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Australia news — Ben Smee and Luca Ittimani
We’re going to wrap up our live news coverage today.
Here’s a recap of the day’s top headlines:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese , has told party faithful in Queensland that “we owe it to history” to defeat rightwing populism, amid a surge in support for One Nation and rising anti-immigration sentiment.
Pauline Hanson ’s rightwing party won the Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia on Saturday. Federal minister Tanya Plibersek said Labor would “have a good look” at the result but that the poll was largely held on state issues.
Plibersek also told ABC’s Insiders that the federal cabinet had never discussed cutting Australia’s refugee intake, contradicting reports this week.
The government is reviewing the import of smartglasses capable of recording video images, Plibersek says.
Missing Australian woman Cara Severino , who had lost contact with her family after flash flooding in Nepal, was safely located. Her family said they were “beyond relieved and elated”.
Speakers at anti-immigration rallies held across the country have taken credit for the surge in support for One Nation.
Mark Latham and right-wing activists address March for Australia rallies
Mark Latham and right-wing influencer Auspill were among the speakers at the “free speech” March for Australia rallies today.
Benjamin van der Linden , from a group called Make Australia Christian Again, posted footage showing Hugo Lennon , who goes by the name Auspill online, leading a march in Melbourne in chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”.
Latham, the former federal Labor opposition leader and ex-One Nation New South Wales state leader, was among the headline speakers at the Sydney rally today. He called for the abolition of “all the Chris Minns hate speech laws”.
The crowd booed when Anthony Albanese and Mehreen Faruqi ’s names were mentioned, but the jeers were loudest when Minns, the NSW premier, was mentioned. Other Sydney speakers included Libertarian MP John Ruddick , Chris Yates from activist group CitizenGO and former federal Liberal MP Ross Cameron .
According to the March for Australia Facebook page, Brisbane’s rally was be addressed by Barclay McGain , a former young Liberal National party member and now in the conservative political action conference (CPAC); the far-right influencer Andre Mamet , known as Ausmaxx; and Harry Richardson , from the British Australian Community, an organisation for “celebrating the ongoing contributions to Australia by people of British Isles descent”.
Queensland police said about 400 people attended the Brisbane CBD rally where two men were directed to move on after “breaching the peace”, a spokesperson said. They said 50 people attended the city’s counterprotest.
NSW police said they issued three men move-on orders.
Man charged with murder of elderly woman in Tasmania
Tasmanian police say they have charged a 55-year-old Huonville man with the murder of an elderly woman in the early hours of Sunday morning.
They say the body of the woman, 85, was located at her Stride Street home at Huonville.
Detectives have now charged the 55-year-old man with murder and he will appear in court on Monday.
March for Australia rallies claim credit for One Nation's rise
Hundreds of people have gathered in capital cities at rallies organised under the banner of anti-immigration March for Australia.
Over 300 people gathered for a “free speech” rally in Belmore Park in the Sydney CBD at midday. More than 70 police officers attended, including riot squad officers and mounted police on horseback. A counter-protest had been scheduled for Hyde Park.
Brian Marlow , founder of nationalist activist group Revive Australia, led the rally. Much of the crowd raised their hands when he asked if they had attended the first March For Australia in August 2025. Bec Freedom , who organised the first March For Australia in 2025, received a round of applause.
Marlow said the marches were responsible for One Nation’s subsequent rise in the polls, with the minor party now claiming close to 30% of primary votes and winning the Secret Harbour byelection in WA yesterday.
They’re romping it home in byelections. Unfortunately, they elected the wrong person in Farrer, David Farley , but we can handle that, we can deal with that later … We have shown that if we get together and we do not give an inch we can win.”
At least four attenders in Sydney wore One Nation shirts. March For Australia’s social media pages have been highly critical of the party in recent weeks for its confused endorsement of a net migration target of 130,000 people a year.
Attenders at Sydney’s rally cheered at the mention of “remigration” and an end to “mass” migration.
Victorian Labor pledges to double pothole fixes if re-elected
Victorian Labor has pledged to fix half a million potholes, AAP reports.
The premier, Ben Carroll , will fund the $352m election pledge to double the number of potholes fixed on Victorian roads by delaying planned removal of three level crossings.
“The condition of our roads is not good enough,” Carroll said on Sunday.
“I respect your money and I have made commonsense decisions to show how we can afford it.”
He said planners had identified $112m in savings by deferring the completion of level crossing removals in Highett and Mentone by one year, which will be added to the state budget’s $1.4bn allocation for roads.
