Pauline Hanson says her Please Explain cartoons will stay on air, rejecting calls to pull them as federal MPs prepared to honour independent MP Helen Haines after an attack on her. Hanson accused Labor and the Coalition of using the tragedy to silence critics, arguing free speech and satire must be protected. The cartoons have drawn criticism for repeatedly labelling Liberal MP Andrew Hastie a traitor and mocking Senator Jacqui Lambie's health. Separately, donations to Save the Children in Dr Haines's honour have passed $919,000, and some MPs are signing a voluntary civility pledge.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says political language and behaviour directly influences threats against elected representatives. Her comments follow an alleged deliberate attack on Indi MP Helen Haines, who was struck by a vehicle in Wangaratta on Monday and suffered serious injuries. Barrett said police are charging almost one offender a week with threatening a parliamentarian or high office holder. She said threats against female politicians are often sexual and more personal. Authorities are still investigating the motive, and the matter is before the courts.
New Zealand church leader Brian Tamaki says Australian Border Force detained him on arrival in Brisbane and questioned him for 12 hours. Authorities cancelled his visa, held him at an immigration detention centre and deported him the next day. Border Force documents cited his social media statements and risk to the community. Tamaki faces three charges of alleged racial disharmony in New Zealand, which he says prompted the decision. He has asked whether New Zealand authorities shared information with Australia and says he will speak at a free speech rally in Auckland on October 31.
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Five people have been indicted in Taiwan over an alleged plot to run down comedian Huang Yi-Hao with a car after his shows mocked the Chinese government. Prosecutors in New Taipei say the defendants were hired by a Chinese person and tracked Huang from July, planning to break his limbs so he could not perform. Huang was struck by a car while riding his scooter home last month, leaving him with a bruised pelvis. Two defendants have admitted involvement in the plan. Huang said he had criticised Xi for about two and a half minutes.
Taiwan has deported a Chinese exchange student after he posted a video that appeared to pinch the Taiwanese president. Wang filmed President Lai Ching-te at National Taiwan University using forced perspective, then posted it on Douyin with political captions. Taiwan's National Immigration Agency said his entry permit was revoked for violating the principle of equality and dignity, and he is banned from entering for five years. Wang has deleted the video and apologised. A Kuomintang politician questioned whether the decision infringed free speech.
Mary Anne Franks, a law professor who leads the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, says online attempts to identify a woman who accused seven Cornell fraternity members of sexual assault are common. Franks argues that sexual abuse silences victims and should be treated as a free speech issue. She says people who publicly name accusers face harassment, and she criticises the use of free speech arguments to excuse such conduct. Her comments come as the woman's lawsuit describes an explicit image shared on Snapchat before the alleged assault. The lawsuit's claims remain unproven.
Communications minister Anika Wells says Australians can still listen to manosphere podcasts or claim the moon landing was fake under proposed online safety laws. She rejected claims the laws would lead to government censorship, saying they target what platforms do rather than what people say. The digital duty of care laws were introduced into parliament on Thursday and would apply to platforms including social media, online games, apps and chatbots. Opposition figures, including Liberal frontbencher James Paterson, have accused Labor of seeking to control speech. The bill will go to a Senate inquiry, reporting back in late November.
Communications Minister Anika Wells says adults will still be able to listen to manosphere podcasts and claim the moon landing was fake under new digital duty of care laws. Introduced to parliament today, the bills are intended to address online harm. Speaking at the National Press Club, Wells rejected claims the legislation amounts to censorship or would be used to silence criticism of the government. She said the government was not controlling free speech or conducting covert surveillance. Wells also said the duty of care is not a step towards regulating misinformation or disinformation.
Communications Minister Anika Wells will table revised Digital Duty of Care laws in Parliament on Thursday after criticism that her earlier draft gave the minister too much power. She says the final bill removes the ministerial power to define new harms, which Parliament alone could add through amendment. The Coalition and One Nation have opposed the laws as a threat to free speech, while the Greens have not ruled out supporting them. The legislation's centrepiece is Labor's My Feed, My Way initiative, which would give users over 16 a choice to opt out of algorithmic feeds.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to broadcast a live execution by military firing squad has drawn global criticism. The Greens have urged the government to block the livestream, arguing the content is harmful to adults and children. The eSafety Commissioner has said it cannot stop a livestream from occurring, but the Online Safety Act allows blocking of abhorrent violent conduct. Whether a legal firing squad fits that definition is unclear, and virtual private networks could let users bypass blocks.
Amnesty International Australia has called on the Albanese government to formally protest the planned public execution of Nidal Hasan in the United States on December 3. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the former army officer, who fatally shot 13 unarmed soldiers in 2009, would face a firing squad and be broadcast publicly. President Donald Trump said he backed the idea. The Greens want federal authorities to stop the execution being broadcast in Australia, with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young urging warnings and large fines for streaming platforms. Crossbencher Ralph Babet said he would share footage of the execution.
Greens communications spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young has asked the eSafety Commissioner and Communications Minister Anika Wells to act so the live stream of a US firing squad execution is not shown or accessible in Australia. The execution of Nidal Malik Hasan is set for December 3. Hasan was convicted over a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood military base that killed 13 people. Liberal frontbencher Tim Wilson said enforcing a ban could raise freedom of speech concerns, while Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino said the balance is difficult.
A Guardian Australia column argues that offensive tirades on race and religion should not be normal in Australian politics. It points to a video released by Pauline Hanson for next month's Victorian state election, which includes racist stereotypes and drew little reaction beyond social media. The column recalls that in 2024 the federal court found Hanson breached the Racial Discrimination Act over comments made to Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi. Hanson has said she will ask the high court to overturn that ruling. The writer says the Victorian campaign may preview the next federal election.
A 15-year-old boy in Walsall, UK, was arrested by four police officers for posting a Facebook meme that placed rabbit ears on a local councillor. The teenager, identified as Fraser, also criticised the councillor's appearance and attire. The councillor, Simon Bennett, reported the posts to police, who seized the boy's phone and laptop. The Free Speech Union is challenging the arrest, calling it a wrongful and unjustified interference with the teenager's rights.
