News and politics live updates: Pauline Hanson blasts ‘scared’ Labor, vows to crack down on immigration ‘scam’

The brother of a former premier demanded thousands of dollars from the coffers of a right-wing faction he was doing recruitment work for.

Jean-Claude Perrottet - brother of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet - helped recruit conservative-minded members to the Liberal Party to exert control over certain branches.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating alleged illicit political donations and branch-stacking spearheaded by the Reformers - a conservative Christian faction among state Liberals.

The now 29-year-old Jean-Claude Perrottet was approached by Reformers co-founders Christian Ellis and Robert Assaf in 2018 and asked if he wanted to join them, the commission heard.

The ex-premier’s younger brother admitted he wanted pay for his time, at one stage arguing to be paid $12,000 for several months work.

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Communications Minister Anika Wells has reiterated her thoughts on a controversial, fictional skit aired on ABC’s Race Around the World which included a violent attack on Gina Rinehart.

Ms Wells said that although she thought the episode aired on the national broadcaster on July 12 was “unacceptable”, she will not call for an apology until the ombudsman releases their findings.

“It is my job first and foremost to respect the editorial independence of the ABC,” she said.

“Last week when News24 first asked me about this I said I thought it was a good thing for this to be referred to the ABC ombudsman; that’s what has happened and we’re waiting for that process to play out.

“My personal view is that it was unacceptable, but it’s not for me to make that determination, it’s for the ombudsman … If the ombudsman finds that it was unacceptable it would be appropriate for the ABC to make an apology.”

The ACT Opposition leader has refused to say what interactions he has had with sex workers but has denied claims he messaged one during a parliamentary hearing to say “f..k my job is boring”.

The Canberra Times reports an anonymous complaint was sent to the ACT Assembly Speaker alleging that Mark Parton “engaged in a text message exchange with a sex worker” during an estimates hearing last Friday.

Mr Parton has denied the allegation, but admitted to sending a message to an undisclosed person saying “f..k my job is boring. Wanna swap.”

Asked repeatedly whether he had ever engaged with a sex worker, the Liberal leader refused to comment.

“Look, I think I think I’ve made it clear that the things that are not actually in the public interest, I’m not interested in talking about,” he told reporters.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles has denied that he and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had a disagreement about migration at their latest Cabinet meeting.

Mr Burke had been set to unveil a plan for a greater say over who could come and stay in Australia in a major speech at the National Press Club today but scrapped the appearance.

His now in limbo measures included drastically cut net migration, including tougher family visa rules and a cap on backpackers.

Mr Marles, who is in charge while Anthony Albanese is on annual leave, was asked on Thursday what influence he had in the abrupt cancellation of the major address.

“No” he responded when asked by a reporter “did you have a personal disagreement with him during Monday’s cabinet meeting on this policy?”.

Mr Marles insisted that it would be rescheduled “at the next available opportunity”.

“Tony Burke will be speaking at the National Press Club at the earliest opportunity,” he said.

He claimed Labor had reduced the migration numbers by 45 per cent from the peak recorded after the COVID pandemic, when people started to move abroad again as border restrictions were lifted.

“We’ve made a number of reforms in respect to our migration system,” he said.

“Since then, we’ve reduced migration rates by 45 per cent.

“So, it’s a significant reduction in migration that has occurred as a result of the policies that we put in place, and that has been important.

“Migration obviously plays a really significant part in our economy but it needs to have another sustainable rate, and that’s why we put in place the policies that we’ve done.”

Spruiking One Nation’s proposed 130,000 cap on permanent migration, Pauline Hanson has rejected claims Australia needs higher migration levels to address workforce shortages, arguing too many arrivals were filling jobs outside critical sectors.

She described the government’s current approach as an “absolute scam”, saying too few migrants were entering construction and other industries facing legitimate shortages.

“We don’t need any more Uber drivers, nail technicians, dog walkers. These people – gone. Stop all that,” she said.

“Why do we need people coming in with foreign students? Why do they need their families? You’re here to study if you want to be. You don’t want to be away from your partner or family, do an online course.”

Pauline Hanson has accused Tony Burke of backing away from his planned immigration announcement under pressure from Labor’s internal factions, unions and the Greens.

The One Nation leader said the delay exposed division within the government over how aggressively it should move to reduce migration, arguing Labor was reacting to growing voter support for her minor party’s tougher stance.

“They’re scared to do anything because of the support that One Nation is getting, and I think we’re having the same impact on the Coalition as well.,” Senator Hanson said.

