Wells reveals ‘Big Wiggle’ lobbied for YouTube ban exemption
The communications minister, Anika Wells, says “parents, we have your backs” in announcing her decision to include YouTube in the social media ban.
Wells told the Today Show the laws “aren’t infallible” but it’ll be up to the platforms to take reasonable steps to stop children being on them.
When they find their way around this, because we know that kids will, god bless them, the platforms [need to] take reasonable steps to mitigate that from happening and to correct errors.
These laws aren’t infallible, none are but this is about the chilling effect [of social media]. And there’s a study that asked kids who are 16, 17, 18, ‘do they wish that they had not gotten on social media as early as 13?’ And they all said, yeah, they regret it.
Wells said that Google sent the Wiggles management team to try to “persuade” her on the decision.
This was Big Wiggle. This was Wiggles Inc, the management around the Wiggles …
The Wiggles are a treasured Australian institution. But like I said to them, you’re arguing that my four-year-old twins right to have a YouTube login is more important than the fact that four out of 10 of their peers will experience online harm on YouTube.
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Updated at 23.17 BST
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Victorian government announces ban on private bail services
Benita Kolovos
Leaving federal politics for a moment, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and attorney general Sonya Kilkenny are holding a press conference at parliament to announce privately owned bail services will be banned in the state.
As part of the bail bill announced yesterday, commercial operators will no longer be able to provide monitoring services.
It a similar move by the NSW government in May, after private operator BailSafe collapsed I earlier this year, without notifying authorities. It led to a mad scramble to locate about 20 alleged offenders on bail in NSW and eight in Victoria.
Allan says:
We saw the situation earlier this year where a private company, BailSafe, shut up shop. They didn’t tell anyone across the justice system, the courts, Victoria police, and that’s just absolutely unacceptable. When that happened, I was determined that we would stamp out the use of private companies in the provision of electronic monitoring here in this state.
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Updated at 23.49 BST
Australia can build momentum on Palestinian recognition: Husic
Speaking in the press gallery corridor, the Labor MP Ed Husic says Australia should move with the UK to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Husic says “moral momentum cannot be ignored” and has implored the government to “reconsider its approach” to recognising a Palestinian state.
I would urge our government to reconsider its approach. We can still maintain that we have conditions that we believe need to be satisfied, the least of which is the build up of democratic institutions within the state of Palestine, the demilitarisation of Hamas, for example.
But we can flag our preparedness to join with both France and the UK to signal our commitment to recognise Palestine. Now it is important that that occur. I believe it’s critical that we back them in and build a sense of international momentum.
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Updated at 23.46 BST
‘A question of when, not if’ – government MPs on Palestinian recognition
In response to the UK government declaring it could recognise Palestine as a state in September, unless Israel takes immediate steps towards peace, government ministers have said this morning that the question for Australia is “when, not if”.
Earlier when Anika Wells spoke to ABC News Breakfast, she said there are still things to be worked through to get to a two-state solution.
It is a question of when not if. There is things to work through. We need Hamas to release the hostages and we need to secure aid as quickly as possible. Everybody is working on that.
Over on Sky News, Julian Hill offered similar remarks.
The government will determine its position based on our conception of Australia’s national interest, working with like-minded countries around the world, and the PM is in dialogue.
[It’s] a question of when, not if, to recognise the state of Palestine
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Updated at 23.48 BST
Cash accuses Albanese of being a ‘Seinfeld prime minister’ over ‘nothing’ response to Trump’s tariffs
Anthony Albanese is a “Seinfeld prime minister”, says shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash, over the governments response to Trump foreshadowing higher tariff rates of up to 15 to 20%.
Why Seinfeld? It’s a show about nothing, so “stop being a show about nothing” says Cash.
On a panel with Clare O’Neil on Sunrise earlier, Cash said Albanese had still failed to get a face-to-face meeting with Trump since he was elected.
Other countries [are] meeting, they are successfully negotiating trade deals that benefit their countries. We now hear it could go 15%, it could go 20%. Mr Albanese needs to stop being the Seinfeld prime minister, stop being a show about nothing, step up, get a meeting with President Trump, and advocate on behalf of Australians.
O’Neil says the comments from Cash are “really rude and disrespectful” and the opposition should have a team Australia view.
She says the government is working calmly and working through the appropriate channel to get the “best deal”.
We will manage this not with some of the kind of flamboyant language Michaelia used there. We will manage it in a calm and considered way. That is how our government restored our relationship with China, France all the countries that were left by the way side by the opposition.
Michaelia Cash in the Senate chamber at Parliament House. Photograph: Dominic Giannini/AAPShare
Updated at 23.52 BST
Wells says she ‘can’t ignore’ new eSafety evidence about YouTube
Anika Wells says she can’t ignore new evidence from the eSafety commissioner that more than a third of kids have experienced harm online “at the hands of YouTube”.
