Good morning
Good morning and welcome to the live blog for Sunday. I’m Josh Taylor.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is headed to Washington today for the long-awaited meeting with US president, Donald Trump. You can read more about what is expected to come up at that meeting in this piece by my colleague Josh Butler.
AAP reports that thousands of people are expected to rally across Australia at counter-protests against anti-immigration demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said:
The far right is organised, violent and on the march. Yet political leaders refuse to grapple with the reality of white supremacy and racism that is threatening and harming First Nations people and people of colour every day.
A collection of unions and community groups has organised the counter-protest.
About 50,000 people reportedly gathered at March for Australia events across the nation in August, gaining significant media attention.
Parallel counter-demonstrations were also held on the same day.
Let’s get into it.
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Updated at 17.51 EDT
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Nationals leader calls for Joyce to stay in party
Nationals leader David Littleproud has called for Barnaby Joyce to remain with the party after the maverick MP announced his intention to quit, AAP reports.
Littleproud said Joyce still had a critical role to play within the party and urged him to stay inside the coalition.
“We want him to stay in the National Party. I think he has a contribution to make between now and when he retires,” Littleproud told Nine’s Today program on Sunday.
So obviously we all will be talking to Barnaby. We want to make sure that his contribution is a valued one within our party room, as everybody is.
The Nationals leader said Joyce had not tendered his resignation from the party. Littleproud said he was looking to speak to Joyce for contributions on policy.
I’ll be reaching out and having a conversation and making sure he understands that he, along with the rest of us, will play a very important role in shaping the coalition and helping the coalition rebuild.
We’ve got to make sure that we’re not just a party of protests, we’re a party that can govern and say to the Australian people, there’s an alternative way to address climate change.
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Nampijinpa Price says she’ll wait and see on speculation Joyce will join One Nation
Fellow Nationals defector and good friend Jacinta Nampijinpa Price insists she will wait and see rather than accept scuttlebutt that Barnaby Joyce is about to throw his lot in with Pauline Hanson, AAP reports.
Price, who also quit the minor Coalition partner to join the Liberals, only to be demoted from cabinet, declined to speculate when asked what Joyce’s likely move would be.
“I’d prefer to wait and see,” she told Sky News.
I’m a good mate of Barnaby’s but I’ll wait and see what’s real and what’s just another attempt to … keep this chatter and division going on with regard to the Coalition.
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Updated at 18.20 EDT
Much of the focus of politics today will be around former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce’s decision, communicated to his supporters, that he intends to quit the Nationals, and speculation he will join One Nation.
You can read more about this from my colleagues below:
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Updated at 17.52 EDT
John Howard says he’s ‘never met a multicultural person’
Former prime minister John Howard has told fellow former Liberal PM Tony Abbott that he’s “never met a multicultural person” just bicultural people, in an interview where he said the understanding of “assimilation” for migrants in Australia had moved away from a “sensible understanding”.
Howard told Abbott on Abbott’s Sky News documentary:
Now, to assimilate doesn’t mean you forget your mother culture … I’ve never met a multicultural person. I’ve met plenty of bicultural people.
Howard said his 2001 election slogan that “we decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come” was “given near universal support. Because it’s what people believe”.
Howard said Australia could remain an immigrant society by asserting “the centrality of the Australian compact to everyone who comes.”
The former PM also backed retaining Australia Day on 26 January, arguing that if it was changed to federation day of 1 January, it was unlikely Australians would be willing to give up new year’s eve..
ShareCait Kelly
Sydney man charged with child abuse material
A Sydney man has been charged over the alleged importation of a child-like sex doll and the production and possession of AI-generated child abuse material on multiple digital devices.
In a statement, the AFP said in mid-August, officers at the mail facility in Sydney identified a consignment for a targeted examination, originating from Asia.
Upon further inspection, officers located a child-like sex doll. The item was seized and as part of initial enquiries, officers executed search warrants in Lalor Park on 8 September 2025, where they spoke to the man, 59.
During the warrant activity, several items were seized, including digital devices and children’s clothing.
Subsequent investigations allegedly uncovered a significant amount of AI-generated child abuse material, along with documentation linked to the importation of a child-like sex doll.
The man was arrested on 16 Octoberand appeared before Blacktown local court on Friday, where he was refused bail. He is expected to appear before the same court on 20 October 2025.
AFP Detective Superintendent Luke Needham:
The message could not be clearer – if you engage in these horrific activities, you will be found, charged and prosecuted.
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Updated at 17.53 EDT
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to the live blog for Sunday. I’m Josh Taylor.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is headed to Washington today for the long-awaited meeting with US president, Donald Trump. You can read more about what is expected to come up at that meeting in this piece by my colleague Josh Butler.
AAP reports that thousands of people are expected to rally across Australia at counter-protests against anti-immigration demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said:
The far right is organised, violent and on the march. Yet political leaders refuse to grapple with the reality of white supremacy and racism that is threatening and harming First Nations people and people of colour every day.
A collection of unions and community groups has organised the counter-protest.
About 50,000 people reportedly gathered at March for Australia events across the nation in August, gaining significant media attention.
Parallel counter-demonstrations were also held on the same day.
Let’s get into it.
Share
Updated at 17.51 EDT
