‘Talking sense': Hanson forces Coalition to show ‘true colours' on net zero
'She's talking sense,' Ms MacSween told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
'This is the point of difference, if Sussan Ley doesn't adopt the abandonment of net-zero, then she's lost a lot of people.
'Thanks to Pauline Hanson, who's making them show their true colours, and it's about time.'
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ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
YouTube to be included in social media ban for under 16s after exemption reversed
Children and teenagers will be barred from logging in to YouTube under the incoming social media ban for under 16s after the government reversed its plan to grant the video sharing site an exemption. Rules of how the ban will operate are set to be presented to parliament on Wednesday, including details of the types of platforms that will not be captured, such as those primarily concerned with gaming, messaging, health and education. It comes days after Google, the parent company of YouTube, threatened legal action if the government scrapped its previously flagged exemption on the basis of the platform's educational uses. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a decision on whether YouTube would be included was yet to be made — despite the draft rules naming the platform as exempt — and that the government would not be influenced by threats from social media companies. "Our government is making it clear — we stand on the side of families," Mr Albanese said in a statement on Tuesday. "Social media has a social responsibility and there is no doubt that Australian kids are being negatively impacted by online platforms, so I'm calling time on it." YouTube differs from other popular social media sites in that it doesn't require users to have an account to access most features and young people will still be able to use the site in a logged-out state after the world-leading laws come into force in December. But including YouTube in the list of social media platforms covered by the ban — which already includes apps like TikTok and Instagram — means under 16s won't be able to access age-restricted content on the video-sharing site. Former communications minister Michelle Rowland initially flagged that YouTube was likely to be exempt from the laws in November last year. But the proposed carve out was thrown into question last month when eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant — who is tasked with implementing the laws — wrote to new Communications Minister Anika Wells formally recommending it be scrapped. She cited eSafety research that found young people used YouTube more than any other social media platform and it was where they were most likely to experience harm online. "When we asked where they were experiencing harm and the kinds of harms they were experiencing, the most prevalent place where young Australians experienced harm was on YouTube — almost 37 per cent," Dr Inman Grant said. "This ranges from misogynistic content to hateful material, to violent fighting videos, online challenges, disordered eating, suicidal ideation." She also argued that YouTube had the characteristics of a platform that should fall under the ban and cautioned against naming specific platforms for carve outs. The platform's competitors had separately campaigned against its exclusion, accusing the government of making a "sweetheart deal" in private submissions. YouTube has previously argued that it is a video streaming platform, rather than a social media site, and therefore should not be captured by the ban, citing evidence that it is widely used in classrooms and by parents. Under the new laws, which are due to come into force on December 10, social media companies will face fines of up to almost $50 million for failing to take "reasonable steps" to bar under 16s from their platforms. "There is no one perfect solution when it comes to keeping young Australians safer online — but the social media minimum age will make a significantly positive difference to their wellbeing," Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a statement. "There's a place for social media, but there's not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children."
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
YouTube to be captured by social media ban
YouTube will be captured by Labor's world-leading social media ban for under 16s, the Albanese government has confirmed. The videostreaming giant was initially set to be exempt, with the Albanese government arguing it could be educational. But the online safety watchdog has since advised YouTube should be included, warning it causes the most harm to kids. 'Our government is making it clear – we stand on the side of families,' Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement with Communications Minister Anika Wells. 'Social media has a social responsibility and there is no doubt that Australian kids are being negatively impacted by online platforms so I'm calling time on it. 'Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.' Echoing the Prime Minister, Ms Wells said it would give 'kids a reprieve from the persuasive and pervasive pull of social media while giving parents peace of mind'. 'We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are,' she said. 'There is no one perfect solution when it comes to keeping young Australians safer online – but the social media minimum age will make a significantly positive difference to their wellbeing. 'The rules are not a set and forget, they are a set and support.' Last month, the brains tasked with finding a way to enforce the ban said it is possible but that there is no 'silver bullet' and firms would need to use a range of measures. One option, according to the project's chief, is successive validation – a series of tests designed to firm up a user's age. With the advice saying enforcement is possible, Ms Wells noted in the joint statement that there are 'heavy penalties for companies who fail to take reasonable steps to prevent underage account holders onto their services'. Those penalties include a fine of up to $49.5m. 'There's a place for social media, but there's not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children,' Ms Wells said. The decision to include YouTube in the ban comes after eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant warned kids were using YouTube more than any other social media platform. 'It's almost ubiquitous that kids are on social media,' she said last month, speaking to the ABC. 'By far the most prevalent social media site they're on is YouTube. 'And when we asked where they were experiencing harm and the kinds of harms they were experiencing, the most prevalent place where young Australians experienced harm was on YouTube – almost 37 per cent. 'This ranges from misogynistic content to hateful material, to violent fighting videos, online challenges, disordered eating, suicidal ideation.' The decision to include YouTube in the ban comes after eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant warned kids were using YouTube more than any other social media platform. 'It's almost ubiquitous that kids are on social media,' she said last month, speaking to the ABC. 'By far the most prevalent social media site they're on is YouTube. 'And when we asked where they were experiencing harm and the kinds of harms they were experiencing, the most prevalent place where young Australians experienced harm was on YouTube – almost 37 per cent. 'This ranges from misogynistic content to hateful material, to violent fighting videos, online challenges, disordered eating, suicidal ideation.' The Coalition also called for YouTube's inclusion, with opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh saying it is 'a logical thing to do'. The social media ban is set to come into force in December. While other countries have mulled similar actions, Australia is the first to make the leap, receiving both praise and criticism.
7NEWS
4 hours ago
- 7NEWS
YouTube to be included in government's new under-16s social media legislation
The Albanese Government will include YouTube in its world-first under-16 social media laws that come into effect at the end of the year. Proposed age-restricted social media platforms originally included Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X, but not YouTube as the Government believed it had educational benefits. But eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant intervened following a survey of adolescents, finding YouTube can be just as harmful as other sites. Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules will be tabled in Federal Parliament on Wednesday to specify which types of online services will not be captured by the social media legislation, including online gaming, messaging apps, health and education services. The government said these types of online services have been excluded from the new minimum age obligations because they pose less of a risk to under 16s, or are regulated under different laws. From December 10, 2025, all services that meet the definition of 'age-restricted social media platform' in the Act, and are not excluded in the rules, will be subject to the social media minimum age law including fines up to $49.5 million. 'We have parents' backs' The prime minister says his government is making it clear that it stands on the side of families. 'Social media has a social responsibility and there is no doubt that Australian kids are being negatively impacted by online platforms so I'm calling time on it,' Albanese said. 'Social media is doing social harm to our children and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.' Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government 'is giving kids a reprieve from the persuasive and pervasive pull of social media while giving parents peace of mind'. 'We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are,' Wells said. 'There is no one perfect solution when it comes to keeping young Australians safer online – but the social media minimum age will make a significantly positive difference to their wellbeing. 'The rules are not a set and forget, they are a set and support. 'There are heavy penalties for companies who fail to take reasonable steps to prevent underage account holders onto their services of up to $49.5 million. 'There's a place for social media, but there's not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children.' 'Voices against the cod cannot be ignored' The Opposition is now questioning the advice and authority of the eSafety Commissioner. Shadow communications spokesperson Melissa McIntosh said 'the remit of the eSafety Commission without adequate safeguards is now in question.' 'Requiring adults to log in to an account to browse the internet is taking the eSafety Commissioner's power to a new level which needs to be scrutinised,' McIntosh said. 'The voices against the code cannot be ignored and whilst the intent is to protect young people from harms it is essential that this is balanced with a person's right to privacy and protection of their personal freedoms.'