The saving would allow Victoria to double the number of potholes fixed next year – from 250,000 to 500,000.
“This is part of my new direction: to spend our money wisely, to focus relentlessly on the basics, and that is what I’m here to do,” Carroll said.
He said most of the potholes will be removed when the weather is driest, in the second half of this year and into January.
Shadow minister for police, Brad Battin, questioned the timing of Carroll’s announcement, given an election is set for 28 November, and claimed Labor had “neglected” roads for 12 years.
“Five minutes before an election and all of a sudden Ben Carroll has found there’s potholes in Victoria,” Battin said.
“And now he’s come out with a small patch fix for a major problem in Victoria.”
In July, the Liberal-National opposition pledged to invest $5bn over four years to repair and rebuild Victoria’s roads, including the elimination of 1m potholes.
Their plan involves a 25% increase on current spending.
Police suspend search for pilot missing in remote NT
Northern Territory police say they’ve suspended search for pilot Bob Bramley , who is believed to have died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Bramley, 23, from Tasmania, was believed to be the only occupant of a charter plane that reportedly crashed off the coast of Groote Eylandt on Tuesday.
Police divers had found some pieces of aircraft debris.
In a statement, the NT police said that “following careful consideration of all available information” the search had been suspended, and Bramley’s family had been advised.
Police said the a multi-day search from the air and sea, including specialist divers, had already taken place.
“Every reasonable search option has been considered and undertaken. Our thoughts remain with the pilot’s family during what is an incredibly difficult time,” the police statement said.
“Northern Territory police will assess and action any new information should it become available.”
Family ‘beyond relieved and elated’ Cara Severino found safe
The family of Australian woman Cara Severino – who had been missing in flash flooding in Nepal – say news she is safe is a “miraculous gift” after days without news following the disaster.
Severino had been hiking in the region and was listed as missing after the disaster. She had limited phone reception and a flat battery, but was able to make contact with her family on Friday as she headed towards Kathmandu.
In a statement, her parents Debbie and Frank Severino said:
We are beyond relieved and so elated to have Cara safe and well and we can’t wait to hold her in our loving arms. This morning we are being enfolded in love by our church family who, along with so many of our family and friends, have been praying with us for this miracle. We thank Jesus for answering these prayers.
Seeing Cara’s name appear on my message bank, hearing her voice and now seeing her photo and speaking with her has been the most miraculous gift. We are incredibly thankful to the Australian Consular Response teams for locating her and bringing her to safety and for the care they are giving her and all the amazing work they are doing to locate others. We are so grateful to her Nepalese hiking partners who saw her through a harrowing several days of hiking in very difficult terrain, so thankful that they have all made it to safety.
The scale of this tragedy is staggering and amidst our personal joy we continue to stand in prayer with the many families here in Australia, in Nepal and around the world who have lost loved ones or are still waiting to hear from them, we know that the waiting is horrendous.
Albanese outlines battle plan against One Nation for working-class voters
Anthony Albanese’s speech to Queensland Labor delegates contains a roadmap for the party to take the fight to One Nation over traditional working-class issues.
His words were particularly relevant in a state that has arguably more of the sorts of areas – blue collar communities of outer-suburban and regional voters – where traditional Labor supporters are targets of Pauline Hanson’s insurgency.
It’s obvious – One Nation are not on the side of working people.
How is their plan to cut penalty rates going to help the people of Logan, or Gladstone, or Strathpine, or Ipswich, or Mt Isa?
The only mainstream political force in Australia that seeks to govern in the interests of the Australian people in their own right is the Australian Labor party.
The best way to defeat this coalition of chaos is to give Australians real hope of a better future. For their country. And for their families and themselves.
To stay positive. To be the party with the ideas that will make our people’s lives better, our economy stronger, our country safer, our environment cleaner.
We ‘owe it to history’ to defeat One Nation, PM tells Brisbane Labor conference
The prime minister’s speech to Labor delegates in Brisbane this morning contained a rallying cry for the party faithful amid the rise of One Nation, the morning after another political shock wave .
Anthony Albanese said it had become “a crucial time” for the Labor movement.
Across the world, hard-right populists are on the march.
Peddling politics that is dangerous, divisive, and downright dishonest.
We simply must defeat them. We owe it to history.
They’ll say anything and do anything to win votes. Bend any facts. Peddle misinformation and disinformation. Turn Australian against Australian.
Albanese said: “Parties like One Nation have no serious answers to our problems” and reaffirmed the party’s support for multiculturalism.
