That’s all for todayBy Isabel McMillanThanks for tuning in to the national news blog for today, Tuesday, September 8. This is where we will end the rolling coverage.Here’s a brief look back at some of the day’s biggest stories:One Nation’s Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, said he made mistakes as a young man in his 20s and had “utilised illegal drugs” including speed, amphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana. Pickering told media he did not use drugs while his and his then partner’s children were in the house, and that he was not a “drug addict”.Social media companies would be required to prompt users to choose whether they want to have algorithm-driven feeds under the digital duty of care laws, Communications Minister Anika Wells said. Wells pitched the laws as a middle ground between calls for an opt-in model that would make the default feed algorithm-free, and the opt-out model, which would require users to seek out the exclusion function.NSW Health secretary Susan Pearce, the state’s chief health bureaucrat, who led crucial aspects of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will retire next year after a 30-year career. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said Pearce, a former nurse who has held senior leadership positions across the public health system, intended to bow out at the end of March 2027.An Australian father is demanding answers as the search for his wife, who vanished in flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, nears its second week. Newcastle father of two Bhavin Patel has tirelessly searched Nepal’s disaster zone for his missing wife, Reshma.In a positive development out of Nepal, another Australian citizen has been located safe and well, bringing the number of Australians missing down to 35.Thanks again for reading the blog. We’ll be back again with live news updates tomorrow.Latest Postsyesterday 5.51pmAnother Australian found in NepalBy Isabel McMillanAnother Australian has been located safe and well in Nepal after the flood disaster late last month.DFAT confirmed the Australian citizen, who was previously uncontactable in Nepal, had since confirmed they were safe and did not need consular assistance.It said the number of Australians unaccounted for has been revised down to 35.Chinese officials said on Sunday that workers had recovered 12 more bodies as the search continued for hundreds still missing after a tsunami-like mudslide destroyed China’s main border crossing with Nepal.Rescue workers in bright orange uniforms were using excavators, shovels and ground-penetrating radar to scour the now-buried site of the Gyirong border crossing.yesterday 5.19pmPickering’s drug use a ‘good story’, One Nation state candidate saysBy James CostaOne Nation’s Victorian candidate for the northern metro region Mark Nicholson says he thinks Pickering’s drug use and exploration of his sexuality is a “good story” and is what people “seek” about their political class.“We [One Nation] don’t have politicians that are raised in a Petri glass [sic],” Nicholson said.“I look at some of the current political class; they are born and raised. In the case of [Victorian Premier] Ben Carroll, I feel like he’s assembled in a factory or raised in a jar.”One Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering holds a press conferenceRuby AlexanderNicholson said One Nation candidates were “real people” who have “real scars to show, but we put in hard work ... and we’re here to save Victoria.”yesterday 5.00pmPickering’s children defend him amid claims of drug useBy James CostaWarren Pickering’s children have leapt to his to defence, telling the media it was their mother who should not be trusted.The One Nation candidate’s stepson Johnny said he was still suffering from the trauma of his mother’s actions, and that it was disappointing that she had made accusations of drug use against Pickering.Johnny was referring to a report in The Australian, in which Pickering’s former partner Jo Scott, 54, accused him of taking drugs, including while children were in the house, and “sexual deviance”.Warren Pickering, One Nation’s leader in Victoria, with Pauline Hanson last month.Jason South“Look, I’ve been disappointed in Jo [my mother] since I was nine years old, going through what I’ve had to ... I’m 34 now, I still struggle with what happened,” Johnny said.yesterday 4.51pmPickering says initial response to drug use allegations due to political inexperienceBy James CostaAsked why he didn’t respond similarly to today’s press conference when originally asked by The Australian about Jo Scott’s allegations, One Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering said the questions were “loaded” and that he had engaged a legal team.“I’m not experienced in politics, guys,” Pickering said. “I’m not a real politician the way you think I am.“I’m not experienced at this in a traditional sense, so I seek guidance from the headquarters elements of this party to ensure I’m not doing anything wrong where it can be avoided.” Pickering also said he had cheated on his partner when he was in his 20s and that he had explored his sexuality.yesterday 4.28pmPickering ‘not speculating’ on potential damage to political campaignBy Isabel McMillanOne Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering “can’t say” whether the allegations of drug use made by his former partner would damage his political aspirations.“I’m absolutely fine,” he said at a press conference. “I’m very comfortable with the man I am today. Absolutely, I’m very proud, and I’m very confident in the man I am today. Doesn’t mean I always was.“I’m not going to speculate as to whether this is going to damage me or not. All I can say is the overwhelming support I’ve received in the last 24 to 48 hours from ... within the party, from members right across the country and within our membership and the general public has been amazing.”When asked why, if he wanted to be transparent, the party had banned certain media outlets from the press conference, Pickering dismissed the query.“We have a position with the party to ban those particular news outlets,” he said. “I’m not going to impede on [the] party’s judgment. Like I said, I’m not experienced in this space.”yesterday 4.21pmPickering says he’s been ‘nothing but truthful’By Isabel McMillanWarren Pickering says he has never lied about his past and has been “nothing but truthful” when asked about his history before he became Victoria’s One Nation leader.In an interview with The Australian on Monday, Pickering’s former partner of almost two decades, Jo Scott, claimed the pair had used marijuana and amphetamines – including the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or ice – in the home they shared with their daughter and her three sons from a previous marriage.Warren Pickering speaks at a press conference in Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon.Nine NewsAddressing the claims just now, Pickering said:This has not been an easy ... I’m not going to say it’s not been an easy few days. It’s not been an easy few decades, if I’m entirely honest. Now, I’ve never made the suggestion that I’m any type of angel. So to assume that I would be is an absolute mistake. I’ve never lied, and I’ve done nothing but be truthful in the responses that we have given to The Australian over the last few days.I was a young man in my 20s, not unlike everybody else that has ever been a young man in their 20s. I made mistakes.I did the best that I could with what I had to work with at the time. What I did since then was change my life dramatically for the benefit of not only my children, but for myself and those around me.”yesterday 4.09pmVictorian One Nation leader admits previous drug useBy James CostaOne Nation’s Victorian leader Warren Pickering says he made mistakes as a young man in his 20s and had “utilised illegal drugs” including speed, amphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana.In a press conference this hour, Pickering told media he did not use drugs while his and his then partner’s children were in the house, and that he was not a “drug addict”.One Nation’s Victorian leader Warren Pickering.Eamon GallagherPickering said he had lost his licence for drink-driving as an 18-year-old, and again as a 20-year-old, and then “probably a decade later”.“I believe they were all low-level drink-driving,” he said.yesterday 3.54pmWatch: Warren Pickering press conferenceBy One Nation’s Victorian leader Warren Pickering has just addressed media reports he used illicit drugs.Watch the livestream back here. yesterday 3.44pmFather and daughter identified as plane crash victimsBy Dominique Tassell, Julius Dennis and William DavisDairy company founder Ian Campbell and his daughter Hannah have been identified as the victims of a light plane crash south of Brisbane.The bodies of the 56-year-old and 23-year-old, both from Ascot in Brisbane, were found in the burning wreckage on Monday.Ian Campbell and his daughter Hannah, who died in a plane crash south of Brisbane, had recently completed the Kokoda Track to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.InstagramThe Beech A36 Bonanza aircraft they were travelling in crashed into a paddock and erupted in flames about 10 minutes after taking off from Archerfield Airport shortly after 11am.Campbell, the founder of Barambah Organics, and his daughter were the only occupants of the plane.Read the full story here. 1 of 5