National Cabinet met virtually today to discuss the Australian Government’s proposed social media legislation.
First Ministers agreed to the Commonwealth legislating a minimum age of 16 to access social media.
Setting the minimum age at 16 will protect young Australians from the harms that come with social media, and will support mums, dads and carers to keep their kids safe.
This move builds on National Cabinet’s work at its 1 May and 6 September 2024 meetings where an investment of $6.5 million was agreed to trial an age assurance pilot to protect children from harmful online content.
It will also assist in accelerating action to end gender-based violence in a generation, and implement the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032.
The Commonwealth intends to introduce legislation to Federal Parliament before the end of the year. The legislation will come into force no earlier than 12 months after Royal Assent.
This media statement has been agreed by First Ministers and serves as a record of meeting outcomes.
Last night in Senate Estimates, it was revealed that the Albanese Government ‘lapsed or amended’ 16 military permits to Israel from Australia due in part to the “very high number of civilian casualties” in the ongoing conflict.
It was also revealed that 59 of the 65 military export permits that were active with Israel as of June 2024 were for “goods and technologies designed or adapted for use by armed forces or goods that are inherently lethal.” The remaining 6 permits are for “dual-use goods” that are used by both civilians and militaries.
Over the past year, there has been persistent misinformation and gaslighting from the Albanese Government on the two-way arms trade with Israel. Minister Marles falsely claimed that Australia’s exports were all “dual use” and that Australia has not exported “a piece of military equipment” to Israel. Minister Wong’s statement that we have only exported “non-lethal” parts to Israel has now also been proven untrue.
The Albanese Government’s review is still not finalised, and more export permits may be cancelled. In the meantime, Australia is continuing to provide military exports to Israel, some of them part of the two-way arms trade with Israel, where Australia receives the weapons back.
Senator David Shoebridge, Greens Spokesperson from Defence, said: “This is a victory for the millions of Australians who, for a year, have been calling on the Albanese Government to take steps to end the arms trade with Israel.
“Over the past year, tens of thousands of innocent people have been killed across the Middle East, with an ongoing genocide in Gaza. In the face of this horror, we now have confirmed that the Albanese government has been permitting the export of military and inherently lethal equipment to Israel.
“After a year of gaslighting and denying that there is a two-way arms trade with Israel, the Albanese Government, under the clouds of a US election, has finally cancelled 16 military permits to Israel.
“The Albanese Government has no credibility in claiming there is no arms trade with Israel while also permitting Australia to export military and inherently lethal goods.
“The Government’s position doesn’t make sense because it is not supposed to, it is designed to silence critics and hide Labor’s complicity in a genocide.
“Cancelling 16 military permits to Israel is a much-needed first step, but why has it come a year late?
“It’s time to end the two-way arms trade with Israel in full.”
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and spokesperson for Higher Education, has called on Labor to bring in a bill right now to fulfil their promise of wiping 20% of student debt like they have done for fee-free TAFE places today.
Senator Faruqi:
“If Labor can introduce legislation for fee-free TAFE places today, why can’t they bring in a bill right now to fulfil their pledge to wipe some student debt.
“People are hurting right now, they need student debt relief right now, not next year.
“Not only is Labor delaying their promised changes to student debt, they are making them uncertain by tying them to the result of the next election.
“There’s no reason to wait. Student debt relief shouldn’t be dangled like a carrot on a stick and held ransom to the next election results. We have the numbers in the parliament to lock in these changes right now.
“We’ve kept the pressure on Labor and it’s clear they are worried more than ever before about people voting Greens.
“Let’s keep up the pressure for wiping all student debt and making TAFE and uni free.”
Today the NSW Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the NSW Police Commissioner against grassroots climate action group Rising Tide in the Police attempt to prohibit “The People’s Blockade of the World’s Largest Coal Port”. Following two full days of hearings, Justice Fagan has ruled both prohibition orders sought by the NSW Police will be granted. It is understood that the NSW Police refused to negotiate throughout the proceedings even after Rising Tide significantly reduced their protest event applications from eight to four days, and from 50 hours on the Port’s waters to 30, in line with last year’s successful event which received international attention.
