t change their copyright laws. They are trying it on here, big tech is trying this on all over the world – they’re like dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, they’re testing the fences,
Lambie also says it’s “great” that the government is looking at legislation to ensure datacentres don’t use extra water, and bring their own energy but worries the timeline on it is too long.
Some of these companies are valued in trillions of dollars, some have more money than nation states, its not that they can’t pay, it’s that they don’t want to pay
We won’t see these laws until January, we don’t sit until February, it’s not going to happen before July 2027, meanwhile datacentres they’ve already approved won’t be touched by these laws because they won’t be retrospective – that’s the first stupid move you’ve made.
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Greens say Labor ‘running scared of Pauline Hanson’ with migration changes
The Greens senator David Shoebridge says Labor has turned away from the minor party’s offer of alternative solutions to Australia’s migration program.
Labor will tomorrow announce its long-awaited overhaul of the migration system, potentially by blocking temporary visa hopping, limiting paths to bringing family members and cutting appeal rights.
Shoebridge has told Guardian Australia that Labor is not engaging with Greens’ offers to support targets based on universities, business and family needs and reduce temporary visa numbers by funding extra processing for people waiting on their permanent visas. He added:
There are many ways in which we can improve our migration system. It’s just that Labor has decided their only option is to keep chipping away on the right … It would be a stretch to say [we’re having] conversations.
He said the Greens were not willing to endorse reforms that were “running scared of Pauline Hanson”.
We need a government that, instead of cutting deals with the Coalition, scared of Pauline Hanson, comes out and explains why people have a right to complete their family, to bring their grandparents into this country, to bring a partner that they’ve fallen in love with into this country … Have some courage. Have some decency.
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Queensland to create 24/7 hotline for victims of crime
Queensland’s LNP government will create a 24/7 hotline for victims of crime and reform its own domestic violence prevention process as “a top priority”.
Minister for victims, Laura Gerber, said she will table legislation today to create a “victim advocate service”.
Queensland already has a victims’ commissioner to advocate on their behalf. The new organisation will be a “one-stop shop”, with the ability to record the a person’s individual details and then share them across departments rather than sharing the details of a crime multiple times, she said.
It’s the second bill of the week from Gerber, who tabled legislation yesterday that would increase the bar for a convicted criminal to get bail, and expand the state’s ‘restricted prisoner’ laws to cover all prisoners sentenced to life behind bars. Restricted prisoners can be banned from applying for parole.
Meanwhile the police minister, Dan Purdie, announced that the state is working to fix its own police protection notice system, created last year.
It’s a top priority at the moment. It’s top priority for the police union. It’s a top priority for frontline police, and I’ve visited well over 100 police stations now, and it’s priority for victims. So it’s something that we are working on at the moment.
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Immigration debate is ‘overcooked’ and could damage Australia in long term, Bill Shorten
The former Labor leader and the University of Canberra vice-chancellor Bill Shorten says the immigration debate has been “overcooked” and that it’s an issue that people aren’t thinking about front and centre in their daily lives.
Speaking to News24, Shorten says Australia is also at risk of damaging foreign relations if the government cuts international student numbers too deeply
I think that just to translate the noise in Canberra to the world that I see with universities, or indeed the broader communities in which I move, I think some of this debate about immigration is overcooked.
While we chase the issue, while people are chasing the issue, the reality is it’s not the most important thing for people in their daily lives. And the problem is, as we chase the issue, even though it’s not crucial to a lot of Aussies at the end of the day, we could potentially be damaging Australia for the long term.
Shorten says his university doesn’t have as many international students as other institutions, so isn’t as exposed to cuts, but points out that they are a key source of revenue for universities underfunded by the government.
If we cut too tough, we’re going to damage Australia’s foreign relations, we’re going to damage the fact that every international student generates about $70,000 in surplus revenue for Australia.
All the universities, because universities are underfunded, use international students to cross-subsidise local research and local students. So I think this issue has got a more disproportionate importance in the political class’s head than it does out with the punters.
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Most senior Brethren Church members called to face election inquiry
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church will be hauled back in front of a parliamentary inquiry examining Australian elections.
