Ley says Coalition’s migration principles will include ‘issues around language and values’ – as it happened

4.24am GMT What we learned - Sunday 30 November This is where we’ll wrap things up for today, but first a recap of the main events: The LNP triumphed at a state byelection in the north Queensland electorate of Hinchinbrook after a big swing. Pauline Hanson addressed the crowd at a Melbourne anti-immigration rally. Yesterday crowds chanted “we are Charlie Kirk” at the Sydney anti-immigration rally. A Guardian Australia journalist was searched without warrant in Melbourne under new extended police powers at the Melbourne rally. David Littleproud said the Nationals movement is “bigger than any individual” after Barnaby Joyce’s defection from the party. Katy Gallagher described attending Albanese’s wedding. An overseas couple were arrested over an alleged $1m Sydney casino fraud. Greenpeace activists have scaled and blocked a second coal ship during the Rising Tide People’s Blockade, and later a third ship. A person has died and another is in a critical condition after a car rolled in New South Wales’ southern tablelands. A pilot has died after a mid-air plane collision in southern Sydney. Border force reported a nationwide system outage, which was later restored. Jess Wilson will remain Victorian shadow treasurer alongside opposition leader, announcing a shadow frontbench reshuffle today. And Sussan Ley has promised to make public the Coalition’s migration principles, which she today flagged will include “issues around language and values”. We’ll be back with the news blog bright and early tomorrow. Updated at 4.44am GMT 4.19am GMT ‘It was to just say we are here’: how kayakers blocked oil tankers at Rising Tide protesters The Rising Tide protest often feels more like a party than a protest. Thousands have gathered on the beach waving flags calling for climate action, while others watch bands playing on a stage set up in a park that peels back from the beach. Some among the crowd on the beach are wearing animal costumes, dancing in support of the hundreds of people kayaking in and out of the water while they await their chance to block a coal ship.Police boats hover just yellow buoys that mark the start of a maritime exclusion zone the NSW government put in place for the duration of the six-day event in an attempt to dissuade anyone from entering the shipping channel. So far, the protesters have successfully blocked three ships from entering the port. There was an attempt to block a ship earlier on Sunday, but it managed to get through. 65-year-old Alex Barratt, a professor of public health, was among the kayakers who paddled out on Sunday morning and attempted to stop that coal ship. Our idea was to take the channel, to peacefully protest. We’re really committed to being safe and non-violent, so it was to just say we are here. We want to stop this. So we went out beyond the yellow markers. We kayaked around in the channel … our hope was that we would block the channel for long enough that the ship would not be able to come in. Barratt was arrested and charged for breaching the exclusion zone. Asked why she decided it was worth being arrested to send her message of wanting Australia to transition away from extracting and exporting fossil fuels, she said: I’ve tried everything else, and it doesn’t feel like they’re listening. I can’t abandon my children and everyone else’s children to a future of a destroyed climate. We just have to keep on fighting, even if it feels hopeless. Updated at 4.31am GMT 4.09am GMT Ley considers language and values tests under upcoming Coalition migration policy Stronger language and values tests could form part of the Coalition’s migration policy, which it will reveal within weeks. Sussan Ley has promised to make public the Coalition’s migration principles, which she today flagged will include “issues around language and values”. It was in response to questions on comments from her shadow home affairs minister, Jonathon Duniam, to the Sunday Telegraph that test standards “do need to be improved”. Speaking to reporters in Tasmania earlier this morning, Ley was pushed on whether the Coalition would implement rules or incentives to get more migrants into regional areas, but she remained tight-lipped, saying the policy would be announced by the end of the year. Ley also criticised the government for not planning and providing enough infrastructure to house migrants. This government has not got the balance right. It is not a failure of any migrant or migrant community. It is a massive failure of Labor governments to build the infrastructure we need. Updated at 4.21am GMT 4.05am GMT Air New Zealand Airbus planes back in service after emergency recall Air New Zealand’s chief safety and risk officer, Nathan McGraw, has confirmed all the airline’s planes have received the required software update after A320 Airbus aircraft were recalled yesterday: All Air New Zealand A320 aircraft currently in operation have now received the required software update, and our fleet has returned to normal operations. Across the weekend, 27 flights were cancelled while we completed the update process. We would like to thank customers who travelled during this time for their patience. We know changes to travel plans are frustrating, and we are grateful for the understanding shown to our teams as