David Littleproud says Barnaby Joyce broke contract with National party
Nationals leader David Littleproud is appearing on ABC Insiders after Barnaby Joyce’s defection from the party this week. Asked whether he will try to win him back or it’s good riddance, Littleproud says:
He hasn’t joined One Nation. It is disappointing that he has broken a contract with the National party and while he didn’t sit in a National party party room for the last four or five weeks, that is not something that is unusual. We’ve had other members that have done that, but the fact that he has taken a significant step to walk away from the membership, from the people who put him there, that invested their time for no financial gain, but belief in our movement. Our movement is bigger than any individual. It is about the collective and about those members that have put us there. Look, Barnaby hasn’t joined One Nation, but he has made a significant step. My door is always open and phone always on. I animosity towards Barnaby Joyce, never have.
The reality is he has made a decision after the fact, I challenged him after the 2022 election, as did Darren Chester, I kept him on the frontbench it clear after the that there were others that to step up and like Ross Cadell who has fantastic job in helping Matt Canavan land our emissions policy and make sure we have the party. That hasn’t sat well with Barnaby, I accept unfortunately as a leader, as [Joyce] did, you have to make tough decisions about who is the in the team. But we can all still make a contribution when in the team.
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Updated at 17.32 EST
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Asked whether Joyce should quit the Parliament so that there can be a by-election, Littleproud says it’s a decision for Joyce to make.
In the same line of questioning, asked whether Joyce is a rat from his perspective, Littleproud says “I don’t think commentary from the sideline helps anybody.”
Is he worried about the threat Joyce may pose should he go to One Nation?
You never take anything for granted in politics. I think the Nationals and our polling shows this. The Nationals are holding up very strong in terms of our votes since the election because we … get policy right. We could have taken the populous path and just said no to net zero, but we had to say why we were saying we were going to and I think we’ve landed an eminently better policy, a cheaper, better way, than Labor’s plan.
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David Littleproud says Barnaby Joyce broke contract with National party
Nationals leader David Littleproud is appearing on ABC Insiders after Barnaby Joyce’s defection from the party this week. Asked whether he will try to win him back or it’s good riddance, Littleproud says:
He hasn’t joined One Nation. It is disappointing that he has broken a contract with the National party and while he didn’t sit in a National party party room for the last four or five weeks, that is not something that is unusual. We’ve had other members that have done that, but the fact that he has taken a significant step to walk away from the membership, from the people who put him there, that invested their time for no financial gain, but belief in our movement. Our movement is bigger than any individual. It is about the collective and about those members that have put us there. Look, Barnaby hasn’t joined One Nation, but he has made a significant step. My door is always open and phone always on. I animosity towards Barnaby Joyce, never have.
The reality is he has made a decision after the fact, I challenged him after the 2022 election, as did Darren Chester, I kept him on the frontbench it clear after the that there were others that to step up and like Ross Cadell who has fantastic job in helping Matt Canavan land our emissions policy and make sure we have the party. That hasn’t sat well with Barnaby, I accept unfortunately as a leader, as [Joyce] did, you have to make tough decisions about who is the in the team. But we can all still make a contribution when in the team.
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Updated at 17.32 EST
Ariel Bogle
Speakers at anti-immigration rally attack emissions policy and claim protesters being ‘replaced’
Following on from the earlier post about yesterday’s Put Australia First rally in Sydney, a bit more information on speakers:
Speakers including Family First party’s Lyle Shelton canvassed topics including “mass immigration”, climate policy and freedom of speech to a crowd trying to find shade and a place to sit down on a 30-degree day.
The day’s MC, One Nation candidate Stuart Bonds, told the crowd they were deliberately “being replaced in our own nations” and that “net zero is modern slavery”.
“What will Australia become if we don’t stand up?” social media content creator Lauchlan Meyer asked the crowd. “A third-world shithole,” someone yelled back.
The event wrapped up with a rendition of Advance Australia Fair.
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Updated at 17.27 EST
LNP claims north Queensland byelection win after big swing
Andrew Messenger
LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa has triumphed at a state byelection in the north Queensland electorate of Hinchinbrook.
With 74% of the vote counted Chiesa has more than 41% of the primary vote, a swing of about 13%. An early unofficial count by the Electoral Commission of Queensland has him winning about 53% of the two-party preferred vote as counting continues.
The byelection was triggered by the resignation of long-term Katter’s Australian Party MP Nick Dametto, who is the new mayor of Townsville.
Former councillor Mark Molachino stood as the Katter party’s candidate. The LNP claimed that he would jump ship to Labor if he won, and compared him with controversial former Townsville mayor Troy Thompson.
Chiesa campaigned on a call for new laws requiring children to face mandatory jail time if they breach bail. Adults do not face any such provision.
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Updated at 17.24 EST
Ariel Bogle
Crowds chant ‘we are Charlie Kirk’ at Sydney anti-immigration rally
On Saturday, a crowd of about 500 gathered in Sydney’s Belmore Park for the “Put Australia First” rally.
A chant of “we are Charlie Kirk” broke out as the march snaked through Chinatown. A largely older crowd waved Australia flags, still creased from their plastic wrapping. “If you’re Australian, march with us,” one woman told onlookers.
At town hall, organisers played a four minute clip by British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was behind the “Unite the Kingdom” march in London. Anyone giving Hitler salutes, he said, was “funded by the government” to discredit the message.
Supporters gather during a ‘Put Australia First’ protest at Sydney town hall. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
The event followed the March for Australia anti-immigration marches in August, which turned violent and attracted controversy after being promoted and attended by neo-Nazis.
Organiser Monica Smith previously told Guardian Australia her march was distinct from those events.
She said Robinson, who co-founded the now defunct Islamophobic group the English Defence League and has convictions for violence, public order offences, and financial and immigration frauds, would “share his energy and patriotism”.
“You’re not a fringe group,” Robinson said in Saturday’s clip. “It’s not fringe to oppose sexual exploitation of children, to be against mass immigration, to be against Islam takeover, to defend your own culture.”
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Updated at 17.23 EST
Flames leap 15 metres into the air in huge factory fire
Firefighters are battling a massive factory blaze in western Sydney that could take days to extinguish, AAP reports.
The inferno at a facility containing chemical supplies in North St Marys started at about 11pm, sending flames 15 metres into the air and causing at least one explosion.
NORTH ST MARYS | Firefighters battle huge factory fire and Hazmat emergency. More than 185 Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters are battling a huge factory fire and hazardous materials emergency this morning at North St Marys in Sydney’s wes… https://t.co/LeXdNriFoS pic.twitter.com/fvlggGR6t9
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) November 29, 2025
About 50 fire trucks and 200 firefighters were involved in battling the blaze from three sides this morning, with hazmat units, monitoring drones and bulk water carriers also taking part in the operation.
Firefighters said they were working to stop the fire spreading to neighbouring buildings and handle any environmental risk posed by chemicals at the site.
The cause of the fire is not known.
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Updated at 17.12 EST
Good morning
Welcome to Guardian Australia’s Sunday live blog.
The Jetstar Airbus A320 planes that were recalled yesterday (leading to more than 90 domestic flights being cancelled) have all received the necessary software update and services have resumed to normal this morning.
Meanwhile, a couple have been charged for allegedly fraudulently winning more than $1m at a Sydney casino. The pair arrived from overseas in October and over the course of multiple visits to the casino won a total of $1,179,412.50, which raised the suspicion of the casino.
The Melbourne Metro Tunnel also starts running this morning. More on that as it happens. Let’s jump straight in!
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Updated at 17.12 EST
