Afternoon Update: students ditch school to protest Hanson, Rio Tinto gets $2.5bn bailout, and Travis Kelce’s ‘best night’

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High schoolers across the country have ditched school and https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/13/australia-student-rally-anti-hanson-protests-sydney-brisbane-melbourne-ntwnfb">taken to the streets, joining the coordinated university union protests against Pauline Hanson.


Flyers reading “Say No to Pauline Hanson”, “fight against racism” and “stand up against the far right” were distributed by organisers from the National Union of Students.

One speaker said to the crowd: “She’s hanging out with Gina Rinehart in her private jet.

She’s going to Mar-a-Lago, she’s hanging out with Trump.”

Responding on social media, Hanson said students should instead be protesting against the cost-of-living crisis and stagnant national wage growth.

But students have not been deterred.

Despite being urged not to skip class, Melbourne high school student https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/13/australia-student-rally-anti-hanson-protests-sydney-brisbane-melbourne-ntwnfb">Jules Arpula said there was “nothing more important” for students to do on Thursday.

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