Australian news and politics live: South African in neo-nazi rally detained in Sydney, faces visa cancellation

Anthony Albanese is giving a press conference now at an Alcoa facility in Wagerup, north of Bunbury where he held his ministry meeting earlier.

It’s here that the company wants to build a gallium refinery, which was part of the $13 billion critical minerals deal the Prime Minister struck with US President Donald Trump.

Mr Albanese says this is what a future made in Australia looks like.

“This exciting project will make an enormous difference, something like 200 jobs in construction in the lead up to next year, and then ongoing jobs, a couple of dozen jobs ongoing here in this region, making sure that we do have a future made in Australia, but also that we take advantage of the critical minerals that we have,” he said.

“WA, in particular, stands to benefit, which is why this agreement that we’ve done with the United States is so important for Western Australia.”

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s board is worried it has failed to bring inflation under control, notes from a meeting two weeks ago have revealed, further diminishing the prospects of interest rate cuts.

The minutes of the November 3 and 4 meeting, which held rates steady at 3.6 per cent, show the central bank’s monetary policy board members questioned whether an inflation spike in September was temporary, given the surge in the consumer price index followed the end of State government electricity rebates.

“Strength in several components pointed to the possibility that some part of the increase might prove persistent,” it said.

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Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is axing up to 350 research jobs as it scrambles to find savings and new funding streams to cover its budget shortfalls.

At a staff town hall held on Tuesday, the agency’s leadership outlined the tough road ahead. The latest round of cuts, estimated at between 300 and 350 roles, comes on top of earlier job losses over the past two years. CSIRO also confirmed it needs to secure between $80 million and $135 million annually to upgrade its ageing property portfolio, with about 80 per cent of its 800 sites nearing the end of their usable life.

In a statement, CSIRO chief Doug Hilton said the restructure would position the organisation “for the decades ahead with a sharpened research focus that capitalises on our unique strengths, allows us to concentrate on the profound challenges we face as a nation and deliver solutions at scale”.

Dr Hilton told staff that some research projects would be deprioritised in line with an updated ministerial statement of expectations.

“These are difficult but necessary changes to safeguard our national science agency so we can continue solving the challenges that matter to Australia and Australians,” Dr Hilton said.

Australia decades from now will be ruled by a multi-racial, lesbian, part-cyborg president, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has written.

The post-apocalyptic sci-fi prediction in the outspoken politician’s book The Truth claims in 2050, the country of “Australasia” will be run by president Poona Li Hung.

Written in 1997, the extract was revived in the Federal Court to highlight the One Nation leader’s alleged tendency to be racist as she tries to overturn a racial vilification finding.

“Ms Hung, a lesbian, is of multiracial descent, of Indian and Chinese background and was felt by the World Government to be a most suitable president,” Senator Hanson wrote in her book.

“She is also part machine - the first cyborg president.”

The text was raised by a lawyer for Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi in defence of a 2024 finding she was racially vilified by Senator Hanson.

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A South African man who took part in a neo-Nazi anti-Jewish rally outside NSW Parliament House is now in immigration detention.

Matthew Gruter was being held NSW’s Villawood Detention Centre as of Tuesday morning after his visa was cancelled.

If he chooses to leave voluntarily, he can exit Australia quickly. But if he chooses to exercise his right of appeal, it could be a lengthy process.

Either way, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he was “confident” the action would stack up legally.

“(We’re) not only confident of our legal position, but also confident of the values of this country,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“We are a decent welcoming country, and the sort of hatred that was involved in that protest has nothing to do with Australia.”

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Despite her age, the Victorian Liberal Party’s new leader, 35-year-old Jess Wilson, is a seasoned political operator who will shift focus onto the State’s struggling economy and heavily indebted budget, Liberal insiders said.

Ms Wilson, a former political adviser and big-business lobbyist, deposed predecessor Brad Battin at a morning meeting of Liberal MPs that voted 19 to 13 to hold a leadership ballot, which only Ms Wilson contested.

By electing the youngest State leader in its history, the first woman and the first millennial, the Liberal Party hopes it can become a credible alternative to a Labor government that has come to dominate the State over 16 years in power.

Ms Wilson’s confidence discussing economics was the main reason Liberal MPs turned to her from Mr Battin, a former policeman whose tough-on-crime promises were undercut by the Labor government’s tougher-on-crime policies.

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Australia’s sharemarket has slumped to a four-month low after the Reserve Bank of Australia’s surprising admission about the nation’s inflation rate.

The local sharemarket continued its sell-off, dropping a further 112 points or 1.3 per cent to 8,526 on Tuesday morning.

The trading falls follow the RBA releasing the monetary policy minutes that show inflation is likely to remain above 3 per cent into the second half of 2026.

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The new Victorian Liberal Leader says her party was focused on winning the state election in 12 months time, slamming the Labor Government as “tired”.

“I will fight for Victorians. I will be in their corner so that I am talking about what is best for them, not talking about ourselves, not being self-interested, not trying to protect our mates, but actually trying to deliver for Victorians and provide that credible alternative Government.

“We are united and we are focused on one single thing, that in 12 months’ time Victorians have a choice. They have a choice of 16 years of a tired government, a government that has its priorities all wrong. And us, a new team that has hope in Victoria and wants to focus on the core issues that are actually gonna deliver for Victorians.”

The first female Victorian Liberal Leader say’s she’s “incredibly humbled” to be elected unopposed.

“My dad served in the Victorian Parliament. I have grown up through the Liberal Party and it is incredibly humbling to have the support of the party room today, to put me in this position to lead them to the next election,” she said.

When asked if she wanted to the job:

“When I came into the party room, I had colleagues come to me and say they wanted me to stand. I knew I had something to offer the state of Victoria. I knew I could lead them to the next election and be unashamedly talking about the issues that Victorians talk to me about every single day.”

“I’ve had many conversations with colleagues over the recent days, but what is clear to me is that I was elected unopposed.”

She also thanked ousted leader Brad Battin, saying “Brad has done a terrific role and I thank him for his service”.

“I know Brad will have a key role going forward into the next election.”

New Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has pledged to tackle the state’s budget issues and end the ongoing crime crisis with a “new generation Liberal team.”

Speaking alongside her leadership team after the party room meeting, Ms Wilson highlighted access to healthcare and home ownership as additional “clear priorities.”

“These are my team’s clear priorities, and I will work every day for Victorians to ensure that at the next election, they have a credible alternative to vote for—one that offers hope for Victoria’s future,” Ms Wilson said.

She added, “At the next election, 12 months from now, Victorians will have a clear choice: between a tired, out-of-touch Labor government and a new generation Liberal team.”

Ms Wilson was elected unopposed and expressed gratitude to Brad Battin for his leadership, acknowledging he will continue to play an important role in her team going forward.