The joint standing committee on electoral matters has issued a summons for Bruce Hales and Gareth Hales, the most senior leaders in the church, to appear at a hearing.
Members of the church volunteered to support Liberal candidates, including at polling booths across the country during the 2025 election. A representative of the group denied this was a coordinated effort during the election at a previous inquiry hearing last month.
The chair of the committee, Jerome Laxale, told the media:
It’s time that the Liberal party show up to the hearing and fess up about this group that they themselves describe as a ‘support group’. Defending democracy should be above politics, and the Liberal party need to play their part.
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Greens say big tech's ‘audacity is gobsmacking’, urging Labor to 'stand up' to AI companies
The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says big tech is trying to “blackmail” the government into handing over the intellectual property of creatives, after reports that Labor is considering a model that would require artists to “opt-out” of their work being scraped by AI.
Hanson-Young says the government should “stand up” against AI companies that want to mine Australian culture for profit and “leave artists, creators and small businesses with nothing”.
The government has said it will not water down copyright protections for creatives.
Hanson-Young says:
It is the role of the government to protect the interests of Australian workers and businesses. Undermining the principles of copyright will only serve the interests of big tech companies …
While tech bros are warning that they cannot be trusted to not end humanity, they are also asking our government to give them free access to all of our content. Their audacity is gobsmacking.
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One in five Melbourne units sold in June quarter made a loss
One in five Melbourne apartments, and more than one in 10 Sydney units sold in the June quarter made a loss, according to Cotality’s latest “pain and gain” report.
Gerard Burg, Cotality’s head of research, said house prices in the capital cities had grown much more quickly than unit prices over the past decade.
The national median house price in June was 37% more expensive than the median unit price – five years ago houses were only 21% pricier.
“Unit losses are also highly concentrated,” Burg said.
Most apartment owners are still selling for a profit, but the risk of a loss is considerably higher in parts of Sydney and Melbourne where value growth has been weaker. In the Melbourne and Parramatta LGAs [local government areas], unit values are still below peaks recorded back in mid-2017.
Across the country and types of properties, Cotality’s analysis showed 95.4% of property sales in the June quarter were profitable. The typical gain was $371,000, and the median loss was $45,000.
The share of profitable sales was down from a 21-year peak of 96.1% in March, but still “exceptionally high”, Burg said.
Most sellers are still benefiting from the significant value growth accumulated over the past five years, which is providing considerable protection against the early stages of the downturn.
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‘Serious questions’ for ministers to answer over invite-only grants program, McKenzie says
Bridget McKenzie says the prime minister and his cabinet have serious questions to answer, following an ABC report of an invite-only grant given to a project in health minister Mark Butler’s electorate.
The former infrastructure and sport minister had to resign from her role following the sports rorts saga and says the government needs to answer questions about how the grants were approved and whether there were any conflicts of interest.
The key difference between McKenzie’s sports rorts and the current situation was that McKenzie was the minister in charge of administering her grants and was a member of a club that received one of the grants.
She tells News24:
I think there are serious questions, not just for the prime minister, but for other ministers involved in this grants program, how did their projects get approved?
I made my decisions, and then there was criticism of those decisions. But ultimately, I resigned from my ministerial portfolio as a result of a breach of the ministerial code over a perceived conflict of interest, with one of the successful clubs, I was gifted a membership I didn’t know about.
[Albanese] declared that he was a member of the Sydney Royal Golf Club, but not Marrickville, when it’s clear he has had a longstanding relationship with the club. So that’s why we’ve been pursuing this in question time. We’ve also been successful in getting a Senate inquiry up into this, to really unpack who knew what when.
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Burke to appear at the National Press Club to announce migration policy
Tony Burke, is finally headed to the National Press Club tomorrow – a month after his eleventh hour cancellation.
Just in the past few minutes, we have confirmation that he will address the club in Canberra on Thursday.
The speech is titled: “The work of managing the migration program: Who arrives, who stays, who leaves”.
Labor’s efforts to regain the initiative on immigration comes as One Nation surges in the polls and as community sentiment on the number of overseas arrivals remains a key issue motivating voters.
