Hobart City Council decides to keep Acknowledgement of Country
It comes after Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party turned their backs during a Welcome to Country ceremony in parliament.
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Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Pauline Hanson claims 'fundamentalist Islam' subverting Australia as thousands march across Sydney Harbour Bridge
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has claimed an 'influx' of Islamic fundamentalism was subverting Australia and its values, as tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters streamed through Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has decried the Supreme Court's decision to allow a pro-Palestine protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to take place on Sunday and warned an 'influx' of Islamic fundamentalism was transforming Australia. Police estimated 90,000 demonstrators took part in the 'March for Humanity' through the heart of Sydney, chanting: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'In our thousands in our millions, we are all Palestinians', among other slogans calling for sanctions on Israel and an end to the war in Gaza. Senator Hanson questioned the intention of the march and told Sky News many of the people attending the protest were 'pushing their own agenda'. The One Nation leader questioned the motive of the 'March for Humanity' in light of a recent video released by Hamas, which showed the emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David, 24, digging his own grave in a Gaza tunnel. 'Where was the humanity about this man who's actually in this tunnel, skin and bone?' she said. 'What about the other hostages? This (war) could be stopped immediately by releasing the hostages.' — Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) August 3, 2025 Senator Hanson said Hamas had 'no intentions' of stopping the violence until 'Israel is destroyed' and that there were signs among the sea of activists which called for 'death to the IDF'. The One Nation leader said Hamas started the war when terrorists murdered 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds hostage and claimed 'dumbed down' Australians were supporting Islamic fundamentalists. 'They're pushing their own agenda, fundamentalist Islam in Australia, and that's what it's about,' she said. 'We need to reflect on other countries around the world. When the tentacles of Islam have encroached on those countries and what it's done to those countries, they're no longer those proud countries that we remember of 50 or even 100 years ago. 'Australia is heading down that path and for Australians to actually get out there and protest it made me sad, made me so upset to see it. 'We've allowed this influx of people with Islamic values and fundamentalist values to actually do this in our country, the people of this nation will be the ones to pay the price of it and it won't be too long that it will affect us more and more as time goes on.' Senator Hanson also claimed Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg, who overturned the police request to deem the protest unlawful, had not listened to the state government or law enforcement. 'It should never have been allowed,' she said. 'It is absolutely disgusting to see it happening on the streets of my country.'
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
'They taught him this nonsense': Pauline Hanson lashes out over gender education in schools after grandson questions gender
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has slammed what she describes as 'radical gender ideology' being pushed in classrooms, after her young grandson returned home from school with questions about his gender identity. The One Nation leader shared her concerns on her party's website and personal social media, accusing Australian schools of pushing radical ideas on children as young as four. According to Hanson, her seven-year-old grandson asked his mother confronting questions about anatomy and gender identity after a classroom lesson. 'School told me I can choose to be a boy or a girl… When do I get to choose?' Ms Hanson said the boy asked. 'These aren't questions kids just come up with. They're being taught this nonsense in classrooms,' Hanson said. 'This madness needs to stop. Schools should be focusing on reading, writing and maths, not telling children they might have been assigned the wrong sex at birth.' Hanson slammed the content being delivered under banners such as health education and inclusion, claiming parents are being left in the dark as to what is being taught. 'This isn't education. It's brainwashing,' Hanson stated. She further alleged that schools are smuggling radical gender theory into everyday lessons. In a TikTok video from Hanson's speech in the Senate, the Queensland Senator declared she would not back down from her position. 'I'll keep fighting this dangerous agenda.' 'Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught, and our kids deserve to grow up without this pressure or confusion,' she said. Her remarks have sparked a wave of support online, particularly on TikTok, where users backed Hanson's views. 'Pauline is correct, like always,' one user wrote. Other comments questioned the inconsistency in school consent policies. 'We need permission for religious classes. Where's the consent for this?' Critics argue that inclusive education around gender identity plays a vital role in supporting students who may be questioning their identity. They warn that removing such discussions could harm students who already feel isolated or misunderstood. Meanwhile, Hanson remains firm in her opposition, calling on state governments and education departments to be held accountable. She is pushing for stronger parental rights and transparency around curriculum content, insisting families must be given more control over what their children are being taught. 'In many cases there's no permission, no transparency, and no respect for family values,' she said.
