16 News

After months of delay and failure of the Government to act on a Digital Duty of Care, the Greens will introduce new laws to keep all users safe online. The “Fix our Feeds” bill will be introduced into the Senate next week. 

Greens spokesperson for communications, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young: 

“This verdict confirms what we’ve known for years: social media platforms are deliberately designed to keep people hooked, just like cigarettes or pokie machines. 

“These multi-billion dollar companies are making massive profits off a product that is deliberately designed to be addictive, even when it’s harmful. 

“Big tech is the new big tobacco – an industry that makes its profits off selling addictive, toxic and harmful products.

“Despite promising 18 months ago to implement a Digital Duty of Care – a law that requires social media companies not to cause harm to their users – the Government has done nothing and is still sitting on its hands.

“Toxic algorithms flood our social media feeds day after day. It’s time to give Australians the power to control what we see in our feeds. Every user should have the freedom to choose what type of content they want to see and to opt out of toxic algorithms. 

“Right now, big tech giants are allowed to set their own rules. There is no requirement forcing these companies to make their platforms safe to use, even when they know they are doing harm.  

“A Digital Duty of Care would force big tech giants to prevent harm before it happens – not just apologise after the damage is done.

“The Greens will introduce new laws that will help keep everyone safe online because the Government has refused to act.  

“The Greens Fix our Feeds Bill will allow users to opt in or out of predatory algorithms, giving them a safer online experience. 

“Social media apps shouldn’t be able to rig their algorithms to force dangerous content on users for the sake of making mega profits.”

Minns Labor attacks Aboriginal land claims by stealth through Crown lands bill
The Minns Labor Government has introduced the Crown Land Management Amendment (Statutory Review) Bill 2026 and then tabled the statutory review report two days later, in a highly flawed process that appears designed to avoid proper scrutiny of major changes affecting Aboriginal land claims inside what is being presented as routine legislative reform.

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council has publicly warned that the bill would hollow out Aboriginal land rights, and a statewide conference of Local Aboriginal Land Councils is descending on NSW Parliament this morning to oppose it.

Greens MP, spokesperson for the environment and Solicitor Sue Higginson said:

“This bill has sparked major opposition because people can see exactly what it is, an attempt to make serious changes to Crown lands law, including changes that impact Aboriginal land claims, through a process designed to avoid proper scrutiny,”

“The High Court made it clear that the State cannot defeat an Aboriginal land claim by pointing to a lease on paper where the land was not actually being used when the claim was made. This bill is designed to get around that decision by letting the Minister retrospectively change the use of Crown land after the fact, to defeat a claim that was valid when it was lodged. This is an injustice in the making and an attempt to avoid the return of crown lands subject to Aboriginal land claims,”

“The Government introduced the bill first and only tabled the statutory review report two days later. That is a highly flawed process in any circumstance, but it is especially unacceptable where the bill affects the already narrow and hard-fought framework for Aboriginal land rights,”

“The NSW Aboriginal Land Council is unequivocal in their opposition, and today a statewide conference of Land Councils has come to Parliament to make that opposition visible. When First Nations communities across NSW are forced to mobilise like this, the Government should understand it has lost any claim to having handled this issue in good faith,”

“ The Law Society of NSW has come out this morning clearly opposed to the Government attempting such a radical and unfair reform by stealth. When both the peak legal body and the peak Aboriginal land rights body are raising alarm, the Government cannot pretend this is ordinary or non-controversial reform,”

“If Labor wants to make major changes to Aboriginal land claims, it should do so openly, directly, and in consultation with the people whose rights are affected. It should not hide behind the language of a statutory review while trying to push through changes that many people in the Parliament, and I suspect many people in the Labor caucus, do not yet fully understand,”

“The Greens will scrutinise every provision of this bill and oppose any measure that weakens Aboriginal land rights, narrows access to land justice, or shifts more power back into the hands of the State over land that was never ceded,” Ms Higginson said.

The Victorian Greens stand with the Muslim community in Kilmore after a local church that was being converted into a mosque was set alight on Tuesday. The fire is being treated as suspicious and is currently under investigation by Victoria Police. 

The day before an Iraqi owned business in Kilmore was the victim of an arson attack. 

Victorian Greens Multicultural and Anti-Racism spokesperson, Anasina Gray-Barberio met with community leaders after the fire and said leaders were shaken and fearful for their community’s safety. 

