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Breaking: Multiple worshipers at a Lakemba mosque in NSW heckle PM Albanese. Other videos of the incident show people yelling "Allahu Akbar".

Just In: One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson tells Sky News that Australia should help the United States of America if called on by President Trump. “If we're close allies with them, then you stand united together to stamp out the evil that is happening throughout the world”. She went onto explain why dealing with the threat of radical Islam is also Australia's problem. “Trump is trying to get rid of the radicalism throughout the world, and (the Albanese government) think that it's not our problem." “It is our problem because we're taking in refugees from all around Gaza and from these countries (in the region)."

Breaking: 5 Iranian women’s footballers seek asylum in Australia after anthem protest and Gold Coast escape. Five members of Iran's women's national football team have applied for asylum in Australia after defecting from their delegation during the Women's Asian Cup, according to official sources. The players, who refused to sing their national anthem in a public act of protest, escaped alleged regime-linked minders at a Gold Coast hotel on Monday evening, triggering a security lockdown and intervention by the Australian Federal Police. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke travelled to Queensland to oversee the processing of their claims, highlighting the Australian government's direct involvement in this sensitive case was international implications. The players' refusal to sing the anthem during the tournament, hosted in Australia, drew immediate backlash from Iranian state media, which labelled them 'war traitors.' Eyewitness accounts describe chaotic scenes as protesters, some waving pre-revolutionary flags, surrounded the team's bus, with one player captured on video signalling for help. This act of defiance echoes broader protests against the Iranian government, including those sparked by women's rights issues. Details from departmental records indicate that the Department of Home Affairs initiated secret talks with the players shortly after their escape. Meanwhile, international appeals have amplified the case: a letter from Israeli Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel, urged Australian authorities to grant political asylum, emphasising the 'real threat to their freedom and even to their lives.' The letter, addressed to Australia's Chargé d'Affaires in Israel, called for protection based on shared democratic values. Additionally, Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince in exile, issued a statement declaring, 'The members of the Iranian Women’s National Football Team are under significant pressure and ongoing threat from the Islamic Republic. As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran. I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support.' Tony Burke is scheduled to issue a statement on Tuesday.

Just in: The Labor government will look into why a foreign Lebanese man had his visa to remain in Australia reinstated, despite engaging in paedophilia and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Just in: United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet is set to initiate Senate debate on a motion advocating for a referendum to constitutionally protect free speech in Australia. Australia's Constitution does not explicitly guarantee free speech, with protections derived from judicial interpretations. Babet's Constitution Alteration (Right to Free Speech) Bill, already introduced, proposes an amendment to bar the Commonwealth or states from enacting laws that limit freedom of speech, press, or other media. The motion, given as a notice under Senate general business rules, asserts that Australians deserve a referendum to decide on this change. Babet has also recently criticised the government's Antisemitism bill as 'rushed' as it's passage through both parliamentary houses took merely two days. He contends it dangerously expands state regulation of speech, opinions, and beliefs under the guise of combating hatred and extremism. On a statement on his website in relation to the bill he states that "Once speech is regulated, it is never the powerful who are censored first, it is critics and political opponents." \ Babet claims his bill aims to safeguard speech from being criminalised due to controversy or political inconvenience, ensuring open debate without fear of punishment.

Senate Today: The Albanese government has abandoned its proposed overhaul of Freedom of Information (FOI) laws after conceding it could not secure enough votes in the Senate. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on Thursday formally withdrew the bill in the upper house, telling senators the government did not have the numbers to pass the legislation in its current form. The bill proposed banning anonymous FOI applications, introducing new charges and expanding the grounds on which agencies could refuse some requests, including those deemed vexatious or frivolous. The government argued that increasingly large and complex requests were clogging the system and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and that potential misuse by AI bots and criminal or foreign actors threatened its viability. Gallagher told the Senate the government "will continue to engage on the final form" of changes and maintained it remained committed to "fixing the FOI system". Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash labelled the outcome a "win for democracy" and accused the government of being addicted to secrecy, saying the coalition would not support measures that would "silence Australians".

