Politics live news Australia: Musk hits back: 'Stop trying to control internet'

Elon Musk stepped up his war of words with the Prime Minister, flagging an urgent legal appeal against a court order to take the Wakeley stabbing video down from X. 

X owner Elon Musk. Picture: AFP

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9:01 pm April 23, 2024

'Parallel universe': Labor's fresh food tax blasted

Staff writers

Nationals leader David Littleproud. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Nationals leader David Littleproud has ripped into the Labor government over a fresh food tax he claims is set to only hurt Australian farmers.

Mr Littleproud spoke to Sky News after a senate committee looked into the issue on Tuesday and said it had only highlighted a flawed system that will advantage foreign competitors.

“They want to tax Australian farmers over $153m in taxes to pay for their foreign competitors to bring their foreign products to this country,” he said. “Then process them through our ports to make sure there is no biosecurity risk so they can compete on Australian shelves at Australian supermarkets against Australian farmers.

“All they have done is push up Australian fresh produce prices so that foreign prices are cheaper.

“In what parallel universe would any government tax their own farmers to help foreign competitors bring their prices down.”

Mr Littleproud said the legislation is completely backwards and unlike any other countries.

“When our farmers export to other countries we pay to process our produce through those ports to make sure there is no biosecurity risk,” he said.

“But instead in Australia, Anthony Albanese and Murray Watt have said, ‘no, they (foreign farmers) shouldn’t pay for it, Australian farmers should instead’.”

Mr Littleproud said it was only going to add more financial strain in the face of a cost of living crisis.

“The farmers have to pass it on to you,” he said. “It’s a cost of living crisis and this mob has lost the plot.

“Not just to say to the farmers that you are going to have to pay, but they are also going to have to pass it on to consumers.”

By Jordan McCarthy

8:46 pm April 23, 2024

Nationals senator backs Babet posting stabbing video

Staff writers

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has backed under fire Senator Ralph Babet after he posted footage of the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on his social media on Tuesday.

Mr Canavan told Sky News that there appeared to be inconsistencies in the government’s attack on Elon Musk's social media platform X and that Mr Babet was just responding to Anthony Albanese's "over-the-top" reaction to the situation.

“I think there are a couple of important points to come out of whether Ralph should have posted it or not,” he said.

“One is, Ralph also posted it to Instagram, and I just checked before coming on air and it is still up there.

“The eSafety commissioner and the government have been saying that Twitter (X) haven’t complied and Meta and Instagram have, but Ralph’s video is still up there and in fact if you search Facebook it comes up straight away.

“The second point that I wanted to make is that Ralph never would have had to post this video if the Prime Minister didn’t have this ridiculous, over-the-top reaction to this situation.”

Mr Canavan said the video of the attack on bishop Emmanuel was disturbing but it was because of Mr Albanese it had gained so much traction and he was better off focusing his energy elsewhere.

“Yes, the video was violent,” he said. “But so many people have seen it now because the Prime Minister has made such a big issue of it.

“Meanwhile petrol prices are over 230 cents per litre in most cities but he is more focused on social media videos.”

Mr Canavan claimed that Mr Albanese and the government were using the video and the battle with social media platforms as a distraction.

“It seems to me here, that the distraction is the actual point,” he said. “The Prime Minister is happy to distract attention away from the broader issue here that is starting to be discussed about our multicultural society."

By Jordan McCarthy

6:19 pm April 23, 2024

NSW bail system 'broken' in light of Forbes murder: Toole

Staff writers

Molly Ticehurst. Picture: Facebook

Opposition police minister Paul Toole joined Sky News from Bathurst following the murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, allegedly at the hands of her ex-partner Daniel Billings.

Ms Ticehurst was allegedly killed by Billings a little over two weeks after he was released on bail after being charged with domestic violence offences.

Mr Toole said there was clearly a problem with both bail laws and domestic violence in NSW.

“I think when you have a look at it there are a lot of questions being asked,” he said.

“Why was this person let out? Why was this person even given bail? We are talking about a number of offences that he had already committed. We are talking about sexual assault, stalking and intimidation.

“Yet this person was given bail. It clearly shows the system is broken and needs a complete overhaul.

“Because at the end of the day the government has a duty of care to victims of domestic violence, but also survivors of domestic violence.”

Mr Toole said something had to change with the bailing system and it was not just failing domestic violence victims.

