Students Rally Against Pauline Hanson Across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane

Thousands of students flooded the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this week in a wave of protests directed at One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, with demonstrators chanting slogans calling for an end to what they described as racism in Australian politics.

The rallies drew participants from both secondary schools and universities, with protesters voicing opposition to Hanson's immigration and multicultural policy positions. Chants including calls for migrants to be welcomed and Hanson to be removed from public life echoed through city centres as crowds gathered in co-ordinated demonstrations across the eastern seaboard.

Liberal MP Andrew Wallace acknowledged the students' democratic right to protest but expressed reservations about younger secondary school-aged participants being exposed to strong language at the rallies. "I welcome their involvement in the democratic process, but we don't need that kind of language in our political discourse," he said. "I'd rather them be in school."

Independent MP Dai Le agreed the language raised concerns but drew a distinction between university students — who she said were exercising their rights on their own time — and HSC-year students whose studies should take priority. Both MPs also noted an irony in the protests: by focusing public attention squarely on Hanson and One Nation, demonstrators risked amplifying the very figure they opposed.

Separately, a hot microphone moment from a political media event dominated headlines, after Angus Taylor's senior press secretary was caught on tape berating Channel 10 political editor Ashley Raper during a press conference. The press secretary challenged the line of questioning in blunt terms, prompting debate over whether the outburst warranted an apology to the journalist.

Wallace suggested the incident was a reminder that "every microphone is a hot microphone," while Dai Le shifted focus to the broader context of the ICAC inquiry, arguing both major parties engage in similar fundraising practices and questioning why scrutiny had fallen disproportionately on the Liberal Party.

Rounding out the morning's discussion, new data revealing only nine per cent of Gen Z Australians prefer phone calls as their primary communication method sparked reflection from both MPs. Wallace lamented the decline of voice conversation, warning that nuance is easily lost in text exchanges. Le said she remains a committed caller — and FaceTimer — despite the trend.