Greens MP and spokesperson for Climate Change and Justice Sue Higginson says, “This is a chilling day for our democracy. It is the second time in the past few weeks that Police have sought to use the Court to prohibit a public protest event with the full support of the Premier of this State, and it should serve as a wake up call to the people of NSW. Our rights of political communication in their many forms are being steadily eroded by the very people put in place to protect them,”
“While this outcome is extremely disappointing, it must be made absolutely clear, this case was never about whether or not this event could go ahead. The people do not need permission from the police to protest on public land and water in this State. This court case was always about the police insisting they should hold on to their full suite of criminal and policing powers during this event. In other words, for the last week they have dragged a family-friendly event through the courts at the public’s cost, so that they may be emboldened to arrest anyone who is protesting against the Government’s support for the continuation of coal exports through the Newcastle coal port in the face of the climate crisis,”
“As I understand it, The People’s Blockade of the World’s Largest Coal Port will go ahead. It is also the case that Rising Tide does have appeal rights if they are of the opinion that the Judge made an error of law in the case and of course they can lodge a new Form 1 should they choose. The Police case rested heavily on safety and Rising Tide responded by modifying their application but the Police would not budge. The case took a perverse turn when the argument to refuse the application for the on land event, which is full of community and performance family friendly activities, focussed on the need for police to be able to arrest people on land to prevent them from accessing the water,”
“Today, as the state of democracy is in peril across the world, NSW has slipped further into authoritarianism, spurred on by Premier Chris Minns’ intolerance of the freedom of political communication and the right to assemble and protest,”
“Under the laws of NSW it is not the job of the Premier or the Police to say where, when and how people can protest. It is the job of the Police and the Premier to serve the people and work with organisers to facilitate a safe and effective event. Today, the Premier and the Police have thrown this obligation back in our faces. What we have seen are the tactics of authoritarian politics attempting to silence the people,”
“It is telling that the NSW Government would rather seek to silence the community and protect their profits from exporting the climate crisis straight through the Port of Newcastle rather than support our grassroots communities, embrace the right to protest, take firm action to end coal exports and transition our economy.
“The climate crisis is here and people need to exercise their hope that their governments will hear them. It is only a matter of time before we see another catastrophe in this State like the Black Summer fires of 2019 2020 or the devastation of the floods in the North in 2022. As the experts in the CSIRO and the BOM told us loud and clear in their recent and terrifying State of the Climate 2024 report, we must stop our addiction to fossil fuels,” Ms Higginson said.
Greens MP and spokesperson for Democracy Kobi Shetty says, “Today’s outcome is a shocking attack on the right to protest. It’s appalling that the police and the NSW Labor Government have sought so hard to deny people the fundamental right to protest,”
“The Rising Tide event was held last year with no significant safety concerns or incidents. It is a peaceful, family friendly protest – and it has been an important way for people concerned about climate change to express their frustration and hold our government to account,”
“Protest is a key part of our democratic process, and as people become more concerned about our government’s inaction on climate change, it’s vital that people are able to speak out and demand more from decision makers. The Greens will continue to stand in solidarity with climate protestors like the Rising Tide organisers and the Knitting Nannas. We cannot allow these attacks on our democracy to continue,” Ms Shetty said.
Students and staff at universities across Sydney are facing a wave of repression for pro-Palestine political views and activism. In what students are describing as a “new McCarthyism”, a slew of vexatious disciplinary proceedings and other threats are being used to intimidate and silence anyone who wishes to speak out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Yasmine Johnson, a Jewish student and co-convenor of Students for Palestine at the University of Sydney, is being subjected to disciplinary proceedings which could result in her suspension, simply for organising a pro-Palestine protest at the university, which allegedly breached the University’s new Campus Access Policy (CAP) 2024. Other students are facing similar proceedings.
Defenders of Israels genocide in Gaza have lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission as the first step in a class-action lawsuit targeting the University of Sydney and two of its academic staff, including Senior Lecturer in English and writing, Nick Riemer, on the spurious grounds that criticism of Zionism amounts to antisemitism and racial vilification.
University of New South Wales (UNSW) recently hauled Jewish anti-Zionist and Honorary Associate Professor Peter Slezak into a meeting with a faculty Dean, following pro-Palestine comments made at a student general meeting on campus.
UNSW students meanwhile have had their ‘Students for Palestine’ student society suspended by the University. Other students say that their peers are facing secretive disciplinary proceedings for their pro-Palestine activism that could result in suspensions and expulsions.
At WSU, two students faced arrests by NSW police for protesting the universities’ complicity in supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza, with the arrests taking place during a peaceful campus demonstration that was met with a heavy-handed police response.
At UTS, students were told that the Vice Chancellor had personally banned a leaflet they were distributing because it included the word “genocide”, describing Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Yasmine Johnson:
“As a Jewish student, the idea that I could be suspended for taking a stand against a genocide is incomprehensible. The “threat to student safety” isn’t the protest I organised, it’s USyd’s ties to weapons companies arming the killing in Gaza.”