“Police advised against bail and yet it was completely overwritten by a magistrate,” he said.

“It’s not just domestic violence we are talking about when it comes to problems with the bail system, it’s also around youth crime.

“We have seen it endlessly, time after time, when young people have been facing our courts.

“How can you have a young person on 98 charges and been to court 70 times continually get bailed.

“There is something wrong with the system if people are continually given bail to only go back out into the community and commit the same offence again. ”

One change Mr Toole would like to see is more weight being placed on the opinion of police.

“We need to make sure there is a greater emphasis on what the police are putting forward,” he said.

“They are the people that are living in these communities, so they need to be able to make sure that the magistrates understand that they have a good connection with the local area and know the local families.”

By Jordan McCarthy

5:09 pm April 23, 2024

Renewable approach to net zero untenable: Littleproud

Staff writers

Speaking on ABC’s Evening Briefing Nationals leader David Littleproud said the coalition was committed to net zero by 2050, but didn’t think renewables was the only way to get there.

“We had our national conference in September last year and it was emphatically supported by the membership and our party room,” he said.

“As long as we have a uniquely Australian solution to it and we have sovereignty of all our resources.

“We do not believe that an all renewable approach is a sensible one, it opens a concentration risk by putting all your eggs in one basket.”

Mr Littleproud said offering cheap renewable energy options or a cash back approach to those who go renewable was an untenable approach.

“You can have all the subsidies in the world and thereby they will run out because the Australian taxpayer cannot continue to pay,” he said.

“What you need to do is underpin manufacturing with affordable, reliable baseload power and that is about making sure you have an energy mix and a transition from coal to nuclear with gas and renewables.

“It spreads that risk and gives us reliability, portability and reduces our emissions.”

By Jordan McCarthy

5:00 pm April 23, 2024

Musk 'must accept' moral obligation: Littleproud

Staff writers

Nationals leader David Littleproud. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Nationals leader David Littleproud has thrown his support behind Australia's eSafety Commissioner for censoring content on social media platforms.

While Mr Littleproud said he “agreed” with Elon Musk “to an extent” on freedom of speech, he said Musk had crossed a line with his fight to keep the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on the platform.

“Freedom of speech is something that has been hard fought, not just here in Australia, but across the globe, and still many countries do not enjoy it,” he told the ABC . “But it comes with a responsibility, to live up to your moral obligations.

“When there are acts of violence that have terrorised the Australian people in such a way, or any other nation, I think you have a moral responsibility to understand the psyche of that nation.

“I agree with Elon Musk that we should have freedom of speech, but it comes with a responsibility and the moral obligation to do the right thing by that nation, you are given the privilege to be invited into and must accept their culture.”

By Jordan McCarthy

4:38 pm April 23, 2024

X intends to 'snub' laws and regulations: Jones

Staff writers

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said a fight is expected with X over whether they have to abide with the government when it comes to removing posts of similar matter to that of the Wakeley church stabbing.

“They are fighting and they have made it clear they do not intend to comply,” he told the ABC. “They intend to snub the Australian laws and lawmakers and regulators.

“As the Prime Minister has said, it’s not good enough and we will defend the public interests of the Australian people whether against an arrogant billionaire like Elon Musk or anyone else who wants to flout the rules of public safety in this country.”

Mr Jones said that Elon Musk's behaviour was unacceptable and the platform had deleted some of the footage making the rounds on X, but had left it on US servers.

“My understanding is he has complied on an interim basis,” he said.

“He is acting in contempt of what the court has decided is the right thing to do on an interim basis, and that is that this material is not safe to be published and broadcast around the country.

“He is way out of step.”

The government won't stand down on the issue, Mr Jones said.

“In relation to X, we will fight this, not because we want to but because we have to,” he said.

“Because we want to have an outcome for the Australian people and whether it is in relation to this or other issues to keep our social media platforms safe.

“Safe in the area of economic and violent crimes and the work that Michelle Rowland has been doing in the area of sexual material that has been transmitted on these platforms.

“We are determined to keep them safe and we will not flinch from it.”

By Jordan McCarthy

4:18 pm April 23, 2024

Babet 'out of touch' for resharing church footage: Jones

Staff writers

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has called out Senator Ralph Babet for resharing footage of the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel as the government faces off with tech giant X in federal court over the removal of the disturbing footage from their platform.

