Category Archives: Australia news

Australian-style social media ban for under-16s ‘a retrograde step’, say UK charities

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Child safety experts say similar move in Britain would penalise young people for the failings of tech companies

Child safety experts have warned the UK government against enacting an Australian-style social media ban for children under 16, which they called a “retrograde step” that would “do more harm than good”.

On Thursday, Australia became the first country in the world to ban under-16s from using social media platforms. The move was supported by a large majority of the Australian public – but academics, politicians and child rights groups said it could backfire, driving teenagers to the dark web, or make them feel more isolated.

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Ashley Griffith committed ‘depraved’ abuse at childcare centres for nearly 20 years. Were warning signs ignored?

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As one of Australia’s worst paedophiles is sentenced to life in prison for 307 sexual offences, parents and victims demand answers

In 2021, the serial paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith wrote a letter to parents of children at a Brisbane childcare centre, where he was employed as the director, addressing claims on social media the centre was “involved in a pedophile ring”.

“We want to reassure families that the wellbeing and safety of you and your family are of paramount importance,” wrote Griffith, who had set up a tripod camera inside the centre so he could film his sexual abuse of young girls from two different angles.

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Millions of Australians charged $4.3bn may be part of debt miscalculation controversy

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Services Australia tests found about 64% of employment income-related debts may be affected by the unlawful calculation practice

About 3 million Australians charged debts totalling $4.3bn by the Australian government may have been affected by an unlawful debt calculation practice.

The commonwealth ombudsman has said an “extremely large number of Australians [are] potentially significantly impacted” in response to the latest estimate released by the Department of Social Services.

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NSW farmer fined record $1m for wiping out critical koala habitat for private airstrip larger than Sydney airport

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Ronald Greentree and his company Auen Grain cleared 1,262 hectares of land home to 30 threatened species, NSW government says

The former graincorp chair and prominent wheat farmer Ronald Greentree has been handed a record fine of more than $1m for illegal land-clearing in the north-west of New South Wales.

Greentree and his company Auen Grain were sentenced in the state’s land and environment court on Friday for offences related to illegal clearing of an area larger than Sydney airport on the property “Boolcarrol”, north-west of Narrabri.

The sentence follows a 2022 court decision that found Greentree and Auen Grain guilty of eight separate land-clearing events at the property between December 2016 and January 2019.

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Justin Hemmes’ Merivale to pay $19.25m to ex-staff who allege they were underpaid

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But the Sydney hospitality giant, which operates more than 90 bars, restaurants and hotels, didn’t admit any liability in relation to the claims

Sydney pub baron Justin Hemmes’ company has agreed to pay millions to ex-employees who alleged they were underpaid, but did not admit any liability in relation to the claims.

Merivale has agreed to pay $19.25m to settle the lawsuit which was approved in the federal court on Friday, after five years of legal arguments and closed-door negotiations.

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Kristian White ‘entirely devastated’ as Clare Nowland’s family ‘struggling to understand’ why police officer granted bail

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NSW police officer who fatally shot 95-year-old with Taser extends ‘thoughts and prayers’ to Nowland family after manslaughter verdict

The New South Wales policeman who fatally shot a 95-year-old great-grandmother with a Taser has said he never intended for her to be harmed, and remains “entirely devastated” for her family’s loss.

Sen Const Kristian James Samuel White shot Clare Nowland with his Taser in a Cooma nursing home in the early hours of 17 May 2023, after she refused to put down a sharp knife. Nowland fell and struck her head, dying a week later from inoperable bleeding on the brain.

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Laos bans sale and consumption of vodka and whisky brand following suspected mass methanol poisoning

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Ban comes after two Australian teenagers, two Danish citizens, an American and a Briton became ill, and later died, after drinking in Vang Vieng

Lao authorities have banned the sale and consumption of a brand of whisky and vodka after the death of six tourists from a suspected mass methanol poisoning this month.

According to Smartraveller, the Australian government’s travel advice website, the drinks Tiger vodka and Tiger whisky have been prohibited by the Laos government due to “concerns about these products being a health risk”.

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Senator calls social media ban a ‘sham’ – as it happened

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This blog is now closed

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.

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.

As it currently stands, underlying inflation is still too high to be considering lowering the cash rate target in the near term.

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High-profile Sydney man to face retrial on two rape charges after jury failed to reach a verdict

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The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will return to court in October and hear evidence from two women on rape allegations

A high-profile Sydney man charged with raping two women will face a retrial after a jury could not reach a verdict on the charges earlier this year.

Guardian Australia cannot name the man due to a suppression order. However, the court will hear a joint challenge by the media to review that order on 10 December.

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‘Pushing isn’t always pretty’: Adam Bandt on why the Greens blocked Labor’s agenda until last sitting day of the year

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But Bandt would not be pressed on Anthony Albanese’s decision to cancel a environment deal the Greens and David Pocock struck with Tanya Plibersek

Adam Bandt is defending the Greens’ persistent refusal to pass key parts of the government’s agenda until Thursday’s legislative landslide, urging voters to understand they were “doing it for a reason”.

