![\"Independent](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5720.jpg\")
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\nUpdated at\u00a023.35 EDT<\/p>\n
Key events<\/p>\n
Greens say Labor \u2018running scared of Pauline Hanson\u2019 with migration changes![\"Luca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789530012_292_Luca_Ittimani.png\")
Luca Ittimani<\/p>\n
The Greens senator David Shoebridge says Labor has turned away from the minor party\u2019s offer of alternative solutions to Australia\u2019s migration program.<\/p>\n
Labor will tomorrow announce its long-awaited overhaul of the migration system, potentially by blocking temporary visa hopping, limiting paths to bringing family members and cutting appeal rights.<\/p>\n
Shoebridge has told Guardian Australia that Labor is not engaging with Greens\u2019 offers to support targets based on universities, business and family needs and reduce temporary visa numbers by funding extra processing for people waiting on their permanent visas. He added:<\/p>\n
double quotation markThere are many ways in which we can improve our migration system. It\u2019s just that Labor has decided their only option is to keep chipping away on the right \u2026 It would be a stretch to say [we\u2019re having] conversations.<\/p>\n
He said the Greens were not willing to endorse reforms that were \u201crunning scared of Pauline Hanson\u201d.<\/p>\n
double quotation markWe need a government that, instead of cutting deals with the Coalition, scared of Pauline Hanson, comes out and explains why people have a right to complete their family, to bring their grandparents into this country, to bring a partner that they\u2019ve fallen in love with into this country \u2026 Have some courage. Have some decency.<\/p>\n
\u2018Have some courage\u2019: Greens senator David Shoebridge. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.24 EDT<\/p>\n Queensland to create 24\/7 hotline for victims of crime<\/p>\n Queensland\u2019s LNP government will create a 24\/7 hotline for victims of crime and reform its own domestic violence prevention process as \u201ca top priority\u201d.<\/p>\n Minister for victims, Laura Gerber, said she will table legislation today to create a \u201cvictim advocate service\u201d.<\/p>\n Queensland already has a victims\u2019 commissioner to advocate on their behalf. The new organisation will be a \u201cone-stop shop\u201d, with the ability to record the a person\u2019s individual details and then share them across departments rather than sharing the details of a crime multiple times, she said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the second bill of the week from Gerber, who tabled legislation yesterday that would increase the bar for a convicted criminal to get bail, and expand the state\u2019s \u2018restricted prisoner\u2019 laws to cover all prisoners sentenced to life behind bars. Restricted prisoners can be banned from applying for parole.<\/p>\n Meanwhile the police minister, Dan Purdie, announced that the state is working to fix its own police protection notice system, created last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s a top priority at the moment. It\u2019s top priority for the police union. It\u2019s a top priority for frontline police, and I\u2019ve visited well over 100 police stations now, and it\u2019s priority for victims. So it\u2019s something that we are working on at the moment.<\/p>\n Laura Gerber. Photograph: Darren England\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.17 EDT<\/p>\n Subscribe to the Politics, really newsletter<\/p>\n Want the inside track on Labor\u2019s soon-to-be-unveiled immigration plan? <\/p>\n Sign up to the Politics, really newsletter here<\/a>, and political editor Tom McIlroy will be in your inbox at 5pm with everything you need to know.<\/p>\n And if you\u2019ve got any politics related questions for your favourite Canberra bureau (that includes yours truly), write into us here at Politicsreally@theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.20 EDT<\/p>\n Immigration debate is \u2018overcooked\u2019 and could damage Australia in long term, Bill Shorten<\/p>\n The former Labor leader and the University of Canberra vice-chancellor Bill Shorten says the immigration debate has been \u201covercooked\u201d and that it\u2019s an issue that people aren\u2019t thinking about front and centre in their daily lives.<\/p>\n Speaking to News24, Shorten says Australia is also at risk of damaging foreign relations if the government cuts international student numbers too deeply<\/p>\n double quotation markI think that just to translate the noise in Canberra to the world that I see with universities, or indeed the broader communities in which I move, I think some of this debate about immigration is overcooked.<\/p>\n While we chase the issue, while people are chasing the issue, the reality is it\u2019s not the most important thing for people in their daily lives. And the problem is, as we chase the issue, even though it\u2019s not crucial to a lot of Aussies at the end of the day, we could potentially be damaging Australia for the long term.<\/p>\n Shorten says his university doesn\u2019t have as many international students as other institutions, so isn\u2019t as exposed to cuts, but points out that they are a key source of revenue for universities underfunded by the government.<\/p>\n double quotation markIf we cut too tough, we\u2019re going to damage Australia\u2019s foreign relations, we\u2019re going to damage the fact that every international student generates about $70,000 in surplus revenue for Australia.<\/p>\n All the universities, because universities are underfunded, use international students to cross-subsidise local research and local students. So I think this issue has got a more disproportionate importance in the political class\u2019s head than it does out with the punters.<\/p>\n University of Canberra vice-chancellor Bill Shorten. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.52 EDT<\/p>\n Most senior Brethren Church members called to face election inquiry<\/p>\n The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church will be hauled back in front of a parliamentary inquiry examining Australian elections.<\/p>\n The joint standing committee on electoral matters has issued a summons for Bruce Hales and Gareth Hales, the most senior leaders in the church, to appear at a hearing.<\/p>\n Members of the church volunteered to support Liberal candidates, including at polling booths across the country during the 2025 election. A representative of the group denied this was a coordinated effort during the election at a previous inquiry hearing last month.<\/p>\n The chair of the committee, Jerome Laxale, told the media:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s time that the Liberal party show up to the hearing and fess up about this group that they themselves describe as a \u2018support group\u2019. Defending democracy should be above politics, and the Liberal party need to play their part.<\/p>\n Labor MP Jerome Laxale. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.54 EDT<\/p>\n Greens say big tech’s \u2018audacity is gobsmacking\u2019, urging Labor to ‘stand up’ to AI companies<\/p>\n The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says big tech is trying to \u201cblackmail\u201d the government into handing over the intellectual property of creatives, after reports that Labor is considering a model that would require artists to \u201copt-out\u201d of their work being scraped by AI.<\/p>\n Hanson-Young says the government should \u201cstand up\u201d against AI companies that want to mine Australian culture for profit and \u201cleave artists, creators and small businesses with nothing\u201d.<\/p>\n The government has said it will not water down copyright protections for creatives.<\/p>\n Hanson-Young says:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt is the role of the government to protect the interests of Australian workers and businesses. Undermining the principles of copyright will only serve the interests of big tech companies \u2026<\/p>\n While tech bros are warning that they cannot be trusted to not end humanity, they are also asking our government to give them free access to all of our content. Their audacity is gobsmacking.<\/p>\n Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.20 EDT<\/p>\n One in five Melbourne units sold in June quarter made a loss One in five Melbourne apartments, and more than one in 10 Sydney units sold in the June quarter made a loss, according to Cotality\u2019s latest \u201cpain and gain\u201d report.<\/p>\n Gerard Burg, Cotality\u2019s head of research, said house prices in the capital cities had grown much more quickly than unit prices over the past decade.<\/p>\n The national median house price in June was 37% more expensive than the median unit price \u2013 five years ago houses were only 21% pricier.<\/p>\n \u201cUnit losses are also highly concentrated,\u201d Burg said.<\/p>\n double quotation markMost apartment owners are still selling for a profit, but the risk of a loss is considerably higher in parts of Sydney and Melbourne where value growth has been weaker. In the Melbourne and Parramatta LGAs [local government areas], unit values are still below peaks recorded back in mid-2017.<\/p>\n Across the country and types of properties, Cotality\u2019s analysis showed 95.4% of property sales in the June quarter were profitable. The typical gain was $371,000, and the median loss was $45,000.<\/p>\n The share of profitable sales was down from a 21-year peak of 96.1% in March, but still \u201cexceptionally high\u201d, Burg said.<\/p>\n double quotation markMost sellers are still benefiting from the significant value growth accumulated over the past five years, which is providing considerable protection against the early stages of the downturn.<\/p>\n Vast majority of home sales are profitable<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.17 EDT<\/p>\n \u2018Serious questions\u2019 for ministers to answer over invite-only grants program, McKenzie says<\/p>\n Bridget McKenzie says the prime minister and his cabinet have serious questions to answer, following an ABC report of an invite-only grant given to a project in health minister Mark Butler\u2019s electorate.<\/p>\n The former infrastructure and sport minister had to resign from her role following the sports rorts saga and says the government needs to answer questions about how the grants were approved and whether there were any conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n The key difference between McKenzie\u2019s sports rorts and the current situation was that McKenzie was the minister in charge of administering her grants and was a member of a club that received one of the grants.<\/p>\n Senator Bridget McKenzie. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAP<\/p>\n She tells News24:<\/p>\n double quotation markI think there are serious questions, not just for the prime minister, but for other ministers involved in this grants program, how did their projects get approved?<\/p>\n I made my decisions, and then there was criticism of those decisions. But ultimately, I resigned from my ministerial portfolio as a result of a breach of the ministerial code over a perceived conflict of interest, with one of the successful clubs, I was gifted a membership I didn\u2019t know about.<\/p>\n [Albanese] declared that he was a member of the Sydney Royal Golf Club, but not Marrickville, when it\u2019s clear he has had a longstanding relationship with the club. So that\u2019s why we\u2019ve been pursuing this in question time. We\u2019ve also been successful in getting a Senate inquiry up into this, to really unpack who knew what when.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.24 EDT<\/p>\n Burke to appear at the National Press Club to announce migration policy<\/p>\n Tony Burke, is finally headed to the National Press Club tomorrow \u2013 a month after his eleventh hour cancellation.<\/p>\n Just in the past few minutes, we have confirmation that he will address the club in Canberra on Thursday.<\/p>\n The speech is titled: \u201cThe work of managing the migration program: Who arrives, who stays, who leaves\u201d.<\/p>\n Labor\u2019s efforts to regain the initiative on immigration comes as One Nation surges in the polls and as community sentiment on the number of overseas arrivals remains a key issue motivating voters.<\/p>\n Labor is expected to make it harder for some migrants to stay in the country, limiting visa hopping and ending some appeal rights for people looking to extend their time in the country.<\/p>\n Burke\u2019s speech will be closely watched by all sides, especially after prime minister Anthony Albanese tried to secure Coalition support for legislative changes in talks with the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, last week.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.00 EDT<\/p>\n Tony Burke to reveal Labor migration policy tomorrow<\/p>\n Guardian Australia understands Labor is set to release its migration policy tomorrow after it was stalled for weeks.<\/p>\n You might remember last month Tony Burke pulled out of a National Press Club address where he was due to unveil the plan at the 11th hour.<\/p>\n We know there were talks between Labor and the Coalition on migration in the background, but they also seemed to have stalled.<\/p>\n But we now know that it will drop tomorrow, just before the PM jets off to the US.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.16 EDT<\/p>\n NDIA says job cuts necessary, as it offers voluntary redundancies A quick update on a story we brought you yesterday: voluntary redundancies at the National Disability Insurance Agency for the first time in its existence.<\/p>\n In a statement, the NDIA says these job cuts are necessary to meet the federal government\u2019s budget requirements.<\/p>\n The budget papers show the agency\u2019s average staffing level will need to drop from the 10,509 positions recorded in the 2025-26 financial year, to 9,840 by July 2027.<\/p>\n An NDIA spokesperson said the agency had \u201csignificantly strengthened its frontline workforce to reduce wait times\u201d and improve quality in recent years.<\/p>\n double quotation markLike all government agencies, the NDIA is required to operate within Government-approved average staffing levels.<\/p>\n These workforce measures are designed to help us meet these requirements while maintaining frontline services and having the right people, skills and capability in place to deliver the next phase of NDIS reforms.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.40 EDT<\/p>\n Hanson has shown \u2018greater depth of character\u2019 than PM, Joyce says<\/p>\n Barnaby Joyce has backed his leader, Pauline Hanson, saying she gets \u201c10 out of 10\u201d for yesterday issuing a lukewarm, qualified apology<\/a> over her comments about Indigenous Australians and to Anthony Albanese.<\/p>\n Speaking to News24, Joyce says Hanson didn\u2019t need to be told by him to apologise, and that she\u2019s shown great depth of character.<\/p>\n A reminder here: yesterday Hanson said she\u2019s sorry \u201cif I offended people\u201d.<\/p>\n For some reason Joyce brings up melon-gate and says the prime minister still hasn\u2019t apologised for that, nor when he fell off a stage during the election campaign and tried to claim he hadn\u2019t \u201cfallen\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markI\u2019m still waiting for the apology from the prime minister of Australia, to the prime minister of Japan, about the melon issue, and we haven\u2019t had that. So I think what Pauline has shown is a greater depth of character than the prime minister on this issue.<\/p>\n When it was replayed for her, she very quickly said, \u2018well, no, that is not the message I want out, nor is it the view I hold\u2019. And we understand completely that some people would be offended by, Aboriginal people would be offended by that.<\/p>\n And it must be corrected and she gets 10 out of 10 for character for doing it straight away.<\/p>\n One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.27 EDT<\/p>\n Antic goes rogue \u2013 again \u2013 and debates his bill to repeal \u2018no jab, no pay\u2019 laws<\/p>\n Liberal senator Alex Antic, who has been openly trying to move his party to the right, is debating his private member\u2019s bill to scrap immunisation requirements for families receiving government assistance.<\/p>\n The bill is destined for the bin, because no one in the government nor his party wants to touch it with a 10 foot pole, but best believe it\u2019ll end up on his social media. Antic is also running to be president of the South Australian Liberals.<\/p>\n The bill was introduced in late 2025. Antic is backed by fringe independent Ralph Babet who has brought the bill up for debate today. Babet says independents are only allowed to bring up one private member\u2019s bill for debate each year and he\u2019s chosen this one. He gave some of his time to Antic \u2013 who otherwise wouldn\u2019t have been able to debate it.<\/p>\n Antic has long held anti-vaccine views, and was a loud critic of the Covid vaccine rollout.<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789530013_508_Andrew_Messenger.png\")
Andrew Messenger<\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789530013_994_Patrick_Commins.png\")
Patrick Commins<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789530014_364_Tom_McIlroy.png\")
Tom McIlroy<\/p>\n![\"Henry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Henry_Belot.png\")
Henry Belot<\/p>\n
![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789530015_795_Nick_Visser.png\")
Nick Visser<\/p>\n