🇦🇺Week of October 19

One Nation published a video cartoon mocking Senator Jacqui Lambie's vaginal prolapse, a health condition. The video also called former minister Andrew Hastie a traitor. Birth Trauma Australia's chief executive said prolapse is a serious health issue, not a punchline.123

Andrew Hastie attacked One Nation over what he called 'MAGA-style politics' after the cartoon appeared. Pauline Hanson initially dismissed Lambie's complaint over the cartoon mocking her health condition. By Thursday Lambie had responded, calling Hanson an 'angry little woman'.143

Attributed claim: Hanson conceded the One Nation video mocking Lambie's prolapsed vagina needed to be changed, while also telling Lambie to 'lighten up'. The Australian reported Hanson dismissing Lambie over the cartoon; The Guardian reported the concession that the video required editing.564

Lambie's response to the cartoon was described as a reaction to 'nastiness' from One Nation. The dispute followed the video's separate attack on Hastie, whom the cartoon labelled a traitor.73

A man has been charged with making threats at the electorate office of Western Australian MP Hannah Beazley while allegedly armed with nunchucks. Police arrested him over the disturbance at the office, and footage of the arrest was released.12345

The man appeared in court on the charges. He told the court the weapon was a musical instrument, disputing the characterization of the item as a weapon.678

The Beazley case is the second threat against a female Australian lawmaker within days. It follows an alleged car attack on independent MP Helen Haines, who lost her legs in the incident outside her Indi electorate office.910

Severe thunderstorms and flash floods hit south-east Queensland, with up to 200mm of rain falling in the region. Roads and schools were closed as the weather system moved through.12345

Several people were rescued from floodwaters during the storms. Drivers were caught in flash floods as the season's first severe storm swept the region.2345

The Bureau of Meteorology-linked warnings described a month's worth of rain pelting the east coast, with the heaviest totals concentrated on south-east Queensland.51

Economists at the Grattan Institute have backed changing the GST to offset income tax cuts, a position taken up by reform advisers to independent MP Allegra Spender and Treasurer Jim Chalmers. The proposal has put a GST increase back into the cost-of-living debate, with discussion extending to applying the tax to food.12

The Conversation argues Australia should raise the GST and cut income taxes, framing the swap as the route to a better Australia. The Canberra Times asks whether it is time to double the GST, presenting the question as the cost-of-living debate the country needs to have.34

Attributed claim: AFR / news.com.au: The Australian Financial Review rejects the Grattan case, saying its economists have the wrong answers on GST reform. News.com.au leads on what it calls a huge plan to hike the GST and slap it on food, a framing that puts the burden of the change on grocery bills rather than on the income tax offset.52

ABC News steps back from the GST question to warn that the world is procrastinating about financial reform and that a reckoning is near. The Canberra Times and inkl both carry the same cost-of-living framing of the GST question.647

Deadly fire ants have been detected at a logistics centre in Sydney, triggering a biosecurity lockdown across ten suburbs. Residents in the affected area face a 2km lockdown as authorities respond to the breach.123

The colony at the centre of the outbreak went unchecked for three years, according to The Daily Telegraph. The paper's headline identifies that site as ground zero of the infestation.41

A minister conceded that concern about the fire ants is warranted, 2GB reported. The minister's acknowledgement came as the lockdown took effect across the ten suburbs.51

An Northern Territory review has found that five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was the subject of 16 alerts to child protection authorities before her death, and it documents what The Guardian called "heartbreaking" failures in the system meant to protect her. The Australian reported that the review's records repeatedly returned the notation "case closed, no further action."123

The child's aunt, an NT senator, said child protection "needs to change" after the alleged murder of her niece, putting the family's account of the system's failures on the public record.4

The review traces the girl's life through a series of child protection notifications that did not result in sustained intervention, details news.com.au described as shameful.53

Australia's $10 billion trade deal with the European Union has stalled again, with the two sides trading fire over the agreement. The deal's value is put at $10bn in coverage of the breakdown.12

Angus Taylor warned that ratifying the EU free trade agreement would be a 'serious mistake'. The warning came as the deal was described as being on the rocks.32

The European Union's position is that once negotiations are done, they are done. The bloc's message to Australia was reported as the talks hit an impasse.4

A free-trade advocate argued the EU deal would handcuff Australia, writing that they support free trade but oppose this agreement. The objection was published as the parties exchanged criticism over the stalled deal.52

Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia, setting oil facilities in St Petersburg and the Leningrad region ablaze. The strikes came as the dispute between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continued.1234

Trump has placed congressionally passed Russia sanctions on hold under a national-interest waiver. Zelensky said the waiver "rewards" Vladimir Putin and warned that Moscow wants a "blackout" in Ukraine; he backed the sanctions Congress passed.51

CNBC described the drone barrage and the sanctions pause as evidence of a strained US-Ukraine alliance. Firstpost reported the strikes on the St Petersburg oil terminal came as US sanctions remained uncertain.67

Experts have warned that black market peptides sold as a 'wellness' trend are causing serious adverse effects and sending users to hospital emergency departments in New South Wales. The warning follows an alarming rise in hospital visits linked to the products.12345

One clinician described the risk of using the unregulated peptides as 'Russian roulette', and stressed that the harm is 'not minor'. Hundreds of people have presented to emergency departments after taking the substances.234

The products are being bought outside the regulated supply chain, which the experts say exposes users to serious adverse effects rather than the benefits the 'wellness' marketing promises.125

The float's unravelling became a market debacle, with fears the AI bubble is 'unravelling very quickly'. An early Firmus investor declined escrow handcuffs as the IPO came apart. The episode has put ASX scrutiny on profitless company listings.12345

Attributed claim: Outlets frame the collapse differently. The Australian Financial Review (centre-right) treats it as exposing the ASX's problem with loss-making companies, while news.com.au (centre-right) leads on fears the AI bubble is 'unravelling very quickly'. The Australian (centre-right) focuses on the early investor who refused escrow terms as the float failed.354

Sharecafe reports the ASX now faces scrutiny over listings of companies without profits, and the Financial Times calls the episode a data centre IPO debacle that sparked a market meltdown.21