Just in: The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, is welcomed by Members of Parliament and Senators during a special sitting of Parliament in Canberra.

Breaking: The Albanese government has cancelled a $670,000 election commitment to the Taha Humanity Association of Victoria, a Melbourne-based Islamic community organisation, due to concerns about social cohesion. Labor MP for Bruce, Julian Hill, had pledged the funds during the last federal election for upgrades to the association's community centre in Dandenong and for programs including English language classes. Minister for Multicultural Affairs Anne Aly confirmed the cancellation on Wednesday afternoon, stating that the grant would not proceed. In her statement, Dr Aly explained, “Due to social cohesion concerns I’ve decided to not go ahead with a grant for the Taha Humanity Association. We are not proceeding with this election commitment.” The government's decision followed opposition questions in federal parliament on Tuesday, where the pledge was scrutinised. The opposition alleged that the centre was among organisations mourning the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting the review.

Australian Senator Defiant After Sanctions for Breaching Parliamentary Behaviour Code An independent panel has publicly rebuked Victorian @senatorbabet for failing to comply with sanctions imposed after he was found to have breached parliamentary standards through offensive social media posts, highlighting ongoing tensions over free speech in Australia's federal parliament. According to the Panel's statement released on 26 February 2026, Senator Babet, representing the United Australia Party, contravened paragraphs 8 and 10 of the code with posts on the social media platform X on 11 November 2024. The Panel deemed Babet's posts 'offensive, disrespectful and harmful' to parliamentary workplace participants. Sanctions required him to complete one-on-one training on safe and respectful workplaces by 20 December 2025 and enter a behaviour agreement pledging to avoid racist, homophobic, sexist or demeaning language until his term ends. The statement was issued because Babet failed to comply, as confirmed by Commissioners Mary Brennan, Barbara Bennett and Colin Neave. In response, Senator Babet posted a defiant message on X: 'They will never silence me, they will never get me to stop speaking the truth. Women do not have penises. Children cannot choose their gender or their sex. There is only one God and his son Jesus Christ died for our sins. The British empire was a force for good. If any of this offends you, I don’t really care Margaret.' This echoes the views that led to the sanctions, raising questions about the code's enforceability. Officials familiar with the process said the public release aligns with section 24GA of the Act, which allows statements when sanctions are not met, according to records reviewed. Politically, the episode underscores divisions within Australia's parliament over balancing free speech with protections against harm. Critics, including some conservative figures, argue the code stifles legitimate debate, while advocates for reform, such as women's rights groups, praise it as a step toward accountability. Experts in parliamentary procedure note that while the IPSC lacks direct punitive powers like fines, public shaming could pressure non-compliant members. In Babet's case the panels finding seems to have no impact on the Senators steadfast defence of free speech rights.

Just in: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has accused Labor governments at both federal and state level of planning to place returning ISIS brides inside a New South Wales prison. Hanson claims the Albanese government in Canberra and the Minns government in Sydney are preparing to use a renovated wing of the Windsor Women’s Correctional Facility to house women returning from territories formerly controlled by Islamic State. In a statement released on X Hanson has framed the alleged arrangement as a matter of public safety and cost, arguing that accommodating the women within the state’s correctional system would expose taxpayers to additional financial burden. “Just like Islamic extremists hide women with burqas, the Prime Minister and NSW Premier have thrown an almost-impenetrable veil over their plans to bring these women to our country." “I estimate housing these women as Category 5 inmates could cost taxpayers around $1800 day – or $650,000 per year – per prisoner. The question is: which taxpayers – Federal or NSW – are footing the bill? If they face life sentences, taxpayers are on the hook for tens of millions of dollars." Hanson’s criticism is directed simultaneously at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government and NSW Premier Chris Minns’s administration, which she says are working on the plan without openly disclosing details to the public. Her comments add to ongoing political contention over the management of Australians repatriated from conflict zones linked to Islamic State, particularly women and children described in public debate as “ISIS brides”. “These women must be left in Syria. They freely chose to break our laws and travel to the Middle East and join in the depraved barbarity that was the hallmark of the so-called Islamic State ‘caliphate’. Australians don’t want them back.” The claim centres on Windsor Women’s Correctional Facility in north‑west Sydney, where Hanson says a refurbished section that appears to be earmarked for the cohort of returning women.