Delegates, we unequivocally support multiculturalism because we know it’s part of Australia’s strength.
And because we believe every Australian is equal, whether they are Australian by birth or Australian by choice.
PM says Australia’s role in Pacific matters ‘more than ever’ ahead of regional summit
The prime minister says Australia will remain “a partner and a leader” in the Pacific, as he prepares to take part in regional talks this week, AAP reports.
Anthony Albanese will attend the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau from Monday.
On Sunday, addressing the Labor faithful at the party’s Queensland state conference, he said allowing Pacific nations to succeed would also benefit Australia.
The big challenges facing the Pacific require solutions designed and delivered for the Pacific, by the Pacific.
In a time of strategic competition in our region, our engagement in the Pacific Islands Forum and our contributions to the infrastructure, regional security and climate action of the region matter more than ever before.
Albanese also reaffirmed his support for workforce schemes that bring Pacific Island labour to Australia, amid domestic debate about immigration.
“People from the Pacific make an enormous contribution to Australia’s prosperity through their vital work in regional industries like agriculture and meat processing,” he said.
“So many of our farmers and food producers rely on them.
“We know also the wages they remit home help boost the economies of their families and communities, contributing to the prosperity and stability of the whole region.”
Man dies after eighth-floor balcony fall in Sydney
A man died after he fell from a balcony on Sunday morning in Sydney, prompting a critical incident review.
New South Wales police said they attended an apartment block in Elizabeth Bay, east of Sydney’s CBD, before 8am today as part of ongoing investigations.
Kings Cross police attended an eighth-floor apartment to speak with a 40-year-old man, but a 38-year-old woman spoke to the officers and refused to let them in the unit. The woman left soon after, police said.
Officers stayed outside the unit but then heard that a man had fallen from a balcony. They then found the 40-year-old man and provided assistance until paramedics arrived and treated him for critical injuries. The man died at the scene.
Police said they established a crime scene and a critical incident team from another police area command would investigate the circumstances. The Professional Standards Command will review that investigation, with oversight from the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, police said.
Police said it was unclear whether the man fell or jumped, but his injuries were consistent with falling from eight floors. They declined to say what the investigation was into, but said police would contact the woman.
Joyce suggests One Nation would reject refugees from Nepal if country judged unsafe
Barnaby Joyce says a One Nation government would avoid taking refugees from flood-ravaged Nepal if the department advised Australians to avoid travelling there.
The MP refused to say outright whether One Nation planned to cut Australia’s refugee intake or permanent migration in an interview on News24. But he raised Nepal, unprompted, as an example of the party’s principle for blocking immigration.
Asked if he agreed the refugee program should be cut, Joyce said:
The refugee program has got to work within a policy structure we’ve got. Remember, we’ve clearly stated that if an area, the Department of Foreign Affairs says it’s too unsafe to go there, then it’s unsafe to bring people from there and away from there, like such as places in Nepal. I presume that the Department of Foreign Affairs says it’s not unsafe to go to Nepal, but I wouldn’t be going there at the moment ...
The government at present only advises Australians to reconsider their need to travel to certain areas within 50 kilometres of central Nepal’s Trishuli River, and to exercise caution otherwise.
Asked if One Nation would hypothetically stop bringing Nepali people here were the department to advise against travelling there, Joyce said:
Well, I don’t know what Dfat’s position is right now and whether it covers the whole of Nepal. I know the Nepalese community have a huge say in sections of our country and the workforce, but they do it [arrive in Australia] within the visa category. And if they do come in, they’ll be within the Nom [net overseas migration].
Asked “are you happy with the refugee program at 20,000, yes or no,” Joyce said:
It fits within the Nom. That is our policy. And the refugee policy, it’s not that it’s dispensed, but you can’t come from countries which are dangerous. Like if you can’t go there, you shouldn’t be coming here.
Earlier, Joyce declined to say what outcome a One Nation government would seek for permanent migration, a different measure. He declined to say even whether it would be below Labor’s target of 180,000.
I would suggest, Andrew, very, very strongly that it would be, but I’m not going to go into the sort of the, you know, the, the, the peculiarities of what two numbers make up net.
You can read more about this week’s debate on migration numbers here:
Related: Labor wrestles with migration figures but opponents struggle to find the target
Man in police custody after suspicious death of woman in Tasmania
A man is in custody as police investigate the suspicious death of a woman early this morning in Tasmania’s southeast.
Tasmania police said a woman was found deceased inside her home in Huonville on Sunday morning and officers were called to the scene at about 4.30am.