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Sky News AU
NT judge's delivery of Kumanjayi Walker death findings made a farce of her position and Australia's rule of law
From local councils all the way up to the federal government, authorities in this country have a seemingly unshakable ability to cave to a vocal minority. Multiple news stories this week were a painful reminder of this fact of life. On Monday, there was Hobart City Council, which knocked back calls for Acknowledgement of Country speeches to be made optional on meeting agendas. Then, as Sky News Darwin Bureau Chief Matt Cunningham exclusively reported on Wednesday, a case that has gripped the Northern Territory for the past six years took an alarming turn. Ex-NT police officer Zachary Rolfe has now officially lodged a complaint over the politicised and quite frankly bizarre conduct of the coroner who presided over the inquest into the death of Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker. The 19-year-old was shot dead by Mr Rolfe in Yuendumu in 2019 in a case that understandably generated a great deal of anger in a town where the vast majority of the population is of Aboriginal descent. In March 2022 Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of Mr Walker's murder, sparking an historic and extraordinary inquest that concluded this month. It found the officer was 'racist' and 'worked in and benefitted from an organisation with the hallmarks of racism'. Those are the words Judge Elisabeth Armitage read out in the verbal summary of her 618-page report, based largely on evidence provided by Mr Rolfe himself that racist language is 'normalised' within the force. The inquest heard that officers in some of the highest-ranking roles in the force invented a 'c**n of the year' award to give to officers who demonstrated 'the most c**n-like behaviour'. There is no doubt the NT Police force has a big problem with institutional racism that is worsening tensions in the territory. These significant issues must be dealt with immediately. However, that is not an excuse for Judge Armitage, an unelected public servant bound to impartiality, to turn the delivery of her findings into a political circus that will make the territory's febrile social status quo even more unstable. Her decision to accept an invitation from the local community to attend and read the summary out in emotionally-charged Yuendumu rather than the neutral surroundings of a courthouse was a plainly political act unbefitting of her office. Her speech was the culmination of a three-year coronial inquest whose cost has blown out to at least $7.4 million. For context, the average cost of holding an inquest in the NT during 2024-25 was just $6,120. Undoubtedly most shocking of all was the backdrop of her quasi-political speech: outside the studios of an Indigenous radio station, in front of the banner of an activist group that called for Mr Rolfe to face extra-judicial punishment that included tribal spearing. Neither Judge Armitage, nor any of the public servants or radio staff in attendance at PAW Media, made any effort to remove the banner, which was put up on a railing as she started to deliver her findings. The vision of Judge Armitage delivering her speech in front of the flag of Karrinjala Muwajarri, which has called for Mr Rolfe to be subjected to 'customary lore', is hard to believe. The coroner must act, without fear or favour, in the exercise of their functions, which include determining the identity of the deceased and the way in which they died. Under that same remit, they also have the power to recommend proceedings to a criminal court. A role such as this demands impartiality, which whether directly or indirectly - in my view - this coroner has failed to fulfil. No wonder the police officer has lodged an official complaint about her handling of the inquest. The social cohesion crisis that has taken over the territory in recent years is so severe it has sparked a series of night curfews, a change in government and a raft of tougher laws for violent young offenders. In this environment, a public servant delivering her findings as she did drives a wedge even further into the NT's racial divide and does very little to advance the causes of Indigenous Australians. It is a time that demands a diplomatic approach from authorities – one that puts community order ahead of political goals. Charlie manages a team of commentators who contribute opinion content for and is based at our Sydney bureau. He also works with Sky News' on-air hosts and reporters to make sure their exclusives and analysis feature prominently on the homepage.
