Court rules Pauline Hanson tweet racially vilified Mehreen FaruqiJustice Angus Stewart has found that Hanson’s tweet, where she said Mehreen Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan”, is unlawful.Hanson will need to delete the tweet and pay Farqui costs for the proceedings.Stewart rejected Hanson’s arguments, including that Farqui’s tweet on the Queen’s passing justified her response, and that it did not fall within the fair comment exemption because it was a “angry, personal attack.”Stewart said:
The court has concluded that the tweet was reasonably likely in all the circumstances to have been profoundly and seriously offensive, insulting, humiliating and intimidating to a significant number of members of the identified groups and to the reasonable targeted person in the position of Senator Fauci.
Based on frequent public statements made by Senator Hanson over nearly three decades, the court has found that Senator Hanson has a tendency to make negative, derogatory, discriminating or hateful statements in relation to about or against groups of people relevantly identified as persons of colour, migrants to Australia and Muslims, and to do so because of those characteristic.
He said that under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, the post was unlawful in that “ it was reasonably likely in all the circumstances to offend and self humiliate and intimidate the applicant and groups of people, namely people of color who are migrants to Australia or are Australians of relatively recent migrant heritage And Muslims who are people of colour in Australia.”ShareUpdated at 00.03 CETKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureElias VisontayAustralia’s largest corporations paid almost $100bn in income tax in a year, fresh statistics published by the government reveal.The latest data, released by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on Friday covers the 2022-23 financial year, and reveals the Office received $97.9bn in income tax from large corporations, an increase of 16.7% from the previous year.ATO deputy commissioner Rebecca Saint said that when also considering additional tax revenue raised by the ATO’s Tax Avoidance Task force, revenues from large corporates totalled $100bn in 2022-23.Tax paid by the oil and gas sector increased from $1.5bn in 2021-22 to $11.6 billion in 2022-23, with some oil and gas companies now amongst the largest taxpayers in Australia, Saint said. This result was driven by a combination of commodity prices, the project production life cycle and ATO intervention, she said.The ATO noted that the $100bn figure for 2022-23 is difficult to compare to previous years, because the definition of what is considered a large corporation in the Corporate Tax Transport (CCT) report increased to cover Australian-owned private entities with total income above $100m, up from the $200m threshold in previous years.The share of entities that paid no income tax has decreased from 36% in 2013–14 to 31% in 2022–23. Saint said “while there are legitimate reasons why a company may pay no income tax, the Australian community can be assured we pay close attention to those who pay no income tax to ensure that they are not trying to game the system”.ShareKate LyonsAn emotional Senator Mehreen Faruqi hugged her legal team in tears after a judge declared that a tweet from Senator Pauline Hanson about her, in which Hanson said Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan” had breach Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.Justice Angus Stewart found the tweet from Hanson, in response to one posted by Faruqi regarding the Queen’s death portrayed Faruqi as a “second-class citizen” who “took advantage” of Australia and as a migrant to the country “should be grateful for what she has and keep quiet”, which he declared to be “exclusionary”.Stweart also found Hanson’s comment that Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan” was a “variant of the slogan ‘go back to from where you came from’” which he said was an “evident racist trope” and a “strong form of racism”.ShareCourt rules Pauline Hanson tweet racially vilified Mehreen FaruqiJustice Angus Stewart has found that Hanson’s tweet, where she said Mehreen Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan”, is unlawful.Hanson will need to delete the tweet and pay Farqui costs for the proceedings.Stewart rejected Hanson’s arguments, including that Farqui’s tweet on the Queen’s passing justified her response, and that it did not fall within the fair comment exemption because it was a “angry, personal attack.”Stewart said:
The court has concluded that the tweet was reasonably likely in all the circumstances to have been profoundly and seriously offensive, insulting, humiliating and intimidating to a significant number of members of the identified groups and to the reasonable targeted person in the position of Senator Fauci.
Based on frequent public statements made by Senator Hanson over nearly three decades, the court has found that Senator Hanson has a tendency to make negative, derogatory, discriminating or hateful statements in relation to about or against groups of people relevantly identified as persons of colour, migrants to Australia and Muslims, and to do so because of those characteristic.
