Malcolm Roberts and Pauline Hanson address Canberra anti-immigration rally
AAP have pictures of the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, and senator Malcolm Roberts at the anti-mass immigration rally being held in Canberra:
Key events
Krishani Dhanji
New powers for Services Australia to waive debts incurred through family violence
Victim-survivors of financial abuse will no longer be saddled with social security debt from an abusive partner, following a change to the rules that will allow some of those debts to be waived.
The changes, announced this morning, are part of a push to protect those affected by family violence and coercive control from financial abuse by a partner.
Services Australia will now have the power to waive social security debts incurred as a result of family violence, but will also be able to consider circumstances including mental capacity, the impact of natural disasters and homelessness.
The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, said the social services system should “be a part of the solution, not part of the problem” for victim-survivors of family violence. She said:
Every victim survivor who relies on our social security system should feel like they can trust that the system will keep them safe. It should be part of the solution, not part of the problem …
This is an important first step toward our landmark election commitment to stop perpetrators using Commonwealth systems to abuse their partners.
Economic Justice Australia has “wholeheartedly welcomed” the change and says it will help victim survivors of family violence access justice, and leave abusive circumstances. Its chief executive, Kate Allingham, says:
People have had their measly social security payments further reduced to repay these debts, taking food off the table and adding significant financial pressure on families …
This change to the legislation is a no-brainer, and will result in a much fairer outcome for people in incredibly vulnerable and distressing situations.
Stephanie Convery
Melbourne: bottles thrown as opposing protests cross paths
The anti-immigration march and the counter demonstration have just met at the corner of Collins St and Elizabeth St. There’s a barrier of police between them, three rows deep, including police on horseback, but that hasn’t stopped verbal confrontation.
Someone has just thrown a bottle into the front line of the antifascist counter-rally – it smashed at their feet – and a can of beer has just gone flying over the police line towards the anti-immigration march.
Malcolm Roberts and Pauline Hanson address Canberra anti-immigration rally
AAP have pictures of the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, and senator Malcolm Roberts at the anti-mass immigration rally being held in Canberra:
Josh Butler
Canberra: anti-immigration protesters and counter-protest cause traffic delays
A crowd of what appears to be a few hundred has gathered and chanted at Canberra’s anti-immigration rally, on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin. With a view of Parliament House across the lake, several hundred people waved Australian flags or wore them as capes.
A smaller counter-rally across the road was kept separate by police, with officers forming a perimeter to keep the groups apart.
The counter-rally chanted phrases like “immigrants are welcome here”, as well as a chant ending in “walk into the fucking lake”.
The anti-immigration rally is making its way across the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, potentially toward Parliament House. At least one lane on the bridge looks blocked by police for protesters to march – it’s causing major delays on Canberra’s main arterial road from north to south, including a fire truck with lights and blaring sirens which is trying to make its way down the road.
Others didn’t walk across the bridge. Two young women in a car drove past the counter-rally, playing Men At Work’s Land Down Under on their stereo, singing loudly and raising their middle fingers at the counter-protesters.
Stephanie Convery
Melbourne: police in riot gear approach counter-protesters
The anti-immigration March for Australia rally has been stuck in at Flinders St intersection for a couple of hours now, while the counter rally has come down Swanston St but been stopped by police lines at Collins Street.
The tension is growing among those at Flinders Street. There are increasing chants of “let us march”, and disputes between people with loudspeakers about which way to march; some are trying to draw people down to the Shrine, others insist the destination is Parliament House, but it’s hard to see how that would happen with the police lines and counter demonstration.
Police in riot gear have started approaching the edges of the demonstration.
Anti-immigration rallies and marches are under way
Anti-immigration marches and rallies are getting under way now across Australia.
A livestream on the Instagram account of Free Palestine Melbourne – a group part of a counter rally in the city – is showing large crowds and constant and sometimes angry chanting, with a heavy police presence.
So far it appears the police have kept the opposing groups well apart.
Full statement from Dezi Freeman’s wife, Amalia Freeman
Here is the full statement from Amalia Freeman, the wife of Dezi Freeman, who is currently on the run from police after allegedly shooting dead two police officers.
On behalf of my children and myself, I wish to share our deep sorrow for the loss of the lives of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart on 26 August 2025.
We are truly sorry for your loss, and the suffering and grief that the families, friends and colleagues of Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson and Senior Constable De Waart are now experiencing. My children and I grieve for the loss of your loved ones.
My children and I respect the important work of Victoria Police and do not hold anti-authority views.
We echo the requests of the Victoria Police for the swift and safe conclusion of this tragedy.
I lend my full support to Victoria Police in their search for my husband and will co-operate with Victoria Police in any way that I can. Please Dezi, if you see or hear this, call 000 and arrange a surrender plan with the police.
