Updated at\u00a001.37 EDT<\/p>\n
Key events<\/p>\n
Mark Latham and right-wing activists address March for Australia rallies<\/p>\n
Mark Latham and right-wing influencer Auspill were among the speakers at the \u201cfree speech\u201d March for Australia rallies today.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cAussie, Aussie, Aussie\u201d.<\/p>\n
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 \u201call the Chris Minns hate speech laws\u201d.<\/p>\n
Chris Yates from CitizenGo and Mark Latham (right) at the rally. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
The crowd booed when Anthony Albanese and Mehreen Faruqi\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
According to the March for Australia Facebook page, Brisbane\u2019s rally was be addressed by Barclay McGain, a former young Liberal National party member<\/a> 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 \u201ccelebrating the ongoing contributions to Australia by people of British Isles descent\u201d.<\/p>\n Queensland police said about 400 people attended the Brisbane CBD rally where two men were directed to move on after \u201cbreaching the peace\u201d, a spokesperson said. They said 50 people attended the city\u2019s counterprotest.<\/p>\n NSW police said they issued three men move-on orders.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.35 EDT<\/p>\n Man charged with murder of elderly woman in Tasmania<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n They say the body of the woman, 85, was located at her Stride Street home at Huonville.<\/p>\n Detectives have now charged the 55-year-old man with murder and he will appear in court on Monday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.05 EDT<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Over 300 people gathered for a \u201cfree speech\u201d 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.<\/p>\n People gather at Belmore Park in Sydney for the March for Australia rally. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Marlow said the marches were responsible for One Nation\u2019s subsequent rise in the polls, with the minor party now claiming close to 30% of primary votes and winning the Secret Harbour byelection<\/a> in WA yesterday.<\/p>\n One Nation supporters join the March for Australia rally. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Marlow said of One Nation:<\/p>\n double quotation markThey\u2019re 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 \u2026 We have shown that if we get together and we do not give an inch we can win.\u201d<\/p>\n At least four attenders in Sydney wore One Nation shirts. March For Australia\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Attenders at Sydney\u2019s rally cheered at the mention of \u201cremigration\u201d and an end to \u201cmass\u201d migration.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.50 EDT<\/p>\n Victorian Labor pledges to double pothole fixes if re-elected<\/p>\n Victorian Labor has pledged to fix half a million potholes, AAP reports.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe condition of our roads is not good enough,\u201d Carroll said on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cI respect your money and I have made commonsense decisions to show how we can afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s $1.4bn allocation for roads.<\/p>\n The saving would allow Victoria to double the number of potholes fixed next year \u2013 from 250,000 to 500,000.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is part of my new direction: to spend our money wisely, to focus relentlessly on the basics, and that is what I\u2019m here to do,\u201d Carroll said.<\/p>\n He said most of the potholes will be removed when the weather is driest, in the second half of this year and into January.<\/p>\n Shadow minister for police, Brad Battin, questioned the timing of Carroll\u2019s announcement, given an election is set for 28 November, and claimed Labor had \u201cneglected\u201d roads for 12 years.<\/p>\n \u201cFive minutes before an election and all of a sudden Ben Carroll has found there\u2019s potholes in Victoria,\u201d Battin said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now he\u2019s come out with a small patch fix for a major problem in Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n In July, the Liberal-National opposition pledged to invest $5bn over four years to repair and rebuild Victoria\u2019s roads, including the elimination of 1m potholes.<\/p>\n Their plan involves a 25% increase on current spending.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.46 EDT<\/p>\n Police suspend search for pilot missing in remote NT<\/p>\n Northern Territory police say they\u2019ve suspended search for pilot Bob Bramley, who is believed to have died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Carpentaria.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Police divers had found some pieces of aircraft debris.<\/p>\n In a statement, the NT police said that \u201cfollowing careful consideration of all available information\u201d the search had been suspended, and Bramley\u2019s family had been advised.<\/p>\n Police said the a multi-day search from the air and sea, including specialist divers, had already taken place.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery reasonable search option has been considered and undertaken. Our thoughts remain with the pilot\u2019s family during what is an incredibly difficult time,\u201d the police statement said.<\/p>\n \u201cNorthern Territory police will assess and action any new information should it become available.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.46 EDT<\/p>\n Family \u2018beyond relieved and elated\u2019 Cara Severino found safe<\/p>\n The family of Australian woman Cara Severino \u2013 who had been missing in flash flooding in Nepal \u2013 say news she is safe is a \u201cmiraculous gift\u201d after days without news following the disaster.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In a statement, her parents Debbie and Frank Severino said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe are beyond relieved and so elated to have Cara safe and well and we can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Seeing Cara\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Australian woman Cara Severino (third from left), was safely located after being unaccounted for following the devastating floods along the Nepal-China border. Photograph: Office of Senator Penny WongShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.34 EDT<\/p>\n Albanese outlines battle plan against One Nation for working-class voters<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese\u2019s speech to Queensland Labor delegates contains a roadmap for the party to take the fight to One Nation over traditional working-class issues.