The communications minister is speaking to ABC News Breakfast and says YouTube will need to work with the eSafety commissioner to change its platform in response to the social media ban.
She says YouTube needs to stop users being able to access age-restrictive in a logged-out state.
Fresh evidence from the eSafety commissioner that 37% of kids had their most recent or most impactful online harm at the hands of YouTube. That is evidence that I can’t ignore and they are joining the ban.
Kids who are under 18 will find a way to smoke. There [are] kids who are under 16 who will find a way around this but it is about making a positive impact.
We would rather kids work out who they are before social media platforms assume who they are.
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Updated at 23.29 BST
Shadow education minister on Naplan results: ‘We need to look at what it is we are teaching’
The opposition says the latest Naplan results aren’t a “cause for particular celebration” but there are positive signs.
Shadow education minister Jonno Duniam told ABC News Breakfast earlier that the gap between regional, remote and metro and other disadvantaged students including Indigenous children is “very concerning”.
Duniam says it might be time for a relook at the curriculum.
Under our federated system, where no one should be worse off because of where they live or any other particular attribute, some are falling behind, which needs addressing.
We are falling behind and we have been for a long period of time. This is not just a now problem, this has been for decades. We need to look at what it is we are teaching.
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Updated at 23.30 BST
Clare on Naplan results: ‘Good news, but there’s still more work to do’
The government says there are encouraging signs from the latest Naplan school results.
Two thirds of students have achieved a “strong” or “exceeding” proficiency level, but for the first time since 2017, numeracy results improved across years five, seven and nine.
In a statement, education minister Jason Clare said there are still more improvements to be made:
The improvements in literacy and numeracy are good news, but there’s more work to do.
That’s what the new agreements we’ve now signed with every state and territory are all about.
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Updated at 23.22 BST
Paterson says Australia should not push to recognise Palestinian state at this time
Opposition frontbencher James Paterson says Australia shouldn’t join the UK in pushing to recognise the state of Palestine this year.
On RN Breakfast, Paterson says Australia recognising a Palestinian state before Hamas is dismantled would be “counterproductive”.
It’s not for me to comment on the foreign policy of other countries, but if the Australian government was to make a similar move, I wouldn’t agree with it.
Asked whether the images out of Gaza are evidence of starvation of its population, Paterson said there are “credible reports of that”.
Premature recognition of a Palestinian state before Hamas has been dismantled, before the Palestinian Authority recognises Israel’s right to exist, before they give up their aims of using terrorism to abolish the Israeli state, I think would be extremely counterproductive.
There’s certainly credible reports of that [widespread starvation]. I’m not on the ground and I can’t independently assess it. But I think very clearly there is very serious suffering happening in Gaza.
He went further than his leader Sussan Ley yesterday who declined to say wouldn’t say there was evidence of starvation during a press conference yesterday.
But says he’s still “cautious” in not wanting to “endorse claims that are made by Hamas” while observing the “very serious humanitarian situation”.
Liberal senator James Paterson at Parliament House in Canberra. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 23.32 BST
‘I’ve got sharp elbows’: Wells on any potential legal action by Google
Asked about whether she’s concerned about potential legal action from Google, Wells says she’s got “sharp elbows”.
We have had threats come in. But look, I’ve got sharp elbows. This is too important for us not to have a crack. They are world leading laws.
While social media has a place persuasive and predatory algorithms do not. And that’s what we’re cracking down on.
Wells says the laws will not be set and forget, and the social media platforms will have to work with the eSafety commissioner to figure out how to put the new restrictions in place.
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Updated at 23.21 BST
Wells reveals ‘Big Wiggle’ lobbied for YouTube ban exemption
The communications minister, Anika Wells, says “parents, we have your backs” in announcing her decision to include YouTube in the social media ban.
Wells told the Today Show the laws “aren’t infallible” but it’ll be up to the platforms to take reasonable steps to stop children being on them.
When they find their way around this, because we know that kids will, god bless them, the platforms [need to] take reasonable steps to mitigate that from happening and to correct errors.
These laws aren’t infallible, none are but this is about the chilling effect [of social media]. And there’s a study that asked kids who are 16, 17, 18, ‘do they wish that they had not gotten on social media as early as 13?’ And they all said, yeah, they regret it.
Wells said that Google sent the Wiggles management team to try to “persuade” her on the decision.
This was Big Wiggle. This was Wiggles Inc, the management around the Wiggles …
The Wiggles are a treasured Australian institution. But like I said to them, you’re arguing that my four-year-old twins right to have a YouTube login is more important than the fact that four out of 10 of their peers will experience online harm on YouTube.
Share
Updated at 23.17 BST