Just in: Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young wants to give the eSafety Commissioner more power. She claims that Big Tech social media companies like @X and Meta, and their CEOs @elonmusk and Mark Zuckerberg , are merchants of hate who use their algorithms to spread misogyny, racism, and hate. Hanson-Young proposes taking control of the algorithm and forgoing debates about freedom of speech in order to protect Australians. The debate is taking places against a backdrop where the the eSafety commissioner has lost multiple legal cases against media companies and Australians for misusing their power to shut down political free speech.

Just in: Greens Senator David Shoebridge who opposes US/Israel military action against the Iranian regime opting instead for the status quo, suggests the best thing Australia can do is bring in more Iranian refugees, and help Iranian Australians already in the country bring in their family members to escape what he identifies as an oppressive regime.

Breaking: Australian government agencies will be asked to hand over internal documents relating to Australian citizens named in the Epstein files, after the Senate voted in favour of motions moved by Liberal senator Alex Antic. Senator Antic announced that the upper house had voted in favour of his orders for the production of documents directed at three central portfolios: the Department of Home Affairs, the Attorney‑General’s Department and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. "Tonight the Senate voted in favour of my motions to release documents to or from the Department of Home Affairs, Attorney General and Prime Minister and Cabinet relating to the release of documents regarding Australian citizens referred to in Epstein Files." Senator Antic (Source: X) The motions seek material held by those departments concerning Australian citizens referenced in documents released by the United States Department of Justice about the late Jeffrey Epstein. Antic has previously told the Senate that millions of pages were recently made public in the United States relating to Epstein.

Parliament Today: Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has asserted once again that the Labor Government is not assisting a cohort of "ISIS brides" attempting to return to Australia, while answering repeated questions from the Opposition on whether assistance has been provided. Eyebrows have been raised as to how more than 30 passports were created for the cohort, and given to a middleman with ties to Tony Burke, if the government were not involved.

Just in: Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi has called out PM Anthony Albanese for calling Grace Tame "difficult" but not calling Pauline Hanson's One Nation racist, Islamophobic and hateful.

Just in: Australian Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters blames the Trump Organisations and a proposed plan for a private enterprise in QLD to build a hotel and residence in the future for Australia's current housing crisis.

Just In: Australian Greens Senator David Shoebridge contends that the United States of America and President Donald J Trump is far more violent, dangerous, and a threat to world peace, than any other country on earth.

Coalition senator Alex Antic will move to force the release of government documents on any Australian links to Jeffrey Epstein, arguing the public should know what agencies were told by US and other foreign authorities and when. thecontext.news/coalition-sena…

Greens leader Larissa Waters has accused the Labor government of endorsing US and Israeli air strikes on Iran that she said were “unilateral” and “in breach of international law”. Waters claimed the bombing included “schools” and had killed “over 100 schoolgirls”, and questioned how strikes on a hospital “have to do with peace”. She argued the attacks would not help Iranians seeking liberation from “a brutal regime”, saying civilians would bear the cost and warning foreign powers were not acting out of concern for human rights. The Greens leader said there was a likelihood targeting involved “direct or indirect assistance” from Pine Gap and North West Cape, raising fresh questions about how US-Australian facilities operate during conflicts. She demanded Labor confirm whether any intelligence was used, rule out further cooperation, and stop refusing to answer media questions. Waters also linked her critique to Labor’s 2003 and 2014 Iraq war statements, warning history would judge the government’s stance.