If anyone is harbouring, helping or supporting Dezi, please call 000 immediately and speak with the police.
If anyone has seen Dezi or knows anything that may help the police to understand his whereabouts, even if it is just a snippet of information, please call 000 immediately.
“Please Dezi”: wife of alleged Porepunkah killer pleads for husband to surrender
The wife of Dezi Freeman – the man accused of shooting dead two Victorian police officers – has pleaded with him to surrender in a statement provided to the ABC.
Police have started the sixth day of the search for Freeman who is accused of killing two Victorian police officers.
According to the ABC, Freeman’s wife, Amalia Freeman, said she had “deep sorrow” for the deaths of the two officers. The statement said:
On behalf of my children and myself, I wish to share our deep sorrow for the loss of the lives of the detective leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart.
We are truly sorry for your loss and the suffering and grief that the families, friends and colleagues of the men are now experiencing.
My children and I respect the important work of Victoria Police and do not hold anti-authoritarian views.
The ABC said the statement had echoed the requests of Victoria police for “a swift and safe conclusion to this tragedy.” The statement added:
I lend my full support to Victoria Police in their search for my husband and will co-operate with Victoria Police in any way that I can.
Please Dezi, if you see or hear this, call 000 and arrange a surrender plan with the police.
Stephanie Convery
Melbourne anti-immigration rally starts
More here from our reporter Stephanie Convery who is in Melbourne at the scene of one of the anti-immigration marches taking place across the country. Police are trying to keep opposing groups apart.
The anti-immigration rally at Flinders Street intersection was supposed to start at 12pm but it was full of Australian flags by 11.30, and chants of “Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi”. A few placards: one reads “Mass immigration = silent invasion”. Police have blocked off Flinders St and Swanston St to the north of the intersection, which seems designed to keep two rallies apart.
There’s a man on a loudspeaker who is addressing his remarks directly to the police. It’s hard to hear what he’s saying but it seems to include something “in the name of the king”, which suggests pseudolaw rhetoric.
Volatile mood in Melbourne ahead of anti-immigration march
Stephanie Convery
A second antifascist counter-demonstration has already established itself at the intersection of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane, and are chanting while being pushed back, away from the anti-immigration rally by a line of police on horseback.
The mood is already quite volatile. I’ve just seen police push at least two protesters to the ground as they move them back.
Stephanie Convery
Pro-Palestine and antifascist groups gather in Melbourne ahead of anti-immigration march
I’m out the front of the State Library of Victoria where hundreds of people have gathered to protest against the far right and show solidarity with Palestine.
This weekend, the regular pro-Palestine rally has met earlier than usual and merged with an antifascist counter-demonstration to protest against the anti-immigration March for Australia, which is gathering at the Flinders Street station intersection.
The northernmost end of St Kilda Road from the National Gallery of Victoria and Queens Bridge has been blocked off since earlier this morning, and a large police presence established around and throughout Flinders Street station itself.
There are marches planned across Australia today, including at all the state capitals, many scheduled to start at noon. March organisers say there are more than 20 protests planned today.
Two stabbed in home invasion in ‘mistaken identity’ case in Sydney’s west
Police in Sydney’s south-west have reported a home invasion last night where a man and a woman were stabbed by two men who entered their home wearing face coverings, in what officers think was a case of mistaken identity.
Emergency services were called to a house at McCredie Road in Guildford West at 11pm last night and police established a crime scene.
NSW police say the two men fled the scene when neighbours intervened.
Three children under 10 were also in the home but were not injured. A 41-year-old man and 37-year-old woman living at the home were taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Police said the alleged invaders were seen getting in to a white sedan parked out the front of the home that was driven by a third person south along Lomond Street.
Police have asked anyone with information or who were in the area at the time with any available dashcam or mobile phone footage to contact Granville police station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
South Australia in world-first ban of fish-shaped soy sauce containers
They’re called shoyu-tai – the tiny fish-shaped soy sauce containers that have been a staple of sushi take-away joints for years.
But from tomorrow, they will be banned in South Australia in a world-first step. My colleague Eelemarni Close-Brown has this story.
Police reveal several reported sightings of alleged police killer Dezi Freeman
Police in Victoria looking for Dezi Freeman – the “sovereign citizen” who allegedly shot two police officers – say there have been several reported sightings of him.
The search for Freeman has started its sixth day this morning with hundreds of officers searching the bush around the town of Porepunkah.
Victoria police’s chief commissioner, Mike Bush, said none of the sightings had been confirmed as Freeman.
Police have charged a 61-year-old man arrested yesterday with possessing an imitation firearm and possessing cannabis, alleging the items were from the house they found him in.
Whether the man was associated with Freeman was part of inquiries, police said.
Comment ×