Category: Australian News

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong will travel to Washington DC for the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) on 8 December.

They will meet with their counterparts US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

AUSMIN 2025 will mark 40 years of Australia-United States Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister consultations, demonstrating the strength of the Alliance and the importance of our continued cooperation in our region.

Following AUSMIN the Deputy Prime Minister will join Secretary Hegseth and the UK Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon John Healey, for an AUKUS Defence Ministers’ meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles:

“Australia’s Alliance with the United States is fundamental to our national security, built on our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

“AUSMIN is an invaluable forum to set the strategic direction for the Alliance, including on defence and security.”

“I look forward to advancing our strong defence partnership, including through AUKUS and our long-standing US Force Posture Initiatives in Australia.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong:

“The United States is Australia’s principal ally and strategic partner.

“For four decades, AUSMIN has enabled foreign and defence consultations during periods of great strategic change and challenge. Together, we are working to shape the Indo-Pacific for the better.

“AUSMIN 2025 is an opportunity to advance priorities that deliver for Australia, the United States and our region.”

The Prime Minister will be on leave for five days from Monday 1 December 2025.

During most of this time, the Deputy Prime Minister will be Acting Prime Minister. 

The Deputy Prime Minister is expected to travel to Papua New Guinea from Tuesday morning to Wednesday afternoon. During this time Minister Wong will be Acting Prime Minister.

Starting this Wednesday, children under the age of 16 will be banned from having ­social media accounts.

This will be one of the ­biggest social and cultural changes our nation has faced. It is profound reform which will be a source of national pride in years to come.

The onus will be on social media companies to ensure no child under 16 is on their platforms. If they have not taken reasonable steps to remove them they will have broken Australian law and be subject to substantial fines. Social media companies have a social responsibility. That responsibility starts with the protection of Australian children.

This is a world-leading move by Australia and it is a change driven, overwhelmingly, by Australian parents. As Prime Minister, I’ve had the sombre experience of meeting with mums and dads who have seen their child’s wellbeing crushed by the worst of social media, many living with the devastating pain of losing a child. Yet these ­extraordinary Australians have found courage and selflessness to channel their grief into advocating for this reform because they are determined to do everything they can to spare other families the suffering they have known.

We’re doing this for those parents – and for every parent. Because this law is about making it easier for you to have a conversation with your child about the risks and harms of engaging online. It’s also about helping parents push back against peer pressure. You don’t have to worry that by stopping your child using ­social media, you’re somehow making them the odd one out. Now, instead of trying to set a “family rule”, you can point to a national ban.

The eSafety Commissioner will begin collecting the data from platforms to check how many under 16s are on, and off, and this information will be made public.

From the beginning, we’ve acknowledged this process won’t be 100 per cent perfect.

But the message this law sends will be 100 per cent clear. For example, Australia sets the legal drinking age at 18 because our society recognises the ­benefits to the individual and the community of such an ­approach. The fact that teenagers occasionally find a way to have a drink doesn’t diminish the value of having a clear, ­national standard.

Our social media ban is about providing greater peace of mind for Australian parents. It’s also about making sure that Australian children have a childhood.

This will be a significant change, and change can be difficult, but Australians work best when we work together. It was parents who worked ­together to make this reform a reality, it will be all Australians working together to make this a moment of national pride.

From December 10, Australian kids will have more time to be kids and Australian parents will have greater peace of mind. The courage of all those parents who have fought for this ban will change lives – and it will save lives.

Originally published as Social media firms face huge fines under new Australian ban (News.com.au).

Australia will start manufacturing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles this month after the opening of a new factory in Port Wakefield, South Australia.

As part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to establish a sovereign guided weapons industry and a future made in Australia, Lockheed Martin Australia and Defence will commence production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles at the facility by the end of 2025.

The project will create around 20 new manufacturing jobs on-site and support hundreds more across the supply chain, driven by the Albanese Government’s investment.

The GMLRS missile is a precision strike weapon launched from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) recently acquired under the Australian Army’s long-range fires project.

The announcement today also marks a significant milestone in Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise plan, meeting the production schedule outlined by the government last year. The factory – designed and built by Intract Australia, an Indigenous-owned and -operated company – was completed in just under seven months.

The Port Wakefield factory will be only the second facility in the world to produce GMLRS outside Lockheed Martin’s facility in Camden, Arkansas. This achievement deepens Australia–United States defence ties and opens significant export opportunities.

The first cohort of Australian workers has successfully completed training at the Camden facility, accelerating knowledge transfer and strengthening Australia’s sovereign defence capability.

This project forms part of the Albanese Government’s investment of up to $21 billion over the decade to acquire more long-range strike systems and manufacture longer-range munitions in Australia.