Labor is expected to make it harder for some migrants to stay in the country, limiting visa hopping and ending some appeal rights for people looking to extend their time in the country.
Burke’s speech will be closely watched by all sides, especially after prime minister Anthony Albanese tried to secure Coalition support for legislative changes in talks with the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, last week.
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Tony Burke to reveal Labor migration policy tomorrow
Guardian Australia understands Labor is set to release its migration policy tomorrow after it was stalled for weeks.
You might remember last month Tony Burke pulled out of a National Press Club address where he was due to unveil the plan at the 11th hour.
We know there were talks between Labor and the Coalition on migration in the background, but they also seemed to have stalled.
But we now know that it will drop tomorrow, just before the PM jets off to the US.
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NDIA says job cuts necessary, as it offers voluntary redundancies
A quick update on a story we brought you yesterday: voluntary redundancies at the National Disability Insurance Agency for the first time in its existence.
In a statement, the NDIA says these job cuts are necessary to meet the federal government’s budget requirements.
The budget papers show the agency’s average staffing level will need to drop from the 10,509 positions recorded in the 2025-26 financial year, to 9,840 by July 2027.
An NDIA spokesperson said the agency had “significantly strengthened its frontline workforce to reduce wait times” and improve quality in recent years.
Like all government agencies, the NDIA is required to operate within Government-approved average staffing levels.
These workforce measures are designed to help us meet these requirements while maintaining frontline services and having the right people, skills and capability in place to deliver the next phase of NDIS reforms.
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Hanson has shown ‘greater depth of character’ than PM, Joyce says
Barnaby Joyce has backed his leader, Pauline Hanson, saying she gets “10 out of 10” for yesterday issuing a lukewarm, qualified apology over her comments about Indigenous Australians and to Anthony Albanese.
Speaking to News24, Joyce says Hanson didn’t need to be told by him to apologise, and that she’s shown great depth of character.
A reminder here: yesterday Hanson said she’s sorry “if I offended people”.
For some reason Joyce brings up melon-gate and says the prime minister still hasn’t apologised for that, nor when he fell off a stage during the election campaign and tried to claim he hadn’t “fallen”.
I’m still waiting for the apology from the prime minister of Australia, to the prime minister of Japan, about the melon issue, and we haven’t had that. So I think what Pauline has shown is a greater depth of character than the prime minister on this issue.
When it was replayed for her, she very quickly said, ‘well, no, that is not the message I want out, nor is it the view I hold’. And we understand completely that some people would be offended by, Aboriginal people would be offended by that.
And it must be corrected and she gets 10 out of 10 for character for doing it straight away.
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Antic goes rogue – again – and debates his bill to repeal ‘no jab, no pay’ laws
Liberal senator Alex Antic, who has been openly trying to move his party to the right, is debating his private member’s bill to scrap immunisation requirements for families receiving government assistance.
The bill is destined for the bin, because no one in the government nor his party wants to touch it with a 10 foot pole, but best believe it’ll end up on his social media. Antic is also running to be president of the South Australian Liberals.
The bill was introduced in late 2025. Antic is backed by fringe independent Ralph Babet who has brought the bill up for debate today. Babet says independents are only allowed to bring up one private member’s bill for debate each year and he’s chosen this one. He gave some of his time to Antic – who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to debate it.
Antic has long held anti-vaccine views, and was a loud critic of the Covid vaccine rollout.
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Stewart unsure when she’ll get back in the ocean after shark bite
Stewart said she is still adjusting to life with just one hand, saying her partner helps her with her hair most days.
I still don’t trust him, but I don’t have any other choice. At the beginning, I couldn’t brush my own teeth. And so my mum or [partner] Fernando brushed my teeth every day for me.
Stewart said she hopes to return to teaching, but is still deep in her recovery process. She’s planning to visit the school she worked at soon, where she will likely answer questions from students. She told 2GB:
I’d love to sort of give them some encouragement that you can get through hard things because for me, this felt impossible.
Fordham asked if Stewart planned to get back in the water. She said her leg is still healing after the shark took a large bite out of her body, saying the wound is still open and she recently had a skin graft.