Speaking with Greg Jennett on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing Mr Jones said Mr Babet had “let himself down”.

"Over the last week we have seen some fantastic behaviour by Australians,” he said.

“Putting themselves in harm's way to help other Australians, dropping their own interests aside, running towards danger, not away from it.

“We have also seen some unfortunate behaviour in Senator Babet's behaviour. He put his own political thoughts and interest ahead of the concerns and feelings and anguish and trauma of the victims, the witnesses and the families.

“I think the senator should reflect upon his own behaviour. He is out of touch.”

By Jordan McCarthy

3:51 pm April 23, 2024

eSafety to seek injunction, civil penalties against X

Stephen Lunn

The eSafety Commissioner will seek a permanent injunction and civil penalties against social media platform X for failing to comply with notice to remove video of the violent stabbing attack on a Sydney cleric, with the maximum penalty running at $782,500 per contravention.

In a statement released on Tuesday, a spokesman for the commissioner said that after securing an interim Federal Court injunction on Monday night ordering X to hide the material, it expected further court action in coming days.

“eSafety expects a further hearing to take place in the coming days during which the Court will be asked to decide whether it will extend the interim injunction,” the spokesman said.

“It is expected this second hearing will be followed by a final hearing at which eSafety will seek a permanent injunction and civil penalties against X Corp.”

“Under the Online Safety Act, the maximum civil penalty for non-compliance with a removal notice for a body corporate is $782,500 per contravention,” the spokesman said.

After the federal court’s ruling on Monday night X owner Elon Musk hit back at Australia’s eSafety Commissioner for trying to control “the entire internet”.

Mr Musk also claimed X had already taken steps to censor the content in Australia, and flagged he was preparing a legal challenge to the interim ruling.

“Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian ‘eSafety Commissar’ is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet,” Mr Musk posted on his platform.

“We have already censored the content in question for Australia, pending legal appeal , and it is stored only on servers in the USA.”

Our concern is that if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian “eSafety Commissar” is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?

We have already censored the content in question for… https://t.co/aca9E4uAB7

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2024

In the wake of the ruling Anthony Albanese backed the eSafety commissioner and attacked Mr Musk as an “arrogant billionaire who thinks he’s above the law, but also above common decency.”

“The idea that someone would go to court for the right to put up violent content on a platform shows how out of touch Mr Musk is,” the Prime Minister said.

“Social media needs to have social responsibility with it. Mr Musk is not showing any.”

1:54 pm April 23, 2024

Victorian senator shares footage of church stabbing

Staff writers

Senator Ralph Babet. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Communications minister Michelle Rowland has accused UAP Senator Ralph Babet of “appalling behaviour" after he reposted a video of the Wakeley church stabbing to X with the caption: “To the Australian government and the eSafety commissioner go f**k yourselves”.

Senator Babet uploaded the video – which is currently subject to an injunction order – alongside a six-minute monologue in which he vowed to keep the video up and called the Liberals, Labor, and the eSafety commissioner a “threat to democracy”.

In a statement to Guardian Australia, Ms Rowland had harsh words for the Victorian senator, who was elected under Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party banner in the 2022 election.

“The Albanese government supports efforts by the eSafety commissioner to have this content removed from digital platforms in Australia,” she said.

“This is appalling behaviour by a serving senator and he needs to explain why he’s sharing this harmful content.”

By Elizabeth Pike

1:22 pm April 23, 2024

Victorian Greens elect 'first millennial leader'

Staff writers

Ellen Sandell (front) replaces Samantha Ratnam, who is pursuing a move to federal politics. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

The Victorian Greens have elected Melbourne MP Ellen Sandell as their new leader.

Ms Sandell replaces Samantha Ratnam, who will be stepping down from the top job to run as the Greens candidate in the federal seat of Wills at the next election.

Ms Sandell promised to prioritise struggling Australians as the “first millennial leader of a major political party in Victoria”.

“If you’re struggling to pay the rent, or worried you or your kids will never be able to buy a home, you’re not alone.

"Millions of people are struggling with the cost of rent, mortgages and groceries, and are being let down by politicians who refuse to do anything about it,” she said in a statement after the announcement.

“I’m honoured to lead the Greens and fight every day to give voice to a whole generation locked out of the housing market, to give voice to those who feel let down by Labor and Liberal politicians, and to give voice to those who want to see some vision back in our politics.”

– Elizabeth Pike