This Month
Labor backflip will add YouTube to social media ban for kids
A carve-out for the video platform will be axed after the eSafety commissioner found it was the most likely place for children to see harmful material online.
May
Albanese lunches with Qantas and the dark arts squad
The prime minister was among a sold-out throng for ALP national secretary Paul Erickson’s National Press Club address.
Top judge apologises as 1000-day milestone arrives
Justice Bernard Murphy looks set to make a Usain Bolt-record in delayed justice.
Tech champion but with a dark side: Axed Husic speaks
Dumped Science and Industry Minister Ed Husic has said he will continue to advocate for Australia’s technology sector from the back benches, ahead of other cabinet changes.
News Corp, Nine demand Albanese government force big tech to pay up
The chief executives of News Corp, Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media have called on the government to force Google, Meta and TikTok to pay for news.
April
TikTok, Meta, Snapchat demand answers on YouTube ‘sweetheart deal’
The tech giants say Michelle Rowland’s unexplained favouritism towards Google’s video platform undermines new social media age restriction laws.
YouTube exemption exposes teen social media ban as a sham
The government’s preferential treatment of YouTube undermines the purpose of its under-16s social media ban, and is unfair to the other tech industry players.
Rowland gave YouTube a personal exemption guarantee from social ban
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland wrote to YouTube’s global chief to reassure him the platform would not be covered by a contentious social media ban.
Australia’s biggest billionaire feud is over
The pair have been at loggerheads since 2022 over what Andrew Forrest claims was Kerry Stokes’ anger over mining trucks.
March
Labor’s latest excuse for YouTube ban exemption
New documents reveal a third reason the Albanese government has exempted YouTube from its social media ban for people under 16: “Broad community sentiment.”
‘Irrational and indefensible’ YouTube call was government’s alone
The Albanese government announced YouTube would be exempt from its social media ban without seeking mandatory advice from its eSafety Commissioner.
Highest costs, lowest speeds make NBN a financial albatross for Australia
On this trajectory, the NBN may be ultimately regarded as one of the worst investments in Australia’s history.
Big tech slams ‘sweetheart deal’ for YouTube in social ban
The tech giants say carving out YouTube from a ban on social media for people under 16 would be like banning soft drinks for children but allowing Coca-Cola.
NBN Co set to choose Amazon over Musk’s Starlink for satellite service
Amazon last year said Australia would be one of the first countries offered access to its Kuiper low earth orbit network of 3236 satellites, known as a LEOSat network.
February
Labor says it will back high-tech bush mobile phone satellite network
The proposed law would oblige and support companies like Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom to extend coverage across the country even where there are no towers.
YouTube’s social media ban exemption under fire as rivals seethe
The Department of Communications met with Meta, Snap and TikTok to discuss how they’re supposed to age-restrict their platforms, while their rival remains exempt.
Social media giants face massive fines under proposed safety laws
If adopted by the Albanese government, the new penalties would likely affect platforms owned by Meta as well as TikTok, SnapChat, and Elon Musk’s X.
December 2024
ABC to get $126m post-election funding injection
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland will also seek to make law the five-year funding agreements Labor committed to at the 2022 election.
November 2024
Worried about the social media ban for kids? Read this
The pioneering age-limit laws are set to be approved by the Senate on Thursday. Here’s what we know (and just as importantly what we don’t know) about how they will work.
Labor vowed to ban sports gambling ads (18 months ago)
Nothing has happened. The prime minister has gone from blasting gambling advertising around sport as “reprehensible” to admitting he hasn’t been able to see it through.