Burke brushes off One Nation threat to his seat – As it happened

Tony Burke has brushed off One Nation’s warning that his western Sydney seat is under threat. saying Pauline Hanson “hates my part of Sydney”.

Hanson listed the home affairs minister’s electorate of Watson among a raft of Labor-held seats. her rightwing populist party would target at the next federal campaign.

Watson is among the most multicultural seats in the country. is home to the suburb of Lakemba, which is a significant hub for Australian Muslims.

Hanson earlier this year claimed. people “feel unwanted” in Lakemba in comments that attracted condemnation (and invitations for her to visit the suburb).

Asked on Thursday if he was worried by Hanson’s threat, Burke said:

double quotation mark She hates my part of Sydney, and she said so. And this is where I’m really conscious, people shouldn’t pretend to be patriotic if they hate modern Australia. I love Australia. I love Australia for who we are, not for some fake idea of the nation that we’ve never been.

And so, you know, One Nation always run in my part of Sydney, they’ll run again. It’s a democracy, everybody’s welcome to run. But I have to say. as a message to people who want to demean their fellow Australians, we’re a better country than that. And please, people should not pretend to be patriotic if their actual view is that they hate modern Australia.

One Nation polled 3.2% in Watson at the 2025 federal election, down 2% from the previous ballot.

Thanks for staying with us today. We’ll wrap up the live blog there.

Here were today’s top stories:

KPMG is now facing a third probe, this time from the top accountants organisation CAANZ.

Queensland will conduct a Human Rights Act review.

Kiis FM has lost listeners after Kyle and Jackie O’s exit.

A Melbourne local council has mourned a “tragedy” after a burnt homeless man’s death was ruled not suspicious.

Media company Seven’s owner has announced job cuts and restructuring.

Brittany Higgins has a new job fighting the “rise of misogyny” and far-right politics in Australia.

Anthony Albanese has cast doubt on One Nation’s claimed donations boom. One Nation said it would audit donations to prove authenticity.

Angus Taylor said he had no plan to carve up seats with One Nation.

Bridget McKenzie ruled out a One Nation seat split from the Nationals and challenged Albanese to share Labor’s donation data.

Tony Burke brushed off the One Nation threat, saying Pauline Hanson “hates my part of Sydney”.

Jim Chalmers said Taylor was privileged and out of touch in his criticism of Labor’s budget.

We’ll be back tomorrow morning.

Government officials agree ‘like-for-like’ support unlikely after proposed NDIS removals

Government officials agree. NDIS participants removed from the scheme as a part of the Albanese government’s proposed changes to remove more than 200,000 people by 2031 will not necessarily receive “like-for-like” support.

Officials for the NDIS and health department are appearing at the Senate inquiry into the bill. They’ve just been asked about a submission today from states. territories, which warned they could not – and had not agreed to – offer adequate services to support them.

One of the department’s first assistant secretaries, Anthea Long, said it was “correct” that participants will “not necessarily receive like-for-like supports outside of the scheme” but that programs, like Thriving Kids, are “better targeted. designed”.

State. territory disability ministers warned there is “a significant risk that people with disability will end up in hospitals or other settings that are inappropriate and unable to meet their needs, or have no access to services at all”.

Government modelling last month revealed 241,000 people on the NDIS are expected to exit the scheme by June 2031 under eligibility changes beginning in 2028,. a further 110,000 people who would’ve entered by that time would be diverted away.

Jim Chalmers says tax changes good for the economy

Jim Chalmers says limiting the CGT changes to housing would have “replaced one distortion with another”. the budget’s tax reforms will boost national productivity by driving investment into more productive assets than bricks and mortar.

“The tax reforms are motivated by allocative efficiency. a core tenet of economics which is about getting investment flowing to where it is most productive,” he told an investment bank conference this afternoon.

He said research by the Reserve Bank. the Bank for International Settlements showed poorly designed tax settings can divert money away from where it is most useful.

double quotation mark This speaks to the challenge we must confront in our economy: a tax system. funnels investment into established housing at the expense of other important parts of our economy.

After copping heavy criticism from entrepreneurs. small business groups about the proposed changes to the CGT discount, the treasurer repeated that 90% of “active businesses remain eligible for very significant CGT concessions”.

He said the debate had also ignored the $3.5bn in the budget aimed at supporting young businesses, including two-year loss carry back for companies with revenue under $1bn. loss refundability for startups.

Ahead of next week’s two-day Senate committee hearing into the legislation for the tax changes, Chalmers said “we do recognise there are some specific issues for small. start-up businesses with low or zero cost base, and we have been engaged in targeted consultation with these sectors”.

double quotation mark Shortly I will publish a policy position paper seeking feedback on our proposed approach.

Bridget McKenzie has challenged Anthony Albanese to “show me yours” after the prime minister challenged One Nation to prove it was raising the amount of money it claimed.

One Nation now says it will audit the donations to back its claims. Its website has shown donations for its “fire the liar” campaign steadily increasing by about $900 per minute since 3pm today. now at $2,147,478.

