Australian news and politics live: Independent MP Chaney to introduce Bill to ban AI child sexual abuse apps
Independent MP Kate Chaney will today introduce a bill to outlaw technology that assists in the creation of child sexual abuse material.
Under the bill it would be an offence to posess AI tools designed for the sole purpose of creating child sexual abuse material.
'This is a clear gap in our Criminal Code that I think we need to be able to respond quickly on so we can make sure we're keeping kids safe,' she said on ABC.
'Currently, possession of these images is illegal, but it's not illegal to possess these particular types of AI tools that are designed for the sole purpose of creating child sexual abuse material.
'So, it means that perpetrators can generate the material using images of real children, delete the images, and then recreate them whenever they want and avoid detection.
'This bill is focused on making it illegal to download these tools that are designed to create this material.'
Ms Chaney said action was needed now.
'The challenge that we have is that we're creating a lot of reports and consultations, and the technology is moving so fast, so I think there's a need for urgent action on this.
'We need to be able to plug the gaps as we go, while addressing the broad issues about how we're going to encourage take-up of AI for its productivity benefits but creating appropriate guardrails so that people can have faith in it.'.
Australians will pay no more than $25 for selected medicines for the first time in more than 20 years under a proposal to be brought before parliament.
It will be the second cap on medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) introduced by the Albanese government in three years, after it cut the maximum price of PBS prescriptions from $42.50 to $30.
'The size of your bank balance shouldn't determine the quality of your health care,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
'My government will continue to deliver cost-of-living relief for all Australians.'
PBS medicines would be capped at $7.70 for pensioners and concession card holders until 2030.
The bill's introduction is largely a formality, with its passage through the lower house all but assured thanks to Labor's massive 94-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives.
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West is best again in economic circles but big gains made on the other side of the Nullarbor have surprised economists and left eastern states languishing.
A boost in housing construction has propelled South Australia to second position, above Queensland and Victoria, in CommSec's latest State of the States report released on Monday.
Western Australia remains the nation's top performer for the fourth straight quarter with strong returns on retail spending and business investment, but an upheaval could be on the horizon.
'We are seeing Western Australia lose a little bit of momentum,' CommSec chief economist Ryan Felsman told AAP.
'It's been growing at a breakneck speed the last two or three years, and the reason for that is population growth has been the highest for some time.'
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A plan to boost the number of fully bulk-billing general practice clinics is likely to fall dramatically short of forecasts, a healthcare directory operator warns.
Labor's $7.9 billion plan to expand the Bulk Billing Incentive Program to include non-concession patients projected the number of fully bulk-billing GP clinics to rise to 4800.
But healthcare directory operator Cleanbill estimates the number of entirely bulk-billing clinics will rise by just 740 to 2081 because incentive payments will not cover consultation costs for certain clinics.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler slammed the report as inaccurate and fundamentally flawed.
'This is a headline-grabbing phone poll conducted by a private company whose own website says their data is not 'reliable, accurate, complete or suitable',' Mr Butler said in a statement.
'For the first time, Labor will expand bulk-billing incentives to all Australians and create an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient.'
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