 Despite this string of attacks, community leaders have not heard from the government’s Anti-Hate Taskforce and say the government should be doing more to ensure their community is safe. 

These two fires are just the latest in a number of anti-muslim attacks including the storming of an Iftar event in Ballarat, and hateful vandalism on the Virgin Mary Mosque late last year. 

Victorian Greens Multicultural and Anti-Racism spokesperson, Anasina Gray-Barberio:

“Enough is enough, what more does this community have to endure before Jacinta Allan’s Labor government take the rise of anti-muslim hate seriously. The Muslim community is rightly terrified and hurting right now.”

“What’s the point of the government’s Anti-Hate taskforce, when they don’t even show when it couldn’t be clearer that the Muslim community is being targeted.” 

Yesterday, documents released by the ACT Government exposed the true cost of Canberra’s historic housing debt, and it’s staggering. Since the year 2000, nearly $202 million in interest payments have been paid on the loan.

Leader of the ACT Greens and Greens Spokesperson for Housing, Shane Rattenbury, said the figures lay bare a system that is actively holding back progress on public housing, and the Federal Government is enabling it.

“This isn’t just bad debt, it’s a complete failure of priorities. The territory has effectively paid back almost the entire original debt in interest alone, without that money building a single new home for people who need it.

“At a time when we are in a worsening housing crisis, governments should be working together to build more public housing. This historic debt is stymieing that progress.

“While the Federal Government is giving more money to public housing with one hand, they are taking it back with the other via this debt mechanism.

“Let’s be clear: this isn’t a loan from a bank like Commonwealth Bank or ANZ. This is the Federal Government charging the ACT for historic investment in housing, and it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of the federal budget.

“Every dollar spent servicing this debt is a dollar that could have gone into building homes, reducing waiting lists, and supporting people doing it tough.

“Instead, it’s disappearing into a financial black hole while thousands of Canberrans are locked out of secure housing.

“The Federal Government needs to wipe this debt and stop pretending this is a normal arrangement. If we are serious about tackling the housing crisis, we cannot keep punishing the very governments tasked with the job of fixing it

Australia and the European Union are strengthening cooperation through a new Security and Defence Partnership.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the Australia‑European Union Security and Defence Partnership in Canberra today which, together with the Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement, is a key aspect of our growing strategic relationship.

The partnership was signed by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and the European Union High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas.

The wide-ranging partnership will boost cooperation across defence industry, cyber, economic security, counter-terrorism, combatting all forms of hatred, and countering hybrid threats.

Under the partnership, Australia and the European Union will: 

• Increase information sharing to counter global threats; 
• Build the capacity to manage, and the resilience to withstand, complex security threats in our respective regions; 
• Deepen cooperation to combat online radicalisation and terrorism financing; and
• Establish a new space security dialogue. 

Building on our already strong defence industry ties, the partnership will also create new defence procurement opportunities for Australian and European businesses. 

The Security and Defence Partnership is now in effect.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“I am pleased to announce the new Australia–European Union Security and Defence Partnership.

“This partnership is a clear demonstration of how Australia and the European Union are working together to tackle global challenges.

“Our new partnership reflects that despite being geographically separated, we are likeminded in our shared commitment to supporting global peace and security.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles

“The Australia–European Union Security and Defence Partnership is a significant milestone which sets up the framework for cooperation with European partners.

“For Australian businesses at the forefront of defence technology and innovation, this partnership will deepen our relationships and lay the groundwork for new opportunities that will further support Australia’s industry and workforce.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong

“In these uncertain times, Australia is pursuing new alignments and maximising how we work with others, to better promote and protect our national interests. 

“The new Australia–European Union Security and Defence Partnership reflects our commitment to work with partners such as the European Union and to make Australia more secure in a less predictable world.”

Today’s latest Gas Statement of Opportunity Outlook from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) paints a sobering picture about the urgent need to invest in gas in the country, while the Middle East conflict continues to put pressure on global energy supply.

The Outlook notes the critical and ongoing role for gas generation and specifically mentions “…gas production from legacy fields in southern states are forecast to decline by 46% over the next five years. This will require new investments to address emerging supply gaps from 2030 under most weather conditions.”

But despite the urgency noted by the regulator in progressing significant projects, it is unclear what Labor is doing to develop new gas – particularly in the southern states like Victoria – where the problem is increasingly acute.

Under the Albanese Government, there’s been no planning for new pipeline gas infrastructure, essential storage, or faster approvals processes for existing exploration projects to get them off the ground quicker for Australian families and businesses.