Nick Riemer, Sydney University:
“The attack on me and my colleague John Keane is a nonsensical attempt to silence us and other Palestine advocates from speaking out against the obscenity of Israel’s crimes. The complainants are profoundly deluded if they imagine they will succeed even for a moment. In aiming to weaponise the Racial Discrimination Act against us, they are working to eliminate opposition in Australia to Netanyahu’s current genocide.”
Kobi Shetty MP and NSW Greens Democracy spokesperson:
“The crackdown on protests that we are seeing play out at Sydney Uni and other campuses represents an alarming shift towards authoritarianism. In NSW we’re witnessing a coordinated effort to undermine the right to protest, with a slew of anti-protest laws and recent court challenges to block peaceful protests from going ahead. These attacks are now filtering down into our universities.
“As people become increasingly concerned about our government’s inaction on issues like climate change, and the genocide in Gaza, it’s essential that they have the right to express dissent and speak out. Peaceful protest is a valid way for people to hold decision makers to account – whether that’s the government of the day or universities, that play an important role in social movements. Peaceful protest is an integral part of a functioning democracy, and it must be protected.”
Peter Slezak, Honorary Professor of Philosophy at University of NSW:
“As in an earlier generation during the Vietnam War, students have taken up the struggle when our leaders, politicians and media and their universities have failed to uphold human rights, international law – and justice. We are facing one of the great moral tests of our time and the students’ courage and decency is in stark contrast with the lameness, and cowardice of our leaders and university managers. In particular, it is to desecrate the memory of the victims of real antisemitism when it is weaponized to silence students’ and others’ justified criticism of Israel’s crimes.”
The Greens have called on the Federal Government to announce measures that will tackle the predatory business models of the tech giants, saying an age ban alone won’t make social media safer.
They reiterated their call for laws that ban the use of predatory algorithms, data harvesting and advertising that targets young people.
Greens Spokesperson for Communications and Deputy Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Australian parents are rightfully worried about the toxic nature of social media and the harm it can do. We don’t want to just kick young people off TikTok or Youtube, we need to make the platforms safer and age appropriate.
“If the PM wants to make social media safer then he must ban the social media giants from targeting our kids with algorithms and advertising, and from data harvesting, especially of private information.
“Parents are worried about the safety of their kids online but they also know unless platforms are forced to clean up their act, their child won’t be safe online when they turn 16 either.
“The Government has made this announcement today before its own Inquiry, established to examine an age limit ban, has reported. Overwhelmingly experts have told the Committee that a ban alone will not keep our young people safe or make platforms safer. Many witnesses noted the importance of teaching young people how to use social media and implored the Committee to understand that there are many positive benefits to being online, particularly for marginalised kids.
“The Government’s own online safety expert, the e-Safety Commissioner, has recommended a multi-pronged approach that encourages platforms to be safe by design. The PM must listen to experts ahead of News Corp and Peter Dutton.
“When legislation is eventually introduced, it will need to be examined thoroughly. The Greens will be looking for measures that finally regulate these global platforms and stop them profiting off the suffering of everyone, not just our kids.
“Our online spaces should be safe for everyone and they should be safe whatever age young people get online. The EU and other countries have led the way and it’s time Australia followed.”
The Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australia Society will hold its final public hearing on 30 October 2024.
The committee, chaired by Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon MP, tabled its second interim report last week, which focused on Meta’s decision to abandon deals under the News Media Bargaining Code, what this means for the consumption of news in Australia, and the impact of mis- and disinformation on our democracy and society.
Building on previous hearings where the committee heard from social media platforms, media organisations, and other stakeholders with experience of the harm caused by social media, the committee will now hear directly from the eSafety Youth Council and ReachOut Youth Advocates to provide important youth perspectives.
The committee will be seeking the views of these young people on issues such as age verification, the use of algorithms, and education about online safety.
The inquiry’s final report is due to be tabled on or before 18 November 2024.
Committee Chair Sharon Claydon:
“This final public hearing provides a platform for young people to share their insights and experiences about online safety directly with the committee.
“We have heard evidence from a wide range of stakeholders about the online harms facing Australians, particularly young people online, and now it is time to hear from young people themselves who have grown up with this technology.”
Donations from gambling companies linked to horse betting to the Labor and Liberal parties have surged dramatically over the past decade, skyrocketing from $66,650 in 2013-2014 to a staggering $488,000 in 2022-2023—an increase of more than 600%.
Method
A search of the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) Transparency Register was conducted by the Parliamentary Library, with results provided to Senator Faruqi’s office.
The data presented in Table 1 is derived from incoming payments made by racing organisations and sports linked to horse racing and horse racing betting companies, as well as entities involved in both sports and horse racing betting, gaming (including pokies), and lotteries. Contributions from casinos (which derive some revenue from sports and race betting) and lottery-exclusive companies have been excluded from this analysis.
