Key events5h agoWhat we learned, Tuesday 15 September7h agoKing accuses Hanson of ‘gaslighting’ Indigenous Australians and prime minister8h agoGold Coast mayor tells journalist to ‘fuck off’ during press conference8h agoNassif threatens to pull out from Icac hearings mid-rant8h ago‘I am not corrupt’: Jean Nassif declares innocence8h agoImmediate action taken against Labor staffer Muldoon ‘appropriate’, PM says9h agoNot question time, but ‘smears’ time: Albanese10h agoNDIA announces voluntary redundancies for first time since creation11h ago‘We never spoke about a gas reservation policy’: Hanson denies Guardian report11h agoHanson offers qualified apologies to Albanese and Indigenous Australians11h agoHanson denies migration plan will send country into recession12h agoTaylor says One Nation’s comments fail ‘basic test on decency’12h agoSydney Sweeney ad for US gambling company ‘pretty disgusting’, Steggall says13h agoQueensland to ban ‘green groups’ from objecting to mining projects13h agoQueensland to introduce new crackdown on parole14h ago‘Up to the Coalition’ to team up with Labor on immigration, Chris Bowen says14h agoCampuses would shut down under One Nation plan, university peak body warns15h agoHanson should apologise for ‘deeply hurtful’ comments, says McCarthy16h agoMalinauskas still optimistic about steel making in South Australia16h agoO’Neil defends transport minister’s top-tier Qantas membership16h agoBarnaby Joyce says One Nation will pursue immigration policy ‘no matter the cost’17h agoAndrew Hastie says Pauline Hanson hasn’t ‘had the courage’ to front media17h agoChris Bowen downplays reintroduction of fuel excise relief amid renewed surge in oil prices17h agoAlbanese speaks with King Charles17h agoWelcomeWhat we learned, Tuesday 15 SeptemberAchol ArokThat’s a wrap on our live coverage for today!Before we go, let’s take a look at the day’s top headlines:
 
  Pauline Hanson has offered a qualified apology for her comments about Indigenous Australians and about Anthony Albanese’s mother – both which have been widely condemned.
 
  Chris Bowen has watered down any expectations that a renewed rise in oil prices will lead to the reintroduction of the federal government’s fuel excise relief.
 
  Clare O’Neil has defended her colleague, the transport minister Catherine King, after it was revealed the latter had accepted a lifetime membership to Qantas’s top-tier membership, the platinum Frequent Flyer rewards.
 
  Independent MP and former Winter Olympian Zali Steggall has joined the chorus of criticism against an ad for a US sports wagering company featuring actor Sydney Sweeney.
 
  Universities Australia has warned One Nation’s plan to drastically cut down international student numbers will lead to campuses shutting down and domestic students missing out.
 
  The National Disability Insurance Agency has announced voluntary redundancies for the first time since its creation in 2013.
 
  Queensland’s state government has flagged a new crackdown in the state’s parole system under legislation introduced into state parliament today.
 
  “Activists” and “green groups” will be banned from objecting to Queensland mining projects, under new legislation introduced into parliament today.
 
  Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif has fronted the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption after an explosive appearance on Monday.
 