He said that under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, the post was unlawful in that “ it was reasonably likely in all the circumstances to offend and self humiliate and intimidate the applicant and groups of people, namely people of color who are migrants to Australia or are Australians of relatively recent migrant heritage And Muslims who are people of colour in Australia.”ShareUpdated at 00.03 CETCourt to rule in Pauline Hanson-Mehreen Faruqi caseA federal court judge is ready to rule on whether Pauline Hanson made a racial slur when she told Green’s senator Mehreen Faruqi to go back to Pakistan.Justice Angus Stewart presided over the Federal Court lawsuit brought by Faruqi, who alleged the One Nation leader engaged in racial discrimination in a post on X when she wrote that Faruqi should “pack [her] bags and piss off back to Pakistan”.Hanson was responding to Farqui’s reflections on the passing of the queen, where she wrote that she could not mourn the passing of the leader of a “racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples”.Pauline Hanson outside the federal court in Sydney earlier this year. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAPThe case went through a four-day trial in the Federal Court before Justice Stewart, where Hanson claimed she did not know Faruqi was Muslim when posting the comment.But Faruqi produced ample evidence showing she publicly identified as Muslim on various occasions, including in communications with the One Nation head.Hanson has denied she engaged in racial discrimination by sending the post.The court will today determine whether Hanson engaged in racial discrimination, identify any damages that may flow as a result, and settle a position on her argument that parts of the Racial Discrimination Act are not constitutional.ShareUpdated at 23.52 CETAndrew MessengerQueensland truth-telling inquiry’s halt ‘unprecedented’ – chairQueensland’s truth-telling and healing inquiry has been paused following comments by the state’s new premier, David Crisafulli.The LNP, which won government at the weekend, had committed to shut down the inquiry and repeal its legislation. That would also end the pathway to treaties with Aboriginal Queenslanders.On late Thursday afternoon chairperson Joshua Creamer said to do so would be “unprecedented”.“It must be noted that this is unprecedented. It is unheard of that an independent inquiry be shut down by a change of government,” he said.
If the inquiry is formally stopped it will be a lost opportunity for the state. We are not going to get another opportunity at this in the next decade, two decades, in my lifetime.
Crisafulli told a press conference earlier Thursday that he would repeal the Pathway to Treaty Act as one of his first acts in government. The bill will be repealed this year, he said.The inquiry has sittings planned for December.“We won’t be allowing those to go ahead, but it’ll be done with respect and decency, and there will be a relentless focus from the government departments to do good by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Crisafulli said, on Thursday.Crisafulli said his “strong advice” to the people running the inquiry is “the new government has been very clear that we are not embarking on that process”.Creamer said he’d had no communication from the new government.
However, based on the Premier’s comments, the Inquiry will pause its current workplan until further information is available. This pause aligns with our trauma-aware and healing- informed approach and is to protect the wellbeing of participants and all Queenslanders currently engaged with the Inquiry.
People sharing their stories to capture an accurate history of our state is not divisive and I’m hopeful the Inquiry can remain in some form to continue this critical work before it’s too late.
The LNP voted for the treaty and truthtelling laws in 2023, but changed its mind after the failed voice referendum last year.About 68% of Queenslanders voted no in the voice referendum last year, the highest of any state.ShareUpdated at 23.47 CETElias VisontayTwo NSW police dogs die during transport to training dayPolice in New South Wales will investigate how two dogs from its canine units died while being driven to a training day.NSW Police announced they had launched an investigation after police dog Xtra and development dog Soldier were found dead within an air-conditioned pod inside a purpose built police vehicle.In the statement, police said the dogs’ handlers had driven them to a development day at “a Lucas Heights facility”. Lucas Heights is a suburb in south-west Sydney known as the home of Australia’s only nuclear reactor.“About 12.30pm, the handler conducted a routine check, finding PD Xtra and DD Soldier deceased in the police vehicle,” the statement said.The dogs were taken to a specialist veterinary clinic but were unable to be revived.PD Xtra, a German Shepherd, was accredited as a general-purpose dog in July 2018 and was attached to the Newcastle/Central Coast Dog Unit. DD Soldier, a German Shepherd, commenced service with the Dog Unit in February 2024 for training and development.NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb said “today is a very sad day for the Dog Unit and the thoughts of the whole police family are with them”. “We owe it to PD Xtra and DD Soldier to conduct a thorough investigation.”ShareUpdated at 23.28 CETJosh TaylorLabor receives online safety review ahead of law revampThe federal government has received an independent review of the Online Safety Act that will form an overhaul of the law, expected to be announced before the end of the year.The review, conducted by Delia Rickard PSM, began in April and received over 2,200 responses and held meetings with over 100 stakeholders.The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, did not release the report to the public, but said the recommendations would be considered and responded to “shortly”.It comes as the eSafety commissioner abandoned a legal fight last month against Elon Musk’s X platform over attempting to force the removal of dozens of tweets with the video of the stabbing of a Wakeley church bishop in April. The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, indicated that it was better to address the validity of her powers over the platforms in the Online Safety Act review rather than through a court process.It is also expected that changes to the Online Safety Act will include the introduction of age assurance to restrict access to social media for younger teens, pending the outcome of a trial of the technologies that could be used.ShareUpdated at 23.05 CETElias VisontayFlight attendants set for pay rises up to 28% under new IR lawsNew industrial relations laws that come into effect from today mean that hundreds of flight attendants stand to benefit from pay rises up to 28%.The ‘same job same pay’ laws mean that airlines such as Qantas – which has been criticised for employing cabin crew on an array of different agreements, including some directly and others through third parties – can no longer pay workers on the same flight at different rates.In a statement, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) said more than 800 cabin crew employed through labour hire firms will see pay rises of up to 28% from today.ACTU secretary Sally McManus said “these wage increases are life-changing for flight attendants and their loved ones”.
