Australia politics live: enforcing under-16 social media ban ‘number one priority’ if elected, Coalition says | Australian politics

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.

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:

Caitlin Cassidy

‘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.

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.

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.

Caitlin Cassidy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sydney university head says it ‘did not get everything right’ during pro-Palestine encampment

Caitlin Cassidy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.