they worked to minimise disruption, complete the updates as quickly as possible, and keep people moving wherever they could. We do not expect any ongoing impact from the weekend’s disruption, and services are now operating as normal. Updated at 4.09am GMT 3.51am GMT Pauline Hanson addresses crowd at Melbourne anti-immigration rally The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has addressed the Put Australia First rally, which has set up a speaker truck at Flagstaff Gardens. “We are all Australians together,” Hanson said, saying she was fighting against “those activists who want to shut us down for who we are”.Hanson blamed “multiculturalism and globalisation” for “dividing us”, and repeated contested claims that immigration was responsible for housing unaffordability and unemployment. That’s why you have the problems of getting jobs and the problems that we have in Australia. A lot of that comes from high immigration. Hanson’s speech was greeted with huge cheers from the small crowd – about 200 people.Organiser Monica Smit is in the crowd and was at the front of the rally behind the banner for much of the march. She also attended the event in Sydney yesterday. Updated at 3.59am GMT 3.49am GMT ABF confirms it has restored system outage affecting airports The Australian Border Force (ABF) has confirmed it experienced a technical system outage which has now been restored. It’s still investigating the cause of the issue. In a statement a spokesperson for the ABF thanked travellers for their patience: The Australian Border Force has been working to restore a technical system outage, impacting passengers nationwide this morning. The issue has been resolved at all airports and all systems are back online. The cause of the technical issue remains under investigation.” It didn’t provide any more details on the nature of the outage. Brisbane airport has told Guardian Australia the outage affected two flights – to Auckland and Hong Kong – which were delayed. A spokesperson for the airport said its operations have now returned to normal. Systems were impacted for approximately one hour, affecting both inbound and outbound passengers at the International Terminal. Updated at 3.56am GMT 3.40am GMT Jess Wilson to remain Victorian shadow treasurer alongside opposition leader In a highly unusual move as part of the Victorian opposition cabinet reshuffle, the new leader, Jess Wilson, opted to remain shadow treasurer. Asked how she would carry the load, the opposition leader said she would be working every day and she was the “best person” for the job. I’m proud to take on the role as shadow treasurer. Because if we don’t fix the books, the rest of the issues that are facing Victoria will not be able to be fixed. She also promoted key backer Brad Rowswell to education spokesperson, with the party’s upper house deputy, Evan Mulholland, shifting to transport infrastructure. Former tennis professional turned Nepean MP Sam Groth, who remained the party’s deputy leader in a tight vote, has returned to his previously held position of major events, sports and tourism. He will also pick up trade investment but loses public transport, as well ports and freight. There was no room on the frontbench for former party leader John Pesutto or outspoken upper house MP Moira Deeming. – AAP Updated at 3.55am GMT 3.26am GMT Victorian Liberal leader makes frontbench peace offering to Brad Battin Victoria’s new Liberal leader has extended an olive branch to the man she toppled, naming him in a reshuffled frontbench, AAP reports. Under the cover of the opening of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel, the opposition leader, Jess Wilson, unveiled her shadow cabinet on Sunday after Brad Battin was ousted from the top job earlier in November. The 35-year-old handed Battin his old role of police and corrections spokesperson. She told reporters: Brad has so much to offer. As a former police officer … it feels right to put him into that role. The snap coup against Battin was partly blamed on his inability to prosecute the state government on issues apart from crime. Former deputy David Southwick was shunted into the portfolios of housing and planning to make space for Battin. Those roles belonged to Battin’s ally Richard Riordan, who now finds himself out of shadow cabinet. First-term MP Renee Heath was elevated to replace him. Updated at 3.44am GMT 3.13am GMT Climate activists stop third coal ship at Port of Newcastle Climate activists have stopped a third coal ship from entering the Port of Newcastle during a six-day annual climate protest. Thousands of people have gathered at Rising Tide’s annual climate protest at the world’s largest coal port. It began on Thursday and will continue until Tuesday. Just after 1pm on Sunday, dozens of people kayaked into the channel to block a coal ship that was scheduled to pass through the port, while hundreds stood cheering on the beach, chanting “Block the port!”