‘We owe it to history’ to defeat One Nation, PM tells Labor faithful – as it happened

Albanese Urges Labor to “Owe It to History” as One Nation’s Momentum Accelerates

Wanderstayfinder.com – The prime minister addressed a packed gathering of Labor supporters in Queensland on Sunday, framing the coming electoral contest as a matter of national legacy. Speaking against a backdrop of surging One Nation polling and a wave of anti-immigration sentiment sweeping multiple states, Anthony Albanese declared that the party’s base carried a duty to history: to defeat rightwing populism before it calcified into governing power.

The remarks came hours after Pauline Hanson’s One Nation captured the Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia on Saturday, a result that has intensified debate within Labor about how to respond to a minor party now claiming close to 30 per cent of primary votes in some seats. The WA victory, combined with a series of favourable polling shifts across the eastern states, has made the question of Labor’s electoral strategy a live internal conversation.

Labor’s Response to the Byelection

Tanya Plibersek, the federal minister, acknowledged the result would receive careful internal scrutiny. She told party members Labor would “have a good look” at what drove voters to One Nation in that electorate, while stressing the contest was fought predominantly on state-level issues rather than federal policy. The distinction matters: if the swing was rooted in local grievances, a purely federal messaging response may prove insufficient.

In a separate appearance on ABC’s Insiders program, Plibersek pushed back against reports circulating earlier in the week that the federal cabinet had debated reducing Australia’s refugee intake. She stated plainly that no such discussion had taken place in cabinet, contradicting claims that had appeared in several outlets over the preceding days. The clarification lands at a sensitive moment, with immigration policy dominating public discourse and opposition figures pressing for tighter caps on arrivals.

Plibersek also disclosed that the government is reviewing the import of smartglasses capable of recording video images, a regulatory step that would give regulators a formal mechanism to assess privacy risks posed by wearable recording devices sold through online retailers.

March for Australia Rallies Draw Hundreds Across Capital Cities

On the same day, organised crowds gathered in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne under the banner of “March for Australia,” a series of anti-immigration rallies that began in August 2025 and have since become a recurring fixture of the political landscape. The events drew speakers from across the right-of-centre spectrum, including former Labor figures, libertarian MPs, and online personalities who have built followings around nativist messaging.

Sydney: Over 300 Gather in Belmore Park

More than 300 people assembled at midday in Belmore Park, Sydney CBD, for what organisers billed as a “free speech” rally. Over 70 police officers were deployed, including riot-squad personnel and mounted officers on horseback. A counter-protest was scheduled nearby in Hyde Park.

Brian Marlow, founder of the nationalist activist group Revive Australia, led the Sydney event. He credited the marches with catalysing One Nation’s subsequent rise in the polls and pointed to the party’s WA byelection win as proof of concept. He also paid tribute to Bec Freedom, who organised the original March for Australia in August 2025, prompting applause from the crowd.

“They’re romping it home in byelections. Unfortunately, they elected the wrong person in Farrer, David Farley, but we can handle that, we can deal with that later … We have shown that if we get together and we do not give an inch we can win.”

At least four attendees wore One Nation shirts, though the rally’s social media pages have recently criticised the party for its endorsement of a net migration target of 130,000 people per year — a figure organisers view as inconsistent with their own messaging. The crowd cheered when the term “remigration” was invoked.

Mark Latham, the former federal Labor opposition leader and ex-One Nation NSW state leader, was among the headline speakers. He called for the abolition of what he termed “all the Chris Minns hate speech laws,” referring to NSW premier Chris Minns’ legislative agenda. The crowd booed when Albanese and Mehreen Faruqi were named, but the loudest jeers reserved themselves for Minns. Other speakers included Libertarian MP John Ruddick, Chris Yates of CitizenGO, and former federal Liberal MP Ross Cameron.

Brisbane and Melbourne

Queensland police reported approximately 400 attendees at the Brisbane CBD rally, where two men were directed to move on after “breaching the peace.” A counter-protest of around 50 people was held nearby. NSW police issued three move-on orders at the Sydney event.

In Melbourne, Benjamin van der Linden, associated with a group called Make Australia Christian Again, posted footage showing Hugo Lennon — known online as Auspill — leading a march to chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.” The clip circulated widely on social platforms within hours.

Brisbane’s rally also featured Barclay McGain, a former young Liberal National Party member now active in the conservative political action conference (CPAC); far-right influencer Andre Mamet, who goes by the handle Ausmaxx; and Harry Richardson of the British Australian Community, an organisation dedicated to “celebrating the ongoing contributions to Australia by people of British Isles descent.”

Cara Severino Located Safe After Nepal Floods

Australian woman Cara Severino, who had lost all contact with her family following flash flooding in Nepal, was confirmed safe on Sunday. Her relatives described themselves as “beyond relieved and elated” after weeks of uncertainty about her whereabouts amid the disaster zone. The Nepali floods have displaced thousands and disrupted communications across affected districts, making the confirmation of Severino’s safety a welcome reprieve for her family back home.

Tasmania: Murder Charge in Huonville

In a separate development, Tasmanian police charged a 55-year-old man from Huonville with the murder of an 85-year-old woman. Her body was found at her Stride Street home in the early hours of Sunday morning. The accused is due before court on Monday. The case has drawn local attention in the small coastal town, where residents said the community was shaken by the loss.