Once my leg’s better, I’m locking in. I’m going to get stronger. I’m going to get better. I’m maybe not going in the ocean, but I would love to get back to swimming in a pool. …
I don’t know. If the drones are up and there’s a shark net. Yeah, potentially.
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Leah Stewart says she feels ‘truly lucky’ amid recovery from shark bite
Leaving politics for a moment, Leah Stewart, the woman who was bitten by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee beach, spoke this morning about her ongoing recovery following the incident.
Stewart told 2GB’s Ben Fordham:
You know, I’ve got a little baby daughter, and I feel like you don’t have any other choice. You’ve just got to keep going. … I’m just so happy to be home with her, and that’s just what I’m focusing on.
You can either think of yourself as really unlucky or really lucky. I truly, truly, truly think I’m lucky, because if I didn’t have those heroes on the beach … I wouldn’t be here.
She pointed to paddleboarder Charlie Verco and the doctor, Ian Ferguson, who was off-duty but at the beach that day, for helping save her life. Stewart said she didn’t know until two weeks ago that her heart stopped as she was transported from the beach to an ambulance.
I had seconds to live, and you’ve just got to focus on that. … They truthfully didn’t think I’d make it to the hospital and very nearly I didn’t.
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Guardian Australia warns copyright backdown means free access for AI companies
Guardian Australia has joined artists and creative organisations to condemn the Albanese governments’ leaked proposals to give AI companies free access to local content by default.
AI companies have sought to train their models on content and data online but cannot do so with Australian content due to local copyright rules.
Labor is considering letting big tech through this barrier if it makes enough deals with enough businesses or creative rights holder organisations, forcing smaller individual creators to proactively opt out. Backlash from musician and writer organisations is growing.
A Guardian Australia spokesperson said:
The growth of a domestic AI sector should not – and need not – occur at the expense of established cultural and publishing industries by weakening copyright laws.
As the most well-funded sector in history, the AI industry does not lack capital; it simply lacks the willingness to pay fairly.
The focus should be on encouraging commercial licensing deals, not on giving US tech giants free access to Australian content.
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NSW One Nation leader clarifies anti-abortion comments
The NSW One Nation leader and state election candidate, Mike Newman, has clarified comments he made in support of a bill to explicitly prohibit sex-selective abortions at a rally outside NSW parliament yesterday.
Yesterday, speaking alongside anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe, Newman said:
And what we want to say to those people in there, we want to support people who want to make sure that abortion rights, we want to stop it. We want to make sure that same-sex, sorry, abortion is stopped. We want to make sure that people have the right to life, and we will vote for you in favour of that.
After Guardian Australian contacted Newman, he said that “One Nation policy is clear” and the party’s platform opposed late-term and sex-selective abortions, but did not advocate for an outright ban on abortions.
There are already restrictions on sex-selection abortion for non-medical reasons in NSW, and the upper house voted to formally oppose the practice in 2019 when the state decriminalised abortion. Libertarian upper house member John Ruddick’s bill proposes to explicitly prohibit sex-selective abortion and introduce penalties for medical practitioners. A 2020 NSW Health review found the practice was exceedingly rare.
Guardian Australia understands the bill, in which government and opposition members have been allowed a conscience vote, does not have sufficient support to pass this evening.
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Butler defends $5m sports club upgrade under invite-only scheme
Mark Butler has defended his office’s involvement in a $5m grant for a sports club upgrade in his electorate.
The ABC reported Butler’s office urged the City of Charles Sturt council to submit a $6m grant application to redevelop the Jubilee Reserve in his electorate as a permanent home for the Adelaide Jaguars women’s football club – before detailed costings or formal planning had been done.
Labor committed $5m for the project in the lead-up to the 2025 election, which was funded under the “invite-only” grants scheme.
But Butler says there were multiple discussions with the council about the redevelopment, what funds would be needed, and that the council provided a budget proposal.
He said in a statement provided to Guardian Australia:
My office had multiple discussions with the City of Charles Sturt Council about what a redevelopment of Jubilee Reserve would look like, and what federal funding would be needed to deliver the project. The Council outlined to us in a detailed budget proposal how much funding would be needed to develop Jubilee Reserve.