Acting Prime Minister, Richard Marles:

“Starting missile production in Australia this year is a major step in building the industrial strength our nation needs. It’s about creating advanced manufacturing capability that will serve Australia for decades to come.

“This factory is part of a bigger picture – growing a high-tech industry that supports skilled jobs, drives innovation and strengthens Australia’s economy. It’s a clear example of what a future made in Australia looks like.

“Producing these missiles in Australia demonstrates both the strength of our alliance with the United States and the capability of Australian industry.”

Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy:

“The opening of this factory delivers on the Albanese Government’s commitment to establish a sovereign missile manufacturing industry. It’s about jobs for locals and a future made in Australia.

“This is a significant milestone and a proud moment for Australia. This will make us more self-reliant and strengthen our national security.

“It reaffirms our defence partnership with the United States, including our growing collaboration on guided weapons and explosive ordnance, and will equip our ADF with long-range strike capability that will help keep Australians safe.”

Mr Patrick Mason, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Defense Exports & Cooperation (DASA DE&C):

“The opening of this GMLRS manufacturing facility in Port Wakefield represents a transformative milestone in U.S.-Australia defence cooperation. 

This partnership not only strengthens our shared commitment to regional security but also demonstrates the power of allied innovation in building resilient defence supply chains. 

Our nations’ goal to collaborate on guided weapons manufacturing exemplifies the deep trust and interoperability that defines our alliance, while potentially creating new opportunities for both countries to support partners across the Indo-Pacific region.”

The Albanese Government has established an autonomous sanctions framework for Afghanistan, as part of our ongoing efforts to hold the Taliban to account.

The new framework enables Australia to directly impose its own sanctions and travel bans to increase pressure on the Taliban, targeting the oppression of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, as well as actions that undermine the rule of law and good governance in Afghanistan.

It builds on the 140 individuals and entities Australia currently sanctions under the United Nations Security Council’s Taliban framework.

The new framework also introduces an arms embargo, prohibiting Australians from supplying arms or related materials, and any related services or activities to Afghanistan.

In effect today, the Government has also announced its first listings under the new framework.

We have imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on three so-called Taliban ‘ministers’ and the so-called Taliban ‘Chief Justice’ for their involvement in the oppression of women and girls and in undermining good governance or the rule of law. This includes restricting access to education, employment, freedom of movement and the ability to participate in public life.

The Australian Government remains deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. The Taliban continues to demonstrate contempt for the rights, freedoms and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.

Our thoughts are with those suffering under the Taliban’s oppression, as well as the Afghan community in Australia.

Since the fall of Kabul, the Australian Government has provided over $260 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, with a strong focus on women and girls. A further $50 million is allocated for 2025/26. We have issued a humanitarian permit under the framework.

Australia is the first country to establish an autonomous sanctions framework for Afghanistan, strengthening our approach to the worsening situation. It adds to those we have in place for countries such as Iran, Russia and the DPRK.

Further information on the Afghanistan sanctions framework is available on the Department’s website: Legislation and Sanctions Frameworks.

Amid reports that Labor is considering using public money to keep Australian businesses dependent on gas, the Greens have warned they will not support any Labor response to the broken gas market that incentivises new gas mines.

The Greens warn that the government’s current approach risks massive new gas subsidies, failing to tackle the problem of excessive, untaxed exports.

The Greens are reiterating calls for an immediate 25 per cent tax on all LNG exports, a measure proposed by the ACTU and backed by experts.

This tax would replace the deeply flawed Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT), which has failed to collect meaningful revenue from LNG exporters due to massive loopholes. The tax would also prioritise domestic gas supply without incentivising new fossil fuel projects.

Labor’s approach risks locking in decades of catastrophic emissions from climate bombs like Beetaloo and Narrabri, undermining our international climate commitments.

the Australian Greens spokesperson for resources Senator Steph Hodgins-May: 

“These reports are genuinely alarming. Labor must not use public money that should be going towards schools and hospitals to buy discounted gas for polluters. 

“If they move to cement the power of gas corporations, the ones pillaging our resources and tripling household prices, we will face this problem over and over again.

“Labor is actively pushing the industry’s faulty premise that new supply is needed when the reality is that we’ve already got enough gas to get us through the transition.

“Gas corporations are gouging Australian households and tripling bills, while escaping without paying their fair share. An export levy will help right this wrong and deliver cost-of-living relief that families desperately need.

“When Labor pursues new gas incentives, they are walking hand-in-hand with the Coalition and industry lobbyists.

“Labor needs to scrap the broken PRRT and properly tax exports, not continue padding the balance sheets of gas giants who have had a free ride for too long.

