That’s all for todayBy Isabel McMillanThanks for reading the national news blog for today, Wednesday, September 9. This is where we will end the rolling coverage.Here’s a brief look back at some of the day’s biggest stories:Blanche d’Alpuget, Australian writer and the widow of former prime minister Bob Hawke, has died at the age of 82. Her family confirmed d’Alpuget’s death this morning. She was an acclaimed author of biographies, novels and essays, and won the NSW Premier’s Award for her political biography about her late husband Bob Hawke. She requested her family share a final message: “Our highest calling and greatest achievement is love, the rule of life. Love one another.”Grammy-winning American singer Macy Gray will no longer be performing in Melbourne this week, after workers at Arts Centre Melbourne said they would walk off the job as part of a campaign of industrial action. Gray was scheduled to perform at Hamer Hall on Friday night, but ticket holders received an email today saying the event had been cancelled “due to planned lawful protected industrial action”.Pauline Hanson called Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie a “wanker”, after the former SAS captain branded One Nation and his critics who had never served their country “cowards”. The MP for Canning, in Western Australia, said in a newsletter to his supporters yesterday that the minor party had “picked a fight with the wrong veteran” after labelling him a traitor for testifying in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case brought against this masthead.One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s interview with Chris Kenny on News24 went off the rails as she defended the party’s Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, who has admitted to using illicit drugs in his past. “The support that he’s getting tells me that people are not interested in this,” Hanson said. “Twenty years ago, I’ve taken some drugs. So what?”And overseas, the father of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico two years ago testified in court on Tuesday that his life had been turned into hell, as the high-profile trial continued into its second day. Three men are charged in the killing of Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, who were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast in April 2024.Thanks again for tuning in. We’ll be back with rolling news coverage again tomorrow.Latest Posts5.36pm‘Pity you, Chris Kenny’: Hanson explodes in clash over One Nation candidate’s drug pastBy Brittany BuschOne Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s interview with Chris Kenny on News24 has gone off the rails as she defended the party’s Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, who has admitted to using illicit drugs in his past.“The support that he’s getting tells me that people are not interested in this,” Hanson said. “Twenty years ago, I’ve taken some drugs. So what?”“You want to hang that around his neck – well, then pity you, Chris Kenny, because there are a lot of people out there and members of parliament who are paedophilias [sic] who actually have been members of parliament jailed, and other members of parliament that have been jailed for lesser crimes, you know, for worse crimes than what it is taking some drugs 20 odd years ago when they’re in their 20s.”Hanson talked over Kenny as he tried to ask questions, and when asked again about how Pickering could be trusted given he initially denied the allegations, Hanson said: “You know what, Chris? You get him on your program and you ask him. All right?”5.26pmHanson defends ‘traitor’ cartoon targeting Hastie as leadership tension flaresBy Brittany BuschPauline Hanson has distanced herself from the Please Explain cartoon that labels Andrew Hastie a traitor, but insisted she would not take it down.“It is a satirical cartoon, for Christ’s sake,” she said. “Barnaby Joyce was classified as a beetroot. He’s now part of the party.”One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.Alex EllinghausenIn a fiery interview on News24, Hanson said Hastie was getting his “knickers in a knot” and “making a mountain out of a molehill” as he angled for the Liberal leadership.“The way he’s carrying on now, it’s basically ... is this all about a leadership challenge to Angus Taylor? And that’s what it possibly is … trying to get a bit of courage to go to take on Angus Taylor.”Hanson insisted she had not personally called Hastie a traitor, and did not believe he was.“I have the highest regard for people in the Defence Force ... And I respect him for his services that he’s done for Australia.”5.07pmFather of Australian brothers killed in Mexico testifies in murder trialBy Ensenada, Mexico: The father of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico two years ago testified in court on Tuesday that his life had been turned into hell, as the high-profile trial continued into its second day.Three men are charged in the killing of Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, who were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast in April 2024.Debra and Martin Robinson, the parents of Callum and Jake Robinson, arrive at court for the first day of the trial of the men accused of killing their sons.AFPAuthorities say the three were killed in an attempted robbery, and their bodies were found dumped in a clifftop shaft with gunshot wounds to their heads.“It’s hell,” the men’s father Martin Robinson told the court. “It’s hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons.”Read the full story here. Agence France-Presse4.46pm‘Cowardly’: Wong slammed by former colleague for dodging Israeli trade banBy Matthew KnottIsrael has applauded the Albanese government for declining to join a United Kingdom-led push to crack down on imports from settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, a move former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr has branded astonishing and cowardly.Australians will continue to be able to buy wine, dates and other products cultivated in Israeli settlements, considered illegal under international law, after the Albanese government declined to join the UK, France, Canada and other nations implementing an import ban.Foreign Minister Penny Wong.Dominic LorrimerForeign Minister Penny Wong revealed the government was pursuing new, targeted measures “in co-ordination with international partners to deter illegal settlements and settler violence” on Tuesday, but would not implement a blanket ban on imports at this time.Asked about the decision, Israel’s ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman said: “We appreciate it very much.”