The Adelaide Jaguars are the largest female-only soccer club in South Australia, and their membership has more than tripled in the past five years. Yet, they didn’t have a home ground and had to turn away over 100 players … This terrific club deserved its own home.
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More than enough renewable projects to meet 2030 target, but not enough contracts being signed
Australia has more than enough wind and solar power projects “in the pipeline” to meet the government’s 2030 renewable energy target, but a large proportion are being held up because contracts to buy their electricity are not being signed, according to analysts.
Analysis from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and Green Energy Markets has revealed the gap and the pair blame a lack of power purchase agreements being signed, saying the government’s capacity investment scheme also isn’t enough to persuade proponents to start building.
Releasing a new renewable energy scorecard that will be updated quarterly, Johanna Bowyer, lead analyst for Australian electricity at IEEFA said:
The scorecard shows that, in aggregate across Australia’s main grids, developers are pursuing far more renewable and battery capacity than is needed to meet the 82% target, and a large share has already been fully approved.
Yet projects under construction still fall far short of what must be built by 2030 – in several states less than one tenth of the required new wind and solar capacity is currently being built, and even the strongest states have at most around one third of new capacity required currently under construction.
Tristan Edis, director of analysis and advisory at Green Energy Markets, said projects that were already connected or under construction would only get Australia’s main grids to 53% renewable energy by 2030.
He said power purchase agreements were not being signed because of uncertainty over when coal plants might close and whether state governments might step in to keep them open. He said:
Government underwriting schemes are helping, but on their own they don’t guarantee enough revenue certainty to get projects to financial close. Without more contracts from large energy users, too many fully approved projects will stay stuck.
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‘I would love to see a plan’: Pocock rips into migration debate
David Pocock says the government needs to stop faffing about and actually deliver a plan and have a serious conversation about immigration.
Labor, for weeks, has stalled on a migration plan but it’s expected as soon as this week. The Coalition has also been mulling its own plan and been promising it’s also just weeks away.
Meanwhile, One Nation came out of the gates earlier this week to announce their plan for net-negative migration over three years, cutting temporary visas by 750,000 over that period.
Pocock says there needs to be a mature conversation, not starting with numbers, but what the country actually needs.
The big thing I would love to see is a plan. There’s this constant talk about numbers, about classes of visas. Rather than actually having the conversation as a country, what is our 10-year plan for migration? What are the skills that we need? What are the trade-offs when it comes to housing, impact on the environment?
How is it that as a country that is as wealthy as Australia, we rely on half of our new doctors to come from overseas, from countries that undoubtedly also desperately need doctors? What are we doing in terms of training? To me, that’s how you solve this issue: you actually have these hard conversations, then you say, ‘right, this is what it’s going to look like over the next 10 years’, rather than having this ridiculous fight over a number that raises all sorts of concerns for aged care, for healthcare, for farmers who are relying on backpackers. It just seems so unproductive.
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Easing copyright protections for AI giants would throw creators ‘under the bus’, Pocock says
David Pocock, who has been on a crusade to protect the creative industry from being gobbled up by AI training models, says artists are being thrown under the bus if the government goes ahead with an opt-out model for their work.
Pocock tells RN Breakfast that these multibillion-dollar tech platforms should have to negotiate with copyright holders.
I really think this [proposal] is throwing creators under the bus that is a one-stop express bus to datacentres. And I think we should do better as a country.
You think of when you stream something on Spotify. Spotify has not done a deal with every single artist. They are going through collecting institutions. So it’s all set up for that.
We just have AI companies who refuse to actually sit down with them and negotiate to use their works. They want to steal them, they want to use them, and they want to then, who knows, on the one hand, replace a whole bunch of jobs. On the other hand, potentially end the world as we know it. Why are we just caving to these companies?
Asked about James Paterson’s point that these frontier AI models could have national security benefits, he says he’s there could be some truth to that but he’s very sceptical.
Pocock says the major parties too often pull out the national security card because “they can’t win an argument on it’s merits” and use it as a “trump card” so they don’t have to reveal all the details to the public.
At the moment, it seems like there’s not many things where we’re willing to take on big US companies, and particularly ones that Trump doesn’t want touched.
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Victorian premier plans to expand police search powers to crack down on knife crime
No matter who wins the Victorian election, police will be given the power to stop and search people using a metal detector wand for knives.
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, will today announce plans to introduce Jack’s Law in the state if Labor is reelected – matching a commitment made by the Coalition in 2025.
Police would also be given 1,200 additional handheld metal detectors to search people “anywhere, anytime”, the police minister Paul Edbrooke said.
Currently in Victoria, police are only authorised to perform pat-down searches in “designated areas,” and the laws governing these searches are currently being challenged in federal court.
The law, introduced in Queensland in 2023 following the stabbing death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley in 2019, gives police the power to use metal detectors on people anywhere in the state to search for knives.
It’s a significant shift for Labor, who since the Coalition announced their plan to introduce Jack’s Law in 2025 have maintained there was no need.
But Carroll on Tuesday repeated the line that he was taking the state in a “new direction”. He said:
My priority is community safety – and stop and search powers for knives is the new direction I’m delivering. I stand with parents like Brett and Belinda, just like I stand with all Victorians who have had their lives destroyed by violence.
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All aboard the frontier AI train, Paterson says
Australia should be pushing for access to the most advanced US frontier models of AI, says shadow defence minister James Paterson, despite concerns around copyright and protecting the work of creatives.
Paterson tells RN Breakfast frontier models (i.e. the latest most sophisticated AI models) have economic and national security benefits, and securing these training models “gets us a seat at the table”.
The ABC is this morning reporting leaked policy documents that reveal Labor is considering imposing a model where the work of artists could be made automatically available to AI companies unless creators actively take steps to opt-out.
Paterson is asked whether, if he’s so keen for those frontier models to be trained in Australia, that creatives just get thrown under the bus. He says he doesn’t think so.
We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars of investment, including some of the most advanced chips in the world, which we don’t really have access to now, coming to Australia … These technologies are incredibly important for intelligence collection, for cyber defence, and for modern warfare.
I think it’s very clear that people’s intellectual property, if it is used, should be paid for. I think what is open to being resolved is how they’re paid for, the mechanism that’s paid for.
Paterson says he’s open to how creatives are paid for their work, but stresses that time is of the essence and a decision needs to be made.
I am concerned about the timelines here because there are windows for investment that are closing. They will not be open forever, and Australia is not the only market in the world these companies are looking at. They’re looking at countries like the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and they could go elsewhere.
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One Nation running ‘US-style Maga politics’, Hastie says
Andrew Hastie says the national tone has “taken a real dip” with One Nation making politics personal and “Maga-style”.
It’s certainly personal for Hastie with One Nation targeting his Western Australian seat of Canning, and Hastie and Pauline Hanson currently feuding over a cartoon video that labelled the former SAS captain a “traitor”. Hanson denied ever calling him a traitor.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Hastie says he hasn’t spoken to Hanson in the last week.
The national tone has take a real dip of late and become quite personal, US-style Maga politics have been run by One Nation, and I have decided to push back. We want to win the next election as the Coalition and it’s a three-cornered contest and the Liberal party should be striving to be number one on the ballot. That’s what I’ve been arguing for.
It seems like a pretty clear message to his party to push back hard on Hanson and One Nation.
Asked more explicitly if he’d be comfortable with the Coalition joining with One Nation to form government, Hastie says the Liberals need to focus on themselves … at least for now.
Our primary vote is still very low compared to what it’s been in historic terms, we have to focus on being number one in terms of primary votes. Whatever happens after the election I don’t know. We’re fighting for our survival and we should be focused on that.
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Sports precinct funding report reveals a ‘pattern of behaviour’, Wilson says
Tim Wilson says there are questions for Labor to answer over an ABC report which says health minister Mark Butler’s office asked an Adelaide council to put forward a $6m sports precinct upgrade for federal funding before any detailed costings or formal planning had been done.
