Australia news LIVE: Hanson’s fundraising blitz raises more than $1.5 million on first day; Iranian officials confirm Strait of Hormuz closed as US strikes Iran

Southern Cross Media, the business created from the merger of Kerry Stokes Seven West and radio group Southern Cross, announced a profit downgrade and massive job cuts as market conditions continue to deteriorate.

Heavy job cuts at Seven were foreshadowed in a report from this masthead yesterday.

Southern Cross said its businesses “are performing well in market conditions that have deteriorated materially more than anticipated” through the current quarter, with revenue and earnings both expected to be below previous forecasts.

The company said it has now commenced another significant cost reduction program to deliver annual run-rate cost reductions of up to $150 million upon its conclusion, largely from the loss of 250 to 300 jobs – mostly from the TV side of the business.

One Nation chief of staff James Ashby just spoke to 2GB about the party’s new “Fire the Liar” fundraising campaign, which claims to have raised more than $1.7 million since it launched yesterday.

“I think it will go down in history. It goes down well in my history books. So, look, it is big. Yeah, that’s going to give us that firepower, and as I said, we’re going after Labor, because this is the worst Labor government. In fact, I think it’s the worst government we’ve ever seen in our political history in this country, and we’ve got a trillion dollars worth of debt now,” Ashby said.

He vowed to use the money to oust the Labor government.

“We’ve got to get rid of Albanese and the Labor government. It’s not just him, it’s Chris Bowen, it’s the whole front ministry there. Burke’s got to go the whole lot, every single one of them, and that’s what this money will do.”

Ben Fordham asked Ashby who came up with the “Fire the Liar” slogan. Ashby said he was watching news anchor Peta Credlin on Sky and “stole” the line from her.

“You wouldn’t believe it, but I was talking to Peta Credlin, and I was watching her show, and I stole it off her. Nothing quite like a borrowed line,” Ashby said.

Liberal senator James Paterson says he is not interested in hitching his party’s wagon to the One Nation “brand”, after reports Liberal MP Tony Pasin had called on his party to work with Hanson to negotiate a carve up of seats.

Paterson said the party had several significant reservations about teaming up with One Nation so far out from an election, and that the priority for the Liberal Party should be earning back voter trust after its worst election defeat in history last year.

“I am not interested in dividing the spoils with another political party two years out from the election, and frankly, hitching our wagon to their brand with all the risks that that entails between now and then. Who knows their policies?

“I think the Liberal Party needs to focus on earning back the trust and support of our traditional voters who were lost, before we contemplate in arrangement with any other party,” Paterson told ABC Radio National.

Sticking with Wong this morning, the foreign minister dismissed the suggestion Australian society is on the same path towards division and social unrest as Northern Ireland after the outbreak of violent anti-migration protests in Belfast and other cities this week.

Police charged a Sudanese asylum seeker, Hadi Alodid, 30, with attempted murder after a shocking assault on a Belfast street on Monday night that sparked a political storm over crime and migration.

Wong was asked whether echoes of the anger playing out in the conservative movement abroad could be observed in rising tensions caused by anti-migration sentiment among Australians.

“Well, I’m going to leave the UK to deal with their domestic politics,” she told Nine’s Today show.

The US military says it is striking “multiple targets” in Iran in another escalation of tensions, as it appears to make good on Trump’s threats to “hit [Iran] again”.

The US launched airstrikes against Iran on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) after blaming Tehran for the crash of the American attack helicopter, prompting new attacks from Iran and further widening the retaliatory strikes that threaten to derail efforts to end the war.

AP

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she is not as worried about Pauline Hanson’s fundraising as she is about the party’s policies, as a call-out for donations to One Nation yesterday claims to have raised more than $1.5 million in its first day.

“Well, I’m not actually interested in how much Hanson has raised,” she told ABC TV.

“I’m not worried about her fundraising, I’m worried about her policies, and I’m worried about the fact that she proposes no solutions. But what she does engender, what she does try and stoke is anger, and I think it’s wrong for the country.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor says the Coalition has no plan to negotiate with One Nation to carve up seats amid reports some Liberal MPs are encouraging the talks in order to retain their seats at the next election.

Yesterday, Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin urged his party to negotiate with Pauline Hanson to determine the seats in which Liberal and National candidates should run so they are not in competition with each other.

Speaking to ABC’s News Breakfast this morning, Taylor insisted the Liberal Party would not be negotiating with Hanson’s party.

“There’s no plan to carve up seats. We won’t be doing that,” he said.

“What we will be doing is focusing on a Labor government that’s taking this country in the wrong direction, with higher taxes, with less houses, with immigration that has not been in line with our supply, and with an energy system that is broken, and that will be our focus. It won’t be carving up seats.”

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has labelled One Nation’s fundraising blitz – which claims to have raised $1.5 million in its first day – an “own goal” by Labor.

The Fire the Liar website accuses the prime minister of lying to Australians about immigration, the changes made to the stage 3 tax cuts last term, the Voice to parliament, changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and more.

It was launched after new ads from the ALP seeking donations to combat One Nation’s rise.

“Can I just say what an own goal by the prime minister,” McKenzie told the Today show.

“The Labor Party thought they would raise a lot of funds by attacking their political opponents, and instead Australians, rightfully furious, that [Albanese] is a liar, rightfully furious with his budget, this just is an own goal by Labor.”

US President Donald Trump said Iran had taken too long to negotiate a deal and would now “have to pay the price”, threatening to “hit them again”, while Tehran said it would reassess diplomatic engagement with Washington after tit-for-tat strikes.

“Iran is all talk and no action,” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday (US time). “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”

Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office what he meant by his post, Trump said: “Well, we’re going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard.” He cited Iran’s shooting down of an American Apache attack helicopter as the reason, but noted he still wanted Iran to sign the deal to end the conflict.

“We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don’t turn on your television set,” he said. “And we’ll set what happens with the deal.”

Pauline Hanson has boasted about the rapid success of a fundraising blitz, with One Nation claiming to have raised more than $1 million in donations on the day it launched a “Fire the Liar” website and fundraising drive.

The veteran politician, who spent close to 30 years on the fringes of Australian politics before forcing herself into the political mainstream this year, is also criss-crossing the country to attend intimate fundraisers. Some of them are facilitated or hosted by Australia’s richest person, mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.

The Fire the Liar website accuses the prime minister of lying to Australians about immigration, the changes made to the stage 3 tax cuts last term, the Voice to parliament, changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and more.

The site was launched by One Nation at 6.04am yesterday with a target of raising $1 million. As of this morning, the website claims to have raised over $1.5 million.

In an interview on Perth radio station 6PR yesterday, Hanson said she was amazed by the huge response and avalanche of donations to the party after the Fire the Liar website was launched.