  The Gold Coast mayor, Tom Tate, swore at an ABC journalist before storming out of a press conference after a series of questions about his trip to Mar-a-Lago to spruik an ultimately doomed $1.5bn plan for a Trump hotel on the Gold Coast.
Thanks for sticking around, we’ll see you tomorrow morning.Australian fashion brands Cue and Veronika Maine face collapseLongtime Australian fashion brands Cue and Veronika Maine are facing collapse after being placed under the control of receivers and managers.The company’s parent said the decision followed “a difficult period”.In a statement, a spokesperson for Hilco Capital said:
 double quotation markIt is a disappointing outcome, but the only available course of action given the circumstances.
 Our intention has always been to fund Cue to restore growth and profitability. This appointment will now provide an opportunity for a new owner to carry the Cue and Veronika Maine brands forward.
 I want to acknowledge the efforts of all the staff during a challenging period and thank them for their continuing support of these great Australian fashion brands.
Human Rights Commission condemns Hanson’s comments about Indigenous AustraliansThe Australian Human Rights Commission has joined widespread condemnation of Pauline Hanson’s offensive comments about Indigenous Australians.The commission said the comments contradicted Australia’s shared values of “fairness, dignity and respect” and had “no place in the national conversation”.The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner, Katie Kiss, said:
 double quotation markSuch commentary is a tactic to divide us at a time when we need to come together. In fact, people have come together over the past 24 hours, across the political spectrum, to criticise the senator’s comments.
 For that, I am heartened. But the harm caused should not be underestimated.
The race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, added:
 double quotation markWhether our ancestors arrived more than 200 years ago, or we are recent migrants, we all live on lands and waters that were maintained by and hold the cultures of First Peoples. Recognising that gives us strength and brings us together. Denigrating First Peoples does the opposite and lessens all of us.
 When public figures use language that dehumanises entire groups of people, it causes real harm. History has shown that when people are portrayed as less deserving of dignity, respect or belonging, discrimination and exclusion are more likely to follow.
Sivaraman said the incident reinforced the commission’s recommendation in the National Anti-Racism Framework for anti-racism training for all parliamentarians.Three-year-old girl dies after being hit by car in Sydney’s westA three-year-old child has died after being hit by a car in Auburn, in Sydney’s west, on Tuesday afternoon.Emergency services were called to Normanby Road at about 2.05pm following reports that a child had been struck by a vehicle entering a driveway.Paramedics treated the girl at the scene before taking her to Westmead hospital in a critical condition. She later died from her injuries.Police said the 27-year-old male driver was not injured but was taken to Auburn hospital for mandatory testing.An investigation into the circumstances remains under way.King accuses Hanson of ‘gaslighting’ Indigenous Australians and prime ministerThe resources minister, Madeleine King, has accused the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, of “gaslighting” Indigenous Australians and the prime minister after Hanson offered a qualified apology for comments that have been widely condemned.Speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, King said Hanson’s apology was inadequate. She said:
 double quotation markThere is a way of apologising, isn’t there? … ‘Sorry if I caused offence’ is not really an apology.
 She says outrageous things about Indigenous Australians, disgusting things, and then walks back into this building and says she did not say it at all. That is gaslighting.
 What she said about the prime minister’s much-loved mother is beyond the pale, and a pseudo-apology is just pathetic on her behalf.
 Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPNSW police watchdog delays public examinations into alleged protest brutality investigationThe NSW independent police watchdog, the law enforcement conduct commission (Lecc), has delayed public examinations into its investigation of alleged police brutality, citing “a range of procedural issues”.In February, the Lecc launched Operation Makalu to investigate allegations arising from violent clashes between police and demonstrators at a protest against the visit of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog.The delay comes two weeks after the leak of police body-worn camera footage of the protest, which was shared widely on social media. The footage allegedly shows a male police officer telling colleagues during a 9 February protest at Sydney Town Hall: “I fucking pumped that cunt.”The commission has not specified when the public examinations will begin.In a statement, the Lecc said:
 double quotation markThe Commission had previously announced that any public examinations would start no earlier than September 2026. A range of procedural issues have now arisen, which the Commission must consider. As a result, public examinations will not be held in September 2026.
 The Commission will provide a further update on its investigation as soon as practicable.
Two WA teens charged after alleged Perth Zoo break-inWestern Australia Police have charged two teenage boys after an alleged break-in at Perth Zoo during which a crocodile was assaulted and property was damaged.Police allege the boys, aged 16 and 17, entered the zoo at about 7.15pm on Sunday. It remains unclear how they gained entry.The teenagers allegedly cut the locks on a crocodile enclosure before entering and striking the animal with a metal pole. They are also accused of damaging CCTV equipment inside the enclosure by removing the cameras from the wall.The incident was reported to authorities the following morning, before police arrested the teenagers at their separate homes.Both boys have been charged with two counts of criminal damage or destruction of property, one count of trespass and one count of animal cruelty.Andrew MessengerState politicians react to Guardian story about man Tasered in homeless clearanceQueensland politicians have reacted to Guardian reporting that a man was Tasered in a homeless clearance earlier in the month.The man attempted to kill himself after being ordered to leave a park north of Brisbane to make way for a kite festival. He was rushed to hospital, but discharged the next day.The opposition leader, Steven Miles, said the state government had “washed their hands of responsibility for the homelessness crisis that they’re contributing to”, blaming cuts to the state’s emergency fund for accommodation in hotels and motels. He said.
 double quotation markWe’re seeing this situation get even worse. It’s pretty much every park across Moreton Bay, whether that’s Pelican Park in Redcliffe, all the way through to Fernie Grove, there’s more and more people popping up in those parks.
Miles said it wasn’t appropriate for a hospital to discharge a patient back into homelessness.Greens MP Michael Berkman said the case was “the end result of both major parties treating housing as a profitable commodity rather than a human right”. He said:
 double quotation markOur Government has created this vicious merry-go-round by underfunding housing, healthcare and community services.
 If this is how the system treats a homeless man with terminal illness, it makes you wonder how they’re treating other people who we just haven’t heard about.
The minister for correctional services, Laura Gerber, said she wasn’t familiar with the case but said the government prioritised community safety.Gold Coast mayor tells journalist to ‘fuck off’ during press conferenceAndrew MessengerGold Coast mayor Tom Tate has sworn at an ABC journalist before storming out of a press conference.ABC reporter Liam Walsh asked Tate a series of questions about his trip to Mar-a-Lago to spruik an ultimately doomed $1.5bn plan for a Trump hotel on the Gold Coast.Tate claimed to have met with the US president at his golf estate at the invitation of the Trump organisation – but no record of the invitation exists, the ABC said.Walsh asked Tate on Tuesday how much the trip cost. The mayor responded that “it’s private” and denied he got “mate’s rates”.Then the mayor asked the reporter why he was so aggressive and if he was with the ABC, which the reporter confirmed.“Fuck off,” Tate said, and walked out of the press conference.The hotel plan fell over in May, with the developer claiming the Trump brand was too “toxic” to work with.Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate pictured in 2023. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPAchol ArokGood afternoon!I’ll be here to guide you through the rest of the afternoon’s news.Krishani DhanjiThank you all so much for joining me on the blog today!I’ll leave you with the fabulous Achol Arok and see you here bright and early tomorrow.Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
 
