Australian news and politics recap: Opposition leader Angus Taylor launches attack on One Nation

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Australia’s foreign minister has travelled to the Philippines to work with Asian countries on improving peace and prosperity in the region.

Penny Wong flew out on Monday to attend the summit of foreign ministers, being held ahead of the ASEAN leaders’ summit later in 2026, saying the trip would improve Australian ties.

“At a time of rising strategic competition and global economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever for Australia to work closely with ASEAN partners to help shape a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous,” Senator Wong said.

“My meetings with regional and global counterparts will be an opportunity to advance Australia’s interests and continue work on shared challenges, including energy security, supply chain resilience and long-term economic prosperity.”

AAP

Australians love their army. That’s a big problem for the government and the Australian Defence Force, writes Aaron Patrick.

At a time when the Royal Australian Navy is receiving more money than any service in peacetime under the nuclear submarine program, a survey by military-associated academics has found Australians consider the army and Royal Australian Air Force higher priorities than the navy.

With the AUKUS project under regular criticism over a bill that could top $360 billion, Defence Minister Richard Marles and new Defence Force Chief Mark Hammond face the challenge of arguing for the navy’s superior needs to Australians, who are more impressed by the storming of the beaches of Gallipoli than the Battle of Cape Spada.

Read the full story here.

One Nation’s support is reaching new heights across Australia, as one premier concedes the populist right’s surging vote is unprecedented.

NSW Premier Chris Minns addressed his party’s slump in support, vowing Labor would fight to keep leading Australia’s most populous state.

“Voters will make their decision in the next few months ... we’re up for that challenge,” he told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

Support for Labor and the Coalition in NSW dropped to record lows in the latest Resolve Political Monitor polling.

Labor’s primary vote was 29 per cent - down three points since May.

- AAP

Read the full story here.

An Australian woman accused of travelling to Islamic State-controlled Syria and being a member of the terror group has been granted bail.

Mother-of-four Rayann El Houli was charged in May with travelling to a declared conflict zone and joining IS.

The 34-year-old’s bid for bail was successful on Monday, with Melbourne magistrate Brett Sonnet accepting a combination of factors including the historical nature of her alleged offending and her role as primary caregiver.

He also took into account her compromised health including post-traumatic stress disorder and potential multiple sclerosis, a lack of prior offending and stable support in the community.

Mr Sonnet also pointed to her living within the community for eight months without incident and her co-operation with authorities.

“In my view, the risk of reoffending is relatively low,” the magistrate said on Monday.

Read more.

Pauline Hanson has likened her association with the convicted criminal and English far-right activist Tommy Robinson to Anthony Albanese’s meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.

She also said she would not apologise for her friendship with her benefactor, Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart, saying they were of the same era and shared a similar world-view.

Senator Hanson insisted she remained grounded after photos emerged of her holidaying with Ms Rinehart at an Italian resort and attending an exclusive Dolce & Gabbana runway show, saying MPs criticising her would have accepted the same invitation had it been extended.

But in a sign her lavish European getaway has harmed her at home, she vowed never again to attend a fashion show as it was not her scene.

She made the comments in an interview with The Nightly on the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Conference or (CPAC-GB) conference, which she addressed to an almost empty room, reviving her complaints about Muslims and transgender issues.

The One Nation leader spoke to a room of no more than 150 people including journalists at an event organised by the former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose premiership lasted fewer days than it took for a lettuce on a livestream to wilt.

Read the full story.

Former Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told an inquiry today he had been called a “kapo” — the word for Jewish collaborators with the Nazi regime — and received other abuse from fellow Jews after war broke out between Israel and Hamas in 2023.

In evidence to the anti-Semitism royal commission on Monday morning, the Labor MP described the pain of receiving online abuse and being unable to defend himself because he was expected to defend the Albanese Labor Government.

“I found those attacks from Jewish Australians particularly difficult and painful because I wasn’t in a position to respond fully or perhaps at all to the attacks and demands made by some Jewish Australians because I was a Cabinet minister,” he said.

Read the full story here.

Barnaby Joyce has been labelled One Nation’s “clean up boy” after distancing the minor party from the White Australia policy following Pauline Hanson’s recent reference to it.

The One Nation leader had claimed the end of the White Australia Policy had led to problems for Australia during Seven’s hour-long Spotlight special, which aired on Sunday night.

Senator Hanson had brought up the old policy while recording a podcast with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson after he asked about migration in Australia.

Read the full story here.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has accused Labor of creating an economic crisis, declaring the Coalition is the only party with the policies to steer Australia out of it while launching a blistering attack on One Nation’s economic agenda and leadership.

Speaking in Sydney, Mr Taylor said the Coalition’s focus on lower taxes, reduced government spending, housing supply and national security would help ease inflation and cost-of-living pressures, while arguing One Nation was “not fit to govern”.

Mr Taylor also distanced the Coalition from recent comments by One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts and Liberal senator Alex Antic’s praise of him.

“Malcolm Roberts has said some extraordinary things in recent days. He has said that the United States is the worst terrorist organisation in the world. Frankly, this is, as I say, these are things that we obviously don’t believe. They are wrong and I will continue to make the point that One Nation is not fit to govern.”

Asked whether he would counsel Senator Antic over his comments, Mr Taylor replied: “I have made it clear about my views on this. We don’t agree with those points of view”.

Barnaby Joyce has declared “the Labor Party has joined One Nation” after Tanya Plibersek agreed people found living illegally in Australia should be deported immediately.

The fiery clash erupted as the two politicians debated Pauline Hanson’s comments linking Australia’s immigration problems to the dismantling of the White Australia policy and her support for the idea of “mass deportations”.

Ms Plibersek accused the One Nation leader of attempting to walk back controversial remarks made during an interview aired on 7NEWS Spotlight.

“She very clearly said that the problem started after we got rid of the White Australia policy,” Ms Plibersek said.

“And she also backed in mass deportation and said that all of her members of Parliament support her in that call for mass deportation.”

Ms Plibersek said Senator Hanson would “say anything” before denying her own remarks when challenged.

“It’s like watching a toddler do something wrong in front of you, and then turn around to you and say, no, no, never did it. It wasn’t me,” she said.

​Read more.​