Anthony Albanese has suggested people who heckled him while he visited Lakemba mosque this morning were unhappy he had banned Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Albanese denied he had been “rushed out” and said his visit had been well received. He said:
double quotation markLook, I have seen some of those reports and they’re just simply not accurate. There were 30,000 people-plus at Lakemba this morning. Overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive. I walked through the crowd to the mosque and not a single person heckled.
There were a couple of hecklers inside, they were dealt with. Contrary to what’s been suggested, no one was rushed out, we just sat there, it was dealt with. … Some people don’t like the fact that we have outlawed extremist organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir, and that brought a response from a couple of people.
But if you got a couple of people heckling in a crowd of 30,000, that should be put in that perspective.
The Islamist group was targeted by hate speech laws brought in by Albanese in the wake of the Bondi massacre.
Anthony Albanese leaves Lakemba mosque after a visit for Eid al-Fitr, 20 March 20, 2026. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShare
Updated at 21.45 EDT
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‘We’re fairly lucky’, Queensland SES says of cyclone impact
Queensland state emergency services regional director, Wayne Coutts, says the community response and the impact of the cyclone in northern Queensland had meant it the area had been lucky so far.
double quotation markI guess we’re fairly lucky, as the cyclone was fairly narrow and moving reasonably quickly, didn’t go straight over Coen, as we thought it might, but closer to Lockhart than we thought possible.
Again, the communities would be really congratulated on what they’ve done and their preparations as it goes through.
He said there had been no rescues so far.
Power restored for most affected by Cyclone Narelle
Emergency services have been providing an update on the situation from Cyclone Narelle in Queensland.
Queensland police Supt Kevin Fitzgibbon says in the grand scheme of things, the impact on the ground has been fairly minor, mostly power loss. He said energy supplier Ergon had been doing a good job, and had decreased the number from 1,000 homes to around 100.
He said:
double quotation markThere will be some ongoing disruptions.
Ergon will have to disconnect some power to towns like Wujal Wujal, Ayton and Bloomfield in order to fix the current outage at Rossfield.
There were some brief outages around Hope Vale and Cooktown, but they’ve all been repaired.
Lockhart River has been without power since 9am local time this morning, and Fitzgibbon said Ergon will need to send people out to get it back up and running.
Updated at 23.52 EDT
Luca Ittimani
Thanks for staying with our live news coverage today. I’ll leave you with Josh Taylor for the afternoon’s breaking news.
Andrew Messenger
Coen resident says she ‘got off lightly’ as cyclone hit
Sara Watkins from Coen says they “got off pretty luckily”.
They took shelter at the local pub, the Exchange hotel, which is made of brick. But they’ve since returned home, after the wind dropped off. Watkins said:
double quotation markThe bulk of the storm and the heavy wind and rain was about two hours ago, and it’s as much as it is still raining and windy, it brightened up quite a bit. So I’m kind of hoping we’re on the other side of it and the next couple hours, it’ll be over.
The wind was intense for a period of time earlier today, she said, and there’s a risk of flood from the Coen and Archer rivers. But she said the storm seems to have tracked north.
“We got off lightly,” she said.
Watkins said the south side of the town has lost power, but their section still has it. They’ve been able to maintain communications using battery power though, she said.
double quotation markWe got really lucky that we were just slightly south of it [the storm]. So the damage hasn’t been too bad.
Coen, Queensland before Cyclone Narelle hit. Photograph: Sara WatkinsShare
Updated at 23.40 EDT
Iranian women’s football team welcomed to Tehran – in pictures
Members of Iran’s women’s national football team have been welcomed back to Tehran, after their participation in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Two members have remained in Australia, but the rest of the team completed a long journey back on Wednesday via Malaysia, Oman and then Turkey’s border with Iran.
One of the players of Iran’s women’s national football team passes through the crowd during a welcoming ceremony in Tehran. Photograph: Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters Photograph: Alaa Al-Marjani/ReutersCrowds welcome Iran’s women’s national football team back to Tehran. Photograph: Alaa Al-Marjani/ReutersIran’s women’s national football team at their return reception in Tehran. Photograph: Alaa Al-Marjani/ReutersShare
Updated at 23.31 EDT
Tom McIlroy
Foreign affairs minister talks with US secretary of state
Penny Wong spoke with her US counterpart, Marco Rubio, on Friday morning.
The pair discussed the conflict in the Middle East, Iran’s retaliatory attacks and strikes in the strait of Hormuz.
Wong and Rubio also spoke about international efforts to ensure safe passage of vessels through the strait. The call follows similar discussions with Wong’s European, Malaysian, Singaporean and Korean counterparts this week.
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
She is also due to speak with India’s foreign minister, Dr S Jaishankar, this afternoon.
“Secretary Rubio and I discussed the conflict in the Middle East and the Iranian regime’s escalating reprisal attacks, particularly on civilian and energy infrastructure,” Wong said.
double quotation markI expressed Australia’s condemnation of Iran’s deliberate attacks on merchant vessels in and around the strait of Hormuz. Iran’s actions have triggered severe global energy shocks, causing oil and fuel prices to surge, which is putting pressure on households, industries and supply chains.
We agreed that the international community must keep working together to ensure critical waterways are not held hostage by the Iranian regime.
Australia does not want to see the conflict continue to escalate.
Updated at 23.24 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Queensland police charge 70-year-old for pro-Palestine slogan
A 70-year-old protester has become the third Queenslander charged under laws banning a pro-Palestine slogan.
