Cost of living, union corruption in focus as MPs return
Labor wants to shift the focus to cost-of-living relief and social action as the coalition heaps pressure on its handling of inflation and national security.
social issue
Urgent call to pass deepfake sexual image sharing laws
Laws that crack down on the creation and sharing of non-consensual sexual images, including digitally altered deepfakes, should pass with haste, senators say.
Mood-altering drug use a ‘human right’: top prosecutor
Australia's longest-serving public prosecutor is pushing for a Portuguese-style cannabis model that decriminalises drugs and brings users before experts.
Telcos to proceed with 3G closure despite inquiry fears
Threats to safety from the 3G mobile network shutdown are "too great to ignore", an inquiry warns, but Telstra and Optus are pressing ahead with their plans.
‘Kick in the guts’: shock at disability report response
Almost a year after the Disability Royal Commission delivered its damning report, the government has released its response to a mixed reaction.
Schoolies pill testing as more young women take drugs
Australia's biggest Schoolies event will make pill testing available for the first time but an opposition party has vowed to scrap the plan if elected.
‘Not enough action’: pressure mounts as DV deaths spike
Political leaders are being accused of losing interest in finding urgent solutions to Australia's domestic violence crisis as the death toll climbs higher.
PM under fire as Gaza protesters front Labor conference
Pro-Palestine protesters amassed outside the NSW Labor conference while, inside, the Prime Minister did his best to ignore the chants attacking him.
‘Loud and clear’: elder reflects on lifetime of stories
South Australian elders are being celebrated in a new documentary, 'There I was, here I am', featuring the stories of three Aboriginal trailblazers.
abusive behaviour
breaking_news
computing and information technology
internet
media
regulatory policy and organisation
social issue
Tech giants on notice over ‘blindness’ to abuse content
Tech companies treat child sexual abuse content with "wilful blindness" but the online safety watchdog will soon force them to face uncomfortable truths.
Deepfake crackdown looms as ‘nudify’ apps in spotlight
The eSafety commissioner has called for more powers to tackle apps that enable image-based abuse by using artificial intelligence to undress or "nudify" women.
Pre-fab homes built up as state fix for housing crisis
Chronically unaffordable property in NSW has prompted a trial of modular housing and calls to appoint a top bureaucrat to overcome planning obstacles.
Social media age limits ‘likely to make things worse’
Bringing in age restrictions for social media could make safety issues worse for young users, child protection organisations have told a parliamentary hearing.
Warnings against ‘knee-jerk’ response to youth crime
The Victorian government must not let community fears of a crime crisis trigger backward steps on justice reforms, youth groups say.
Why Australian news could be banned from Facebook again
Banishing Australian news content from Facebook could devastate media outlets and disadvantage audiences, an inquiry into social media has heard.
Payman might cross the floor again despite party rebuke
Labor senator Fatima Payman has been iced out of a partyroom meeting as punishment for crossing the floor but remains unapologetic about her actions.
MPs cautious as threats and abuse rise over war in Gaza
A rise in death threats, abuse and office attacks have parliamentarians and authorities on higher alert for danger as the Gaza war frays community cohesion.
More hip-pocket help, less vaping in new financial year
Cost of living relief in the form of tax cuts and a pay increase for minimum-wage workers are among the changes to come into effect in the new financial year.
Tax cuts to help households ‘catch up’ to rate rises
After a long wait and much political tussling, the stage three tax cuts are finally about to come into effect - and not a moment too soon.
Albanese links new energy plan to cost-of-living crisis
Cost-of-living support in the form of tax cuts and higher pay for minimum-wage workers are among changes to come into effect in the new financial year.
Push for Indigenous truth-telling amid voice ‘silence’
The Albanese government is being urged to make progress on Indigenous truth-telling with people left "hurting" following the voice referendum defeat.
Cross-continent run to raise domestic violence dollars
A woman who dribbled a soccer ball from the Gold Coast to Sydney has set her sights on an even bigger challenge to raise money for abuse survivors.
computing and information technology
inquiry
internet
media
online
people - social issue
social issue
social issues (general)
social problems
technology (general)
Child abuse and online safety risks probed at inquiry
Lawmakers and experts in child protection policies are expected to appear at a federal social media inquiry following controversial claims by Meta.
computing and information technology
inquiry
internet
media
online
people - social issue
social issue
social issues (general)
social problems
technology (general)
Would you show Facebook your ID? The govt wants to know
A $6.5 million age-assurance technology trial will test whether it can prevent teens accessing social networks and whether adults are willing to use it.
Lovers warned ‘common’ bedroom trend could be deadly
Fear of being labelled "vanilla" in the bedroom and ignorance of the danger are leading young people to consent to an intimate act posing genuine risk of harm.
Girls arrested, boys flee after ‘cowardly’ fatal crash
Up to four males are on the run and two teenage girls are in custody after their allegedly stolen car crashed into another vehicle, killing the driver.
children
computing and information technology
online
parent and child
politics (general)
safety of citizens
science and technology
social issue
social issues (general)
social problems
technology (general)
Photos of Aussie kids scraped, used by popular AI tool
Child safety advocates have called for greater online privacy protections after Human Rights Watch identified photos of young Australians in an AI dataset.
Government lays foundation for social housing upswing
Billions of dollars in funding have been allocated to states and territories in Labor's plan to address shortfalls in social housing and homelessness services.
Aussies feel social media fails to stop ‘scam war’
One in five Australians believe social media giants are encouraging scams to occur on the platforms, a new survey reveals.
Publisher warns of Meta ‘blackmail’ on news media code
Major news outlets accuse Facebook's parent company of daring the government to take action against it, and warn newspapers could close if it fails to act.
computing and information technology
consumers
internet
online
politics (general)
science and technology
social issue
social issues (general)
social problems
technology (general)
Lies, bad ads, no rules – social media under scrutiny
Academics at six universities are teaming up to create a national body to investigate online misinformation, social media risks and missing regulations.