What’s making news todayBy Emily KaineHello and welcome to our national news live blog for Thursday, August 13. Here’s what is making headlines.Thousands of students are planning to walk out of classrooms today to protest Pauline Hanson’s One Nation. The nationwide “students say no to Hanson” protest, with events in state and territory capitals, is expecting to attract 10,000 students angry at the ascendent party’s policies, particularly on changes to the school curriculum regarding Australian history and gender.The Japanese ambassador to Australia backed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following controversy over comments he made during a podcast with comedian Nikki Osborne in July.Labor has backed down on a late change to a scheme forcing tech giants to pay for news, clinching a deal with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor that media firms hope will lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue.Barnaby Joyce has labelled comments by a WA One Nation upper house candidate describing homosexuality as a mental illness as “highly offensive”, describing One Nation as “one of the gayest parties in Australia” in its membership and leadership ranks.One of the most recognisable faces of the Trump administration, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, will step down from her role at the end of the month. Trump praised the 28-year-old as “a real leader in the White House”. She is the youngest person to have ever held the position.Latest Posts10.24amWhistleblower David McBride released from Canberra prison By Whistleblower David McBride has been released from a Canberra prison after his bid for parole was successful.His parole was considered and granted this morning, a spokesperson for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland confirmed.Whistleblower David McBride at the ACT Supreme Court in 2024. Alex Ellinghausen“The government does not provide specific commentary or details about individual parole matters,” the spokesperson said.McBride served his full non-parole period of 27 months.10.09amTaylor pulls Bragg in line over Press Club speechBy Nick NewlingLiberal senator Andrew Bragg has been told by Opposition Leader Angus Taylor that it is his job to share the Coalition’s policy, not his personal opinions, after a wide-ranging National Press Club speech yesterday in which the senator ruffled feathers for freelancing on economic policy and announcing a new migration target.“Andrew expressed some of his personal views yesterday. I’ve made clear to him that his job is to express ... the views of the Coalition and the senior team of which he is a member when it comes to immigration policy,” Taylor told a Canberra press conference this morning.Opposition Leader Angus Taylor. Alex EllinghausenThis morning, Bragg said low-income Australians should accept living in substandard housing to ensure they have a roof over their head, a day after calling for an “economic revolution” and challenging his party to capture voters’ attention.You can read more about the speech and its reception here.10.03amTomago bailout an ‘admission of failure’ says TaylorBy Nick NewlingOpposition Leader Angus Taylor has called Labor’s $2.5 billion bailout of the Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW an “admission of failure” of the government’s management of energy and industry policy, blaming net zero policies for weakening the viability of the industrial hub.“This is a $2.5 billion dollar admission of failure on energy policy in this country. The reason they are having to do this is because electricity prices are too high. Chris Bowen has absolutely failed to deliver what he said he was going to deliver. Australians are paying the price, and the only way to keep manufacturing in this country is through government subsidies,” Taylor told a Canberra press conference.The Tomago aluminium smelter in the Hunter region.James Brickwood“Sadly, Labor’s net zero wrecking ball has caused this. Labor’s net zero wrecking ball has caused this situation, and the result is taxpayers are going to have to stump up again for Labour’s failures.”Australia’s biggest aluminium smelter in the NSW Hunter region received a $2.5 billion government bailout package to stay open this morning, ending months of crisis negotiations with federal and NSW officials over ways to keep the plant viable and safeguard more than 1000 jobs.Tomago Aluminium, majority-owned by resources giant Rio Tinto, had been consulting the smelter’s workforce and their union officials since late last year about the risk of the site closing when its existing power contract expires in 2028, and electricity costs are set to double.9.51amPaterson won’t say if Bragg attempting to destabilise Taylor’s leadership By Nick NewlingOpposition defence spokesman James Paterson has refused to say whether his colleague Andrew Bragg was attempting to “destabilise” Liberal leader Angus Taylor’s leadership by freelancing on immigration policy during an address to the National Press Club yesterday.Here’s the interaction Paterson had with journalists in the halls of Parliament earlier today:Journalist: “Are the Nationals right to be concerned by Andrew Bragg’s speech and the fact that he was indicating maybe temporary farm workers might be cut under a Coalition government?”Paterson: “Well, Andrew’s not our spokesperson for immigration, he was sharing a personal view, it’s not Coalition policy. We will go through a deliberate and careful policy development process to arrive at both the number of reduced migration from Labor’s failure and the specific visas that will be reduced, which we’ll do after consulting all of our colleagues, going through our proper processes and the relevant stakeholders.”Journalist: “Is Andrew trying to destabilise Angus Taylor’s leadership?”9.33am‘Students should be in school’: Paterson By Emily KaineLiberal senator James Paterson said this morning that students “should be in school” as thousands of Aussie kids prepare to take to the streets in protest of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation. “Primary and secondary school students should be in school, and they should be learning,” he told News24. “Frankly, I think there are better things for young people to be learning than going to protests.” Pauline Hanson in Parliament House. Hilary WardhaughThe nationwide “students say no to Hanson” protest is hoping to attract thousands of students angry at the party’s policies, particularly on changes to the school curriculum regarding Australian history and gender.Protests are taking place in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Wollongong and Newcastle. 