What we learned – Sunday 19 May
With that, we will shut the blog down for the day. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, however you are enjoying it.
Here were today’s major developments:
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, defended the GST deal with Western Australia outlined in the budget, which is going to cost nearly $53bn over the next 10 years. Speaking on Insiders, he said it was “responsible because we made the commitment”.
Also on Insiders, Chalmers called Peter Dutton’s budget reply and criticisms that immigration leads to pressure on housing “dark” and “divisive”. Chalmers says Dutton’s reply is based on “numbers that he has plucked out of the air”.
Australians stranded in New Caledonia have been forced to ration food as they wait to leave amid riots that have now killed six people.
And the Victorian Labor conference will continue today after dramatic scenes yesterday, when a group of pro-Palestinian protesters entered the Moonee Valley Racecourse building and began chanting outside the conference room filled with MPs, unionist and other rank-and-file members.
Updated
PM praises push to ban kids from social media
Moves to ban children from social media have been applauded by the prime minister. Earlier in May, South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas appointed a former High court chief justice to examine pathways for his government to impose a social media ban on Australians under 14.
Having spoken to concerned parents, prime minister Anthony Albanese welcomed efforts to explore age restriction measures.
Parents are worried sick about what their kids have access to online, it is a major social issue in this country. Premier Malinauskas - I applaud his leadership on this issue.”
Parents were concerned about their children having access to inappropriate material online and the mental health impacts of social media, Albanese said. However, any age requirement initiatives must be proven to work.
The federal government revealed it would commit $6.5 million in its budget to pilot “age assurance technologies” by testing their effectiveness and investigating how implementation could work in a bid to prevent children from accessing inappropriate and harmful online content.
Albanese:
The impact of social media - I think - is the number one topic on the sideline of football, netball and school sport on any weekend in any part of Australia. It’s time that we take strong action, but we want to make sure that strong action is effective.
- via AAP
Updated