McKenzie told the ABC:

double quotation mark I don’t disbelieve the figure … Incredible glass jaw by the prime minister in wanting real-time donation data from his political opponents … A political party put out an ad saying: ‘this guy’s a liar. he’s damaging our country’. And Australians said yes.

And I guess what I hope to see is every single cent of that money spent fighting Labor candidates in Labor seats. taking seats from this prime minister …

I think what the prime minister’s wanting is real-time donation data. I want to see how much the CFMEU has given in fundraising nominations or preselection supports for Labor party MPs. I can’t get that data from the prime minister. So I guess it’s a case of “show me yours”. he can ask for other people to show them theirs.

McKenzie was asked about how the Nationals were doing on fundraising. She the Victorian Labor state government had been particularly helpful in boosting Victorian Nationals membership numbers.

double quotation mark I’m not going to give you real-time data on the National party’s fundraising. I am going to tell you our membership is increasing here in Victoria in particular. We’re holding our fundraisers and they’re very, very well attended.

Bridget McKenzie. the Nationals’ Senate leader, has backed Angus Taylor’s rejection of suggestions the Coalition work with One Nation to split up electorates to contest.

Asked if the Nationals would carve up seats with One Nation, McKenzie told the ABC:

double quotation mark I think this is a very odd discussion to be having this far out from an election campaign … [Taylor] has made it very. very clear that that is not a discussion that the Liberal party is having. It’s not a discussion that the Liberal party is interested in having.

Asked if it was a mistake for Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin to suggest the idea, McKenzie said:

double quotation mark Tony’s obviously giving [Anthony Albanese] an opportunity this morning, but … this is not on the table.

KPMG is now facing a third significant probe after a whistleblower alleged leaks of clients’ confidential information.

The peak accounting body, Chartered Accountants Australia. New Zealand, has announced broad inquiries into ethics and confidentiality at the biggest Australian accounting firms.

The big four consulting. accounting firms – KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC – would be reviewed, as will four other top firms.

CAANZ reviews major firms’ behaviour every three years but today said it would do an extra targeted review urgently. A spokesperson said:

double quotation mark The CEO-directed reviews announced today are separate to. over and above that regular cycle, directed at specific ethical standards.

KPMG leadership and partners were already set to be hauled before a federal parliamentary inquiry and Australia’s corporate regulator. CAANZ was also already investigating three KPMG partners who self-reported.

CAANZ has also welcomed the federal government’s announcement of a review of corporate whistleblower protections. in the wake of the KPMG whistleblower’s disclosure.

KPMG Australia has said it had made “significant” efforts to respond since it became aware in early 2024. it dismissed the allegations in initial investigations. KPMG International said it took appropriate action on all reports on its whistleblower hotline and had supported KPMG Australia’s response. Read more here:

Nearly 60% of all charity revenue goes to just 306 organisations, new data shows

Just 306 organisations attracted 57% of all revenue raised by Australia’s 53,641 charities in 2024. new data from the charities regulator shows.

The Australian Charities. Not-for-profits Commission today reported revenue to registered charities hit a record $239bn – $17bn higher than in 2023 – of which $118bn came from governments and $83bn from sales of goods and services.

Donations. bequests accounted for $14.8bn, the second-highest result on record, behind the $18.9bn in 2023 which included Australia’s biggest one-off donation on record (when billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest donated $4.9bn to their Minderoo Foundation ).

The 306 biggest charities received a combined $136bn in revenue. The 16,160 smallest received $0.2bn and the next 16,139 received $3.1bn. In other words. the top 0.6% get 57% of revenue while the bottom 60% get 1.4% of total sector revenue, by the ACNC’s calculations. The ACNC commissioner, Sue Woodward, said:

double quotation mark This highlights how much less financial capacity these charities have across key measures.

Expenses in the sector grew faster than revenue, rising $18bn to total $231bn across the sector. Most of the increase was due to rising employee expenses. Woodward said:

double quotation mark Demand for support is rising as more people feel the squeeze. Charities are responding by hiring more staff where they can – but at the same time, they’re being hit with higher costs for wages, insurance. utilities.

Charities reported 3.9m volunteers in 2024, a record high. Clean Up Australia had 1.1m while Surf Life Saving clubs across Australia reported more than 250,000 volunteers.

The Queensland government has announced a review of the state’s human rights act and anti-discrimination legislation. The attorney general. Deb Frecklington, announced on Thursday that former supreme court judge Peter Flanagan would be appointed to conduct the review.

Frecklington has previously ignored the recommendations of a previous review conducted under the act.

Flanagan will also review changes to the state’s anti-discrimination laws passed under Labor. They were legislated in 2024 after a three-and-a-half year consultation process on the existing legislation.

Frecklington indefinitely halted implementation of the law last year on the basis that they were rushed. arguing there was insufficient time for consultation. She did so by amending an unrelated bill after its parliamentary committee process had ended. meaning there was no consultation on her legislation.