“They’re both really concerned about the support they’re getting based on the one issue that is mass migration that’s happening in Australia.”

Senator Hanson claimed Mr Burke was struggling to balance competing demands within Labor after announcing plans to overhaul Australia’s immigration settings.

“So Burke’s saying hey, I really need to pull back on my speech that I was going to give at the press club because he’s got to appease the unions, he’s got to appease the other left leaning in his party as well, and The Greens. So he’s got a battle on his hands,” she added.

She accused the government of failing to properly manage illegal migration, claiming taxpayers were paying the price.

“There’s between 75,000 and I’ve heard 100,000 people that are in the country illegally at the moment … The taxpayers have had enough of this,” Ms Hanson said.

Richard Marles has again labelled a segment aired by the ABC that portrayed a violent attack on Gina Rinehart as “innaporpriate” but failed to call for the video to be taken down by the broadcaster.

In the July 12 episode of the broadcaster’s Race Around the World program, a “Scottish forest warrior ninja” led program contestant Kate Guinness through relaxation exercises and nature-based activities before ending with a violent reference toward the billionaire.

Last week, Ms Rinehart’s company, Hancock Prospecting, informed the national broadcaster’s board it will take legal action, to which the ABC referred the case to the Ombudsman.

“The prime minister has spoken a lot about bringing the temperature down in the way in which we have discourse in this country and I think in that context as well as the fundamental respect and treatment of women, this is a completely inappropriate video,” Mr Marles said on Thursday, acknowledging he had not watched the video.

Labor MP Ed Husic’s team has announced he is taking a “short period of leave” from parliament after he was injured in a “serious” car crash on a Sydney motorway.

In a statement on Instagram, Mr Husic’s office wrote on his behalf that he will temporarily be on leave in accordance with “medical advice” after he sustained abrasions, fractures and a concussion in the Tuesday afternoon crash on the M7.

“On Tuesday 4 August 2026 at approximately 6.20pm on his way from undertaking mobile offices in the electorate, Member of Chifley Ed Husic MP was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident on the M7,” the statement reads.

“According to the attending paramedics’ report, Mr Husic’s vehicle was impacted by a truck from behind and slightly to the right of the driver’s side while travelling at approximately 80 kilometres per hour.

“Mr Husic was transported by paramedics to hospital for assessment and treatment. He was discharged on Wednesday 5 August with minor abrasions, fractures and a concussion.

“Mr Husic was not at fault in the accident and is providing a statement to police.”

His office said Mr Husic was grateful he didn’t sustain more severe injuries and thanked first responders.

Liberal defence spokesperson James Paterson has questioned whether Labor can deliver on its promise to reduce net overseas migration after Tony Burke postponed a major speech outlining the governement’s immigration reforms.

Mr Burke cancelled his National press Club address, scheduled for Thursday, after saying “it became clear that some elements of the speech” could not be finalised, amid reports of internal division within Labor over propsoed migration changes.

Senator Paterson claimed the delay reflected cabinet disagreement over the reforms.

“He got rolled at cabinet by his colleagues who forced him to cancel this speech on Thursday, in a public humiliation of the Minister for Home Affairs, because he hadn’t done the work and it wasn’t yet ready to be publicly announced,” he said, speaking to News24.

“This is a government that was very happy to bring in 1.5 million people over the first two years of their time in office. But now that it has become a political problem for them, they are desperately running around looking for a solution.”

Mr Paterson also said he wasn’t optimistic that Labor would meet its migration forecasts.

“Labor has promised to bring down migration every single year and every single year they failed to meet the targets they set for themselves in the Budget, because the policy settings that they have presided over are not sufficient to get the numbers down,” he added.

A new Federal inquiry will assess Australia’s readiness for war amid fears of the nation’s vulnerabilities in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment.

The investigation will be led by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence and will probe the flow of goods and services, including fuel, and the continuity of government during conflict.

It will also examine how everyday Australians, businesses and the larger private sector, as well as all levels of government, can contribute to the nation’s security.

Though Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia had experienced an extended period of peace and stability since 1945, he warned civil preparedness was an area which “should be given attention”.

“To be frank, this is an area which really hasn’t received much attention in Australian public policy since the end of the Second World War,” Mr Marles said.

“But in any contingency, the way in which the civil economy operates and interacts with the defence force is fundamental to a society, to us as a country, being able to manage that contingency.

“Now, it is important that we are able to prepare for that, that we’re able to exercise those muscles, if I could put it that way. And other countries around the world do this.”

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