“It was a wise decision on behalf of Australia. It was a mistake of Britain to go down that path. There is no logic to it – it is based on false assumptions and it’s a dead end,” he said.Read the full story here. 4.19pmNZ public servants walk off job over pay offerBy Wellington: Nearly 10,000 New Zealand public servants walked off the job for several hours today, adding to pressure on a government confronting a weak urban economy and middle-income households strained by high living costs before an election in about two months.The stoppages at several major government agencies disrupted services including employment and social housing support and came as workers rejected wage offers they say would leave them worse off in real terms.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said cuts to the public service were necessary to get New Zealand’s budget back in balance.AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLayProtests were also held across the country, and several hundred public sector workers gathered near the country’s parliament, waving union flags and chanting, “When workers’ rights are under attack, stand up, fight back.”Kate Hamilton, a union representative, told the crowd that the pay offer was not sufficient to offset the increases in the cost of living.4.01pmUS to ban dairy products, most alcoholic drinks and motorcycles from CanadaBy Toronto: The US is banning dairy products, most alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from Canada, the White House said, as the trade war between the two neighbours and longtime allies escalates.The ban will take effect in three weeks and comes after Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on $US20 billion ($28 billion) in US imports.US President Donald Trump also moved to shut Canadian products out of large, long-term US government contracts as Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to speed efforts to reduce the country’s dependence on the US.US President Donald Trump speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at a G7 lunch in June.Pool/AP“It’s about ensuring that no country can hold us hostage. And that we can live how we want to live,” Carney said.3.40pmAustralia’s largest super fund faces $30m fine on bungled death claimsBy AustralianSuper, the nation’s largest pension fund, faces a $30 million fine for mishandling death benefit claims after it was sued by the corporate watchdog.The fund and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission signed a statement of agreed facts with a suggested $30 million penalty, according to proceedings in the Federal Court in Melbourne on Wednesday.ASIC sued the $410 billion giant last March, alleging it didn’t “efficiently, honestly and fairly” handle almost 7000 death benefit claims between July 2019 and October 2024. Key to the action was the amount of time AustralianSuper took to process and pay claims to people who had lost a family member and were entitled to their death benefit.The recommendation also included that AustralianSuper pay ASIC’s costs fixed at $500,000. The final penalties may yet change and the court overseen by Justice O’Callaghan will need to give a ruling.The development is the latest sign of the mounting administrative challenges facing Australia’s $4.8 trillion super industry. Last November, rival fund Cbus was ordered to pay a $23.5 million fine over failures in handling claims.Regulators have for years told pension funds to improve customer service. In June, ASIC called out “ongoing weaknesses” in how they deal with claims. Last year, AustralianSuper was ordered to pay a $27 million penalty in a separate case over failures to merge multiple member accounts.Bloomberg3.20pmGovernment under fire from independents over robo-debt automated tech reformsBy Brittany BuschAttorney-General Michelle Rowland said Labor was committed to preventing another robo-debt after independent MP Kate Chaney asked why the government had not fully implemented the royal commission recommendations from 2023.“When will you legislate a framework for automated decision-making that includes safeguards, human override, and transparency, like the bill I introduced this week?” Chaney said.Attorney-General Michelle Rowland.Alex Ellinghausen“We’ve announced the development of a consistent whole-of-government framework for automated decision-making, and that will be implementing the decisions of the robo-debt royal commission,” Rowland said.“The [automated decision-making] framework will include robust safeguards that will ensure transparency, human oversight, and review rights. The design and operation of these safeguards has been and will continue to be informed by extensive consultations, including with the public, industry experts, and advocacy groups.”3.05pmButler steps in as Coalition pressures Albanese over proposed tobacco tax slashBy Brittany BuschPrime Minister Anthony Albanese has handed a question about cutting the tobacco excise to Health Minister Mark Butler, after being challenged to give a yes or no answer on whether he would slash the tax.Liberal MP Mary Aldred, who co-authored the Coalition’s report that recommended the party adopt a policy of slashing the excise by 80 per cent to undercut the illicit tobacco market, asked: “You have now refused on five occasions in question time to answer whether you will cut the tobacco excise … Why won’t you give Australians a straight answer? Will you cut the tobacco excise? Yes or no, prime minister.”Federal Health Minister Mark ButlerLouie DouvisThe Coalition benches roared when the prime minister indicated Butler should take the question.“We have taken the view, unlike those opposite when in government, that we needed to boost our enforcement resources,” Butler said.“Of course, we are open to other sensible ideas about how we can fight organised crime while not prejudicing our most important public health campaign.”1 of 5