2m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 11:03pm
Nationals assemble for leadership vote
The doors to the party room have now closed and the meeting is underway.
So far Matt Canavan, Kevin Hogan and Bridget McKenzie have declared they’re going to put their hand up for the top job.
5m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 11:00pm
Hogan all smiles as he enters party room ahead of vote
Kevin Hogan has also put his hand up to run for the Nationals leadership.
He smiled as he entered the party room flanked by Anne Webster and Pat Conaghan.
Michael McCormack, who earlier said it was “unlikely” he’d run, was laughing as he made his way down the hallway with Colin Boyce.
You might remember Boyce from the failed leadership bid against David Littleproud, which, if you can believe it, was only last month.
9m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:56pm
📸 Nationals leadership contenders on the phones ahead of meeting
Matt Canavan texting away as he makes his way to the party room. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Bridget McKenzie also on her phone ahead of the meeting. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
16m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:49pm
‘Back in the canyon of chaos’: Joyce on Littleproud stepping down
One Nation recruit and former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has reacted to David Littleproud’s resignation, saying the Coalition is “back in the canyon of chaos”.
Joyce has unusually rocked up at the Senate entrance this morning, and has questions about the timing of Littleproud’s decision.
“Look, I don’t know, it does seem to stack up. Why would you announce that you were stepping down as leader when you hadn’t told the rest of your colleagues at Question Time?” he says.
“I have a gut feeling we don’t have the full story.”
For his part, the outgoing Nationals leader says he is exhausted, and it is time for somebody else to take over.
Joyce won’t weigh in on who he believes the future leader of the Nationals should be, but says the Coalition is back in the “canyon of chaos”.
“Like, you just can’t keep getting divorced, getting married, changing leaders, having spills, resigning on a drop of a hat, and then go out to the people of Farrer and say, ‘No, we’ve got this together,'” he says, referring to the upcoming Farrer by-election.
“My boss would sack me if I carried on like that.”
20m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:45pm
Decision not to intervene as player pulled another onto bus a matter for Qld police: Burke
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has also addressed the footage of a player appearing to pull another onto the team bus ahead of their departure from the Gold Coast.
Burke was asked if the action warranted officials intervening at the time.
“At that point, that’s a decision at the moment for Queensland Police,” he said.
“Personally, I’ve seen still shots of that, watching it through my phone, but in terms of where that’s actually at in terms of lines of criminality is a decision that Queensland Police would make, and I presume they made that in good faith.”
And that’s where I will leave Burke’s press conference.
27m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:38pm
Australia’s threat level remains at ‘probable’
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was also asked if recent events make Australia more of a target for Iran.
“Our threat alert was already at ‘probable’, and it remains at ‘probable,'” he said.
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
30m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:35pm
Burke defends push for new powers to block temporary visas
Tony Burke has defended the government’s legislation that would block people from certain countries travelling to Australia on temporary visas, amid concerns people could overstay their visas due to the war in the Middle East.
At this stage, it seems the new powers would only apply to Iran because there has not been sufficient change in the situation for the rest of the Middle East.
The home affairs minister says that the number of visitor visas being issued to people from Iran is low at the moment.
He says there are about 7,000 visitor visas issued to Iranians who are not currently here.
“Not saying they would all seek to come here. Some of them may well be people who we would choose to make humanitarian decisions for, and that may well happen,” Burke says.
“But at the moment, a tourist decision has been made and the global context has changed. And we want the power to make sure that we can still make deliberate decisions as a government.”
40m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:25pm
Person who boarded plane later than others delayed by conversations with family
Tony Burke has also addressed reports that one member tried to refuse to board the plane out of Sydney.
The Home Affairs department confirms a player boarded the plane much later than everyone else because they were in discussions with their family overseas.
“We weren’t sure which way that person would go. That individual ultimately made their own decision,” he says.
“There was a lot of work, including me sending messages back and forth from my plane, trying to find the right numbers, and ultimately getting somebody to call the Home Affairs number from overseas so that the conversation could happen. But the people who that individual wanted to talk to were all made available.”
44m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:21pm
Burke addresses speculation about minders who accompanied team
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has addressed speculation that some of the minders who accompanied the Iranian soccer team were linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“I’ve seen some of the speculation … and we obviously work with security partners on these assessments. People who are connected to the IRGC were not granted visas in terms of that sort of connection,” he says.
“Now, that doesn’t automatically mean you are a great person, and there is a reason why some people were not made a direct offer [to stay].
“There were some people leaving Australia who I am glad are no longer in Australia.”
Burke says the AFP and Queensland Police had a “significant presence” at the Gold Coast hotel where the team stayed.
53m agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:12pm
Officials spoke to players and staff members individually at Sydney Airport
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has walked through what happened at Sydney Airport last night before the Iranian soccer team departed Australia.
After the group went through customs and immigration, the members of the team and delegation, with the exception of a “small number” the government had decided not to make a direct offer to, were given a chance to discuss their options.
They were taken to interview rooms without any minders present. An official from the Department of Home Affairs and an interpreter were present.
“They were given a choice,” Burke says.
“What we made sure of was there was no rushing, there was no pressure. Everything was about ensuring the dignity for those individuals to make a choice.”
Some had discussions with family members, but none of the remaining players and staff took up the offer to remain in Australia.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:05pmBurke confirms two additional members of soccer team offered humanitarian visas
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
A player and a support person from the Iranian women’s soccer team have sought asylum in Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed.