<\/p>\n His words were particularly relevant in a state that has arguably more of the sorts of areas \u2013 blue collar communities of outer-suburban and regional voters \u2013 where traditional Labor supporters are targets of Pauline Hanson\u2019s insurgency.<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s obvious \u2013 One Nation are not on the side of working people.<\/p>\n How is their plan to cut penalty rates going to help the people of Logan, or Gladstone, or Strathpine, or Ipswich, or Mt Isa?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n To stay positive. To be the party with the ideas that will make our people\u2019s lives better, our economy stronger, our country safer, our environment cleaner.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.06 EDT<\/p>\n We \u2018owe it to history\u2019 to defeat One Nation, PM tells Brisbane Labor conference<\/p>\n The prime minister\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese said it had become \u201ca crucial time\u201d for the Labor movement.<\/p>\n double quotation markAcross the world, hard-right populists are on the march.<\/p>\n Peddling politics that is dangerous, divisive, and downright dishonest.<\/p>\n We simply must defeat them. We owe it to history.<\/p>\n And we will defeat them.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll say anything and do anything to win votes. Bend any facts. Peddle misinformation and disinformation. Turn Australian against Australian.<\/p>\n Albanese said: \u201cParties like One Nation have no serious answers to our problems\u201d and reaffirmed the party\u2019s support for multiculturalism.<\/p>\n double quotation markDelegates, we unequivocally support multiculturalism because we know it\u2019s part of Australia\u2019s strength.<\/p>\n And because we believe every Australian is equal, whether they are Australian by birth or Australian by choice.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.37 EDT<\/p>\n PM says Australia\u2019s role in Pacific matters \u2018more than ever\u2019 ahead of regional summit<\/p>\n The prime minister says Australia will remain \u201ca partner and a leader\u201d in the Pacific, as he prepares to take part in regional talks this week, AAP reports.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese will attend the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau from Monday.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese at the forum in 2024. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAP<\/p>\n On Sunday, addressing the Labor faithful at the party\u2019s Queensland state conference, he said allowing Pacific nations to succeed would also benefit Australia.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe big challenges facing the Pacific require solutions designed and delivered for the Pacific, by the Pacific.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Albanese also reaffirmed his support for workforce schemes that bring Pacific Island labour to Australia, amid domestic debate about immigration. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople from the Pacific make an enormous contribution to Australia\u2019s prosperity through their vital work in regional industries like agriculture and meat processing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many of our farmers and food producers rely on them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.46 EDT<\/p>\n Man dies after eighth-floor balcony fall in Sydney<\/p>\n A man died after he fell from a balcony on Sunday morning in Sydney, prompting a critical incident review.<\/p>\n New South Wales police said they attended an apartment block in Elizabeth Bay, east of Sydney\u2019s CBD, before 8am today as part of ongoing investigations.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.15 EDT<\/p>\n Joyce suggests One Nation would reject refugees from Nepal if country judged unsafe<\/p>\n Barnaby Joyce says a One Nation government would avoid taking refugees from flood-ravaged Nepal if the department advised Australians to avoid travelling there.<\/p>\n The MP refused to say outright whether One Nation planned to cut Australia\u2019s refugee intake or permanent migration in an interview on News24. But he raised Nepal, unprompted, as an example of the party\u2019s principle for blocking immigration.<\/p>\n Asked if he agreed the refugee program should be cut, Joyce said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe refugee program has got to work within a policy structure we\u2019ve got. Remember, we\u2019ve clearly stated that if an area, the Department of Foreign Affairs says it\u2019s too unsafe to go there, then it\u2019s 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\u2019s not unsafe to go to Nepal, but I wouldn\u2019t be going there at the moment …<\/p>\n The government at present only advises Australians to reconsider their need to travel to certain areas within 50 kilometres of central Nepal\u2019s Trishuli River, and to exercise caution otherwise.<\/p>\n Asked if One Nation would hypothetically stop bringing Nepali people here were the department to advise against travelling there, Joyce said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWell, I don\u2019t know what Dfat\u2019s 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\u2019ll be within the Nom [net overseas migration].<\/p>\n Barnaby Joyce in Singleton, NSW on Friday. Photograph: Michael Gorton\/AAP<\/p>\n Asked \u201care you happy with the refugee program at 20,000, yes or no,\u201d Joyce said:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt fits within the Nom. That is our policy. And the refugee policy, it\u2019s not that it\u2019s dispensed, but you can\u2019t come from countries which are dangerous. Like if you can\u2019t go there, you shouldn\u2019t be coming here.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s target of 180,000.<\/p>\n double quotation markI would suggest, Andrew, very, very strongly that it would be, but I\u2019m not going to go into the sort of the, you know, the, the, the peculiarities of what two numbers make up net.<\/p>\n You can read more about this week\u2019s debate on migration numbers here:<\/p>\n![\"Luca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1788078611_836_Luca_Ittimani.png\")
Luca Ittimani<\/p>\n