Working people across many industries are experiencing the benefits of the Albanese Government refusing to bend to big business who lobbied hard to stop these laws, including CEOs like [former Qantas chief] Alan Joyce.
Airlines such as Qantas can no longer pay cabin crew on the same flight at different rates under the new IR laws. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty ImagesFlight Attendants Association of Australia federal secretary Teri O’Toole said:“Some of our cabin crew can earn significantly less than directly employed crew despite doing the same job, all because they are technically employed by a labour hire company.
This first wave of pay rises for our members will go a long way in restoring dignity to our profession. Cabin crew are undervalued and underpaid for the tireless work they do every day.
ShareUpdated at 23.55 CETAnd if you haven’t yet listened, Reged Ahmad’s Full Story episode on the saga is a must listen, link below:ShareUpdated at 22.50 CETMcKenzie admits receiving flight upgradeEarlier in that same interview, Bridget McKenzie admitted she had actually received a flight upgrade, after earlier this week being adamant she hadn’t.The shadow transport minister apologised on air, saying she has asked Qantas, Virgin and administrators of Rex for her flight records to clear up anything she hadn’t declared.
Earlier this week, I said I’d never received an upgrade. I checked my records, and checked that I declared an upgrade. So that, for me, you know, really instigated how to getting to the bottom of this.
And I think really the only way can do that is by getting a full log of flights and upgrades from the three domestic airlines. I’ve been calling on the prime minister as a way since last weekend to actually do the same.
And so I don’t probably believe I should be subjecting other people to standards I’m not prepared to subject myself to. So when that information comes in, I will be obviously updating my declarations.
I think for transparency and accountability, I have to obviously update a public declarations as quickly as possible.
An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that McKenzie had admitted she received flight upgrades that she hadn’t declared.ShareUpdated at 23.24 CETBridget McKenzie grilled on Dutton’s free flights from RinehartNationals senator Bridget McKenzie has danced around questions around whether Gina Rinehart expects anything “in return” for the free flights she has given opposition leader Peter Dutton.In a tense interview with Patricia Karvelas on RN Breakfast earlier, the shadow transport minister was happy to criticise the PM for reportedly asking for upgrades to Qantas flights (something he has denied happened) but was much more coy on what it meant for Dutton to be accepting flights from the country’s richest person.This is what she said when asked if Rinehart would expect anything in return:
No, I don’t think so. Similarly to Ms Reinhardt sponsoring our Olympic swimming team and rowing team, her expectation was that those young athletes would be supported to represent their country as best they can, and they absolutely did.
So I don’t think we need to always think that people assisting has a quid pro quo, and that’s why it’s important to have public declarations and important to look at behaviour.
I don’t think that wanting a strong, prosperous and sustainable mining industry in this country is something that only Peter Dutton wants to see. The Coalition wants to see that. I think hundreds of thousands of workers, our allies, that are in receipt of our resources exports, want to see that continue as well. I’d be very concerned with any leaders in our parliament that don’t want to be seeing a prospect of sustainable mining.
ShareUpdated at 22.28 CETAmanda MeadeNew Radio National Breakfast host is Sally SaraSeasoned foreign correspondent Sally Sara will take over as Radio National Breakfast host next year.The presenter of ABC Radio’s The World Today since 2020, Sara has reported from more than 40 countries as an ABC foreign correspondent, including Africa, Iraq, India and Afghanistan.Sara said:
I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the Radio National Breakfast team. I can’t wait. I will work hard to engage the audience with stories from across the country and around the world.
Sara replaces Patricia Karvelas, who will present Afternoon Briefing on the ABC News channel next year, as well as Q+A and weekly political wrap The Party Room.‘I can’t wait’: Sally Sara. Photograph: ABCShareUpdated at 21.58 CETGood morningGood morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you to take you through the day’s news.We begin with Gina Rinehart, whose company Hancock Prospecting has just reported a bumper profit of $5.6bn. The enormous profit mostly comes from consistent iron ore volumes coming out of the Roy Hill, Hope Downs and Atlas Iron operations – with a record output from Roy Hill. In a statement, Hancock Prospecting also made a note of the $3.9bn it paid in taxes in the past year.Elsewhere, Queensland’s truth-telling inquiry is under threat, with the newly installed LNP government intent on shutting it down. Premier David Crisafulli told a press conference on Thursday that he would repeal the Pathway to Treaty Act as one of his first acts in government. The bill would be repealed this year, he said, leaving scheduled sittings in December in flux.We’ll bring you more on those stories, and everything else happening around the country as it comes. Stay tuned.Share