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

Two accused ISIS brides have been committed to stand trial as their cases are fast-tracked to the Supreme Court.

Kawsar Ahmad, 54, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link on Friday as they entered their “not guilty” pleas.

The two women were charged with slavery offences in May after returning to Australia with other family members of former Islamic State fighters.

It’s alleged Kawsar migrated to the Middle Eastern country to join IS with her husband Mohammed, Zeinab and their other children about January 2015.

It’s alleged while in Syria in 2017, Mohammed bought a teenage girl as a slave for $US10,000 ($A14,237).

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Anti-corruption lawyer Geoffrey Watson told an inquiry today that notorious Victorian building industry fixer Mick Gatto controls an important labour hire business working on the state’s “Big Build” projects despite years of scrutiny over his links to the troubled construction division of the CFMEU.

“It is my view that all the evidence points to Mick Gatto controlling the M Group companies,” Mr Watson told an inquiry in Brisbane into the union. “I had any number of people tell me that they negotiated with Mick Gatto over M Group contracts.”

M1 Trades and Labour, which denies it is controlled by Gatto, is a registered labour hire contractor in Victoria, allowing it to bid for government contracts. The company has also expanded into Queensland.

Mr Watson, who is being sued by Gatto for defamation for comments made outside the inquiry, accused Gatto of being involved in sham companies operated by “front-man directors” and one that collapsed owing the tax office $13 million.

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The brother of a former premier and a senior Liberal MP will be hauled in front of a high-profile corruption inquiry.

A NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating alleged illicit political donations and branch-stacking, spearheaded by the Reformers, a conservative Christian faction among the NSW Liberals.

Prominent players included two brothers of former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet.

Jean-Claude Perrottet is accused of being part of a sophisticated branch-stacking operation through a ramping up of memberships in the Hills Shire Council area and funnelling undeclared funds to hidden accounts.

When the allegations first surfaced in 2022 and a subsequent parliamentary inquiry was established in 2023, Mr Perrottet travelled to Fiji to avoid fronting the inquiry at the time.

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Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles has cautioned it’s too early to see whether a reported agreement between Israel and Hamas will lead to peace in the Middle East.

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

Speaking to News24, the Defence Minister says it’s a positive development but it will take some time to see if hostilities will end.

“We are cautiously optimistic, is perhaps the way I would put it in terms of hearing this news as it’s been breaking over the last few hours, but we’ve seen a lot of news break over the last few years in respect of the Middle East, and we’ve all ridden the ups and downs of that.”

“What we need to ultimately see, though, is a de-escalation of hostilities and an enduring peace in the Middle East.”

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles has praised Labor MP Luke Gosling as “an effective” representative for his electorate, but refused to say whether he should step down from his duties while he faces assault allegations.

Mr Marles confirmed he spoke to the MP, who was on Thursday charged by police with two counts of assault on the NT Administrator, which he denies.

“Luke is a very effective representative of the people of Darwin as the member for Solomon,” Mr Marles told News24.

“He’s done a great job as our special envoy for defence. We just need to let this process play out now.”

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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