News and politics live updates: PM under pressure as Angus Taylor demands action over Luke Gosling charges

Australian Federal Police have discontinued its investigation into controversial claims by Pauline Hanson about Muslim Australians after finding they did not meet the threshold of new hate speech laws.

The One Nation leader drew ire in February after she suggested during an interview on Sky News that there were no “good” Muslims.

At the time, the AFP said it had received “reports of crime in relation to this matter”.

However, on Friday, the AFP said the matter had since been finalised with no findings made against Senator Hanson.

“In February 2026, the AFP received several complaints about public comments made by a Federal Parliamentarian,” an AFP spokesperson said.

“The AFP has determined the comments do not meet the threshold for relevant offences, including within the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Act 2026.”

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Opposition Leader Angus Taylor repeatedly refused to answer reporters’ questions on Friday, insisting he would not provide a “running commentary” and instead wanted to focus on the Coalition’s economic agenda.

After fielding repeated questions from journalists, Mr Taylor repeatedly shut down further discussion before turning his attention to cost of living, small business failures and taxation.

“I’m not going to give a running commentary on this,” Mr Taylor said several times.

“We want to fix our economy. We want to protect our way of life and make sure Australians, Western Australians have the opportunities they deserve.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of failing to show leadership after Labor MP Luke Gosling was charged with two counts of assault, saying the Prime Minister needed to “step up” rather than play politics.

Speaking in Perth, Mr Taylor said the allegations involving Gosling and Northern Territory Administrator David Connolly represented a serious situation and criticised Albanese for not acting.

“This is a very serious situation and arrest, charges being laid against the most senior official in the Northern Territory, the Prime Minister needs to step up,” Mr Taylor said.

“When it really matters the Prime Minister is nowhere to be seen. Nowhere to be seen. He runs for the hills.”

Senior Hamas officials say the group has reached an agreement with Israel that includes provisions covering Hamas’ weapons and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

A Hamas official said the deal addresses “the issue of weapons” and outlines a gradual Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, with the group now looking to international mediators and the Board of Peace to ensure Israel honours the agreement. “An agreement has been reached regarding the issue of weapons … furthermore, an agreement has been reached on a gradual withdrawal of (Israeli forces)” from the strip, the official said.

A former Qantas Airways Ltd. executive trying to launch a new low-cost airline in Australia is in talks with a potential cornerstone investor in the US as part of a plan to raise more than A$250 million ($174 million).

Peter Kelly, who helped Qantas start its own budget carrier Jetstar in 2004, said in an interview this week that the financing discussions are in their early stages. He’s seeking to secure one large financial backer for his proposed airline, which is named Zinc, as well as four to five smaller investors.

Zinc aims to start flights in early 2028 and is one of several potential new entrants in Australia, including Koala Airlines Pty.

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Australia is likely to record more cases of bird flu as the virus spreads locally, with Agriculture Minister Murray Watt saying further infections are a “reasonable” expectation.

Authorities have confirmed 33 cases so far, while another 22 suspected cases are undergoing testing after detections across South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

Speaking to News24, Mr Watt said Australia was well placed to respond despite the growing number of cases.

“As we’ve said a number of times, Australia’s very well prepared for this. We have been the last continent in the world to have bird flu reach our shores,” Mr Watt says.

“It’s important to recognise that there have been no mass mortalities at this point reported and also there’s been no reported impacts on our poultry industry, but it’s something we all need to take seriously.”

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has been forced to confirm that the US submarines will be an “enduring element of US force posture in Australia” under AUKUS after initially serving an “eviction notice” on the US Navy.

Mr Conroy, who has been in Washington DC for talks at the Pentagon this week, made the clarification on X in a statement that carried no official Australian government or defence branding.

The Nightly understands the Department of War is satisfied with the clarification, after Mr Conroy kick started days of confusion by saying that the United States would only operate its submarines out of Perth for five years.

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Whether you support or oppose AUKUS, Pat Conroy has done us all a favour with his blunder, in trying to suggest the US submarine deployment in Western Australia has a use-by-date.

He unintentionally blew open the debate his government has spent its years in power trying desperately to prevent — that for all intents and purposes — the US will acquire a base at HMAS Stirling, from which they can monitor and, if necessary, attack Chinese shipping routes.

“That’s the arrangement that we’ve put in place, with the plan being that as we acquire our nuclear powered submarines that they would move into HMAS Stirling and the rotational presence would come to an end. That’s our plan, that’s what we’re committed to implementing,” Mr Conroy said.

“This is a time-limited rotation. Both the rotations each year are time-limited. That’s why they’re not based there. They’re only in HMAS Stirling for a limited amount of time each year. And the actual period that Submarine Rotation Force West will exist is time-limited as well to the early 2030s.”

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US President Donald Trump has declared a “historic” breakthrough in Gaza, announcing an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and all other armed groups as part of his broader Middle East peace plan.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the agreement would pave the way for a new Palestinian government to govern Gaza while Israeli forces would withdraw in stages as disarmament progressed.

He said an international stabilisation force and a new Palestinian police force would take over security responsibilities, describing the deal as a “major milestone” in his 20-Point Plan.

Mr Trump thanked mediators Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, saying the October 7 threat “will NOT be allowed to rebuild” and declaring: “CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL ON THIS AMAZING DEVELOPMENT, THAT EVERYBODY SAID COULD NEVER BE ACHIEVED!”

Australian tourists heading to Japan are being urged to stay alert as authorities warn the danger isn’t over following the powerful earthquake that devastated parts of the country’s south.

The federal government’s Smartraveller service has updated its travel advice after the 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more.

Officials are warning travellers that strong aftershocks remain a risk, with more than 100 already recorded since the initial quake. Transport disruptions are continuing across the region, while emergency crews race to search damaged buildings for survivors.

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Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has refused to comment on assault charges laid against Labor MP Luke Gosling, saying the matter is now before the courts.

Gosling, the federal member for Solomon, has been charged with two counts of assault over an alleged incident involving NT Administrator David Connolly at a festival earlier this month.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Ms Rowland said she would not be drawn into the case and confirmed she had no plans to meet with Gosling while visiting the Northern Territory.

“I am applying the same principle that I apply to every other matter that I’m asked about, which is that I cannot comment on specific details or provide commentary around that,” Ms Rowland says.

“I’m happy to answer factual questions if you wish to pose them, but I won’t be providing opinions or commentary around this matter.”