Politics news

• 'Like confetti': One Nation confusion has thrust NOM back into the spotlight

  25-08-2026 21:11 via abc.net.au
  
  Net Overseas Migration is a term that's often misunderstood, and the PM claims numbers are being thrown around 'like confetti'. So what exactly is the NOM, what kind of factors cause it to fluctuate, and where do the political parties stand?
  
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• Federal prosecutors decline to take on Luke Gosling assault charges

  27-08-2026 10:20 via abc.net.au
  
  An assault charge brought against federal Northern Territory politician Luke Gosling is up in the air after the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions declines to take on the case.
  
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• A GST deal and the NDIS blew out by billions — but one is sacred

  27-08-2026 08:26 via abc.net.au
  
  The Albanese government had a turbulent week with tussles over data centres and division within the Labor party over its humanitarian intake.
  
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• Five days later, Hanson still struggles to articulate migration policy

  27-08-2026 07:08 via smh.com.au
  
  Hanson again appeared to confuse net migration with permanent migration, creating more uncertainty about One Nation’s actual policy.
  
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• Six days later, Hanson still struggles to articulate migration policy

  27-08-2026 06:56 via smh.com.au
  
  Hanson again appeared to confuse net migration with permanent migration, creating more uncertainty about One Nation’s actual policy.
  
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• Pauline Hanson fumbles migration policy explanation

  27-08-2026 06:44 via smh.com.au
  
  The One Nation leader appeared to confuse different measures of migration during the News 24 Bush Summit.
  
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• We should work together: Hanson

  27-08-2026 06:13 via smh.com.au
  
  One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says her party and the Coalition should team up in a terse exchange with Nationals leader Matt Canavan.
  
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• 'Horrific slur': Greens MP threatens to sue Nationals rival in antisemitism row

  27-08-2026 04:54 via abc.net.au
  
  Two of WA parliament's biggest personalities are staring down the barrel of a legal fight, with Greens politician Sophie McNeill taking the first step towards suing Nationals counterpart Lachlan Hunter.
  
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• Greens MP seeks apology for 'horrific slur', threatens to sue Nationals rival

  27-08-2026 04:54 via abc.net.au
  
  Two of WA parliament's biggest personalities are staring down the barrel of a legal fight, with Greens politician Sophie McNeill taking the first step towards suing Nationals counterpart Lachlan Hunter.
  
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• ‘The country is starting to catch on’: Albanese warned that states deal will cost him votes

  27-08-2026 03:20 via smh.com.au
  
  South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has warned Anthony Albanese he could lose vital seats across the east coast if he fails to resolve how the GST is carved up among the states and territories.
  
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• Abbott says War Memorial shouldn’t ‘dwell on’ frontier conflicts

  27-08-2026 03:05 via smh.com.au
  
  “My own view is that [frontier conflicts] would be better done at the Australian National Museum rather than the Australian War Memorial,” the former PM said.
  
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• Wong says DFAT urgently seeking latest on missing Australians — as it happened

  26-08-2026 23:02 via abc.net.au
  
  The foreign minister says the government is also trying to ascertain if more Australians are missing in the area after flash floods wiped out villages in the Himalayas.
  
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• Live: Wong says DFAT urgently seeking latest on missing Australians

  26-08-2026 23:02 via abc.net.au
  
  The foreign minister says the government is also trying to ascertain if more Australians are missing in the area after flash floods wiped out villages in the Himalayas. Follow live.
  
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• Live: Queensland premier hails data centre carve-out for coal, gas use

  26-08-2026 23:02 via abc.net.au
  
  David Crisafulli welcomes an agreement to exempt his state from having to use renewable energy to power new data centres. Follow live. 
  
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• Live: PM says information from Nepal is 'difficult' following deadly flood

  26-08-2026 23:02 via abc.net.au
  
  The prime minister says getting information out of Nepal is "difficult" following a deadly flood that has killed more than 150 people. Follow live.
  
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• This dodgy $60b deal reeks. Now it’s being buried in pure bulldust

  26-08-2026 21:00 via smh.com.au
  
  An independent report finds the nation’s GST deal is a $60 billion mistake. Opponents are smothering those findings in a nauseating level of bulldust.
  
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• One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts defends White Australia party in latest controversial podcast

  26-08-2026 21:00 via smh.com.au
  
  One Nation MPs have given a series of different interpretations of their migration plan in recent days after elevating the issue of immigration for months.
  
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• Behind the energy brawl everyone wants the data centre boom

  26-08-2026 21:00 via abc.net.au
  
  As is so often the case in Australia, the politics came down to a fight over energy.
  
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• Albanese's rare concession in the energy wars is revealing

  26-08-2026 21:00 via abc.net.au
  
  As is so often the case in Australia, the politics came down to a fight over energy.
  
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• Best of cartoons, August 27, 2026

  26-08-2026 17:29 via smh.com.au
  
  The news of the day as interpreted by our talented artists, illustrators and cartoonists.
  
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• Queensland allowed to use coal, gas for data centres despite renewable push

  26-08-2026 11:04 via abc.net.au
  
  The state's premier says it is a "good win" for his state, which owns much of its own electricity infrastructure, while the federal government had previously demanded states use renewables as a standard. 
  
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• Premiers to demand more federal cash after Albanese’s refusal to change GST deal

  26-08-2026 10:34 via smh.com.au
  
  Sources inside Sydney’s national cabinet meeting told this masthead the GST was barely discussed, with frustrated premiers told by Canberra that the WA deal will not be discussed until next year.
  
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• He’s finally stood aside, but Gosling is still a headache for the PM

  26-08-2026 07:50 via smh.com.au
  
  Northern Territory MP Luke Gosling is the distraction Anthony Albanese doesn’t need. The prospect of a byelection in Solomon is real, and that would be a nightmare for the government.
  
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• 'Things are not OK': Indonesians express anger with government

  26-08-2026 06:55 via abc.net.au
  
  President Prabowo Subianto has given his government an "OK" report card as it nears two years in office, but not everyone agrees, with some civil society groups raising white flags and others forming a "shadow cabinet".
  
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• 'Avengers' and 'white flags': How Indonesians are voicing dissent against the government

  26-08-2026 06:55 via abc.net.au
  
  President Prabowo Subianto has given his government an "OK" report card as it nears two years in office, but not everyone agrees, with some civil society groups raising white flags and others forming a "shadow cabinet".
  
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• Coalition MPs want to slash tobacco tax by up to 80 per cent to tackle crime

  26-08-2026 04:30 via smh.com.au
  
  The Coalition’s tobacco taskforce argues black market cigarettes are now a matter of national security due to entrenched criminal-network supply.
  
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• Productivity Commission slams 'clowns' comments after GST report

  26-08-2026 04:18 via abc.net.au
  
  The Productivity Commission says the WA premier "crossed a line" with his criticisms of the body's interim report on GST, adding that political commentary from federal government ministers undermines the commission's integrity.
  
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• Rate rise back on cards despite a step down in inflation

  26-08-2026 04:15 via smh.com.au
  
  The Reserve Bank may have to deliver another interest rate rise with new figures showing inflation easing in July - just not enough.
  
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• Labor MP steps aside from envoy role after assault, bail charges

  26-08-2026 04:04 via smh.com.au
  
  Pressure had been mounting on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to have the Darwin MP Luke Gosling stand aside.
  
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• Labor MP steps aside from envoy role after alleged assault, bail charges

  26-08-2026 04:04 via smh.com.au
  
  Pressure had been mounting on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to have the Darwin MP Luke Gosling stand aside.
  
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