Australian news and politics live: Pauline Hanson vows to bar ISIS brides for Australian monoculture

Australia’s world-first social media ban is showing little sign of success, with young people continuing to access platforms with ease.

Research published on Thursday suggests modest change since the ban came into effect among adolescents, with 85 per cent of those under 16 still using restricted platforms.

Among them is Winnie Walton, who continues to use TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Roblox to watch videos, chat with friends and play games.

The year 7 student says the restrictions haven’t affected her whatsoever.

“Well the restrictions didn’t do anything,” the 12-year-old told AAP.

“On the day that (the ban) was meant to happen, nothing happened.

“None of my friends got affected either, so it didn’t really work that well.”

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Teal independents Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender have unveiled a new political party designed to take the community independent movement nationwide, in a move that could intensify pressure on Labor and the Coalition ahead of the next federal election.

The pair announced the formation of Community Strong Australia on Thursday, saying the party would support community-backed candidates in both the House of Representatives and Senate while promoting integrity, climate action, economic prosperity and evidence-based policymaking.

The move marks a significant evolution for the Teal movement, which has built its success on candidates campaigning as community independents rather than members of a political party.

An application has already been lodged with the Australian Electoral Commission to register Community Strong Australia, with official registration expected by October.

The party said registration would allow it to endorse Senate candidates and expand the community-led model into more electorates across Australia.

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The Prime Minister told the CEDA economic conference that Australia’s mindset for too long had been that it was “smart and rational and efficient to offshore manufacturing, to cut skills and TAFE, close refineries, narrow our industrial base, and privatise national assets … that someone else, somewhere else, would be able to sell us what we needed cheaper than we could make it ourselves.”

He returned to this point when asked about the role of start-ups and AI in the future economy, saying that while Australia had always been good at innovation, the country hadn’t historically been good at commercialising its inventions.

“There’s not a solar panel in the world that does not have IP produced at … UNSW and ANU. But what we did, as I said in the speech, we thought there was someone else somewhere else will do it for us, and that’s okay,” he said.

“Well, it’s bullsh.t. We’ve got to stop it. We’ve got to make things here. We should have been a mass manufacturer of solar panels here in Australia. We’re not.”

He flagged that he will give a major speech next month outlining the Government’s approach to AI.

“The debate can’t be, is AI good or bad, a simple thing, and should we stop it, because it’s happening,” he said.

“You can’t stop it. You’ve got to shape it, or else it will shape us.”

An Australian based in Iran and a former resident living in Iraq have been identified as the masterminds of anti-Semitic fire-bombings in Sydney and Melbourne, with ASIO also revealing multiple foreign regimes are conducting campaigns of “coerced repatriations”.

In a wide-ranging speech in Canberra, ASIO Director General Mike Burgess has detailed how his organisation foiled a foreign spy posing as a consultant from stealing AUKUS secrets by paying an official with a security clearance to provide reports on the project.

Delivering his annual threat assessment, delayed by several months because of December’s deadly Bondi terror attack, the ASIO boss began by acknowledging “the pain and grief of the families, friends and community of those killed and injured”.

He also counter-terrorism resourcing had increased when ASIO raised the threat level in 2024, and “continued to grow in the months before Bondi”, but cautioned he was limited in what he could say given the current Royal Commission and court case.

During his speech Mr Burgess revealed further details of ASIO’s investigations into arson attacks against Jewish buildings in Australia, and their connections to the Iranian regime.

“ASIO identified direct links between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp – the IRGC – and two individuals who were living offshore but maintained strong ties to Australia,” Mr Burgess said.

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Anthony Albanese has taken a jab at broadcaster Karl Stefanovic – who is reportedly leaving the Nine Network amid fallout from his podcast interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson – while discussing how social media is polarising people.

The Prime Minister was reflecting on comments made by ASIO boss Mike Burgess at his annual threat assessment last night, saying that social media was eroding the social compact in Australia.

“I worry about polarisation. The algorithms push people to more and more extremes,” he said at the CEDA State of the Nation conference.

“I don’t want to get into a debate about Nine at the moment, but you know, look at what’s happening. You go down that road and you get further and further out on the edges of what is the mainstream political debate in this country, and you know, I think that that can have an impact.”

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One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson says any ISIS bride would not be welcome in her monoculture Australia.

The leader, who has catapulted ahead in the polls, criticised the Government on Thursday after allowing a previously barred ISIS bride to return home.

“They said they banned this one, now they’re issuing a return permit,” she said on X.

“ISIS Brides WON’T be allowed in the monoculture,” she added.

The last of the so-called “ISIS brides” has been granted a permit to return to Australia.

The Australian woman was previously subject to a Temporary Exclusion Order.

She was the only woman in the group of Australians with links to ISIS in Syria to be issued the order.

Home affairs Minister Tony Burke told the ABC that the permit was issued last night.

“We received the final advice yesterday that we can no longer have an exclusion condition for her.”

He said the exclusion order applies until a permit is issued and when a permit is requested, it must be issued.

Mr Burke added that Australian security agencies were prepared for their arrival.

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