“The 25% on gas exports is the best solution to redirect existing supply to Australians, raise revenue to compensate households, and get us off of gas quickly and fairly.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Albanese Government to back Australia withdrawing from Eurovision 2026 following the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to compete despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Slovenia, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands have already announced boycotts. It’s time Australia showed the same moral courage.

In the face of apartheid and genocide, cultural boycotts have been proven to have power and be a force for justice and change. This history needs to be remembered now and applied to the struggle for a Free Palestine.

Greens Senator and Foreign Affairs Spokesperson David Shoebridge said: 

“Eurovision banned Russia for war crimes but rolls out the red carpet for Israel while Palestinian children are still starving, bombs are still falling and cities lay destroyed. 

“The International Court of Justice is investigating Israel for genocide, we should not be asking Australians to sing alongside a regime that has committed such appalling crimes.

“History shows us that cultural boycotts work. Artists and athletes refusing to perform in apartheid South Africa helped bring down that brutal regime. 

“It’s a simple fact that our participation in Eurovision 2026 legitimises Israel’s atrocities.

“Politically compromised voting in Eurovision 2025 almost delivered an Israeli victory at the song contest, will we really sit meekly by and watch that happen again?” Senator Shoebridge said

Today’s Adelaide Advertiser has published a cracking opinion piece by Caleb Bond, laying out something so glaring that only a Labor minister could miss it. Bond’s column spells out a simple economic fact. When governments hike taxes beyond reason, they don’t magically create virtue. They drive ordinary people straight into black markets. High taxes kill economies. High taxes breed corruption. Every economist worth their salt knows it, One Nation has said it for years, and now the evidence is quite literally burning down tobacconists across the country.

Yet, according to Bond’s view, Environment Minister Murray Watt still can’t see the connection. Or worse, refuses to.

Bond recounted an exchange at this week’s Senate Estimates discussing illicit tobacco. One Nation’s Senator Malcolm Roberts asked the minister the most basic economic question imaginable: isn’t the government’s sky-high tobacco tax the reason law-abiding Aussies are pushed toward illegal cigarettes that cost a third of the legal price?

Senator Roberts asked a fair, obvious question. Minister Watt, with a straight face, said “No.”

Not only “No,” but he said “there’s absolutely no evidence” for it.

This, despite the Australian Border Force and industry data showing the illicit tobacco market already accounts for around 50 percent of cigarette sales, with projections hitting 80 percent next year. If that doesn’t scream cause and effect, nothing will.

Our streets are now dotted with dodgy tobacconists. Crime gangs are firebombing shops. Innocent people have been killed. Insurance premiums are exploding for shops and homes near tobacconists. All while Labor insists none of this has anything to do with the punishing taxes they keep piling onto smokers.

Bond put it plainly. The idea that ordinary Australians buying ten or fifteen-dollar illegal smokes instead of fifty-dollar legal packs has nothing to do with tax is so ridiculous that, as he joked, even a seven-year-old wouldn’t fall for it.

Labor’s position isn’t just wrong. It’s silly. It’s wilfully blind. And it’s dangerous.

One Nation is the only party in that room telling the truth. Excessive taxation flips an economy on its head. It drives markets underground. It rewards criminals, punishes honest people and destroys small business. It’s basic economics, and the Adelaide Advertiser has now spelled it out for everyone.

The real question is why the Albanese Government keeps pretending not to understand what the rest of the country can see so clearly.

As Caleb Bond writes, if Minister Watt has an explanation for this explosion in illegal tobacco that doesn’t involve tax, we’d all love to hear it. Because right now, the only thing more dangerous than Australia’s illicit tobacco market is a government too stubborn to admit it created the problem in the first place.

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a woman missing from the state’s Newcastle area.

Juanita Gaid, aged 54, was last seen on Hunter Street, Newcastle West, about 9am on Wednesday 3 December 2025.

Officers attached to Newcastle City Police District were notified and commenced inquiries into her whereabouts.

Police hold concerns for Juanita’s welfare.

Juanita is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 165cm – 175cm tall, of solid build, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Inquiries established she may be travelling in a 2014 black Jeep Cherokee with NSW registration CVO51J.

Juanita is believed to frequent the Newcastle area.

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a boy missing from the state’s north.

Darcey McKay, aged 14, was last seen in Hamilton South about 4:45pm yesterday (Friday 5 December 2025).

Unable to be located or contacted since that time, officers attached to Newcastle City Police District were notified and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.

Family and police hold concerns for Darcey’s welfare due to his age.

Darcey is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 155cm tall, of thin build with light brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a predominantly black t-shirt depicting red and white graphics, tan shorts and brown “Birkenstock” shoes.

Darcey is known to frequent local skate parks, public parks, the Junction Fair, Bar Beach skate park and the Newcastle area.