Flanagan will also review the functioning of the Queensland human rights commission, established under the act. Under his terms of reference, which were published today, he is also to consider “how to best protect the rights of victims of crime”. whether a further review is necessary. “This review will allow us to take a holistic view of Queensland’s human rights. anti-discrimination frameworks, ensuring they are fair, effective, and fit for purpose,” Frecklington said. The review will commence next week. is due to be completed by 31 March 2027, with the final report to be tabled in the legislative assembly.

Tony Burke has brushed off One Nation’s warning that his western Sydney seat is under threat. saying Pauline Hanson “hates my part of Sydney”.

Hanson listed the home affairs minister’s electorate of Watson among a raft of Labor-held seats. her rightwing populist party would target at the next federal campaign.

Watson is among the most multicultural seats in the country. is home to the suburb of Lakemba, which is a significant hub for Australian Muslims.

Hanson earlier this year claimed. people “feel unwanted” in Lakemba in comments that attracted condemnation (and invitations for her to visit the suburb).

Asked on Thursday if he was worried by Hanson’s threat, Burke said:

double quotation mark She hates my part of Sydney, and she said so. And this is where I’m really conscious, people shouldn’t pretend to be patriotic if they hate modern Australia. I love Australia. I love Australia for who we are, not for some fake idea of the nation that we’ve never been.

And so, you know, One Nation always run in my part of Sydney, they’ll run again. It’s a democracy, everybody’s welcome to run. But I have to say. as a message to people who want to demean their fellow Australians, we’re a better country than that. And please, people should not pretend to be patriotic if their actual view is that they hate modern Australia.

One Nation polled 3.2% in Watson at the 2025 federal election, down 2% from the previous ballot.

Jim Chalmers earlier today said Liberal leader Angus Taylor ’s privileged upbringing meant he was out of touch with the challenges of mainstream Australians,. accused One Nation’s Pauline Hanson of doing the bidding of her billionaire backer.

Revisiting parliamentary attack lines from February – when the treasurer memorably described the opposition leader as “born with a silver foot in his mouth” – Chalmers this morning told Labor faithful at a conference that “not everybody is born already at the top of the ladder like Angus Taylor was. not everybody fails upwards like he has”.

double quotation mark And unlike One Nation. we vote the way workers need us to, not the way Gina Rinehart tells us to.

Defending the government’s proposed changes to investor taxes and negative gearing, Chalmers said:

double quotation mark Our opponents who say we’re pulling up the ladder don’t understand there’s not much point in a ladder with the first few rungs missing.

Tony Burke wishes Nauru removal deal had been in place 10 years ago

Tony Burke has said he “wished” the $2.5bn deal with Nauru to remove refugees or stateless people whose visas have been cancelled to the tiny Pacific island had been implemented a decade ago after the government’s loss in the high court yesterday.

The home affairs minister was asked how much the commonwealth might have to pay people wrongfully held in indefinite immigration detention after the high court ruled against the government’s attempted defence yesterday.

The decision could pave the way for hundreds of affected people to launch damages claims. expected to put the government on the hook for millions of dollars in compensation.

At a press conference today. Burke said the situation would not happen due to an agreement made with Nauru last year.

The deal means those who cannot be returned to their country of origin. because they are at risk of persecution or because they are stateless, can be removed to Nauru with 30-year visas. It is expected to cost Australia at least $2.5bn to remove about 350 people over three decades.

double quotation mark What we have established now. which I wish had been established a decade ago, is a system where if someone won’t go to any other country, we have an arrangement with Nauru, where people can go there … the situation [high court loss] will not occur again, because we now have the agreement with Nauru.

Police say they do not believe the death of a homeless man in Melbourne’s east this week was suspicious.

The man was found dead with burn injuries in parkland in Donvale on Tuesday afternoon. Arson squad detectives attended the scene but not homicide detectives. After a postmortem examination on Wednesday, police said they would not be treating his death as suspicious.

The man has still not been formally identified so his next of kin are not aware. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

The local government. Manningham Council, had not been notified of anyone sleeping rough in the area before the man was found. A council spokesperson said:

double quotation mark We’re deeply saddened by the death of a person in Donvale,. our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

Everyone deserves the dignity of a safe and secure place to live. We recognise that homelessness and sleeping rough in public spaces is not illegal. We are continuing to work closely with a range of local service providers to support those experiencing homelessness,. those doing it tough in our community.

Thank you Nick Visser and hello readers, I’ll be steeering the blog for the next couple of hours.

That’s all from me. Luca Ittimani will take things from here. Take care!

NSW police force rife with ‘harassment, undermining and belittlement’ of women, review finds

Every female employee of the NSW police force who participated in a wide-ranging review into its culture had experienced or observed “overt or covert harassment, undermining. belittlement”, a scathing report has found.

Undertaken by former Victorian equal opportunity. human rights commissioner Kristen Hilton, the review – released Thursday – found a rampant culture of bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination existed within the force.

Many of those who had spoken out about the conduct feared being “punished” for doing so, the report said.

“Based on this data, it is clear that bullying, incivility, discrimination. victimisation are occurring at unacceptable levels within [the police force] and present systemic risk,” Hilton wrote.

“Many also acknowledged that things had improved over time in NSW police force.”