Lambie denounces Hanson as dangerous populist while NSW One Nation rallies against abortion

Senator Jacqui Lambie used a Senate adjournment address to urge Australians to reject Pauline Hanson, describing her as both dangerous and delusional and drawing parallels with populist leaders such as Donald Trump and Nigel Farage. Lambie said One Nation fuels anger and blames others, a tactic that harms working people, and she defended Andrew Hastie after he was repeatedly called a traitor in the party’s cartoon series.

Meanwhile, in New South Wales, One Nation state leader Mike Newman appeared at a rally outside the state parliament, proclaiming the party’s intent to stop "abortion up to birth" as a private member’s bill by John Ruddick seeks to ban sex-selective abortions. The legislation will be decided by a conscience vote, with Labor and opposition sources expecting a narrow outcome and the absence of some cross-benchers, such as Robert Borsak, further weakening support.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles dismissed reports of a UK delay to the Aukus submarine programme and said Australia remains comfortable with the plan. He also said he took comfort in an essay by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urging caution on AI development, emphasizing the need for safeguards.