Labor then awarded the project $5m of funding in the 2025 election – under the invite-only grant scheme.
Wilson tells News24 the government needs to explain who reached out to the council, who made the initial contact, what proposals were put forward and whether Butler is an honorary member of the club.
I think what we’re now seeing is a pattern of behaviour. The prime minister gave a grant to a golf course in his electorate just around the corner from his home, of which he was a member, which he failed to declare. Now we have the health minister, the next wannabe prime minister, doing exactly the same thing.
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‘Ball was dropped’ on antisemitism, former spy boss says
Former Asio boss Dennis Richardson told the Lowy Institute last night that the “ball was dropped” on antisemitism, but this morning says he won’t focus on any particular people to ascribe responsibility.
Speaking to RN Breakfast, Richardson says comments posted to social media by an Islamic preacher in November 2023 were not immediately and widely condemned.
He adds the country needs to have a discussion about Islamic extremism without making Muslim Australians feel targeted.
That’s a difficult thing to do. However, I think one way to do it is to ensure that Muslim leaders are at the centre of any such discussion and guide that discussion in a way that Australian Muslims as a whole do not feel targeted.
Because there is a real risk when you have a discussion about extremist Islam, you have a real risk that Muslims as a whole feel under pressure. Equally, if you don’t have that discussion, you play into the hands of extremists at the other end of the spectrum.
Asked about the royal commission – which he was initially engaged in but then left – he says everyone should withhold judgment until the final report is released later this year, but that it has already done an “outstanding” job of spotlighting the experiences of Jewish Australians.
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Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
One Nation will continue dominating chatter across the halls of parliament today, and if you haven’t already, take a read of my colleague Sarah Martin’s piece on Pauline Hanson’s daughter working remotely without ministerial approval.
And what to do with AI and whether it will lead to the end of human civilisation? The issue has drastically ramped up in Canberra this week after a slow down warning from tech leaders, while creatives push for the government to hold strong on copyright protections.
It’s going to be another busy one – let’s get cracking.
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Gambling company fined $1m for sending 800 messages to 165 people on Betstop
Betting company Dabble has been fined more than $1m for sending more than 800 messages to 165 gamblers who had joined the federal government’s self-exclusion register and asked to be left alone.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority also found the gambling company failed to close the betting accounts of 157 people who registered with Betstop, which helps people break their gambling addictions.
In a statement, Acma said Dabble sent more than 2,000 push notifications to 45 customers without including any information about the Betstop service, which is a legal requirement.
The watchdog has fined the company $1,069,200. According to Acma, Dabble has also been given a court-enforceable undertaking to guarantee future compliance with the rules.
Acma member, Carolyn Lidgerwood, said the breaches were serious and undermined the federal government’s harm minimisation strategy.
People who register with BetStop have made a clear decision to exclude themselves from online wagering. Providers must respect that decision by closing their accounts promptly and ensuring they are not targeted with gambling promotions.
BetStop is an important consumer protection measure, but it only works if wagering companies follow the rules. The Acma will take action where wagering providers fail to meet their obligations.
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NSW government to smooth transfer of rental bond from one property to the next from today
Renters in NSW will be able to transfer their bond from one property to the next from today, meaning they won’t need to come up with thousands of dollars upfront every time they move.
It’s expected Smart Rental Bonds will save more than two million renters across the state up to $4,000 each time they move home – though the online scheme costs $25 to use.
The NSW government will pay the landlord the bond upon the end of the lease, while the renter will repay the government.
Renters will need to pay the difference if the second bond is higher – equally they will be refunded the difference if it is cheaper, provided there is no agreed claim on the bond.
The NSW government scheme has already seen $1m in bond transfers in Penrith, Parramatta and the Central Coast, where it was rolled out early.
It follows similar moves to make renting fairer in NSW, including a ban on no grounds evictions, a limit of one rent increase a year, enforcing fee-free ways to pay rent and making it easier for people to have pets.
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NSW One Nation leader fronts rally opposing ‘abortion up to birth’
The head of One Nation in New South Wales has fronted a rally opposing “abortion up to birth” ahead of an expected vote in the upper house on Libertarian member John Ruddick’s bill to ban “sex-selective abortions” today.
