News and politics live updates: PM pressed on melon remarks as Minns intervenes, Senate forces letter release

Pauline Hanson has hit back after students took to the streets to protest against One Nation.

Thousands of high school students were set to walk out of classrooms at lunch time on Thursday as part of a national “Students Say No to Hanson” day of action organised by the National Union of Students.

Ms Hanson took to social media to respond to the action being held across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle.

“If you want to protest something, protest why your parents’ wages are going backwards and the cost of everything is going up,” Sentaor Hanson wrote on Facebook.

“The Labor Greens government is selling out your future, and you’ll inherit a weaker, poorer and less safe country.

“Whether you know it or not, One Nation and I are fighting for you.”

The long-time chief executive of NSW’s peak body for Catholic schools is keen to exonerate himself at an explosive anti-corruption inquiry that has ensnared the highest echelons of the state Liberal Party, a hearing has been told.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is holding public hearings into allegations a group within the NSW Liberal Party – known as the Reformers – accepted prohibited donations, including from fugitive property developer Jean Nassif and Catholic Schools NSW through chief executive Dallas McInerney “in amounts that were not declared and exceeded applicable donation caps”.

Taking the stand on Thursday, Mr McInerney told the inquiry he was eager to clear his name.

“I take it that you’re acutely aware that those allegations involve Catholic Schools NSW, the organisation of which you have been the CEO over some nearly nine years,” counsel assisting Julie Curtin said.

​Read the full story here.​

The Albanese Government has been ordered to produce Tokyo’s full correspondence to the Prime Minister’s department after sections of the diplomatic notice was leaked to the media earlier this week.

Federal Police have already been asked to investigate the “unauthorised disclosure” with the Coalition demanding to know whether the Prime Minister’s office was responsible for the leak.

On Thursday, the Greens and Independent Senator David Pocock voted with the Coalition in the Senate for an “Order to Produce Documents” relating to the saga.

Under the order the Senate order the government has until Monday to produce all “emails, letters, text messages, instant messages, handwritten notes, minutes, briefings and submissions; and all internal documents held by the Prime Minister’s office”.

Andrew Bragg has refused to say if Opposition Leader Angus Taylor approved a key speech where he freelanced on tax and immigration policy.

On Thursday he declined to confirm if his boss approved of his National Press Club speech, where he advocated policies that had not yet been approved by his shadow cabinet colleagues.

Senator Bragg on Wednesday regretted failing to speak out more on former Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s COVID measures which saw Australians banned from travelling overseas for a holiday or to see relatives.

“As someone who was a backbencher in the Morrison Government, I wish I’d done more to stop the madness,” he said.

Mr Taylor, a conservative within the Liberal Party, has promised that under a Coalition government led by him, existing marginal income tax brackets would be indexed for inflation but the Liberal and National parties are yet to advocate reducing the top marginal rate that kicks in at $190,000.

The Liberal leader has also vowed that immigration should be reduced but has yet to nominate a figure after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson last year called for annual net overseas migration to be slashed to 130,000.

While that figure is significantly below the record-high 548,800 level of the year to September 2023, it’s still higher than the 79,000 net overseas migration average of the 1990s.

Senator Bragg’s 180,000 figure would still be higher than the 172,000 average of the 2000s that saw annual numbers double by the end of the decade as the mining boom caused a skills shortage.

Read more.

Anthony Albanese’s objective in agreeing to do a podcast interview with former television presenter and now self-styled risqué comedian Nikki Osborne was to connect with an audience that would not normally tune in to the political conversation.

It was an extension of a strategy he has long employed to broaden his appeal among average Australians.

But it didn’t make him look cool. It made him look like a goose. And not just among the kids and non-conformists.

He made a fool of himself among the mainstream political audience who do take the administration of executive power and the burdensome responsibilities of office seriously.

It wasn’t Osborne’s fault. It was his. Doing the interview wasn’t the problem.

Now he faces a second phase of outrage over over his comments on the podcast about two melons Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gifted him . Although this one has the feel of a political stitch-up about it.

It all goes to show how little things in politics can grow into something much larger.

Just as a small seed sprouts into a big melon vine, a clumsy exchange on a smutty podcast can spawn an international incident.

​Read the full story. ​

Here’s the moment Chris Minns jumped in to save Anthony Albanese from reporters hounding him about his “melons” remarks.

Telstra boss Vicky Brady has copped a more than $600,000 penalty for an outage in July that left up to 25 million people without phone coverage.

Telco’s annual report — released on the same day the company posted a full-year net profit of more than $2 billion — said the chief executive would lose $607,000 in short-term incentive bonuses.

The cutback came after the board reduced her individual performance multiplier by 20 percentage points, reducing her bonus to just over 70 per cent of her maximum.

But with other bonuses and fixed pay of almost $2.5 million, she still took home $6.83m — up $600,000 from a year earlier.

​Read the full story here.​

The government is facing mounting pressure for answers after 147 drone breaches were recorded at Australian Defence Force bases across the country in just one year.

Department of Defence data shows incursions have surged from 21 in 2022/23 to 60 in 2023/24 and 147 in the 2024/25 financial year.

The dramatic increase was exposed after multiple unidentified drones entered restricted airspace above RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, between July 11 and 13.

The base houses many of Australia’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, among the most advanced military aircraft in the world.

Defence personnel reportedly observed a swarm near the facility’s northern gate, but the drones were not shot down, and authorities have not publicly identified who was operating them.

Shadow Minister for Defence Industry and Personnel Phillip Thompson OAM called for an urgent investigation on Sunrise on Thursday, warning Australia’s military facilities are being “treated like a playground” by unidentified drone operators.

“We’re not talking about one drone overhead. We’re talking about a swarm. So, upwards of 20 drones over the top of our military bases around the country, taking photos, videoing, and sending it back to... who?” Thompson said.

“That’s why it needs to be exposed, and an investigation must occur, because this isn’t just about national security of equipment. National security is our people, and we’ve got these drones filming them and taking photos; it’s not good.”

Read more.

A Coalition frontbencher has refused to say if Opposition Leader Angus Taylor approved of a key speech where he freelanced on tax and immigration policy.

Andrew Bragg, the Opposition’s shadow minister for housing, on Thursday declined to confirm if his boss approved of his National Press Club speech.

“Well, I’m not going into personal interactions with colleagues. I don’t think you would expect me to,” he told ABC Radio National.

On Wednesday, Senator Bragg called for the top marginal tax rate to be cut from 45 per cent to at least 39 per cent, and suggested annual net overseas migration needed to be cut to 180,000, down from 301,000 last year.

“The top tax rates for individuals are too high and should have a 3 in front of them, just as the taxes on small businesses are too high,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

“Assuming Labor sticks to this Budget profile, it means the specific shortfall relating to housing created under Labor can be closed over the Budget forward estimates period by averaging a NOM of under 180,000.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has again been grilled over the “Melongate” saga and the hand gesture he used during his controversial podcast appearance, insisting he had already addressed the issue and pointing to his relationship with Japan’s Prime Minister.

“I’ve answered this question many times. The fact is, the fact is that the Japanese Prime Minister and I have a very good relationship. The Japanese ambassador has made very clear statements about how warm our dinner was.”

But NSW Premier Chris Minns quickly jumped in as reporters continued to press Mr Albanese, urging them to focus instead on the $2.5 billion Tomago announcement.

“Mate, go and ask a thousand workers what they care about. This is the biggest announcement for this region in a generation - can we talk about that for five minutes?”