. It was the second ship to be turned around by the group, after another was blocked on Saturday. A police officer was on the shore warning people via a megaphone that they risked breaching the marine safety act if they entered the channel. The group said police arrested 28 people. It’s not yet known how many were charged. Greenpeace activists, in support of Rising Tide’s demands, blocked another coal ship earlier on Sunday after three activists allegedly secured themselves to a ship’s anchor ships and the side. Updated at 3.23am GMT 2.58am GMT Nationwide airport technical problem ‘resolved’ Following our last post about a border force systems outage, Melbourne airport has told Guardian Australia that it has been advised that the issue is now resolved. In a statement, a spokesperson said: Australian Border Force has advised than an earlier technical issue that affected its border processing systems nationwide has now been resolved. We are currently prioritising flights to manage passenger flows as we work to ease congestion. We appreciate passengers’ patience as the ABF worked to resolve this issue. Guardian Australia has contacted Australian Border Force for more details. Updated at 3.10am GMT 2.54am GMT Border Force reports nationwide system outage International travellers are facing delays at Australian airports. It’s understood Australian Border Force has been experiencing a nationwide system outage.A Melbourne airport spokesperson has told Guardian Australia it has been affected by the outage, and has been prioritising passengers based on their flights.We’ve contacted the ABF for more information and we’ll bring you more information as it comes. It follows dozens of flights being cancelled across Australia yesterday due to a global recall of Airbus A320 planes. Related: Jetstar cancels 90 domestic flights across Australia after global Airbus A320 recall Updated at 3.15am GMT 2.24am GMT Protesters vastly outnumbered by police at Melbourne anti-immigration rally There’s a very large police presence in Melbourne’s CBD today. We mentioned earlier that they outnumbered protesters, but the ratio by which they exceed protesters is huge. We’ve just watched about 100 officers walk up Bourke Street and now they have gathered at the intersection of La Trobe and Queen streets in large numbers, with riot police, horses, cars and trucks to block off what we expect is the leftwing counter protest, coming from the opposite direction to the rally (though from our vantage point we can’t see it). Updated at 2.27am GMT 2.07am GMT Pilot dies after midair plane collision in southern Sydney A pilot has died after a plane crash in Sydney’s south, after two plane collided mid-air, resulting in one of the planes crashing in bushland. Police say emergency services responded to the reports of a crash in the vicinity of the Napper Field airfield at Wedderburn, near Appin, at 11.50 this morning. Emergency services say they located the body of the pilot, who is believed to be the sole occupant of the aircraft, while the other plane landed safely at the airfield. The other pilot was uninjured. The other plane landed safely at the airfield, and the pilot was uninjured. Police say officers have secured the two areas, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will investigate the cause of the incident. Updated at 2.23am GMT 1.43am GMT Police revise down Sydney anti-immigration rally attendance Police have revised down their crowd estimates at the Put Australia First rally on Saturday – to 100 attenders. The rally, held at Belmore Park in Sydney’s CBD, was initially estimated to have about 500 attenders. Today, the police have said there were no more than 100 people in attendance at the rally’s peak. Authorities also confirmed there were no arrests. Updated at 2.07am GMT 1.37am GMT Government to crack down on subscription traps and drip pricing The government will crack down on unfair trading practices, subscription traps and drip pricing, and introduce legislation next year. These are all things you’re probably familiar with – getting stuck in subscriptions where companies make it difficult to get out, or trying to buy a ticket to an event where the price suddenly jacks up at the checkout because of extra service and processing charges (that’s drip pricing). Assistant minister for competition, Andrew Leigh, has given a speech today talking about the unfair practices and what the government will do about them. Consultation will begin next year, before the legislation comes a bit later. Leigh said: Australians should be able to understand what they are paying for, rely on the information presented to them and exercise a genuine choice to enter or leave a service. The term ‘dark patterns’ emerged to describe design techniques crafted to influence behaviour … These patterns include nudging people into ongoing subscriptions where they wanted a one-off purchase, making it harder to cancel than to sign up, and hiding key information until late in the process. These techniques exploit well-known cognitive biases: loss aversion, optimism bias, inattention and fatigue. Leigh says the ban on unfair trading practices will focus on cracking down on the underlying conduct that will, “capture practices that unreasonably distort or manipulate a person’s ability to make informed decisions, or that interfere with the exercise of choice.” 