  The opposition picked a broad bunch of questions (and was perhaps a bit all over the place) to target Labor with today, from the Whyalla steelworks, to a fundraising dinner attended by Albanese, to green hydrogen, to private health insurance rebates for over-65s.
 
  Albanese defended Australia’s democracy and his government’s transparency, in response to a question from Allegra Spender. His answer was essentially: well, at least it’s not as bad as it is overseas.
 
  The prime minister also said it was appropriate that a Labor staffer, and ex-Play School host, was stood down after old tweets disparaging Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and others were revealed.
 
  The opposition then tried and failed to table photographs of the staffer in question with Albanese.
 
  And Jim Chalmers defended Australia’s debt to GDP ratio with a line that boiled down to: well, it’s not as bad as it is overseas (… sound familiar?).
 
  Angus Taylor didn’t get a question in today, and no MPs were kicked out despite a somewhat loud and at times rowdy 75 minutes.
Nassif threatens to pull out from Icac hearings mid-rantFugitive property developer Jean Nassif has threatened to withdraw from the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s inquiries as the counsel assisting attempted to interrupt a rant about corrupt politicians.Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC asked him to calm down, but Nassif quickly snapped back.Dialling into the inquiry from Lebanon, he said:“I want to prove my point. If you don’t want me to prove myself I’ll withdraw from all this nonsense.”Showing his handwritten notes to the camera, Nassif said:
 double quotation markI’m taking notes … So stop fucking putting words in my mouth. This is a public hearing, and I know what you’re doing. You want to show the public that I am corrupt. I’m not corrupt.
 You guys are not attacking the corrupt officials in the government. You want the country to be ruled by crooks.
Assistant commissioner Fabian Gleeson SC told Nassif to take a breath:“The purpose of this inquiry is to get to the truth of certain allegations. It’s not for you to attack other people. You can be passionate about that, but this is not the forum for those complaints.”‘I am not corrupt’: Jean Nassif declares innocenceKat WongFugitive property developer Jean Nassif is fronting the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption to wrap up his evidence after an explosive appearance on Monday.Nassif told the commission he offered lobbyists Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis $1m to help fast-track his developments.As counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC read texts between Greenwood and Ellis about Charles Perrottet not prioritising the developments, Nassif said he did not understand what this had to do with him.Dialling in from his Beirut bedroom, Nassif said:
 double quotation markThis is an issue amongst them and between them. I was not involved at all. I am not involved with paying politicians to get my projects approved.
 I employed consultants to solve my problems and unblock the way …
 What they did, if they did any corrupt work, I am not involved with it. I was not aware of it … You need to understand. I am not corrupt.
As part of its investigation into allegations against people associated with the NSW Liberals, Icac is examining the allegation that Liberal figures anticipated receiving $2m in prohibited donations from Nassif in exchange for political outcomes, including damage to the career of the NSW Liberal minister David Elliott, and the removal of the building commissioner David Chandler.
 Nassif has denied wrongdoing.QT ends without question from opposition leaderAfter a final dixer, the prime minister calls time on QT for the day.We’re halfway through folks.Interestingly, Angus Taylor didn’t ask a single question today.Opposition leader Angus Taylor seated during question time. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPAustralia’s gross debt-to-GDP ratio lower than any major advanced economy, Chalmers saysOne Nation MP David Farley is next from the crossbench and asks if the treasurer will accept “commonwealth debt has reached a point beyond which it becomes unsustainable? Yes, or no? If yes – what gross debt-to-GDP ratio or what gross debt level would trigger that concern with you?”Jim Chalmers says Australia’s debt-to-GDP ratio isn’t that bad compared with other countries, and that much of the debt was accrued during the Coalition government.
 double quotation markWe have lower gross debt-to-GDP than any major advanced economy – in fact, much lower. Less than half the US, UK, less than a quarter of Japan. That’s really important because, to go to the core of his question, there are other countries where debt is approaching unsustainable levels, but not in Australia.
Farley tries to make a point of order, saying Chalmers isn’t answering the question about what debt level would cause concern.Chalmers continues:
 double quotation markIf you look at US bond yields, Treasury yields, for 10 years, they’ve breached 5% again today. That is a source of considerable concern for policymakers and decision-makers, governments, and the private sector right around the world. And it reflects a number of things. It reflects the fact that the war in Iran is dragging on longer than anyone would like from an economic point of view.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty ImagesImmediate action taken against Labor staffer Muldoon ‘appropriate’, PM saysAnthony Albanese says it is “appropriate” that Labor senator Richard Dowling has stood down ex-Play School host Rhys Muldoon as his staffer.Tweets by Muldoon about Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Peta Credlin were unearthed today, leading to the “immediate action” – as Albanese put it – taken against him.Nationals MP Anne Webster asked Albanese when he first became aware of Muldoon’s “vile tweets”.Albanese won’t give a timeline.
 double quotation markWhen they became public debate today – I wasn’t aware of those comments until they were raised in the media – and neither was Senator Dowling. The comments are completely unacceptable, and Senator Dowling has taken immediate action – and that’s appropriate.
Liberal frontbencher Aaron Violi tries to table a series of documents including: “the Prime Minister, on election night, with his close personal friend Rhys Muldoon. The Prime Minister being kissed on the cheek by his close political ally Rhys Muldoon. And disgraced Labor adviser Rhys Muldoon with the Prime Minister.”Milton Dick is absolutely not having that, and warns Violi “don’t take advantage of my goodwill or the House’s goodwill by using props to try and table things.”‘I’ll meet with leaders who have never held a press conference’: Albanese defends his government’s transparencyWill the government commit to publishing ministerial diaries, or lists of who ministers have met, so Australians can see who really is in the room, asks Allegra Spender.She quotes a survey conducted by McKinnon which found “72% of Australians think politicians serve ourselves and vested interests first, before we serve them”.Albanese says that his diary is regularly published via FOI requests – but what Spender is suggesting is the proactive publishing of all ministerial diaries.He then defends the current system and says at least Australia is, like, better than other countries.
 double quotation markWhen I go to the UN next week, I’ll meet with leaders who have never answered a question in parliament. I’ll meet with leaders. I’ll meet with leaders who have never held a press conference and answered questions from journalists. In most parts of the world, leaders do not go through the transparency that we have in this country. So I’m proud of our democracy.
Albanese mentions the national anti-corruption commission which has never held a public hearing and the independent parliamentary standards commission (whose work is also shielded from public scrutiny).Prime minister Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP