What we learned today, Friday 29 November
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here are the main stories:
Leaked sections of a report outlining an overhaul of New South Wales’ gambling policy have confirmed “a clear win” for the gambling industry.
In light of a slew of bills passed last night, prime minister Anthony Albanese says Labor is “working hard to make Australians’ lives better”.
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, says he believes a minority government is possible at the next election.
6 News founder Leo Puglisi says the under-16s social media ban will “restrict young people’s creativity”.
Shadow communications minister, David Coleman, says enforcing the under-16s social media ban will be the Coalition’s ‘number one priority’ if elected.
Independent senator Tammy Tyrrell said the bill “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”
Murray Watt says that if social media companies don’t “play ball” on the ban, Labor can “go after them.”
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has said it is concerned about the “rushed” under-16s social media ban.
The retiring opposition leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, said he was confident in Dutton.
The vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, Mark Scott said the university “did not get everything right” during pro-Palestine encampment.
Western Australia’s emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm says bushfires north of Perth in the state’s wheatbelt remain out of control.
Queensland premier David Crisafulli launched a 100-day review to determine which stadium will host the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Parks and environment organisations say they were blindsided by the Victorian government’s review into Parks Victoria, announced late on the last sitting day of state parliament.
Updated
Airlines that misuse Sydney airport flight slots face heavy fines
Airlines will be slapped with fines of almost $100,000 for misusing valuable flight slots at Australia’s busiest airport, AAP reports.
Reforms passed by federal parliament on Thursday aim to increase competition in the airline sector at Sydney airport after allegations carriers were deliberately cancelling services to maintain valuable slots at terminals.
Under the changes, the federal transport department will be responsible for the slot management scheme at Sydney airport and will have the power to force airlines to provide information about their misuse.
Carriers will be fined $99,000 if they apply for slots with no prospect of them being used, not properly using them or not meeting slot requirements.
The transport minister, Catherine King, says the changes will help to level the playing field.
“Our reforms directly address these issues, allowing better access for new entrants and cracking down on airline misbehaviour,” she says.
Slots at Sydney airport are limited to 80 take-offs and landings an hour.
The laws will allow for the number of flights an hour at Sydney airport to be increased if there is bad weather.
If flight landings or take-offs are affected by weather, the cap will be lifted to 85 flights an hour for two hours.
But the number of flights in total will not increase and will still be subject to the airport curfew.
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Hanson-Young: social media ban a ‘sham’ that won’t make young people safer
The Greens communications spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, has condemned the government for passing a social media ban for under-16s.
Hanson-Young called the passage of the law a “world-leading failure,” saying the bill was rushed through, and is a “sham” that has been through a “sham process”:
There is no excuse for rushing this bill through and racing Peter Dutton to the bottom – it won’t even commence for 12 months.
It is a sham bill that’s been through a sham process. It is a piece of legislation that doesn’t do what the PM or Peter Dutton say it will do – it won’t make young people safer online and doesn’t make social media safer for anyone.
What we’ve witnessed this week is boomers trying to tell young people how the internet should work. Yet these boomers clearly have no idea how young people engage with the internet.
This bill might make oldies feel like they’ve done something but in reality it only delivers a false sense of security. Young people will be pushed to darker spaces on the web and regional, marginalised and vulnerable kids will be further isolated.
Instead, the parliament should have supported the Greens’ duty of care amendment, and implemented measures that address the dangerous and predatory business models of the tech giants.
The passage of this law is a world-leading failure by the PM and Peter Dutton.
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More consumers chasing savings in Black Friday sales
Electronic gadgets, home entertainment and holiday bookings have helped drive booming Black Friday sales, putting shoppers on track to spend a record amount despite cost-of-living pressures.
Australian consumers are on target to splurge $6.7bn at this year’s Black Friday to Cyber Monday sales, up 5.5% from 2023, the Australian Retail Association says.
The bumper figure is being largely attributed to cash-strapped consumers seeking discounted holiday-season gifts as many household budgets feel the pressure from high interest rates and inflation.
The association’s chief industry affairs officer, Fleur Brown, says crowds were big in stores for most segments, with actual trade expected to hit the industry group’s multibillion-dollar forecast.
“There is a leaning to things like clothing and accessories, technology, television, mobile phones, that kind of thing,” she says.
“Even services have got offers out there,” she adds, pointing to the likes of travel companies and beauty parlours.
The Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia’s chief executive, Luke Achterstraat, says electronics, holiday bookings and music are proving popular.
More than one-quarter of small businesses are expected to take part in this Black Friday, which Achterstraat says is the highest percentage on record.
“Things like Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday are a reminder that consumers do still vote with their wallets and are looking to purchase in the lead-up to Christmas.”
Almost 66% of shoppers plan to shop at sales in November and December, according to recent research from Monash Business School.
About 30% intend to use buy-now, pay-later schemes.
Via AAP.
Updated
‘Buy now, pay later’ users to be better protected under national credit laws
Some consumer groups have applauded the government’s regulation of “buy now, pay later” products, passed late last night in the Senate.
The new law will bring the services under the national credit laws, meaning consumers will have access to greater protections that apply to similar credit products.
Services affected include Afterpay, Humm, and Zip, which usually allow consumers to pay for products or services by instalments.
The chief executive of the consumer group Choice, Ashely de Silva, says the new laws are a step forward for consumer rights.
The new laws will greatly reduce the risk of people being signed up to unaffordable BNPL loans that leave them worse off. It also ensures customers can take disputes with BNPL providers to the financial complaints body and have their complaint fairly heard.
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NSW residents warned to prepare for more storms, possible flash flooding
NSW State Emergency Services are urging residents around the state to brace for more storms on Friday afternoon and into the weekend.
Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the Southern Tablelands and parts of the Illawarra, South Coast, Sydney Metro, Central Tablelands, North West Slopes, South West Slopes, Central West Slopes and Plains and Snowy Mountains districts.
NSW SES State Duty Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner, Paul McQueen, has advised people in those areas to remain vigilant:
I’m urging residents to monitor the conditions as we see these storms continue into the weekend. There is the potential for flash flooding so please ensure you make safe decisions on the road and do not enter any flooded causeways or roads.
Please do not drive, play or ride through flood waters. Stop, turn around and find an alternative route. If you find yourself trapped on a flooded road call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
A flood watch is in place for minor flooding for the following catchments:
Colo River
Macdonald River
Castlereagh River
Macquarie River to Bathurst
Macquarie River downstream of Burrendong Dam
Bogan River
Lachlan River to Cotton’s Weir
Mandagery Creek
Tumut River
Upper Murrumbidgee River to Burrinjuck Dam and Cooma Creek
Queanbeyan and Molonglo Rivers.
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Covid-19 vaccination rates fall across Australia, Victoria hospitalisations surge
A “significant” jump in Covid-19 hospitalisations and infections has health authorities urging caution as the festive season heats up.
The number of people hospitalised with the virus in Victoria rose 59% between October and November, the state’s latest Covid-19 surveillance report revealed.
Victoria’s seven-day hospitalisation average had risen to 197 by 26 November, representing a “significant increase”, according to the health department.
The number of cases notified to the department has also increased in recent weeks, up 44% in the past month.
Victorians have been urged to protect themselves and those around them in the lead up to summer, particularly those most vulnerable.
“It’s the simple things that can have a big impact: if you’re feeling sick, please stay home,” chief health officer Dr Clare Looker said on Friday.
“If you need to go out, or you’re visiting a higher-risk setting, like an aged-care home or a hospital, it’s a good idea to wear a mask.”
She urged people to stay up to date with their Covid-19 vaccinations, as immunity to the virus wanes over time.
Dr Looker said JN.1 was the dominant variant in the community and there was no indication that the virus had become more severe.
Covid-19 infections have also increased in Western Australia after three months of relatively low and stable figures, according to WA Health Department data on hospitalisations and wastewater sampling.
NSW and Queensland have experienced slight increases to reported infections, but their overall numbers of Covid-19 cases remains low.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, vaccination rates fell in all states and territories in the November reporting period.
Via AAP.
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Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you for the rest of the day’s news.
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today – and over these past two weeks! It’s been an honour to briefly jump into the political blogger chair to bring you the latest news from Parliament House – alongside the fantastic Guardian Australia team in Canberra.
For the rest of this Friday afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani is here for our rolling coverage. Take care.
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The last two parliamentary sitting weeks of 2024, in pictures
After a very busy two weeks here in Canberra, things have well and truly quietened down. After the Senate sat long into the night to pass a raft of legislation, the lower house waved the final amendments through this morning – and MPs and senators are beginning to head home for the holidays.
Mike Bowers has been our eyes and ears throughout Parliament House, during these final two sitting weeks of 2024 – and here is some of the action he has captured:
Updated
Read the latest Weekly Beast
It’s a Friday afternoon, which can only mean one thing – it’s time to get stuck into the latest Weekly Beast from Amanda Meade:
Queensland premier launches Olympic stadium review
Queensland premier David Crisafulli has officially launched a 100-day review set to determine which stadium will host the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, naming a board of directors stacked with property industry figures.
Crisafulli announced a seven-member board for an independent infrastructure and coordination authority today in a bid to put an end to the stadium debate, which has raged in the sunshine state for years.
It will be chaired by property industry executive Stephen Conry, and also include Property Council of Australia’s Queensland boss, Jess Caire, and developer Laurence Lancini. Former Gold Coast Suns’ chair Tony Cochrane, Jill Davies, Jamie Fitzpatrick and recently axed Transurban executive, Sue Johnson, will also be on the board.
Then-Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, announced the Gabba would be knocked down and rebuilt as the Game’s centrepiece in 2021. That plan was eventually dumped by her successor, Steven Miles, who opted to refurbish the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre, which was in turn ruled out by the new premier.
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Prepare for ‘challenging’ summer, WA residents warned
WA’s emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm is warning West Australian’s to be prepared for a “challenging” summer ahead – with more than 93% of the state bushfire prone, but less than 2% of households having a recorded bushfire plan.
I think we have some significant parts of the state, particularly in the southern half, that are incredibly dry … [We] started 2024 [with] a really extended dry hot period, pretty well from the start of January through to late May into June, where we had minimal rainfall. At some point over the course of this fire season that will play out in terms of the impacts of that lack of rainfall on the vegetation being incredibly dry.
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WA bushfires remain out of control, says emergency services commissioner
Sticking with the bushfires north of Perth in WA’s wheatbelt: the state’s emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm, is addressing the media with an update.
He says the situation is still challenging, and people should remain alert:
Over 73,000 hectares of land has been burned so far in this fire and it remains out-of-control and uncontained. The fire is burning in varying fuel loads, including heavy vegetation areas, which burn very high … the 50km long western flank of the fire will continue to challenge crews, with forecast strong easterly winds, which will contest these containment lines.
The commissioner says two volunteers were injured responding to a fire on Wednesday – one received minor injuries and didn’t require an ambulance, and the other sustained non-life threatening burns and has been discharged from hospital.
And yesterday, volunteer firefighters had a lucky escape when a power line came down on top of their fire appliance, temporarily trapping them.
They were not injured and we are investigating both of those incidents.
Updated
Residents rescued from beach as WA bushfire nears coastal communities
Stepping away from politics for a moment for the latest on the WA bushfires: residents have been rescued from a beach by boat, as firefighters continue to fight a fierce blaze threatening a series of coastal communities about 200km north of Perth.
As AAP reports, an emergency warning remains in place for parts of Wedge Island, Grey, Nambung and Cooljarloo in the Shire of Dandaragan – this includes the fishing shack villages of Grey and Wedge, and Cervantes, a town with a population of about 500 people.
The fire has burned through more than 70,000 hectares of bushland since it was started by a fatal car crash on Monday
The shire president, Tony O’Gorman, says some residents from Grey were rescued by boat from a beach yesterday:
Our fisheries vessel (in Jurien Bay to the north) and our marine rescue people went down and took those people off the beach because it was just too risky to leave them there.
The bushfire is moving in a westerly direction and is not contained or controlled, with more than 200 firefighters battling the blaze.
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Kean warns of ‘vested interests’ detracting from renewables transition
The chair of the Climate Change Authority, Matt Kean, has responded to the latest modelling out this week showing energy bills could shrink by a fifth over the next decade amid the renewables transition.
In a post to X earlier this morning, Kean – a former NSW energy minister – said:
This independent unbiased modelling out this week shows the energy transition to renewables “would lower total household energy expenditure by nearly $1,000 per year” in coming years. Don’t let the vested interests take them away from you.
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Dozens of organisations pen open letter calling for focus on prevention and early intervention at NSW drug summit
Ahead of the drug summit in Sydney next week, more than 30 leaders from community, health and Aboriginal organisations are calling on the NSW government to prioritise prevention and early intervention.
The organisations have penned an open letter, saying the summit should include a holistic strategy including:
Increasing the number and capacity of NSW communities participating in place-based prevention of alcohol and other drugs related harm;
Developing and implementing targeted information and behaviour change programs and support for young people and their families.
The organisations including the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies, Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Residential Rehabilitation Network, NSW Council of Social Service and the Matilda Centre.
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation CEO, Dr Erin Lalor, says a proactive and balanced strategy is needed.
Prevention efforts, especially those led by communities, play a powerful role in reducing harmful drug use by tackling the root causes at a local level. By investing in targeted programs, particularly for at-risk groups like youth in disadvantaged communities, we not only improve individual wellbeing, but also generate significant returns for our health and social systems; every dollar invested in prevention returns approximately $14.
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More on the review into Parks Victoria
Continuing from our last post: Matt Ruchel said it was odd that the review mentioned customer satisfaction, given a report tabled in parliament – the same day – found 85.9% visitor satisfaction across all parks.
Ruchel said Parks Victoria had a huge task managing 4m hectares of public land, national and metropolitan parks amid pressures related to biodiversity, climate change, feral animals, weeds and increased visitors, and was doing so in the context of funding cuts. Jono La Nauze said:
The biggest question before the government is why it is chronically underfunding conservation in this state, including the management of national parks.
The review will be completed by March 2025, and will be overseen by the Victorian government with the support of Korda Mentha. Graeme Dear, chair of the Victorian Fisheries Authority, has been appointed as interim CEO.
Guardian Australia has asked the minister’s office about the reasons for the review and its terms of reference.
The review follows ongoing consultation on a proposed management plan for the Dyurrite Cultural Landscape (Mount Arapiles - Tooan state park), opposed by some in the rock climbing community. However, the issue was not mentioned by the minister when announcing the review.
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Environment groups 'blindsided' by Parks Victoria review
Parks and environment organisations say they were blindsided by the Victorian government’s review into Parks Victoria, announced late on the last sitting day of state parliament.
The state’s environment minister, Steve Dimopoulos, ordered a “comprehensive review” of the statutory authority and announced the departure of Parks Victoria CEO Matthew Jackson.
In a statement, Dimopoulos said the review would focus on Parks Victoria’s priorities, and would “identify ways to reduce red tape, improve customer service and deliver better outcomes for Victorians”.
Matt Ruchel, executive director of the Victorian National Parks Association, said the announcement at 4pm yesterday came “completely out of the blue”.
We are deeply concerned this is a trojan horse for dismantling hard-won nature protections.
Environment Victoria’s CEO, Jono La Nauze, said the environment campaign organisation was also “blindsided”, along with many others in the conservation community.
“We have real questions about the motivation and the basis for this review,” La Nauze said, especially as the government had not provided any evidence suggesting issues or concerns with Parks Victoria.
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NSW gambling reform report leak confirms ‘clear industry win’
Leaked sections of a 530-page report outlining an overhaul of New South Wales gambling policy have confirmed “a clear win” for the gambling industry, with the government urged not to further restrict poker machine operating hours.
This is despite the NSW government publishing independent research that confirms people who use poker machines after 2am are “experiencing significant negative consequences”.
When the draft proposal by executive members of a panel advising the government on gaming reform was first exposed by Guardian Australia, public health campaigners hoped other panellists would be able to see it removed or amended in the final report.
Several members of the panel have previously called for poker machine operating hours to be cut to reduce community harm. Members of the panel are unable to publicly comment on the report until its public release due to confidentiality agreements.
They include representatives for the biggest gaming venues in the state, machine manufacturers, NSW police, Wesley Mission, the NSW Council of Social Services, the United Workers Union, two academics and one person with lived experience.
Sections of the final report seen by Guardian Australia urge the government to “retain the minimum six-hour shutdown period, commencing no later than 4am”. This would allow poker machine venues to stay open from 10am to 4am.
Tim Costello, the chief advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, has described that recommendation as ridiculous, given the scale of harm caused by poker machines.
That’s clearly an industry win.
The NSW government is now considering the final report.
Updated
Key event
ACCC approves more Qatar Airways and Virgin flights
The competition watchdog has granted interim approvals for Qatar Airways’ plan to increase its flights between Australia and Doha as part of an alliance with Virgin Australia.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced it had granted interim authorisation for the two carriers’ plans to enter into an alliance, which allows the two carriers to begin marketing and selling tickets for the new 28 weekly return services from June 2025.
The agreement will see Virgin Australia, which has not owned any planes capable of long-haul flights since its pandemic-induced restructure, enter into a “wet lease” agreement with Qatar Airways, in which it leases not just the Middle-Eastern carrier’s aircraft but also its crew.
In effect, the authorisation via an Australian airline allows Qatar Airways to bypass the requirement for its government to secure increased bilateral air rights with Australia, more than a year after the Albanese government infamously shot down the carrier’s push for an additional 28 weekly flights in a decision that fuelled speculation about Qantas’ influence in Canberra.
The new services will be offered subject to final regulatory approval by the ACCC and other government bodies, meaning that if final approvals are not granted, customers who booked will be offered refunds or moved onto alternate services.
ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said:
Having this court-enforceable undertaking that protects customers was important to our decision to allow Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways to start selling tickets now.
The proposed alliance is part of a broader move that will see Qatar Airways take a 25% minority ownership stake in Virgin Australia.
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Meta concerned about ‘rushed’ social media ban
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has issued a statement on the under-16 social media ban.
As AAP reports, a spokesperson said that while it respected the decision by federal parliament, issues remained with how the ban would be enforced.
We are concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.
The task now turns to ensuring there is productive consultation on all rules associated with the bill to ensure a technically feasible outcome that does not place an onerous burden on parents and teens and a commitment that rules will be consistently applied across all social apps used by teens.
Age-verification trials on how young people would be stopped from accessing social media are still ongoing. The Meta spokesman said an option would be age verification through operating systems or app stores.
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Birth rate fears after NSW caps nation-first IVF subsidy
An Australian-first rebate aimed at making parenthood easier for thousands of couples will be limited within months, sparking fears the move will drive down already declining birth rates.
As AAP reports, more than 14,000 women have been able to receive a $2,000 cash rebate for IVF treatment since it was introduced as part of the then-Coalition NSW government’s women-focused budget in 2022.
But the state government will apply an income test on applicants from 19 February, with applicants needing to show they receive the family tax benefit, hold a government health care card or have an annual household income of $116,000 or less.
State opposition leader Mark Speakman said the income test equated to $58,000 per person – or about $25,000 less than the starting salary of a teacher – and was a “cruel, distressing blow for the thousands of women and their partners who were relying on this subsidy to support their dreams of having a family”.
Labor said the Coalition allocated $24m over four years for the scheme, but that money had run out in less than two. Premier Chris Minns told reporters:
We obviously want to help people, but the number of people that applied for the scheme was far beyond what the government could afford. I apologise for it, I know that a lot of families struggle, they want to have kids, they need help to do it [and] cost of living is obviously a big impact on family budgets.
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How does Australia’s social media ban compare to laws in other countries?
After passing both levels of parliament, the government has been touting its under-16s social media ban as “world-leading”. But how does the ban actually compare to laws in other countries?
You can have a read of this explainer below:
‘Depends on context’ whether certain pro-Palestine phrases antisemitic, Mark Scott says
The University of Sydney’s vice-chancellor, Mark Scott, says it “depends on the context” whether pro-Palestine phrases like “from the river to the sea” are antisemitic.
Scott is continuing to face questioning over a review into the university’s policies and procedures, which includes a new “civility rule” that would require speakers on campus to “make the meaning of contested words and phrases clear to the audience”.
The Nationals MP Henry Pike asked Scott at a parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism whether he considered terms used on his campus such as “from the river to the sea” and “intifada” to be antisemitic in any context.
Scott said:
There is a significant debate around some of these terms and what [the] Hodgkinson [review] says ... there is free speech and there are limits to free speech and those limits to free speech are imposed by the law.
There isn’t a jurisdiction in the country that has banned those phrases ... it depends on the context ... there are Jewish academics at our university who would say that there are not. There are others at our university who have experienced them who would say that they are. It depends on the context.
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Woolies denies shelves bare as strike enters second week
Woolworths insists its shelves are not beginning to run bare as warehouse workers enter a second week of strike action.
As AAP reports, up to 1,500 employees across a number of Woolworths distribution centres in Victoria and NSW walked off the job indefinitely on 21 November.
They are fighting for a pay increase, along with an end to a performance framework the United Workers Union said was pushing staff to sacrifice safety standards in pursuit of faster work.
Woolworths insisted all stores were still receiving regular stock deliveries, but some were getting their goods less frequently than previously scheduled.
The union claimed the strike was already having a huge impact, with “gaping holes” on shelves normally containing household and frozen goods. National secretary Tim Kennedy said:
We are seeing bare shelves across the eastern seaboard now. We warned that this would happen if five warehouses took strike action. Woolworths are squeezing shoppers at the register and workers on pay and conditions, while making ever-increasing profits … this is contributing to growing wealth inequality in Australia.
A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was working hard to sort out the pay dispute.
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Watch: the under-16s social media ban explained
As expected, there is much talk today about the under-16s social media ban today, after it passed both levels of parliament.
As our technology reporter Josh Taylor explains, there’s a lot we don’t yet know about how it will work in practice. That includes which platforms will be affected and how those platforms will determine users are the age they say they are.
Since the ban won’t come into force for a year – after the next federal election – that will be the problem of whoever is the next communication minister. You can watch his explainer below for more.
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Sydney university to continue talks on campus protest policies after backlash
The vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, Mark Scott, says consultation will continue over the campuses’ protest policies after human rights groups and some academics and students criticised them on free speech grounds.
Speaking at a parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism, Scott was asked to reiterate that he had accepted all 15 recommendations of an independent review into the university’s policies and procedures by Bruce Hodgkinson SC, which would require speakers on campus to “make the meaning of contested words and phrases clear to the audience” and to maintain its strict ban on protests in buildings.
It’s only arrived this week ... there was a special meeting of senate, our fellows of senate have read the report, they have been briefed ... and they accepted the recommendations in principle. But they recognise significant work now has to be done.
In a statement yesterday, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties said “urgent intervention” by the state government was needed to direct management against implementing the proposed restrictions, which it alleged would “effectively ban” basic forms of political expression.
Scott told the inquiry that complaints about antisemitism had “significantly increased” while a pro-Palestine encampment was operating and had since decreased markedly in semester two.
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Enforcing under-16s social media ban ‘number one priority’ if elected – Coalition
The shadow communications minister, David Coleman, spoke with Sky News earlier this morning as the under-16s social media passed through both levels of parliament.
He told the program that the “benefits far outweigh the risks” of the policy.
What other generation in history has grown up being exposed to as much damaging content as this generation? … [We can] divert our eyes from that and not talk about it, or we can stare it in the face, acknowledge it and do something about it.
Asked about the potential social impacts of the bill for young people, he continued:
I don’t think we’ve sort of come to a position where we should be saying, ‘look, if a 10-year-old can’t access Snapchat, that’s unacceptable.’ I just think that it doesn’t make sense because we know that, overwhelmingly, it’s a bad place for kids to be …
If I am fortunate enough to become communications minister at the election, enforcing this law and ensuring it works as hard as it can to protect Australian kids will be our number one priority.
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Severe thunderstorms forecast across NSW and ACT today
As AAP reports, Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury predicted severe thunderstorms and heavy rain across much of NSW and the ACT today.
A cloud band will extend across eastern Australia, bringing humid conditions and scattered showers and thunderstorms.
Severe storms are possible across Sydney once again on Friday, with the risk of flash flooding where storms bring heavy falls.
In Queensland, the BoM forecast severe thunderstorms were likely in inland areas.
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Bridges inundated in Queensland flash floods
Flash-flooding hit the isolated In Queensland mining town of Mt Isa after severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, with all but two of the local bridges inundated, AAP reports.
Water rescue teams were required to help three vehicles out of floodwaters.
Moderate or minor flood warnings were in place for several rivers in NSW and Queensland, while flood-watch warnings were issued for NSW’s central-west and south-west catchments.
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Wild storms keep emergency workers busy on east coast amid flood warnings
Moving away from politics for a moment: eastern parts of Australia have been battered by storms and further wild weather could be on the way.
As AAP reports, emergency crews were busy in NSW after severe thunderstorms hit large areas of the state, including densely-populated parts of Sydney and the Illawarra.
Fifty crews worked through the night in Appin, a small town south of Sydney, after the storms brought down trees and blocked the main access road in both directions. Access was restored about 2am.
There were also 48 incidents in the central west of NSW, including the downing of several large trees in Wellington, where roads were closed and properties damaged.
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Social media ban could restrict young people’s creativity: 6 News founder
Also weighing in on the under-16s social media ban is Leo Puglisi, who founded the teenage-run 6 News when he was just 11.
Now 17, and vocally against the ban, Puglisi has argued that it risks restricting the creativity of young people.
Let’s be clear: 6 News is not going away.
Our team is made up of many young journalists – some still in high school, while others are preparing to enter university. Some of our journalists, aged 15 when this debate started, are now past the age limit and allowed to use social media.
As we made clear in our submission to the inquiry on this legislation, we’ve been built up by having 13-15-year-olds see 6 News online and then join the team to explore their own passions in journalism and media. We have said that this ban seriously risks restricting creativity from our young people, no matter what passion or future career they want to explore.
6 News has more than 40,000 followers on X (which will be impacted by the ban), and nearly 30,000 on YouTube. Puglisi and his team have covered elections, international conflict and interviewed everyone from Scott Morrison to Anthony Albanese.
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Crisafulli defends LNP’s ‘adult crime, adult time’ legislation
On the Queensland government’s “adult crime, adult time” laws it is set to introduce, David Crisafulli stood by the policy – despite the human rights concerns that have been raised.
As Andrew Messenger reports, the state government has acknowledged that the legislation will “directly discriminate” against children, by limiting their “protection from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.
Crisafulli was asked if this sits well with him. He stood by the policy and said:
If we were focused on one end of the spectrum, I would accept the criticism. But we’re focused on an entire crime crisis.
The laws were weakened a decade ago. It has done no favour for Queenslanders – who have become the victim capital of the country – or young offenders, who haven’t had the consequences for actions or the structure to turn their life around.
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Queensland premier defends repealing path to treaty legislation
Moving to Queensland politics for a moment: as Andrew Messenger reported yesterday, the soon-to-be-sacked chairperson of Queensland’s truth-telling inquiry said he was given no notice of a decision to repeal the body’s legislation.
Josh Creamer has accused the Crisafulli government of setting relations with Indigenous people back “for a very long time” as it repeals the state’s historic pathway to treaty legislation.
Queensland premier David Crisafulli spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning and defended the move, saying:
Twelve months ago we made a commitment that we would repeal the legislation. So I [don’t think] anyone could say they’re blindsided.
Why ditch this on your first parliamentary sitting session without any consultation, though? Crisafulli said the inquiry was going to continue working unless the legislation was changed, so “to have not done that would have seen the bills continue to wrack up”.
There is nothing that we will be doing that we have not said we were doing. We said we would repeal the act. We said that we would make sure every cent still remained available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and we are fulfilling … what we said we would do before the election.
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Sydney university head says it ‘did not get everything right’ during pro-Palestine encampment
The vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, Mark Scott, has told a parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism on campuses his institution “did not get everything right” during a pro-Palestine encampment and there were “clearly differing views” on its responses to certain events.
What we have committed to do is to learn from these hugely challenging and complex events – and the experiences of other universities around the world – and to listen to those who would work with us to ensure our campuses are safe and welcoming for all.
Scott reiterated his support for an independent review into the university’s policies and procedures by Bruce Hodgkinson AM SC, released this week, requiring speakers to “make the meaning of contested words and phrases clear to the audience” and to maintain its strict ban on protests in buildings.
Human rights groups have warned the policy will have a dangerous chilling effect, with the NSW Council for Civil Liberties writing to the state government yesterday urging it to intervene to protect the right to freedom of expression.
Scott told the inquiry the report provided a “clear roadmap for ensuring a safe and welcoming campus for all students and staff, while at the same time safeguarding our commitment to free speech and academic freedom”.
We are determined to do whatever is necessary to achieve that balance.
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Social media ban ‘isn’t worth the paper it’s written on’, Tyrrell says
Sticking with the under-16 social media ban: independent senator Tammy Tyrrell has lashed the policy in a statement this morning, writing that the bill “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”.
The bill passed the Senate last night, with the support of Labor and the Coalition. The entire crossbench, as well as two Coalition senators, voted against it. It also passed the lower house this morning.
In a statement, Tyrrell argued that the two major parties “gave this social media ban policy as much thought as they probably give to what underwear they put on in the morning. Zero.”
The bill isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. It’s not a policy, it’s an idea for Labor and the Liberals to win votes at the election and not worry about the consequences of implementing their poorly thought-out ban.
She said the debate around this bill, and the would-be mis- and disinformation bill, showed the importance of increased digital literacy education.
We should be teaching kids in school how to navigate the online world, rather than taking it away from them altogether.
As a parent, I tried to give my kids everything they needed to make informed decisions for themselves. Not decide things for them. That’s the way we should be approaching this social media ban and better digital literacy education.
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Clare and Ley welcome social media ban
On Sunrise earlier this morning, education minister Jason Clare and deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley both welcomed the passage of the under-16 social media ban legislation.
Ley said the onus would be on social media platforms:
Tech companies have to take reasonable steps. That’s the language used in the legislation. Now they know how to do this. I don’t want to see them being tricky, I don’t want to see them trying to sidestep, I don’t want to see them trying to be too cute about this – they know how to do this.
This bill has significant fines if they do the wrong thing. We have an expectation they do the right thing by our kids. I’m delighted that the laws are passing the parliament and that nearly everyone in the parliament has supported them. It’s just too important not to.
As Sarah Basford Canales reported overnight, it remains unclear how social media platforms will be able determine the age of users and if Australians will need to hand over identification details to access the sites. Labor senator Jenny McAllister said the changes wouldn’t force Australians to use government ID.
So how will this be enforced, if not for ID or facial recognition? Clare told the program that “none of this will be perfect” – not answering directly.
There’s going to be cases where young people are still going to be on social media. What this is going to do is make sure that most young people aren’t.
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End of an era for Shorten and Dutton’s Today show slot
Regular viewers of the Today show (or regular readers of this blog) may know that NDIS minister Bill Shorten and opposition leader Peter Dutton make a regular, Friday morning appearance on the show – discussing the week that was, and trading jibes.
They usually appear on two separate screens, but today they stood side-by-side in one of parliament’s many courtyards, discussing what went down in the Senate yesterday.
Dutton likened the guillotine motion to a “going out of business sale” and said:
It was like everything discounted and whatever it takes to clear the shelves … The Albanese government is sort of running on three flat tires at the moment, and they are limping to Christmas. They’re just getting out of this parliament. They they spent a monster of taxpayers’ money to get the Greens across the line in a pretty unholy alliance, and I think people see through it.
After a bit of back-and-forth on the economy and energy, the pair hugged it out – as Shorten is retiring from politics next year and this marks their last cross together. Dutton joked:
It’s been a rough night when you’re embracing Bill in the morning, that’s all I’ll say.
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Birmingham tells voters to watch for 'destructive behaviour' of crossbench
Speaking about behaviour in the Senate, Simon Birmingham said that “you don’t have to behave like an idiot or be rude to one another or tear up the conventions … [because this] reflects poorly on this place and it’s unnecessary”.
Asked who he was referencing, Birmingham took aim at some of the crossbench:
We saw that from some of the crossbench, and they provoke one another too. It goes back to that tribalism – those far left, far right elements – and it’s just so very, very unnecessary, attention-seeking behaviour, rather than productive behaviour to actually get things done.
If there’s a parting message in some ways to voters, it’s look at Anthony Albanese and the Labor party, look at Peter Dutton and the Coalition – think about who you want to have govern the country. I’ve seen lots of unpredictable, destructive behaviour that all too often comes from minor parties and crossbenchers.
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As Simon Birmingham announced his retirement in the Senate yesterday, he expressed concern “the world is headed into an era where populism trumps the policy”.
Speaking earlier this morning, he pointed to the US as an example of where this is happening and said:
I think those who have sought to play politics, and it’s happened on both the far left and the far right with issues like abortion, that is not the Australian way. I was very pleased to see Peter Dutton slap it down and be very clear about his view that they are state matters, and I think also show that he understands the respect that Australian women expect for their reproductive rights – and it’s just not a debate that we want to have infiltrate our politics like it plays out in the US.
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Birmingham confident in Dutton after announcing retirement from politics
The opposition leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, also spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning.
Yesterday afternoon, Birmingham announced he would not re-contest the next election and would resign from politics after nearly two decades.
He told the program he felt a bit lighter today, having made the announcement, but “it’s not easy to walk away from the Australian parliament.”
Asked if his announcement was a concession he doesn’t believe Peter Dutton will win next year, Birmingham said no – “far from it”.
Making this decision got harder and harder as the time got closer and closer, because I may well be walking away from the opportunity to be Australia’s next foreign minister.
I have decided there’s something different I should do with my life at this stage, after nearly 18 years in the Senate – just as Bill Shorten is walking away at this election to do something different with his life.
Birmingham said Dutton would provide “ a very strong choice [and] very different policy choices”, pointing to nuclear.
There will be clear choices on the table and I think those polls show a disappointment in the Albanese government that Australians feeling the cost-of-living pressures are clearly showing, and may well show them the way through to that election, and I wish Peter and the team every success.
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Watt says Greens and Coalition ‘came to their senses’ in backing legislation
Murray Watt defended the “guillotine” motion in the Senate yesterday to pass a slew of legislation, and said it was “no surprise that you do end up with a bit of a log jam at the end of the term”.
This is a larger number than usual, but I’m really pleased that yesterday the Senate did work together, with the government, to pass a bunch of legislation.
He was also asked about comments from Greens leader Adam Bandt that “pressure works”, after it negotiated a number of measures in exchange for supporting the government’s guillotine. But Watt again labelled the party as “blockers” of legislation:
They have clearly heard the message that the Australian people are sick of them blocking progressive reform, rather than working with the government to get it done.
I think the Greens – and for that matter the opposition – who supported us on some other legislation recognised it wasn’t going to be in their interests to go through the summer break, trying to explain to people why they stopped more housing being built, cost-of-living relief being provided, why they stopped online safety measures being taken.
That’s what this legislation was about and I think they came to their senses and realised they needed to get this done.
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If social media companies don’t ‘play ball’ on ban, Labor can 'go after them’ – Watt
Despite both houses of parliament having now wrapped up for the year, it’s been a very busy morning in Canberra when it comes to political reaction.
I’ll circle back to a few breakfast interviews we missed – starting with Murray Watt on ABC News Breakfast.
Asked if he thought the under-16 social media ban would work, the minister for employment and workplace relations said yes. And if social media companies – in particular X – would play ball, he also said yes.
We have seen comments from Mr Musk and various other parties about this, but we did include very significant penalties of up to $50m if the social media companies don’t play ball.
I think they will take it seriously, but I think they’ve got an interest in preserving their reputation and their social licence. As every day goes by, the proof becomes clearer about the link between social media and the kind of content that’s appearing on it and the mental health challenges our kids face. Between those fines and social pressure, we will see social media companies play ball – and if they don’t, then we have the ability to go after them.
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Press conference in Canberra concludes
Anthony Albanese said his thoughts were with the deputy prime minister Richard Marles, who will farewell his mother in Melbourne today.
Richard Marles is someone who is very well liked across the parliament and loved by his colleagues. He is such a great person, and his mother was clearly an extraordinary Australian as well – trailblazer in education – and our thoughts will be with him today.
With that, the prime minister wrapped up the press conference.
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Jim Chalmers on changes to the Reserve Bank
Overnight, the government agreed to support Greens amendments to retain the power to override Reserve Bank decisions on interest rates and for the RBA to direct the lending activities of banks.
Speaking on this just now, treasurer, Jim Chalmers said:
The passage of this legislation means that we can get on with strengthening and modernising the Reserve Bank … We will consult with the opposition in good faith, as we’re obligated to do, to make sure that the people that we appoint to the new governance board and the new monetary policy board are first class and first rate …
The timing of the passage of the Reserve Bank reforms was not in our hands. If it were up to us, we would have passed it a long time ago, and we would have already had the new arrangements in place.
Chalmers said the government accommodated “every single one” of the oppositions concerns and made changes to the legislation to accomodate this, but “they still said no, and that meant that we had to negotiate with the crossbench”.
That wasn’t our first preference, but it was made necessary by the irresponsible behaviour of the Coalition. And so the mistake that we made for too long was to take Angus Taylor seriously on these matters when his colleagues don’t.
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Albanese looks to crossbench to advance electoral reforms
On the would-be electoral reforms, which were not successful, the prime minister said the government would “look for other paths and roads to success”.
Anthony Albanese said he had indicated to the crossbench that “it is not sustainable in a democracy to have individuals contributing tens of millions of dollars”.
That damages our democracy, because it takes away the principle that everyone gets an equal say in our democracy … People know that over the last couple of elections, there’s been a couple of $100m dollars contributed by one individual, and that is not healthy for our democracy. So we’ll engage constructively, and I’ve already had some discussions this week with the crossbench, and we’ll engage with the crossbench to see if we can progress reforms.
The legislation faced criticism from the crossbench of attempting to “rig” electoral rules in a “major party stitch-up”.
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PM says government ‘inherited immigration system not fit for purpose’
On migration, the prime minister said the government “wants an inclusive Australia that stands up for that” – but “we understand as well that our migration system needs to be robust and needs to not be manipulated”.
Anthony Albanese said the government “inherited an immigration system that wasn’t fit for purpose”.
On Peter Dutton’s watch, there was a huge spike in the number of applications onshore, we had three reviews into the migration system, from the former head of prime minister and cabinet, from senior respected authorities in this area – all of them said that the immigration system that we inherited was a mess, so we have to clean up a whole range of issues.
Asked about the third-country arrangement – and which countries would be paid to take non-citizens from Australia – the PM did not answer directly:
We’ll implement our legislation.
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Albanese says last remaining bills ‘carried overwhelmingly’ through lower house today
Speaking on the sheer volume of legislation that was passed through the Senate last night, Anthony Albanese said some had “2023” attached to them – “that’s the hint for how long it has been around”.
There was legislation last night that has remained in the Senate for a long period of time to literally change the references to Queen Elizabeth … I would have thought that should have passed the Senate in a minute after it was introduced, but no …
It’s beyond my comprehension why that was still around and not just flowed through. [But] we got our legislation through.
It was all good legislation that was supported by the Senate and in the house today. Most of the bills, I think there are about four or five divisions, but they carried overwhelmingly.
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PM on the under-16 social media ban
Taking questions from reporters, Anthony Albanese is clearly framing the under-16 social media ban as an election pitch to parents. The prime minister said:
This is something that tomorrow, on the sidelines of sporting events – whether it be netball or cricket season at the moment, or tennis or little athletics – mums and dads will be talking about this. And they’ll be talking about it when they pick up their young ones from school this afternoon, and hopefully this morning, dropping them off as well.
This has been an issue that has raised with me more, or at least as much, as any other issue by people when I’m out and about, and what we’ve done is world-leading…
We don’t argue that its implementation will be perfect, just like the alcohol ban for under 18 doesn’t mean that someone under 18 never has access, but we know that it’s the right thing to do.
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Chalmers says Coalition has ‘vacated the field on economy’
Also addressing the media is treasurer Jim Chalmers, who said there was still a lot to do, but:
What we saw in the Senate last night was really the triumph of outcomes over politics, the triumph of outcomes and delivery and progress over the kind of petty, nasty, negative politics being played by our opponents.
He argued that the Coalition had “completely vacated the field on the economy”, and took aim at them for not having “any costed, credible or coherent economic policies” at the end of the parliamentary term.
The treasurer recognised the crossbench, saying:
The best kind of economic reform is bipartisan, but when the Coalition has vacated the field, we have no choice but to make progress with the crossbench. I acknowledge them…
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Gallagher says number of bills passed not record but ‘right up there’
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, also addressed the media in Canberra about the number of bills passed through the Senate.
The PM made it clear that he wanted to see legislation get through the Senate, and we were able to do that – so I took those instructions seriously. We worked hard across the chamber, and got an extraordinary result.
Gallagher said the Senate coud be a “frustrating chamber” where it was “difficult to progress legislation, particularly when you’ve got an opposition that doesn’t want to see any reform passed”.
So working across the chamber, with the PM’s leadership, we were able to convince the majority of the Senate that those 45 bills were important bills to get through … It was a big, big night. You don’t often get a 37-page guillotine and about six hours of voting …
At the end of the day, we passed 31 bills yesterday and 45 bills through the week, which I don’t think it’s quite the record, but it’s certainly right up there.
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PM says Labor 'working hard to make Australians' lives better'
The prime minister is speaking to reporters in Canberra after the government passed a slew of bills overnight and this morning.
Gearing up for the election next year, Anthony Albanese told reporters:
This week we continued to deliver our agenda, working hard to make Australians’ lives better, holding supermarkets to account to get fairer prices at the checkout, 80,000 new homes for renters, helping 40,000 Australians to be able to buy a home…
And today, as a direct result of our legislation … parents can have a different discussion with their young ones, a different discussion that will result in better outcomes and less harm for young Australians.
Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them. We’re making sure that mums and dads can have that different conversation today, and in future days. We’ve got your back, is our message to Australian parents.
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Murray Watt on the Nature Positive legislation – what happened?
As we’ve reported, Anthony Albanese killed off a potential deal with the Greens to pass the government’s “nature positive” legislation after an intervention by the Western Australia premier, Roger Cook.
Watt said “we would certainly like to see this legislation passed … before the election” – but host Patricia Karvelas asked if there was a deal with the Greens, why not pass it?
The Greens, just as they did with the housing issue … have been attaching conditions to their support, which were unacceptable to us …
Karvelas pointed out that there was an agreement in writing with the Greens – but Watt said he wasn’t aware of this.
My understanding is that there have been extensive negotiations with the Greens that have gone on for some time, and they simply weren’t prepared to back in the legislation as it stood. And that’s disappointing.
Karvelas said there was also a deal in writing with David Pocock. Watt said he hadn’t heard about this.
This is the first time that’s been brought to me, and I haven’t seen the document that you’re quoting from. We have made very clear that we would like to pass that piece of legislation, but that the Greens in particular, had conditions we were unwilling to agree to.
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Watt says he would discuss under-16 social media ban with Trump administration if it’s a concern
The minister for employment and workplace relations, Murray Watt, also spoke with ABC RN earlier about the under-16 social media ban.
Would figures like Elon Musk – the owner of X, outspoken against the legislation – cause problems when it comes to working with the incoming Donald Trump administration? Watt responded:
I think Elon Musk has already made clear what he thinks of our world-leading legislation, and I don’t think any of us should be surprised that he has a different view to the Australian government on these matters, given he runs and owns a platform. But our focus has always been protecting Australian kids.
Brought back to the point about Trump, Watt said: “We’ll obviously talk to Donald Trump’s administration if that’s an issue that they want to talk to us about.
We expect that there will be a whole range of issues to talk about with Donald Trump and his administration once he’s inaugurated in January. Of course, there are concerns around trade issues and tariff issues as well. It’s not unusual for us to have different issues with different partners around the world. And if this is something that the Trump administration’s got a concern about, then we’d be happy to talk with them about it. But as I say, we’re not backing off from the work that we’ve done to protect Australian kids and protect Australian families.
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Tink criticises would-be electoral reform that would have ‘killed off community independent movement’
Kylea Tink was also asked about the government’s electoral reforms – which were not passed after a deal between the government and opposition hit a roadblock.
The independent agreed she was breathing a sigh of relief, but argued this “should be very loud alarm for Australians in terms of the arrogance of the two party system and their attitudes around our democracy”.
The longer I sort of sat with it, it was pretty clear the intent of that legislation was to kill off the community independent movement.
Now, at a time when one in three people at the last election voted for a major party … I think it sends a message, as I said about the arrogance of the two party system and its desire to protect itself.
Here are the details on the would-be bill, which was fiercely criticised by the crossbench:
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‘A 1970 solution for a 2024 problem’: Kylea Tink on social media ban
Independent MP Kylea Tink has described the under-16 social media ban as “headline grabbing” but not actually doing what it says it will.
Speaking on ABC RN earlier this morning, she said:
I think the most concerning thing about the legislation … [is that] it doesn’t do what it says it’s going to do with him. What we’ve got is – I think you’ve just described it beautifully – a piece of legislation that’s grabbing headlines, not only here but right around the world.
But will it make any child under 16 safer on social media today? No. And in fact, it will create a high degree of anxiety amongst young Australians who are using their social media platforms to feel like they’re part of a community that may not be in their immediate circle…
This place down here operates in a crazy way, and perhaps the most frustrating part of that crazy operation is when you see legislation come through this place that is about nothing more than trying to give people a sense that something’s being done here – but really there are no tangible outcomes.
Tink went on to describe the bill as “a 1970 solution for a 2024 problem”.
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Lower house adjourns for the year
Just jumping back to the House of Representatives, where the house has just adjourned for the year – after the rapid passage of all the amendments that came through from the Senate overnight.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, briefly spoke on indulgence, welcoming the passage of the under-16 social media ban in particular and saying:
And on that note, Mr Speaker, I move that the house do now adjourn and wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a peaceful and joyous new year.
The speaker, Milton Dick, then said the house would adjourn until Tuesday 4 September 2025 – but being the end of a (very, very) long week, he misspoke.
The house will return on 4 February next year.
Here is the legislation that passed through the lower house this morning, with amendments from the Senate:
Commonwealth entities (payment surcharges) bill 2024
Treasury laws amendment (responsible buy now pay later and other measures) bill 2024
Crimes amendment (strengthening the criminal justice response to sexual violence) bill 2024
Family law amendment bill 2024
Future made in Australia bill 2024
Future made in Australia (omnibus amendments No. 1) bill 2024
Treasury laws amendment (Reserve Bank reforms) bill 2023
Privacy and other legislation amendment bill 2024
Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing amendment bill 2024
Migration amendment (removal and other measures) bill 2024
Online safety amendment (social media minimum age) bill 2024
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Adam Bandt on Nature Positive – what happened?
On the Nature Positive legislation – and Anthony Albanese’s decision to kill off a potential deal with the Greens to pass it after intervention by the WA premier – Adam Bandt said it was “bitterly disappointing.”
[Roger Cook] made it clear that the loggers and the miners didn’t want Labor to protect environment and the forests, and Labor did what they were told, and it’s bitterly disappointing.
So the Greens had an agreement with environment minister Tanya Plibersek, and then with the PM – what happened, and did she know about the meeting? Bandt said:
I think I’ll let what those public statements – including from the Labor government over in Western Australia – speak for themselves.
He went on to say that Sarah Hanson-Young “worked very hard on this” and the Greens made a number of compromises.
I think the reasons the that we didn’t get the protections passed aren’t the fault of the Greens or the environment minister … It was like a mining tax campaign sped up. You had in the middle of the week, you had the big resource corporations saying on the front page of the paper, ‘these laws can’t go ahead’. And then you had the West Australian Labor premiers delivering for those big resource corporations, and we’ve managed to kill it.
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Bandt says Greens ‘did push hard’ on housing legislation, but ‘for a reason’
Adam Bandt also weighed in on whether that had been an impasse between the Greens and Labor over legislation in recent months, with the government routinely labelling them as “blockers”.
The Greens leader said when it came to housing, “we’ve been saying to the government, you’ve got to take this seriously, and there’s an opportunity in this Parliament to actually do something about it.”
We pushed the government hard on stage three tax cuts early in the [year], and they changed their mind on that … We were hoping that we might get the government over the line on things like rent caps and reforming some of those unfair tax concessions [to level] the playing field [for] first home buyers. And so yes, we did push hard … but we did it for a reason …
We were going to the point where they were costing the [negative] gearing changes and actually looking at this and examining it, so we got pretty close.
Bandt argued that as a result of this, “the debate has changed” in the lead up to the next election and there is “an understanding that we’re going to have to dig deep” on housing.
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Bandt believes minority government possible at next election
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, believes a minority government is possible at the next election.
Speaking with ABC RN earlier, he spoke about the negotiations the Greens made with Labor to pass its “guillotine” motion in the Senate yesterday – and what it got in return for this – and said:
We’ve pushed us as hard as we can, got what we could. And now for us, the attention turns to the election – keeping Peter Dutton out and taking some of these issues, like the housing and climate crisis, to what may well be a minority parliament at the next election.
Bandt said Australia was in the situation where “less than a third of the country votes for the government, more than a third of the country votes for the opposition and about a third of the country votes for someone else”.
[As] those trends continuing, I think that puts an obligation on all of us to work together. And I think we’ve seen at the end of this parliament, that where there’s goodwill and there can be constructive negotiations. We can get things done that actually make a difference to people’s lives.
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Canavan says under-16 social media ban has caused new generation to become passionate about democracy
Nationals senator Matt Canavan was loudly outspoken against the under-16 social media ban bill and voted against it – but as we know, the bill ultimately passed.
In a late-night post to X after the legislation passed, he said there would be a “silver lining” from the “shameful stitch-up in the Senate” – that a “whole new generation of young Australians are now activated and passionate about their democracy.”
It has been great seeing people learn how the parliament works. And with that in mind, note that the social media bill is not yet law. Tomorrow morning it heads back to the House of Representatives because there were amendments passed in the Senate tonight. It then has to go to the governor general. But both these steps are almost certain to happen.
Thanks again for all of your help and support. We got some amendments on digital ID so it was not for nothing and the fight continues.
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RBA’s Bullock signals interest rate cuts still unlikely in near term
The Reserve Bank thinks the country’s inflation rate is still some way off from easing to a “sustainable” level within its target 2-3% range, governor Michele Bullock told a dinner in Sydney last night.
With one more RBA board meeting in 2024 (on 9-10 December), Bullock underscored the reasons why the market gives just a 6% chance that the RBA will cut its cash rate at the gathering. By next May, though, investors are betting a 25 basis-point cut from 4.35% to 4.1% is all but a certainty.
Bullock told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia event:
As it currently stands, underlying inflation is still too high to be considering lowering the cash rate target in the near term.
The strength of the jobs market has been one surprise and the reason why the RBA isn’t in a hurry to reduce borrowing costs.
“At present, we judge that conditions in the labour market remain tighter than what would be consistent with low and stable inflation,” Bullock said, adding later that conditions in that market “appear unusually tight, relative to those in other peer economies”.