On arrival, officers determined the death was suspicious, police said. Criminal investigators, forensics and other specialist officers were at the home this morning to examine the circumstances of the woman’s death.
Police said they had taken a man into custody to assist investigations.
Joyce explains One Nation’s migration policy with sheep and cattle
Barnaby Joyce has used sheep and cattle to illustrate his claim that One Nation wants to cut net overseas migration to 130,000 people without counting short-stay visas.
Pauline Hanson earlier this week said a One Nation government would aim for net migration of 130,000, plus workers on Pacific Australia labour mobility stream (Palm) visas.
Asked by the News24 (formerly Sky) host, Andrew Clennell , if Hanson’s position was nonsensical, Joyce said:
No it’s not. … Short-term visa stay and things such as the Palm scheme, and Pauline’s quite right, are not counted in the net overseas migration number, overwhelmingly – small portion are – because they don’t stay for 12 months. They stay generally for a period of nine.
So it’s like saying to someone, how many sheep have you got. You go, ‘well, I’ve got, you know, 5000.’ Oh, yes, and how many cattle have you got? ‘Oh, well, I’ve got 2000.’ Oh, so you’ve got 7000 all up. So, no, no. Two different things.
Sheep, one, cattle, the other. Net overseas migration, one; Palm scheme, short term visas, another. People have not asked us the net overseas visa number and I wouldn’t really know, to be quite frank, what that would be.
Net overseas migration was about 301,000 in 2025. The Australian Bureau of Statistics calculates that figure by assuming people have arrived in (or departed from) Australia if they spent at least 12 of 16 months in (or out of) the country.
The Palm scheme gives people from Pacific countries working rights in agricultural industries in rural and regional Australia. Some travellers can stay in Australia for up to four years under the scheme .
Thirteen-year-old dies from head injuries after e-scooter crash
A 13-year-old boy from Childers in Queensland has died in hospital from injuries he suffered in an e-scooter crash last week.
A statement from the Queensland police said the boy sustained serious head injuries in the single-vehicle crash about 6pm on Wednesday.
He was airlifted from the town, near Bundaberg in central Queensland, to the Queensland Children’s hospital in a critical condition.
Police said their investigations into the crash were ongoing.
Plibersek says One Nation byelection win ‘on state issues’
Tanya Plibersek has downplayed One Nation’s victory in the Secret Harbour state byelection in Western Australia as a local vote fought on state issues.
Plibersek said Labor would look at “any outcome like this” and learn from it, acknowledging a lot of Australians were under pressure. She said Labor’s housing policies, Medicare investment, support for wage growth and tax cuts would “make a difference”.
Pauline Hanson , One Nation’s federal leader, has been the face of the party across state campaigns and has targeted Anthony Albanese . Asked if the prime minister was hurting the Labor party’s electoral prospects, Plibersek said:
Oh, this is a state election run on state issues, and I think they’re the predominant issues. However, it is important that all of us have a good look at the results here, and think about what more we need to do to communicate the fact that the Labor party is the only party, focused on real delivery to take pressure off ordinary Australians.
Related: One Nation claims victory in Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia
Cabinet never discussed cutting refugee intake, says Plibersek
Tanya Plibersek has said cabinet never discussed cutting Australia’s refugee intake after debate and confusion within Labor came into public view this week.
The Financial Review on Thursday reported the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, was planning to cut intake of 20,000 arrivals to 13,750 in 2027-28.
The prime minister declared the figure would stay at 20,000 after Labor MPs and refugee advocates reacted angrily.
Asked on the ABC’s Insiders if the government had considered a cut to the refugee intake, Plibersek said:
No, I don’t really know where this story came from. We reconfirmed our number as recently as a month ago at the national conference. There was certainly no discussion in cabinet.
She said the 20,000-a-year figure was a “permanent commitment”.
The party’s most recent national conference voted to approve a statement that read:
Labor will seek, in the short term, to maintain Australia’s government funded humanitarian intake numbers at 20,000 places per year while also continuing to aspire to achieving 27,000 places per year.
Imports of smartglasses could face government regulation, says Plibersek
Tanya Plibersek says the government is reviewing the import of smartglasses, dubbed by some as “pervert glasses”.
She said she “absolutely” had a problem with the devices, speaking on Insiders.
I think it is really concerning when tech companies just, come up with these products and release them without thought of how they can be misused. …
I don’t think it’s right to be able to walk up to someone and film an interaction without them knowing that the interactions being filmed.