1.17am GMT Guardian Australia journalist searched without warrant in Melbourne under new extended police powers A Guardian Australia multimedia journalist – who is wielding a large video camera and mic – has just been patted down and searched for weapons by police while filming at the Put Australia First rally in Melbourne. Police conducting the search gave her a printed flyer that includes a map of the designated area explaining that until 29 May next year, police and protective services officers have the right to search “you, your vehicle or thing in your possession” for weapons. Civil liberties groups and human rights advocates have said the extension of these law enforcement powers in the city for such a significant amount of time is a “vast overreach”. Related: ‘Vast overreach’: police allowed to conduct warrantless pat-downs of people across inner Melbourne for six months Updated at 1.22am GMT 12.54am GMT There will be ‘ups and downs’ in public service staffing: Gallagher Jumping back to Katy Gallagher’s interview this morning on Sky News, the finance and public service minister has been under pressure to explain a directive to all departments to find savings. What was initially reported as a 5% cut to all departments, Gallagher has said is a directive to find the 5% of lowest priority spending. The biggest question Labor (who went hard on the Coalition during the last election campaign for pledging thousands of public service job cuts) is facing is whether this will lead to redundancies. Gallagher says there will be “ups and downs” in staffing levels – but that the average staffing level is where it should be. If you’re asking me, if that 5% exercise that we’re doing is going to result in job losses, I can say … that is not what this exercise is about. As to whether there are ups and downs, and I’ve said this consistently over the last three years across departments, that will fluctuate a little, but it won’t – as programs come to an end as departments change their what they’re doing – all of that does matter on how many, you know, individual ASL [average staffing level] they have … but broadly across the APS, I would expect the APS to remain largely the same. Updated at 1.14am GMT 12.36am GMT Rightwing protesters gather in Melbourne for Put Australia First rally Protesters are gathering at the intersection in front of Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station for the Put Australia First rally, a rightwing event that claims to be protesting for “immigration reform”, “freedom from an enforced digital ID” and “affordable energy”. At 11.30am, there were more police than protesters in front of the station, and multiple lines of water-bollards cordoning the area off in two directions – although people are moving freely past them with no lines being enforced yet. The demonstrators have been playing heavy metal songs with anti-Palestine lyrics through a loudspeaker, and are draped in and waving Australian flags. As we reported earlier, a sister rally to this one was held in Sydney on Saturday, attracting a crowd of about 500 people. The rallies are led by anti-lockdown protester Monica Smit and others associated with the “freedom” movement. Smit has claimed this weekend’s rallies have no connection to August’s so-called March for Australia rallies, but the promotional videos on the Put Australia First website appear to link them. A video on the Put Australia First website includes a voiceover that states this weekend, “we will march again – the streets will be filled with Australian flags”. “After the mass rallies on 31 August, you tried to dismiss us,” the video states with footage from earlier rallies. Today’s speakers include a grab-bag of figures who emerged from the Covid anti-lockdown movement, and a virtual appearance from the British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was behind the Unite the Kingdom march in London. In a late announcement yesterday, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson was added to the Melbourne speaker lineup. It makes the full list 13 speakers long. Updated at 4.07am GMT 12.34am GMT One dead in southern NSW after car rolls over on Hume Highway A person has died and another is in a critical condition after a car rolled in New South Wales’ southern tablelands. About 6.45am today this morning, emergency services were called to the Hume Highway at Gunning after reports a vehicle had left the roadway and rolled. In a statement police said: A passenger of the vehicle was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics; however, died at the scene. The driver was treated at the scene before being airlifted to Canberra Hospital in a critical condition. Officers attached The Hume Police District established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the crash. A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner. All southbound lanes of the Hume Highway at Gunning are closed and diversions are in place. Updated at 1.13am GMT 12.17am GMT Scenes from Melbourne Metro Tunnel opening day If you’re interested what Melbourne’s new Metro Tunnel looks like, here are some pictures of people arriving at Arden station on this auspicious day of the opening of the tunnel rail line: You can read more about what this will mean for the city’s commuters here: Related: The Metro Tunnel will finally open after years of chaos – so what is the payoff for the Melbourne commuter? Updated at 12.27am GMT 11.48pm GMT ‘If the government won’t act, the people will’, says protester who boarded coal ship Dr Elen O’Donnell, a Greenpeace activist who boarded the vessel, said: We are taking action today, alongside thousands of people who have joined Rising Tide’s blockade, to show Australia’s leaders that if the government won’t act, the people