Jim Dowling, 70, was charged after attending a rally against Boeing on Wednesday. He was allegedly holding a sign which read “from the river to the sea Brisbane will be free of Boeing”, with Boeing crossed out.
A spokesperson for the Queensland police said the man was arrested at about 1pm on Albert Street in the CBD.
“The man has since been issued with a notice to appear in Brisbane magistrates court on 14 April for the offence of recital, distribution, publication or display of prohibited expressions,” the spokesperson said.
The act requires that using the prescribed expression might reasonably be expected to cause a member of the public to feel menaced, harassed or offended, but that person does not have to exist.
Pro-Palestine protester Liam Parry was the first charged under the laws for allegedly using the expression a single time at a rally last Wednesday.
Updated at 23.19 EDT
More than 100 fuel stations without diesel in NSW as shortages grow
Penry Buckley
At least 107 fuel stations in NSW do not have any diesel, while 42 have no fuel at all amid supply issues caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, confirmed the numbers to reporters this morning. Yesterday, Minns told parliament about 80 stations, primarily independent operators, did not have access to diesel, and about 40 did not have any fuel, urging consumers not to panic buy. On Monday, the government said about 32 out of 3,000 fuel stations in the state were experiencing partial or total shortages.
Minns, who has been reluctant to discuss contingency plans publicly, was asked today about the government’s potential use of emergency rationing powers. He said: “We’re preparing for every eventuality, but I don’t want to jump the gun.”
Under the state’s Energy and Utilities Administration Act, the premier has the power to declare an “energy supply emergency” if fuel supply is “disrupted to a significant degree” in all of part of the state.
The energy minister, Penny Sharpe, would be given wide-ranging powers to control the distribution of fuel including directing it to specific regions, ordering suppliers to sell fuel to particular customers and authorising authorities to take control of businesses that supply fuel.
Minns has already flagged contingencies to ensure fuel for hospitals and emergency services, in particular diesel for ambulances and generators. But at a press conference yesterday, he said he did not support measures to prevent trucks from other states filling up in NSW.
double quotation markMy concern about that border protection process is that it will be met with the reciprocal response … I think we’ve got to do this together.
A petrol station in the NSW town of Narrabri on Friday. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 23.09 EDT
Labor minister says ‘no one can predict’ fuel supply
The health minister, Mark Butler, has suggested no-one can predict whether Australia will keep receiving fuel supply shipments after April.
Supply ships are on their way, set to reach Australia for the rest of March and into April, Butler told Channel Seven this morning. Butler went on:
double quotation markBeyond that, no one anywhere in the world really can predict exactly the position is going to be in in terms of fuel supply. …
Ultimately, these scenarios are not within the control of Australia or any other country in Asia. This is a war being fought out between the US, Israel and Iran, and quite when it ends is ultimately a matter for those three countries.
Our job as governments, all governments is to plan for all of the scenarios we think are possible over the coming weeks and months.
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, earlier today dismissed suggestions Malaysia could prioritise its own fuel needs and cut supply to Australia.
Tom McIlroy
Chalmers calls in financial regulators for emergency talks on war in Iran
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has held talks with the Council of Financial Regulators on Friday, discussing the war in the Middle East and its implications for the Australian economy.
The council includes the leaders of the Reserve Bank, Asic, and Apra. The Treasury secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, attended the special meeting, along with the ACCC boss, Gina Cass-Gotlieb, and the assistant treasurer, Daniel Mulino.
“Australia has a strong and resilient financial system that is well placed to confront global instability, and that was the clear message from regulators today,” Chalmers said in a statement.
“While Australia is not immune to global challenges, we have strong economic fundamentals and our banking system is well capitalised.”
Chalmers says he has also been in touch with New Zealand’s finance minister, Nicola Willis, on Australia’s responses to the conflict and fuel security plans.
Updated at 22.40 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Archer River set to flood homes as Cyclone Narelle brings heavy rain, resident warns
Debbie Cameron at the Archer River roadhouse says the Archer river is rising and will inundate her house. They’re preparing to flee to a hill nearby, but can’t go yet because the winds remain at full pelt. They’re hoping the wind will drop before the water rises.
“She’s devastation here,” Cameron said.
double quotation markAll the big trees have upturned. The river is halfway up the campground.
She said “massive” mango trees, pine trees and mahogany trees had collapsed, some of them onto sheds and other buildings.
“We’ve got buildings crushed, sheds down,” she said.
double quotation markI don’t think there’s a leaf left on any tree.
Cameron described the wind as a “roar” and said it had been going for more than three hours without dropping off. They’re taking cover inside a brick house.
double quotation markAll the outside bits are flying off it, but the house is still sound in itself.
‘Stay in place’ as cyclone sweeps through, Queensland premier warns
People in regions affected by Topical Cyclone Narelle should still stay where they are, the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, has said.
Crisafulli has just told the ABC:
double quotation markOur message to people is to stay in place. Overwhelmingly people have heeded the message.
Some minor damage has been reported so far but it was still “early days”, Crisafulli said:
double quotation mark[The cyclone is] going at a pretty reasonably quick pace which means it will go to that western part of the cape where there are a number of smaller communities and, we’re told, will intensify once it reaches the water there in the gulf.
Crisafulli said he planned to visit the state’s far north over the weekend. Teams have been on the ground providing support to affected areas where it is safe, he said:
double quotation markWe are really, really grateful for those efforts. In many cases you got people who have come from other parts of Queensland to be there and be on the ground and that is something we really are genuinely grateful for.
Updated at 22.23 EDT