Shadow Resources Minister Susan McDonald urged the need to drill baby, drill to drive more energy security at the national level – while boosting jobs and economic growth.

“Labor has had years to increase supply and bolster domestic infrastructure but there remains a looming shortfall, when we have an abundance of gas in Australia.”

“Even AEMO’s advice notes the looming gas shortfall would be sooner if not for the extension of existing coal generation, underscoring how important both new gas supply and existing reliable generation is to Australia.”

“Australia needs policies that signal confidence to investors, and we don’t see that under Labor – instead businesses look to places like Alaska because of attractive policy settings.”

“In the last four years, the Labor government have delayed and deferred release of offshore acreage, and conditions have been slapped on what has been released – such as no seismic.”

Since 2022, Labor has released only one new acreage for gas exploration in December 2025, despite both AEMO and the ACCC warning of gas shortfalls for the duration that Labor has been in government.

When the Coalition was in government, we released new gas acreage on an annual basis, because we understand the criticality of gas to Australia’s energy security.

Labor’s only solution is looking at import terminals – a catastrophic idea that would make Australia even more dependent on international supply chains.

Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan said the Outlook shockingly suggested if gas runs out, Australia would be required to rely on fuels, ‘in extreme gas shortfall conditions, prudent use of secondary fuels to operate gas power generation… may reduce peak day gas shortfall risks without increasing risks to electricity reliability.’

“The AEMO report pushes out the east coast gas shortfall by 12 months because of the decisions of the New South Wales and Queensland governments to extend coal generated electricity in their states.”

“New investment in supply and infrastructure must be locked in before the projected gas shortfall or the eastern states risk an earlier supply gap.

“The Middle East conflict tells us we need energy sovereignty and less reliance on global supply chains and we’re already seeing what fuel dependence looks like as petrol stations run dry across the country.

“Instead of progress on critical gas infrastructure, under Labor Australian businesses and investors have seen the introduction of changes and uncertainty around consultation standards under the EPBC legislation.”

The Coalition is calling on the Albanese Government to immediately halve the fuel tax for three months to provide urgent cost of living relief to Australian households and small businesses facing a deepening national fuel crisis.

This is a practical, immediate step the Government can take today to ease pressure on families already stretched by the Government’s cost of living crisis who are now being hit by surging fuel prices.

The tax cut would reduce fuel prices by around 25 cents per litre for three months.

A corresponding reduction in the Heavy Vehicle Road User Charge should also be provided.

Leader of the Opposition Angus Taylor said Australians were being hit by a perfect storm of Labor’s home-grown inflation crisis and escalating global fuel pressures driven by conflict in the Middle East.

“Inflation has already beaten this Government, and now a national fuel crisis is making it worse,” Mr Taylor said.

“Anthony Albanese is asleep at the wheel.  He needs to stop watching and start acting.  Australians are hurting.

“Families across the country are seeing their standard of living collapse, yet Labor does nothing.

“Right now, what we need is an immediate tax cut at the bowser and a government that gets fuel to where it is needed.”

Leader of the Nationals Matt Canavan said the situation on the ground showed a clear failure of government.

“The budgets of Australian families were already stretched before the Iran conflict. Now thanks to Labor’s war on fossil fuels Australians are at breaking point,” Senator Canavan said.

“Our proposal to halve the fuel excise is an affordable response to provide Australian families with some ‘breathing space’.

“Around 500 petrol stations are dry or without at least one type of fuel.

“The Government says there is enough fuel in the system, but if that is true, then this is a failure to get fuel where it is needed.”

Despite the Government likely being gifted windfall gains in the budget because of the crisis in the Middle East, the Coalition is also putting forward sensible options to fund this relief, ensuring it is delivered without adding to inflationary pressure.

This relief can and should be offset through sensible reprioritisation, including:

• Ending the Electric Car Discount. 
• Reversing the Government’s green hydrogen subsidies and tax credits.
• Pausing and strengthening integrity controls around the Home Battery Scheme. 

These measures will fully fund the approximate $1.5 billion temporary tax cut for Australian motorists while also easing the broader demand pressures that are driving inflation.

The Coalition is ready to work constructively with the Government to deliver targeted, fully funded relief – driven by sensible savings, not new higher taxes.

This will ensure Australians aren’t forced to pay the price of a global fuel shock on top of a cost-of-living crisis caused by record government spending.