will. Australia is the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter, and its outsized role in the climate crisis calls for serious action. Every shipment of coal that leaves this port contributes to more devastating bushfires, floods and cyclones. As a doctor, I have seen first-hand the impacts of climate disasters on people in Australia and around the world – I’ve seen how our government’s obsession with fossil fuels is harming people and killing our planet. From the side of this vessel we can see ships far out to the horizon, many of them on their way to collect coal. These industries, and the Australian people, are owed a clear plan and timeline for the phase-out of coal and gas. We are risking arrest because we don’t want a future reliant on coal and gas. Updated at 12.33am GMT 11.47pm GMT Activists block second coal ship from entering Newcastle port at Rising Tide blockade Greenpeace activists have scaled and blocked a second coal ship during the Rising Tide People’s Blockade. Three activists are secured to the anchor chain and sides of the ship, stopping its operations, and have unfurled the five-metre-long banner in a peaceful protest with a message to the Australian government: “Phase Out Coal and Gas”. Australian musicians Oli and Louis Leimbach from Lime Cordiale joined the action with Greenpeace while activists painted a message to the Australian government on the ship’s side, using non-toxic soluble paint, reading: “TIMELINE NOW!” Related: Police charge 11 protesters after climate flotilla prevents coal ship from entering Newcastle harbour Updated at 12.33am GMT 11.37pm GMT Overseas couple arrested over alleged $1m Sydney casino fraud A couple have been charged for allegedly fraudulently winning more than $1m at a Sydney casino. Police say the day the pair arrived in Sydney from Kazakhstan in October, they applied for memberships to a casino in Barangaroo. Over the course of multiple visits to the casino, the couple won a total of $1,179,412.50, which raised the suspicion of the casino. On Thursday the 36-year-old woman was observed by casino staff wearing a small discreet camera attached to her shirt, leading police officers to arrest the woman and her 44-year-old husband. Police say they located on the pair “small, magnetised probes, batteries, and a mobile phone with a fitted attachment that allowed the camera function of the phone to discretely view, capture or record images.” They also seized a “small custom-made mirror attachment for the same mobile phone.” The couple were each charged with dishonestly obtain financial advantage etc by deception. In a statement police said: It will be alleged, with their mobile phones capturing images of the table, the pair were communicated with using deep seated earpieces through which they received instruction to wager on various card games and ultimately cheat the casino. A subsequent search warrant was carried out at their accommodation on Kent Street in Sydney, where police located other gambling props, high end jewellery, and $2000 euro dollars. Updated at 11.52pm GMT 11.29pm GMT Gallagher describes ‘lovely’ Albanese wedding, says Lodge location ‘appropriate’ We’re getting a little more reaction to Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon’s wedding yesterday – which was top secret, and held at the PM’s residence. Cabinet minister Katy Gallagher, who attended the wedding, described the event as “lovely” and “intimate” – though revealed she didn’t partake in the Jodie and Albo themed beers (not being much of a drinker herself). Speaking to Sky News this morning, Gallagher said it was “appropriate” for the couple to hold the ceremony at the Lodge in Canberra – particularly considering the safety concerns. It would be difficult if you’re prime minister to get married anywhere, to be honest. I think there was certainly some advice taken about security that needed to be taken into consideration. [They] very clearly looked at, you know, the appropriate use of the Lodge and paying for all of … the event. I think it meets all the necessary guidelines. But I think the Lodge also provided some safety and security for the event. Updated at 11.57pm GMT 11.15pm GMT Fireball erupts in Sydney waste facility We mentioned earlier firefighters are battling a massive factory blaze in western Sydney that could take days to extinguish. Here are some of the pictures Fire and Rescue NSW released of the huge fireball that erupted in the waste facility overnight: NORTH ST MARYS | ***VISION ALERT*** Huge fireball destroys waste facility as firefighters battle inferno. More than 200 firefighters have contained an inferno that has engulfed a waste facility factory overnight at North St Marys in Sydney’s wes... https://t.co/Z8EUgKVdD7— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) November 29, 2025 North St Marys | Smoke advisory - Residents living within 500 metres of the fire in Kurrajong Road, North St Marys, are being asked to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed to avoid harmful smoke.Locals are also asked to limit their recreational activities in the… pic.twitter.com/bvQWnLTY3O— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) November 29, 2025 Updated at 11.22pm GMT 11.05pm GMT ‘Good on him’: Littleproud congratulates Albanese on wedding Littleproud says he is “genuinely happy” for Albanese’s recent nuptials. It’s