Plibersek said the government was “considering very closely” limits on importing the glasses but did not specify what action was planned. She said:
The attorney general has asked the privacy commissioner to look specifically at these glasses, and the attorney general will have more to say about the import of the glasses soon.
Related: This man was secretly snapped by someone with smartglasses. He’s not alone in calling that a violation of privacy
Schools scared parents will object to sex education, says Plibersek
Tanya Plibersek has said some schools are scared to give young people “frank” education about sex and respectful relationships.
Speaking on Insiders, the social services minister said:
I think there’s a lot of schools out there who don’t want to have frank conversations with young people, because they’re worried that parents will object to their children and young people being spoken to directly. I think we are well beyond that. We know that children, as young as 10, are seeing pornography before they’ve had their first kiss. They’re getting their sex education from pornography.
We have to stop that … but we also need to be honest with young people, and talk to them about what healthy and respectful relationships look like, in an age appropriate way, from preschool, all the way through school, through Tafe and university.
Plibersek said the government should be “looking at very seriously” a UK-style ban on depictions of strangulation in pornography. She pushed back at criticism from Zali Steggall and others that this week’s national cabinet agreement on gender-based violence was “piecemeal”.
Well, I’m never going to say there’s enough [being done], while a single woman is killed in a year or a single child. I’m never going to say it’s enough, but no government has done more than ours.
Plibersek blames social media companies for ‘deliberate’ misogyny in feeds
Tanya Plibersek has accused social media companies of deliberately pushing violent misogynistic content to young boys.
The federal social services minister told ABC’s Insiders the tech platforms were playing a “huge role’ in sexual violence among teenagers. She said:
If you set up a social media account as a young boy in Australia today, it takes an average of 23 minutes for you to be fed misogynistic, violent misogynistic content online. That is a deliberate decision of the social media companies, that is wrecking our young boys, giving them all of the wrong ideas about what healthy relationships look like. …
It is no coincidence that 60% of young people now report that they’ve experienced strangulation during a sexual encounter.
Plibersek said the government was looking at options to regulate algorithms, including in its bill to establish a digital duty of care, expected by the end of the year. She acknowledged that platforms would fight back against the regulation.
We’ve seen from the big tech companies in the past is they technically comply with what they’re required to do legally, but they make the app so unpleasant or unwieldy to use, that people default back to the old version.
She said the government was looking at the terms of a recent settlement made by Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, in a US trial over teenage addiction .
Cara Severino speaks after being found safe
Cara Severino has paid tribute to the people in Nepal who helped her reach safety during “devastating” floods after she was found safe.
In a statement released by the foreign affairs minister’s office, Severino said:
I’m so grateful for the crew we formed on that first day when we entered the national park on the tractor. Sudha, Lucas, Samir and Saugat. It’s thanks to these amazing people I got out safely.
My heart goes out to all the Nepalese families who are grieving loved ones. We passed a guy hiking up to Thulu Safru who lost his whole family when their whole town was destroyed. It’s just so devastating and undeserving.
I feel for the families of those still missing, I know how much my family and friends went through.
Blessed to be from Australia and have the Embassy and Australian Government giving so much support.
Related: ‘We praise God’: Australian woman feared missing in Nepal flooding makes contact with family
Missing Australian woman Cara Severino found after Nepal floods
Cara Severino , an Australian woman in Nepal who was missing following devastating floods, has been located and is in contact with officials, Penny Wong’s office has confirmed.
The foreign affairs minister’s office confirmed overnight Severino was travelling to a safe location with the help of Australia’s consular officials, who travelled by four-wheel-drive to Kathmandu to locate her along a trekking route.
This is a rare piece of positive news amid a disaster that has brought immense loss and uncertainty …
I have spoken directly with her and am very pleased to know she is safe. She has also spoken with her family, which I know will be a great relief to them.
While this is a welcome development, there remain grave concerns for the other Australians who are still unaccounted for, given the tremendous scale of the flooding and its impact.
Australian consular officials are working with local authorities to find and help those affected by the disaster, including Australians who remain unaccounted for, Wong said.
Related: What we know about the Australians missing in the Nepal floods
Hello, I’ll be with you on the live blog this morning.
An Australian woman, Cara Severino , who was unaccounted for in the Nepal flooding, has been safely located, Penny Wong’s office confirmed overnight.
One Nation has claimed victory in the Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia.
And Tanya Plibersek is coming up shortly on Insiders.
We’’ll have more on all of this – stay with us for all the news as it happens today.
Here’s a recap of the day’s top headlines:
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Ben Smee and Luca Ittimani. Published 30 Aug 2026, 05:37 am.
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