As parliament cleared the last of dozens of bills before rising until next year, Bandt acknowledged that holding out against core Labor measures had drawn accusations of obstructionism.

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WA bushfire caused by fatal car crash triples in size as firefighters warn ‘we’re not out of the woods’

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Authorities warn it is too late to leave some areas after bushfire in the Shire of Dandaragan cuts evacuation routes

Firefighters have gained the upper hand in the battle against a fierce blaze threatening coastal communities in Western Australia but authorities warn challenging weather conditions will test their defences.

The bushfire in the Shire of Dandaragan, about 170km north of Perth, has cut evacuation routes and razed more than 70,000 hectares of scrub since it was started by a fatal car crash on Monday.

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Meta accuses Australian government of failing to consider young people’s voices with world-first social media ban

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One independent MP calls bill – which passed on Thursday – a ‘1970 solution for a 2024 problem’

Social media company Meta has accused the Australian government of rushing to introduce an under-16 social media ban without properly considering the evidence and voices of young people.

But Australian politicians who supported the world-first legislation argue it is necessary to ensure another generation of teenagers do not experience “as much damaging content” in years to come.

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Children will get sentences ‘more punitive than necessary’ under new crime law, Queensland LNP admits

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Attorney general Deb Frecklington acknowledges bill will likely increase number of children in state watch houses

Queensland’s Liberal National party government has acknowledged their signature youth crime legislation will “directly discriminate” against children, by limiting their “protection from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.

The bill is also “expected to have a greater impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who are already disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system,” according to the government’s tabled statement of compatibility with human rights.

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Tanya Plibersek deal on nature laws was overruled by Anthony Albanese

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Exclusive: Environment minister agreed detail with Greens but the PM intervened after lobbying from WA premier and miners

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.

Guardian Australia understands that Plibersek notified Albanese on Tuesday of what had been agreed before writing to her negotiating partners setting out the detail.

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After a year of fighting, the Greens grant most of PM’s Christmas wishes in late bill flurry

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This week, and particularly the passing of 31 bills on a frenetic final day, has done a lot to cement Labor’s first term agenda

On Thursday after question time, Anthony Albanese gave an end-of-year speech thanking his colleagues and opponents, although at times it was difficult to tell which was which.

Turning to the crossbench, the prime minister spoke about the importance of respect in politics but couldn’t help himself when it came to an obligatory reference to the “Greens political party”.

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Paul Karp is Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent

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Personal details of financially distressed Australians shared in ‘leads list’ of property development course

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Master Wealth Control, trading as DG Institute, breached privacy laws by sharing names and addresses of people in distressed situations, regulator finds

A property investment company breached privacy laws by sharing the names and addresses of people going through a divorce or financial distress with participants of its wealth-building classes, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has found.

Master Wealth Control Pty Ltd (DG Institute), whose director was the prominent Sydney property investor Dominique Grubisa until July, offers courses and mentoring programs on property and business investment.

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Labor passes migration and social media ban bills after marathon Senate sitting

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More than 30 pieces of legislation pass the upper house amid a flurry of deals with the Coalition and Greens

A late final sitting in the Senate for the year has seen more than 30 bills pass 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.

Senators sat until almost 11.30pm on Thursday after the Albanese government struck an earlier deal with the Greens and the opposition to pass 31 bills, in addition to a social media ban on under-16s debated from 10pm.

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Australia passes world-first law banning under-16s from social media despite safety concerns

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Bill passes amid warning that process has been rushed and that a ban could push teenagers towards the dark web or into isolation

Australia’s parliament has passed a law that will aim to do what no other government has, and many parents have tried to: stop children from using social media. The new law was drafted in response to what the Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says is a “clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians.”

On Thursday, parliament’s upper house, the Senate, passed a bill by 34 votes to 19 banning children under 16 from social media platforms.

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Australia politics live: Thorpe says her suspension from Senate a ‘colonial action’ and stages pro-Palestine protest from gallery

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Follow today’s news live

Nuclear costings coming ‘in coming weeks and months ahead of election’: Taylor

The shadow treasurer was also asked when the Coalition would release the costings of its nuclear plan.

We will not be announcing it on your program this morning, as much as you might like me to.

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Thunderstorms, hail and possible flash flooding forecast for Sydney after days of intense heat

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New South Wales to see wild weather and heavy rainfall after ‘unseasonably hot’ temperatures

Severe thunderstorms are forecast to bring lightning, damaging winds and hail to New South Wales on Thursday, following days of intense heat earlier this week.

Sydney, Wollongong, Goulburn, Orange and Gosford are anticipating severe thunderstorm activity, with thunderstorms also forecast for inland Queensland on Thursday.

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