Australia news Australian politics live: Lambie awaiting Hanson apology over cartoon; security crackdown for nine MPs after alleged Haines attack Follow the day’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast LIVE Updated 6m ago Kat Wong Mon 26 Oct 2026 22.59 GMTFirst published on Mon 26 Oct 2026 19.40 GMT Share Key events 2h ago Farrer independent spent $1.7m on byelection campaign, electoral returns show 3h ago Former Rio Tinto boss to lead defence procurement watchdog 3h ago Lambie says Hanson hasn’t personally apologised over cartoon Independent senator Jacqui Lambie says the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has yet to personally apologise to her over her party’s ‘Please Explain’ cartoon.
Composite: AAP Independent senator Jacqui Lambie says the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has yet to personally apologise to her over her party’s ‘Please Explain’ cartoon.
Composite: AAP Key events 2h ago Farrer independent spent $1.7m on byelection campaign, electoral returns show 3h ago Former Rio Tinto boss to lead defence procurement watchdog 3h ago Lambie says Hanson hasn’t personally apologised over cartoon Victorian Labor pledges to expand workplace protection orders to hospital workers People who are violent or abusive to health workers could effectively be banned from hospitals in Victoria if Labor is re-elected.
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, is holding a press conference to announce if Labor is re-elected next month, it will expand the workplace protection order scheme – that allows retail stores to ban aggressive customers – to hospital settings.
Under the plan, people who are violent or abusive to health workers can be hit with a workplace protection order (WPO), which effectively bans them from hospitals for up to 12 months.
Anyone who breaches a WPO faces up to two years in prison or a $50,000 fine.
Labor will also create a $30m fund hospitals can apply for to improve lighting, CCTV and other safety measures.
Carroll says: Our nurses and midwives and health professionals go to work every day to make sure we have a healthy community … They are the heroes of our community, and I’m very pleased to say, under my leadership, we’ll do everything we can to protect them through workplace protection orders.
He says people subject to a WPO will “still be able to access healthcare” in an emergency but there will be “guardrails” in place when they receive that care.
Ben Carroll.
Photograph: Rob Prezioso/AAP Aged care algorithm ‘fundamentally flawed’, Ruston says Opposition aged care spokesperson, Anne Ruston, has urged the government to listen after a damning investigation by the commonwealth ombudsman.
She told ABC Radio National: We’re really hopeful that now the government has this independent report, it will actually listen and say that their algorithm process is fundamentally flawed.
The ombudsman’s report followed reporting by Guardian Australia that older people were being left distressed and without adequate care after their home support needs were assessed by an “inhumane” algorithm as part of the government’s mandatory Integrated Assessment Tool.
