Latest news with #AnthonyAlbanese
The Hindu
15 minutes ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Australia adds YouTube to social media ban for children
Australia said on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) it will include Alphabet-owned YouTube in its world-first ban on social media for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the video-sharing platform. Australia's internet watchdog last month urged the government to overturn the proposed exemption for YouTube after its research found 37% of children aged 10 to 15 reported seeing harmful content on the platform, the most of any social media site. Other social media companies such as Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok had argued an exemption for YouTube would be unfair. "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," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. "Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs." Social media firms will be fined up to A$49.5 million ($32.2 million) from December if they break the law, which passed through parliament in November. A YouTube spokesperson said the company would consider next steps and would continue to engage with the government. "We share the government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms. Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It's not social media," the spokesperson said by email. Online gaming, messaging apps, and health and education sites will be excluded from the centre-left government's minimum age rules as they pose fewer social media harms to teens under 16, or are regulated under different laws, Communications Minister Anika Wells said. "The rules are not a set and forget, they are a set and support," Ms. Wells said.
Perth Now
16 minutes ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Australia signs bombshell Gaza statement
Australia is among more than a dozen Western countries hinting they could recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA). Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday joined counterparts from 14 countries, including France and New Zealand, in issuing a joint statement calling Palestinian statehood 'an essential step' toward a two-state solution – the internationally adopted answer for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been urged not to recognise a Palestinian state. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Noting the 80th UNGA meeting coming up in September, the foreign ministers said they 'have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine as an essential step towards the two-state solution and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call'. They also urged countries that had not established 'normal relations with Israel' to do so and 'to express their willingness to enter into discussions on the regional integration of the State of Israel'. The statement comes after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK would recognise a Palestinian state at the UNGA meeting unless Israel takes 'substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza'. The Coalition has urged Anthony Albanese not to follow his UK counterpart. More to come
Sky News AU
16 minutes ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Get some facts into his diet': Chris Kenny shames Albanese for ‘demonising Israel'
Sky News host Chris Kenny slams Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for 'demonising Israel' and 'listening to the ferals' in the Labor Party who want to acknowledge Palestinian statehood. 'What Anthony Albanese is doing with our foreign policy in the Middle East now is disgusting,' Mr Kenny said. 'He's demonising Israel based on Hamas-fueled propaganda. 'Get some facts and expertise into his daily diet.'
ABC News
an hour ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Australia yet to recognise Palestine but signs fresh statement toughening its position
Australia has taken another step towards recognising Palestine but has yet to commit to doing so after the United Kingdom signalled its own intentions overnight. In a joint statement with 14 countries, including several who already recognise the Palestinian state, Australia welcomed a series of commitments by the Palestinian Authority (PA) which could pave the way to recognition. These include PA's calls in June for the disarmament of Hamas and the release of hostages and its undertaking to hold fresh elections within a year — key conditions for recognition identified earlier this week by Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong. The UK's declared intent to recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, unless Israel takes steps to end the war in Gaza, comes after strong suggestions from ministers that Australia was working with its allies and would act on recognition in tandem. Neither the prime minister nor the foreign minister have spoken since the UK move, but Labor MP Ed Husic repeated calls for Australia to join "moral momentum" for the move. "It requires from us a consideration of our approach," he told reporters on Wednesday. "We can still maintain that we have conditions that we believe need to be satisfied … But we can flag our preparedness to join with both France and the UK to signal our commitment to recognise Palestine." France became the first G7 country to move to recognise Palestine last week, declaring its own intentions to do so at the September UN meeting. It signed the fresh statement with Australia alongside New Zealand and Canada — who previously joined Australia and the UK in sanctioning two Israeli ministers — and Spain, Norway and Ireland, who already recognise Palestine. The UK did not sign. The statement notes all signatories "have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine". It describes recognition "as an essential step towards the two-state solution and [invites] all countries that have not done so to join this call". The statement also urges all countries who do not have "normal relations" with Israel to do so and begins with a condemnation of the October 7 terrorist attack and a call for an immediate ceasefire with the unconditional release of all Hamas hostages. It states "unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution … and in this regard stress the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority". Coalition frontbenchers have signalled opposition to short-term recognition this week, and finance spokesperson James Paterson did so again on Wednesday morning. "Australia has always argued that a Palestinian state should be the end of an outcome of a peace process," he told ABC Radio National. "Premature recognition of a Palestinian state before Hamas has been dismantled, before the Palestinian Authority recognises Israel's right to exist, before they give up their aims of using terrorism to abolish the Israeli state, I think would be extremely counterproductive." On Tuesday, Mr Albanese said Israel's claim that there was "no starvation in Gaza" was "beyond comprehension", after he earlier said Israel was "quite clearly" breaching international law. US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have made similar statements about starvation, but Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has resisted doing so. Senator Paterson said there were "credible reports" of starvation in Gaza and "very clear evidence of people suffering" but said he was "not in a position to independently assess" what was happening and was "cautious" given the presence of Hamas. "Clearly there is very serious suffering happening in Gaza. I think it's also clear that Hamas is weaponising that for their own aims," he said. "It's my expectation of Israel as the military power in effective control in the region that they have an obligation to ensure that the people of Gaza are fed."
The Sun
an hour ago
- Business
- The Sun
Australia adds YouTube to social media ban for children
SYDNEY: Australia said on Wednesday it will include Alphabet-owned YouTube in its world-first ban on social media for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the video-sharing platform. Australia's internet watchdog last month urged the government to overturn the proposed exemption for YouTube after its research found 37% of children aged 10 to 15 reported seeing harmful content on the platform, the most of any social media site. Other social media companies such as Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok had argued an exemption for YouTube would be unfair. '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,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. 'Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.' Social media firms will be fined up to A$49.5 million ($32.2 million) from December if they break the law, which passed through parliament in November. A YouTube spokesperson said the company would consider next steps and would continue to engage with the government. 'We share the government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms. Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It's not social media,' the spokesperson said by email. Online gaming, messaging apps, and health and education sites will be excluded from the centre-left government's minimum age rules as they pose fewer social media harms to teens under 16, or are regulated under different laws, Communications Minister Anika Wells said. 'The rules are not a set and forget, they are a set and support,' Wells said. - Reuters