The search included the following companies linked to horse betting (refer to Appendix 1 for full list):
Australian Racing Board
Sportsbet
Tabcorp
Responsible Wagering Australia (formerly known as Australian Wagering Council)
Victoria Racing Club
Year by donor
Labor
Liberal
Nationals
Total
2013-14
36,650
30,000
0
66,650
Australian Wagering Council
30,150
30,150
Sportsbet
2,500
2,500
Tabcorp Holdings
30,000
30,000
Tatts Group
4,000
4,000
2014-15
56,450
25,000
0
81,450
Australian Wagering Council
20,450
20,450
Tabcorp Holdings
25,000
25,000
50,000
Tatts Group
11,000
11,000
2015-16
117,268
45,000
0
162,268
Sportsbet
35,000
15,000
50,000
Tabcorp Holdings
52,500
30,000
82,500
Tatts Group
29,768
29,768
2016-17
200,250
90,000
22,000
312,250
Australian Wagering Council
27,500
27,500
Responsible Wagering Australia
55,000
60,000
115,000
Sportsbet
33,000
33,000
Tabcorp Holdings
82,750
30,000
22,000
134,750
Tatts Group
2,000
2,000
2017-18
169,200
30,000
23,300
222,500
Melbourne Racing Club
14,000
14,000
Sportsbet
49,500
49,500
Tabcorp Holdings
90,700
30,000
23,300
144,000
Tatts Group
15,000
15,000
2018-19
122,500
142,500
22,000
287,000
BetEasy
27,500
27,500
Responsible Wagering Australia
35,500
85,000
120,500
Sportsbet
49,500
49,500
Tabcorp Holdings
37,500
30,000
22,000
89,500
2019-20
61,000
140,000
22,000
223,000
BetEasy
27,500
27,500
Responsible Wagering Australia
55,000
55,000
Sportsbet
27,500
27,500
Tabcorp Holdings
61,000
30,000
22,000
113,000
2020-21
136,420
142,500
22,000
300,920
Responsible Wagering Australia
19,320
19,320
Sportsbet
55,000
112,500
167,500
Tabcorp Holdings
62,100
30,000
22,000
114,100
2021-22
293,695
192,500
75,000
561,195
Responsible Wagering Australia
82,000
77,500
20,000
179,500
Sportsbet
122,550
85,000
33,000
240,550
Tabcorp Holdings
89,145
30,000
22,000
141,145
2022-23
296,000
115,000
77,000
488,000
Responsible Wagering Australia
115,000
25,000
22,000
162,000
Sportsbet
110,000
60,000
33,000
203,000
Tabcorp Holdings
66,000
30,000
22,000
118,000
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
5,000
5,000
Grand Total
1,489,433
952,500
263,300
2,705,233
Graph 1: Gambling donations by political parties (2013/14 – 2022/23)
Key Findings
The donation figures, provided by the Parliamentary Library, show that donations have skyrocketed over the last decade from 2013-2023.
Donations from gambling companies involved in horse racing betting to the Labor and Liberal parties have surged dramatically over the past decade, skyrocketing from $66,650 in 2013-2014 to a staggering $488,000 in 2023-2024—a 7 fold increase (more than 600%).
Tabcorp Holdings have made the most significant donations to the major political parties in a ten year period from 2013-2023, totalling over $1 million.
Industry peak bodies like Responsible Wagering Australia (formally known as Australian Wagering Council) have also made significant contributions to both the major parties in that 10 year period totalling $729,420, including a massive $179,500 in 2021-2022.
The total donations over this 2013-2023 period amounted to $2.7 million with Labor being by far the largest recipient of gambling donations linked to horse betting at $1.5 million, the Liberal party at $952,500.
Donations to Labor more than doubled (went up 115%) from $136,420 in 2020-2021 to $293,695 in 2021-2022 – ahead of the 2022 federal election, and have remained consistently high during Labor’s first term in government.
Attitudes towards horse racing
Nationally-representative independent polling conducted by Lonergan Research for the Greens found from 2021 – 2024 half to two-thirds of respondents agreed that racing animals like horses and greyhounds for gambling and entertainment is cruel:
2021: 55%
2022: 50%
2023: 64%
2024: 60%
In 2024, when asked a specific question about banning commercial horse racing almost half (49%) of respondents agreed that commercial horse racing should be banned altogether (with more than a quarter strongly agreeing – 26%).
