Mike Newman, the leader of NSW One Nation and state election candidate, initially made unclear comments supporting a bill to prohibit sex-selective abortions outside the New South Wales parliament. After clarification, Newman stated that One Nation’s policy does not advocate for an outright ban on abortion but opposes late-term and sex-selective abortions. Meanwhile, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) announced its first-ever voluntary redundancies due to federal government budget requirements, aiming to reduce staffing levels from 10,509 in 2025-26 to 9,840 by July 2027 while maintaining frontline services.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
The NSW One Nation leader and state election candidate, Mike Newman, has clarified comments he made in support of a bill to explicitly prohibit sex-selective abortions at a rally outside NSW parliament yesterday.
asserted
he → clarify → parliament
And what we want to say to those people in there, we want to support people who want to make sure that abortion rights, we want to stop it.
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we → want → it
We want to make sure that same-sex, sorry, abortion is stopped.
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abortion → want → ?
We want to make sure that people have the right to life, and we will vote for you in favour of that.
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we → want → that
After Guardian Australian contacted Newman, he said that “One Nation policy is clear” and the party’s platform opposed late-term and sex-selective abortions, but did not advocate for an outright ban on abortions.
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platform → contact → abortions
There are already restrictions on sex-selection abortion for non-medical reasons in NSW, and the upper house voted to formally oppose the practice in 2019 when the state decriminalised abortion.
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state → be → abortion
Libertarian upper house member John Ruddick’s bill proposes to explicitly prohibit sex-selective abortion and introduce penalties for medical practitioners.
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bill → propose → practitioners
A 2020 NSW Health review found the practice was exceedingly rare.
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practice → find → ?
Guardian Australia understands the bill, in which government and opposition members have been allowed a conscience vote, does not have sufficient support to pass this evening.
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members → understand → support
NDIA says job cuts necessary, as it offers voluntary redundancies
A quick update on a story we brought you yesterday: voluntary redundancies at the National Disability Insurance Agency for the first time in its existence.
In a statement, the NDIA says these job cuts are necessary to meet the federal government’s budget requirements.
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cuts → say → requirements
The budget papers show the agency’s average staffing level will need to drop from the 10,509 positions recorded in the 2025-26 financial year, to 9,840 by July 2027.
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level → show → July
An NDIA spokesperson said the agency had “significantly strengthened its frontline workforce to reduce wait times” and improve quality in recent years.
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agency → say → years
Like all government agencies, the NDIA is required to operate within Government-approved average staffing levels.
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NDIA → require → levels
These workforce measures are designed to help us meet these requirements while maintaining frontline services and having the right people, skills and capability in place to deliver the next phase of NDIS reforms.
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us → design → reforms
Hanson of ‘greater depth of character’ than the PM, Joyce says
Barnaby Joyce has backed his leader, Pauline Hanson, saying she gets “10 out of 10” for yesterday issuing a lukewarm, qualified apology over her comments about Indigenous Australians and to Anthony Albanese.
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she → say → Albanese
Speaking to News24, Joyce says Hanson didn’t need to be told by him to apologise, and that she’s shown great depth of character.
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she → speak → character
A reminder here: yesterday Hanson said she’s sorry “if I offended people”.
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I → say → people
For some reason Joyce brings up melon-gate and says the prime minister still hasn’t apologised for that, nor when he fell off a stage during the election campaign and tried to claim he hadn’t “fallen”.
uncertain
he → bring → campaign
I’m still waiting for the apology from the prime minister of Australia, to the prime minister of Japan, about the melon issue, and we haven’t had that.
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we → wait → that
So I think what Pauline has shown is a greater depth of character than the prime minister on this issue.
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shown → think → issue
When it was replayed for her, she very quickly said, ‘well, no, that is not the message I want out, nor is it the view I hold’.
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I → replay → her
And we understand completely that some people would be offended by, Aboriginal people would be offended by that.
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people → understand → that
And it must be corrected and she gets 10 out of 10 for character for doing it straight away.
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she → correct → it
Antic goes rogue – again – and debates his bill to repeal ‘no jab, no pay’ laws
Liberal senator Alex Antic, who has been openly trying to move his party to the right, is debating his private member’s bill to scrap immunisation requirements for families receiving government assistance.
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who → go → assistance
The bill is destined for the bin, because no one in the government nor his party wants to touch it with a 10 foot pole, but best believe it’ll end up on his social media.
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it → destine → media
Antic is also running to be president of the South Australian Liberals.
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Antic → run → Liberals
The bill was introduced in late 2025.
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bill → introduce → 2025
Antic is backed by fringe independent Ralph Babet who has brought the bill up for debate today.
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who → back → debate
Babet says independents are only allowed to bring up one private member’s bill for debate each year and he’s chosen this one.
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he → say → one
He gave some of his time to Antic – who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to debate it.
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who → give → it
Antic has long held anti-vaccine views, and was a loud critic of the Covid vaccine rollout.
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Antic → hold → rollout
Stewart unsure when she’ll get back in the ocean after shark bite
Stewart said she is still adjusting to life with just one hand, saying her partner helps her with her hair most days.
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partner → get → hair
I still don’t trust him, but I don’t have any other choice.
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I → trust → choice
At the beginning, I couldn’t brush my own teeth.
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I → brush → teeth
And so my mum or [partner] Fernando brushed my teeth every day for me.
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mum → brush → me
Stewart said she hopes to return to teaching, but is still deep in her recovery process.
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she → say → process
She’s planning to visit the school she worked at soon, where she will likely answer questions from students.
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she → plan → students
She told 2GB:
I’d love to sort of give them some encouragement that you can get through hard things because for me, this felt impossible.
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this → tell → me
Fordham asked if Stewart planned to get back in the water.
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Stewart → ask → water
She said her leg is still healing after the shark took a large bite out of her body, saying the wound is still open and she recently had a skin graft.
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she → say → graft
…and 107 more, not listed.
The Aporia