Mike Newman appeared alongside members of fringe parties outside the state’s parliament house on Tuesday evening, where he claimed One Nation wanted to “stop” abortion rights. Stumbling upon his words, he told the crowd:
We want to stop it. We want to make sure that same-sex, sorry, abortion is stopped. We want to make sure that people have the right to life, and we will vote for you in favour of that.
Debate on Ruddick’s bill was adjourned in the June sitting week, and is expected to be decided via a conscience vote. Labor and opposition sources said the vote was expected to be close, or for support for Ruddick’s bill to fall slightly short.
The event follows another anti-abortion rally in June, attended by One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce, where he piled pressure on Nationals MPs to vote on favour of the bill.
Some members were expected to be absent for today’s vote, including Shooters, Farmers and Fishers MLC Robert Borsak, who spoke in favour of the bill in June. A senior Liberal source said that without members including Borsak, there did not appear to be “any room or margin” which could deliver Ruddick’s bill.
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UK ‘on track’ to begin building Aukus submarines, Marles says
Richard Marles was also asked about Aukus, and whether he was concerned about reports from the UK which indicated the Labour government was delaying its decision about beginning to build the boats by two years to 2028.
He said there was “no change” on Australia’s end in terms of the UK’s position and rejected that they were “red flags”.
The ultimate number of submarines is not the key issue here, the key issue is the development of the design, the pace of that which is happening.
The UK is on track to cut steel in respect of its first SSN Aukus submarine next year. It’s on track to have that submarine come off the production line in the UK in the late 2030s. That’s perfect timing in respect of what we’re doing … We are really comfortable with what is happening there.
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Marles takes ‘comfort’ from AI company boss’s call for safeguards around the technology
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, says he is “comforted” by a recent essay from the boss of artificial intelligence company Anthropic which warned his industry must slow the pace in developing AI systems.
Appearing on ABC’s 7.30 program on Tuesday evening, Marles was asked about Dario Amodei’s comments urging governments to press pause on the AI revolution.
He replied:
I actually take comfort in Dario Amodei’s essay and the call he’s made … It’s firstly not about … stopping this all together but rather making sure that the development of the safeguards that are in place in respect of this technology is in front of the technological capability itself …
The technology is being developed very quickly, and … from an Australian point of view, our focus is making sure that, in seeing this as a revolutionary technology which can be doing so much good in Australia, that we do have in place … AI safeguards in Australia which make sure that this is a technology which will benefit Australians and not the other way around.
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Lambie pleads with voters to reject ‘dangerous’ and ‘delusional’ Hanson
Jacqui Lambie has warned Australians not to support “dangerous” and “delusional” Pauline Hanson, drawing comparisons between the One Nation leader and controversial international leaders.
In a speech during adjournment last night in the Senate, the Tasmanian senator said she had received a stream of abuse after her impassioned defence of Andrew Hastie after he was repeatedly labelled a “traitor” in One Nation’s cartoon series.
Lambie said:
One Nation whips up the anger and they tell people who to blame. That’s the populist trick … It’s a trick Australia, and we’ve got to wake up to it. Because every time a populist leader, like Trump or Farage, get any power, the lives of working people don’t get better. They get worse.
The outspoken senator criticised Donald Trump’s potential forever war with Iran while singling out Hanson’s support of his actions.
You’d put [Australian soldiers] back in another American forever war? [Hanson] is not only dangerous, she’s delusional!
Lambie said figures such as Trump and Nigel Farage were great at telling people they would fight for them while doing the opposite.
Senator Hanson will be fine in her retirement, as will Nigel and Donald in theirs, because once again they are feathering their own nests … Australia can choose not to follow the ugly politics of populism, we can do better because we bloody are better.
And it’s not about right or left, it’s about respect and finding solutions, and not operating from a place of fear – whatever side you’re on.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Krishani Dhanji with the main action.
Jacqui Lambie has launched a fiery attack on Pauline Hanson, urging Australians not to support the “dangerous” and “delusional” One Nation leader. More coming up.
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