One Nation sleepovers at Rinehart’s revealed, Japan trips getting more expensive, and more AI alarm | The Guardian

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Barnaby Joyce and Pauline Hanson have stayed at One Nation backer Gina Rinehart’s $20m home in Brisbane, without declaring the hospitality to parliament.

14/09/2026

One Nation sleepovers at Rinehart’s revealed, Japan trips getting more expensive, and more AI alarm

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Paul Gallagher

Good morning. Today we launch The Populist: a podcast about how One Nation is gaining ground in Australia. The four-part series follows senior correspondent Sarah Martin as she uncovers the inner workings of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation – a party that has imported the modus operandi of the global populist right, including Trump-style attacks on the media. The Populist asks who One Nation really stands for and what influence its billionaire benefactor Gina Rinehart has over the party.

Elsewhere there’s speculation over the intended target of a Russian drone strike near the Ukraine-Poland border. And tech titans, including Elon Musk, say they’ll back calls to pump the brakes on AI development.

Australia

Independent senators Fatima Payman and senator David Pocock. Pocock says his constituents contact him most about ‘human rights and the Gaza genocide’.

‘Red lines’ legislation | David Pocock is among crossbench MPs who will pressure Labor to ban Australian goods from being used by the Israeli military.

Sleepover at Rinehart’s | One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce stayed overnight at Gina Rinehart’s Brisbane mansion after fundraising events, with Joyce conducting a live television interview about politics from the $20m home. He did not declare the hospitality to parliament because the billionaire is a “long-term friend”.

End of the road? | The Japanese yen has now reached its highest level against the US and Australian dollars in six months. Is the era of budget-friendly trips coming to an end for Australian travellers?

‘They can get to incredible numbers’ | Rabbits are the biggest threat to Australia’s native species. And due to good rainfall and growing resistance to viruses, rabbit populations are booming.

Sea lion death | South Australia has recorded the first death of an endangered Australian sea lion from H5 bird flu, amid fears for the protected species of which less than 12,000 remain nationwide.

World

Ukrainian firefighters extinguish a fire on a passenger train hit by a Russian drone strike at a railway station in Lutsk.

Russia-Ukraine war | A train carrying former UK PM Boris Johnson and ex-CIA chief David Petraeus may have been the intended target of a drone strike near the Poland-Ukraine border, officials say.

AI alarm | Sam Altman and Elon Musk have backed a call from the head of Anthropic to “slow the pace” of AI development in a rare show of unity from rival developers. “Too little, too late”: critics remain suspicious of AI leaders’ call for a slowdown.

Middle East crisis | A pregnant woman was among more than 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza; Iran-allied Houthis have said they used drones and missiles to attack a military base in Saudi Arabia.

Buying votes? | Donald Trump has doubled down on his controversial pledge to give US adults a “dividend” if his Republican ⁠party keeps control of Congress after November’s midterm elections.

Sweden votes | Results are too close to call in Sweden’s high-stakes election, with projections narrowing after exit polls initially showed the centre-left bloc was set to take power over the incumbent centre-right coalition. Follow updates on our live blog.

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Full Story

Our reporting has uncovered the true extent of Gina Rinehart’s backing of One Nation.

The Populist: Aeroplanes and bulldozers | Episode 1

“If you’re trying to say I’m being funded by Gina Rinehart, the answer is no.” That’s what One Nation leader Pauline Hanson told the Guardian’s senior correspondent Sarah Martin in February. We now know that’s not true. Over months, Martin pieced together flight tracking data and expense records to uncover the true extent of financial support flowing from Australia’s richest person to the country’s fastest growing political force. Episode one of the Populist podcast, launched today, tells the inside story, from the Farrer byelection to the National Press Club – including exclusive new reporting.

In-depth

In modern Australia, it is more common for child sexual abuse to be inflicted by an adolescent than an adult, research shows.

As peer-on-peer violence continues to rise, many girls, who make up the majority of school-age sexual assault victims, have no choice but to return to school. And in many cases, they must continue to share a campus with their assailant. When schools must balance a duty of care to both victims and perpetrators, where does this leave girls who have to pursue their education in the shadow of sexual assault?

Not the news

Two days before the circus opened, many of its performers were helping put up the tent and install the seats, says the company’s artistic director, Navi Fong.