Attitudes towards the Melbourne Cup
In 2023, publicly available data shows there was a combined total of 62% of those polled had ‘low’ or ‘no’ interest in the Melbourne Cup. This was up 10% from 2022. Additionally, those with a ‘high interest’ in the Melbourne Cup dropped from 15% in 2022 to 11% in 2023.
In the same poll, 41% of respondents said they were not interested in the Melbourne Cup and would not place a bet. This was up from 34% from 2022.
Research conducted by the Parliamentary Library saw a 46% decline in the commercial television audience for the Melbourne Cup from 2013 with 2,168,000 people viewing the race compared to 1,168,000 in 2023. These figures do not include out-of-home viewing.
Quotes attributable to Senator Mehreen Faruqi:
“If you want to know why Labor has done nothing to address the scourge of gambling or the cruelty of horse racing here you have it in hard numbers. They’re getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in blood money donations from horse betting companies.
“Labor and the Liberals work for their donors and lobby groups. They don’t care about the pain that gambling causes to so many in this country. They don’t care that a horse gets killed every two days on race tracks in this anachronistic, grotesque festival of cruelty. All they care about is lining their pockets with donations from the gambling industry.
“While more and more people switch off from this gambling-fuelled animal cruelty, the immoral industry makes sure they bankroll the major political parties to buy their silence.
“It’s time to shut down horse racing once and for all, ban gambling ads and ban dirty donations from gambling companies.”
Appendix 1 – full list of companies linked to horse racing who made political donations
Primarily racing companies and organisations
Albion Park Harness Racing Club
Australian Racing Board
Canberra Racing Club
Centre Racing
Melbourne Racing Club
NSW Thoroughbred Racing Board
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
Victoria Racing Club
Primarily sports and horse racing betting companies and organisations
Responsible Wagering Australia (formerly known as Australian Wagering Council)
BetEasy
Sportsbet
Combination of sports and horse racing betting, gambling (including pokies) and lottery
On Melbourne Cup Day, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and spokesperson for Animal Welfare, is calling for horse racing to be shut down, and dirty donations from gambling companies linked to horse racing to be banned once and for all.
Recent findings have revealed that over 1,400 horses have died on racetracks in the past decade—an average of one every 2.4 days. Meanwhile, in this same period, donations from gambling companies to the major parties have soared from $66,650 in 2013-2014 to $488,000 in 2022-2023—a staggering 632% increase.
Additionally, there has been a 22.5% decline in the commercial television audience for the Melbourne Cup between 2013 to 2023 with 2,168,000 people viewing the race in 2013 compared to 1,680,000 in 2023—further evidence that more people are saying Nup to the Cup.
Senator Faruqi:
“More and more people are saying ‘Nup to the Cup’ every year and fewer and fewer people are watching it. The only reason this carnival of cruelty goes on is because gambling companies make a windfall and they bankroll the two major parties into silence.
“The Melbourne Cup epitomises the farce of the horse racing industry in a single day: a shameful cocktail of animal cruelty, gambling harm, corporate profits and dirty donations.
“In the past decade as hundreds of horses have been killed on race tracks this gambling-fuelled spectacle of cruelty is losing its social license. Gambling companies know this and are protecting their profits by giving more and more blood money to both Labor and the Liberals.
“The two major parties serve their donors. They ignore the pain and harm gambling inflicts on countless people and they certainly do not care that a horse is killed every two and a half days on race tracks.
“It’s time to end this grotesque festival of animal cruelty fuelled by gambling and alcohol.
“Let’s put the Melbourne Cup in the dustbin of history where it belongs.
“We must shut down horse racing once and for all, ban gambling ads and end dirty donations from gambling companies.”
Australian Greens Deputy leader and spokesperson for higher education, Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to reports that Labor is considering rolling back the atrocious Morrison government job ready graduates scheme, stating that they should urgently legislate these changes.
Senator Faruqi:
“It’s yet another win for the Greens that Labor is finally considering undoing the fee hikes, but they need to get their skates on and dump them now.
“Labor should have dumped Morrison’s Job-Ready Graduates scheme the second they came to power. The scheme is a cruel, punitive mess that does nothing except burden students with fee hikes and deprive staff of resources.
“Labor was vehemently against Morrison’s uni fee hikes scheme in opposition, calling them “beyond repair”, yet they’ve backed the fee hikes whilst in power and ignored advice from their own Accord process to urgently address them.
“Students starting university next year shouldn’t have to cop these ridiculous fees. Too many have had to cop them already because Labor has dragged their feet on overturning some of the most patently unfair higher education policy this country has ever seen.
“Let’s be clear that university should be free and scrapping uni fee hikes is just the start. The Greens will continue to fight to wipe all student debt and make university and TAFE free, as it was when the PM went to uni.”