During the question-and-answer session, the RBA governor said the September quarterly inflation figures were “positive” but it would take more than “one or two data points” alone to determine it was the right time to start reducing interest rates.
The December quarter inflation figures land on 29 January, with the first RBA board meeting of 2025 (on 17-18 February) looming as the possible last chance for an interest rate cut this side of the next federal election.
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But not all bills welcomed
Continuing from our last post: not all of the bills have been warmly welcomed. The Digital Industry Group said “significant questions” remained about the impacts of the under-16 social media ban on young people.
Managing director Sunita Bose said it would work with the government “as its implementation questions are explored”.
This law has passed despite advice from Australia’s human rights commissioner, the children’s commissioner, the privacy commissioner, 100 youth experts in an open letter to the prime minister and a coalition of mental health organisations. The consultation process must be robust in addressing their concerns…
While there are technical and privacy questions, the most important questions are those relating to the safety of young people. The social media ban could push young people into darker, less safe corners of the knternet that do not have the safety guardrails that exist on mainstream platforms.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre labelled the migration bills which passed the Senate as “deplorable, political game-playing that causes devastating harm”. CEO Kon Karapanagiotidis said:
The Albanese government and the Coalition blatantly colluded in the ultimate betrayal of Australia’s multicultural communities … our two major political parties sent a clear message that they are prepared to punish refugees, people seeking asylum and migrant communities by tearing families apart, jailing people unjustly, detaining them indefinitely and deporting them back to the very persecution and harm they fled…
Our clear message to those political leaders today is: you are wrong and the fight is not over.
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Oxfam welcomes ‘step forward for tax transparency’
Organisations and groups have woken up to a slew of bills having passed the Senate, and welcomed different pieces of legislation they have advocated for.
Oxfam Australia has welcomed the passing of legislation outlining country-by-country reporting rules of multi-national corporate tax and profit information as “a significant step forward for tax transparency.” Chief executive officer Lyn Morgain said:
It’s not just Australia that will benefit. Many multinational corporations that operate in Australia also operate in many other countries across the world. Australia’s transparency will have ripple effects that benefit low-income countries who desperately need the tax revenue for basic services.
Meanwhile, the Digital Industry Group (Digi) welcomed the privacy amendment bill as helping “level up children and young people’s privacy on a wide range of services”. Managing director Sunita Bose said:
Digi fully supports the need to reform the Privacy Act to give Australians more choice, control and transparency over their personal information and to drive greater corporate accountability economy-wide. We’re glad there’s been progress towards the wider privacy reform efforts through the passage of this first privacy bill, and look forward to engaging in the next stages of the process.
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Good morning
Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties – many thanks to Martin for kicking things off for us.
After a huge night in the Senate, with 32 bills pushed through as part of the government’s “guillotine” motion, the lower house has already kicked off for the day.
Any bills with amendments in the Senate last night will now have to go back to the lower house, and passed. First on the agenda this morning is the commonwealth entities (payment surcharges) bill 2024.
The whole Canberra team will be back with you today, bringing you the latest – Karen Middleton, Paul Karp, Josh Butler, Sarah Basford Canales and Mike Bowers. Hopefully a less chaotic day than yesterday, but it’s only 7am, and after this week it seems anything can happen.
Let’s get into it.
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Under-16 social media ban, explained
The federal government’s social media ban for under-16s has been passed in the Senate.
It is unclear how the new rules will be applied or enforced, and if the legislation will require all Australians to hand over more of their personal data.
Read Josh Butler’s explainer about where we are:
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Explainer: Six things we learned about the Australian government’s climate policies
The political classes may have been more focused on the passage or otherwise of legislation yesterday, but the huge dump of information about how the government is managing the climate crisis is arguably just as important.
Our environment editor, Adam Morton, has been sifting through the data and comes up with six things you need to know about what is happening – from emissions on a downward trend (but not enough) to why the government needs to set even more ambitious targets.
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Political analysis from Paul Karp
Despite the trade-offs, the marathon effort in the upper house has done a lot to cement Labor’s first-term agenda, writes our chief political correspondent, Paul Karp.
It came after a year of fighting between Labor and its progressive rivals, the Greens. But when push came to shove there was enough agreement on getting things done. He writes:
This week Albanese and Labor have shown that they can deal for their legislative agenda. They are hoping that the 2025 election won’t see them dealing for the continued life of their government.
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List of 32 bills that passed Senate overnight
We should probably start with the real business of last night and the slew of bills passed by the Senate. You can read Sarah Basford Canales’ account of how they got over the line here:
And here’s the list of 32 bills:
Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing amendment bill 2024
Sydney airport demand management amendment bill 2024
Aged care (consequential and transitional provisions) bill 2024
Commonwealth entities (payment surcharges) bill 2024
Commonwealth entities (payment surcharges) tax (imposition) bill 2024
Commonwealth entities (payment surcharges) (consequential provisions and other matters) bill 2024
Treasury laws amendment (responsible buy now pay later and other measures) bill 2024
Capital works (build to rent misuse tax) bill 2024
Crimes amendment (strengthening the criminal justice response to sexual violence) ill 2024
Family law amendment bill 2024
Future Made in Australia (guarantee of origin) bill 2024
Future Made in Australia (guarantee of origin consequential amendments and transitional provisions) bill 2024
Future Made in Australia (guarantee of origin charges) bill 2024
Future Made in Australia bill 2024
Future Made in Australia (omnibus amendments No. 1) bill 2024
Universities accord (national student ombudsman) bill 2024
Treasury laws amendment (fairer for families and farmers and other measures) Bill 2024
Superannuation (objective) bill 2023
Treasury laws amendment (Reserve Bank reforms) bill 2023
Customs tariff amendment (incorporation of proposals and other measures) bill 2024
Communications legislation amendment (regional broadcasting continuity) bill 2024
Crown references amendment bill 2023
Customs amendment (ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free trade area second protocol implementation and other measures) bill 2024
Midwife professional indemnity (Commonwealth contribution) scheme amendment bill 2024
Treasury laws amendment (2024 tax and other measures No. 1) bill 2024
Privacy and other legislation amendment bill 2024
Surveillance legislation (confirmation of application) bill 2024
Treasury laws amendment (mergers and acquisitions reform) bill 2024
Migration amendment bill 2024
Migration amendment (removal and other measures) bill 2024
Migration amendment (prohibiting items in immigration detention facilities) bill 2024
Online safety amendment (social media minimum age) bill 2024
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top stories after an extremely busy night in Canberra before Emily Wind fires up for one last shift from the capital after a busy two weeks.
It’ll be the morning after the night before for senators after their marathon overnight sitting last night. More than 30 bills passed the upper house, including controversial migration laws that allow the government to pay third countries to take non-citizens and ban travellers from specified countries. The world’s first attempt to ban young people from social media platforms went through as well to make a historic night. We have more details, analysis and reaction coming up.
The government might be pleased with its night’s work but it always comes at a cost. Our exclusive story this morning reveals that Tanya Plibersek struck a deal in writing with both the Greens and independent senator David Pocock on supporting her Nature Positive legislation before Anthony Albanese vetoed it hours later in a private meeting with Adam Bandt and Sarah Hanson-Young.
Queensland’s new LNP government has admitted that its signature youth crime legislation will “directly discriminate” against children by limiting their “protection from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”. A veteran human rights lawyer in the state, Terry O’Gorman, who famously took on Joh Bjelke-Petersen, is highly critical of the new laws and say they remind him of the infamous former premier.
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