9.22amLib says low-income Australians will need to accept living in ‘substandard’ housingBy Nick NewlingOpposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg has said that low-income Australians would need to accept living in “substandard” housing to ensure they had a roof over their head, after calling for an “economic revolution” in a wide-ranging speech at the National Press Club.Appearing on Radio National this morning, Bragg was asked about the Coalition’s plan to slash the National Construction Code.Host Sally Sara asked Bragg: “You embraced the idea yesterday that some of the homes built under the [proposed] 80-page code would need to be basic homes, perhaps without energy efficiency standards of seven stars and other amenities. Are you suggesting that to afford housing, some low-income Australians will have to accept housing that is substandard?”Opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg during his address to the National Press Club yesterday.Alex EllinghausenBragg responded: “Yes, definitely. And I think we’ve got to be clear there are trade-offs here. And I’ve been counselled not to use the term Maslow’s hierarchy [of needs], but perhaps some people don’t know what that means.”“If it’s more important to have a house than to not have a house, and so given the affordability crisis we have in the housing system, we need to just build more houses.”During Opposition Leader Angus Taylor’s budget reply speech he stated a desire to slash the National Construction Code - the rulebook of minimum requirements for buildings - to about 10 per cent of its current size.9.07amMelbourne NFL half-time show headliners announcedBy Chris HookThe Jonas Brothers will headline the half-time entertainment at the Melbourne NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, the NFL announced late Wednesday (US time).“We couldn’t be more excited to perform at halftime during the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia,” the Jonas Brothers said in a statement released by the NFL.“Playing at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of such passionate Australian fans is an incredible honour. We can’t wait to be part of this historic moment and celebrate with everyone in the stadium and watching around the world.”Jonas Brothers perform at half-time during a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium in Texas on November 24, 2022.Getty ImagesThe Jonas Brothers at Rod Laver Arena in 2024. Martin Philbey8.53amGreens senator backs student protest against HansonBy Nick NewlingGreens senator David Shoebridge has backed students planning to walk out of schools today to protest the rise of One Nation, amid calls from the party, Labor and the Coalition for students to stay in class and prioritise learning.“I like the idea of young people actually getting involved in politics and having a say. Like they’re, I suppose they’re asking themselves, you know, in terms of their future, what’s the best thing they can do to protect their future, stop a climate catastrophe, deal with inequality, stop racism,” Shoebridge told News24 (formerly Sky News).“I thought One Nation were all about free speech. You know that’s at least the spiel you get from One Nation. But what are they? They’re now scared of a bunch of school kids coming out and saying they don’t like One Nation.”Senator David Shoebridge.Alex EllinghausenThe nationwide “students say no to Hanson” protest, with events in state and territory capitals, is hoping to attract thousands of students angry at the ascendent party’s policies, particularly on changes to the school curriculum regarding Australian history and gender.Education Minister Jason Clare said yesterday that students would be better served protesting on the weekend, with Liberal frontbencher James Paterson saying they should stay in school. One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce accused “socialist” teachers of encouraging students to protest, saying they would be “deficient” if they missed class.Shoebridge said: “Good on young people for getting politically active, wanting to have a say. Because at the end of the day, they’ve got the biggest stake in this, right? They’ve got the 80 years going forward, and thinking: ‘What the hell is happening to our planet over the next 80 years?’ And with a big staking like that, we should listen to young people. We should”.8.36amANZ Bank reports $1.9b profit, mortgage applications down 12 per centBy Clancy YeatesANZ Bank says home loan applications have fallen 12 per cent since the May budget, excluding applications it received via a government deposit guarantee scheme, as it also reported $1.9 billion in cash profits for the latest quarter.In a trading update for the June quarter, ANZ said its cash profits rose 1 per cent compared with the quarterly average for the March half.A key focus for investors is how the government’s move to rein in tax concessions for property investors is affecting mortgage lending, and rival banks have all revealed a significant drop in loan applications since the May budget.Home loan applications for ANZ have fallen 12 per cent since the May budget. Will WillittsANZ reported applications were “broadly flat” in the June quarter compared with March, though this was supported by the bank joining the federal government’s 5 per cent deposit guarantee scheme from late March.Joining the scheme meant the bank’s loan growth was stronger than it would have been otherwise.Excluding the impact of the scheme, ANZ said the value of new mortgage applications fell 12 per cent in the period from the budget to late July, compared with the March quarter.8.29amAlbanese, Minns address media at TomagoBy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Tomago today with the Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns. They will hold a press conference at Tomago Aluminium, in the Hunter region. Follow along with our livestream here.1 of 2