Burke travelled to Brisbane, where he met with the two people individually.
“I made them the same offer that I made the five players the night before; if they wanted to receive a humanitarian visa for Australia, which would have a pathway to a permanent visa, I had the paperwork ready to execute that immediately,” he says.
“They both said they did. I signed off on that and asked the department to start processing straight away.”
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 10:00pmTony Burke to address the media shortly
Okay friends, we’re standing by for a press conference from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
He’s set to provide an update on the Iranian women’s soccer team.
The ABC has been told that two more team members have now requested asylum.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 9:59pm
Former Nationals leader unlikely to run
Michael McCormack has told the ABC it’s “highly unlikely” that he will run for the leadership role.
The Nationals MP was the leader of the party between 2018 and 2021.
Kevin Hogan, Matt Canavan and Bridget McKenzie have said they are interested in the top job, following David Littleproud’s resignation.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 9:57pm
Littleproud defends record ahead of meeting to decide new leader
Outgoing Nationals leader David Littleproud has defended his record ahead of a meeting to appoint his replacement.
Littleproud shocked everyone yesterday when he revealed he would be stepping down as leader, saying he was “buggered” and burnt out by the job.
But he doesn’t accept that he’ll be remembered as the leader who split the Coalition twice and oversaw the defections of Andrew Gee, Jacinta Price and Barnaby Joyce.
“The splits in the Coalition, they were not my breaks, they were breaks by Sussan Ley,” he told Sky News.
“As for those that have defected, I think that’s a pretty hollow point that those [people] want to put on me.
“So with all due respect, the defections are not a reflection on me. They are a reflection on them. I know what I stand for, and what the National Party stands for.”
Moving forward, he says he wants to be remembered for supporting the new leader.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 9:43pmAnother Nat considers her options ahead of leadership vote
National MPs and senators will meet this morning to decide who should become their next leader following the resignation of David Littleproud.
Kevin Hogan, Matt Canavan and Bridget McKenzie have confirmed they are interested in the role.
Queensland senator Susan McDonald has told ABC’s Radio National she will consider running for deputy, depending on who gets the top job.
“I want to make sure that the deputy leadership is complementary and brings additional skills to what the leader might,” she said.
“So that will depend on who the leader is. Certainly, I think that Queensland needs to be well represented in the leadership team.”
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 9:35pm
Tony Burke to address the media in the next half hour
We’ve just got confirmation that Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will provide an update on the latest with the Iranian women’s soccer team at 9am.
Stick around because I’ll bring you all the updates as they come in.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 9:26pmTwo more Iranian soccer team members seek asylum in Australia: sources
Government sources have told the ABC that two more people from the Iranian soccer team are seeking asylum in Australia.
Five players were granted humanitarian visas in the early hours of Tuesday morning, amid fears they would face persecution if they returned home.
The ABC has been told that two more people from the Iranian soccer team have now requested asylum.
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 9:17pm
Wong defends legislation to block temporary visas
Overseas visitors from some countries planning to travel to Australia could be temporarily banned in an attempt by the federal government to stop a wave of people overstaying their visas due to the war in the Middle East.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong defended the government against criticism it introduced the laws on the same day it granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian soccer players.
“I know that there’s been some political criticism but it should be based on fact. It’s not legislation that targets humanitarian visas,” she told ABC’s Radio National Breakfast.
“It’s legislation which enables us to manage temporary visas, so people who are on tourist or business visas.
“We have to work out how we manage our borders in the context of a very large-scale event. There are arrangements within the legislation, I think what [Burke] describes as safeguards, so if people’s entry is genuinely required, we think it’s appropriate they can still come.”
1h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 9:07pmSo is Australia now at war?
Foreign Minister Penny Wong doesn’t want to use those words.
“We’re engaged in what’s described as collective self-defence,” she told Seven.
“We are not taking offensive action against Iran. We’re not providing boots on the ground to go into Iran.”
A long-range surveillance plane, the E-7A Wedgetail, has been deployed to the Gulf and Australia will send air-to-air missiles on request from the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking with ABC’s Radio National Breakfast a short time ago she said the government’s first priority was to keep Australians safe.
“We made a decision to respond to the United Arab Emirates for a request for defensive capability. And we were very conscious when we did that, first, that not only are they defending their citizens, but they’re defending our citizens,” she said.
Could it make Australia a target?
“I’ve made the point that the Iranian regime has never needed provocation. The Iranian regime conducted attacks on Australian soil whilst we still had a diplomatic relationship with them. When there was no conflict in the Middle East that Australia had any involvement in.”
2h agoTue 10 Mar 2026 at 8:50pmHas Australia been asked to help keep Strait of Hormuz open?
Foreign Minister Penny Wong won’t say if Australia has been asked to assist as part of an international plan to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
About 25 per cent of the world’s oil travels through the region.
She told ABC News Breakfast that the government had considered a “range of requests” and it decided to send the long-range surveillance plane, the E-7A Wedgetail, to the Gulf.
“You wouldn’t expect me to broadcast requests that any country may make to Australia and broadcast that through the media, including to our adversaries,” she says.
Asked if Australian assets could be used as part of an international effort to keep the Strait open, she said the government would be “transparent with the Australian people” if plans change.