great to see the PM has someone who loves him and going to be with him. It is a tough and lonely job, being prime minister. I couldn’t be happier for the PM and Jodie. Jodie has already stepped up on the international stage and represented us in such a classy way for some time and now they’ve solidified their partnership with marriage and I think good on him. I hope he has a bit of a break now. I think we all need a break, but good on him and I wish him every happiness. I couldn’t be happier for the pair of them. Updated at 11.09pm GMT 11.02pm GMT Land clearing not a major threat to endangered species, Littleproud says Littleproud said he does not accept land clearing is a major threat to endangered species, despite the State of Environment report finding so. I think what you find particularly where I live – I’ve got the lived experience – out here there’s no one tearing up vegetation recklessly. They are managing regrowth so that they can produce your food and fibre so you don’t have a cost-of-living crisis. Updated at 11.21pm GMT 10.58pm GMT Littleproud suggests values test for temporary migrants would stop ‘importing hate’ Littleproud says a values test for new migrants – which the Coalition has flagged – wouldn’t hurt. Speers: What do you think about this idea of some sort of values test for people who are coming on temporary visas? There is already the citizenship test for those who want to become citizens, but if you are coming temporary visa, on any of these visas you are talking about, do think there should be some sort of values test? Is that a problem the moment? Littleproud: I don’t think it hurts … When you’ve seen the discord on streets, particularly of Sydney and Melbourne over the last two years since October 2023, I think there is a risk that we as Australians can’t import the hate that permeates in some other parts of the world. I think it’s important we make sure that when we do bring people from those challenged parts of the world, that they understand they are coming here with a responsibility to live up to the values and principles that our great country has been built on, with is migration, but how we have come together to be able to achieve a harmonious society for most of it and not allow that hate that permeates in some parts of the world to be imported in. Updated at 11.03pm GMT 10.52pm GMT Where did the $9tn figure come from? If you’re interested, you can read the statement issued by Net Zero Australia here back on 5 November: Different individuals and groups have been misrepresenting key cost estimates from the [Net Zero] Australia Project as ‘the cost of Australia reaching net zero’. These misrepresented costs have typically ranged from $1.5 trillion to $9 trillion.” Updated at 10.56pm GMT 10.47pm GMT Littleproud defends use of ‘misrepresented’ $9tn net zero figure Littleproud was asked whether he needed to stop using the $9tn figure, which comes from the Net Zero Australia Project, who have said it is a misrepresentation. Related: The $9tn cost to Australians: how a ‘misrepresented’ figure on net zero took on a life of its own Littleproud is continuing to defend his use of it, despite acknowledging the figure references foreign investment. Updated at 10.55pm GMT 10.32pm GMT Littleproud says Joyce’s future in parliament a matter for him Asked whether Barnaby Joyce should quit the parliament so that there can be a byelection, David 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 – and our polling shows this – the Nationals are holding up very strong in terms of our votes since the election because we have taken the time to get policy right. We could have taken the populist 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 to reduce emissions, than Labor’s $9tn net zero plan. Updated at 10.47pm GMT 10.25pm GMT 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 the 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. So, look, Barnaby hasn’t joined One Nation, but he has made a significant step. My door is always open and phone always on. I have no animosity towards Barnaby Joyce, I never have. The reality is he has made a decision after the fact that I challenged him after the 2022 election, as did Darren Chester, I won, I kept him on the frontbench. I made it clear after the 2025 election that there were others that needed to step up and to give an opportunity, like Ross Cadell, who has done a fantastic job in helping Matt Canavan land our emissions policy and make sure we have a future for the party. That hasn’t sat well with Barnaby, I accept that, but unfortunately when you’re leader, as he did, you have to make tough decisions about who is the in the team. But we can all still make a contribution when you’re in the team. Updated at 11.21pm GMT 10.17pm GMT 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. Updated at 10.27pm GMT 10.09pm GMT LNP claims north Queensland byelection win after big swing 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. Updated at 10.24pm GMT 10.08pm GMT 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. 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 Smit 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.” Updated at 11.16pm GMT 9.50pm GMT 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. Updated at 10.12pm GMT 9.39pm GMT 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! Updated at 10.12pm GMT