6m agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 10:17pm
Roblox will be monitored after social media ban takes effect, says minister
Communications Minister Anika Wells is speaking at a press conference in Canberra about the social media ban for under 16s coming into force on December 10.
She says the government’s social media ban education site has had 200,000 visits — about 20 times the usual weekly traffic.
Asked if platforms such as Roblox will be included in the ban, Wells says the eSafety commissioner has assessed it as being a gaming platform.
However, if the eSafety commission determines that people are flocking to the platform, Wells says it can be included in the ban.
“She assessed that users would not be there for the social media features. If that was to change or if we were to detect that people were swarming there and there was more harm being created and absolutely roadblocks would be in the sites of the commission,” Wells says.
30m agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 9:53pm
‘You can’t please everyone,’ shadow minister says of upcoming Liberal meeting on net zero
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh was just up on Sky News, and she’s feeling positive about the upcoming meeting on the Liberal’s net zero position.
“It’s going to be a big love-in, it’s going to be great,” she joked.
McIntosh says that no matter what position her party arrives at, some members will be upset.
“That’s the thing, you can’t please everyone. I know some people talk about the seats that we have to win, but they’re also seats that we must retain, and they’re seats like mine,” she says.
On the under-16s social media ban, she echoed concerns she aired last week, saying she was worried it wouldn’t work and questioned how it would be enforced.
40m agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 9:43pmSarah Henderson’s comments on Ley’s leadership ‘undisciplined’: Kovacic
Maria Kovacic says the Liberals and Nationals can have different policies on energy and climate and remain a coalition.
She says the Coalition is in opposition, not in government, and has two and a half years before the next election.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, the shadow assistant minister says the Liberals can’t get it wrong at this week’s meeting about net zero.
“If we get these policies wrong, if we get the way we are articulating this to Australians wrong, then our ability to regain their trust will be further damaged,” Kovacic says.
“Australians do not trust us to lead them. We need to show them that we have made the changes that they expect in terms of our focus areas.”
Kovacic says Liberal senator Sarah Henderson’s comments declaring Sussan Ley was losing support in the party room are “unhelpful”.
She says she is disappointed with the comments and thinks they are unnecessary.
“I think it’s completely unhelpful and, to be frank, somewhat undisciplined,” she says.
52m agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 9:31pm
Liberal senator backs colleague’s assessment on future of net zero
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Shadow Assistant Minister for Women Maria Kovacic has backed her Liberal colleague’s assessment that it would be “extremely unlikely” for her party to drop its commitment to net zero.
Shadow Innovation Minister Andrew Bragg told ABC’s Insiders yesterday that the Liberal Party was not a “fringe party” and that it would be “absolutely ridiculous” to drop net zero.
The Liberals will be gathering on Wednesday to thrash out a position on net zero.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Kovacic says she agrees with Bragg’s assessment and that Australians want action on climate change.
“I think that he’s articulated it well. What I focus on is the fact that Australians do want practical action on climate. The challenge is they don’t want the higher bills that they’re seeing now,” Kovacic says.
Asked if she would leave the Liberal Party if it drops its commitment to net zero and the Paris Agreement, Kovacic says she won’t speculate.
She says the “heavy lifting” on climate and energy policy should have been done following the 2022 federal election when the party got its “first clear message”.
1h agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 9:19pm
Trump’s remarks about US ambassador Rudd ‘absolutely fine’, says Albanese
The PM has popped up on KIIS FM with Kyle and Jackie O where the topic of his Joy Division t-shirt is the first topic of discussion.
They’ve replayed comments from Australian actor Russell Crowe who backed Albanese for wearing the t-shirt on a podcast with Joe Rogan.
Anthony Albanese says Crowe’s comments were “generous” and says he sent the actor a text message thanking him.
Asked if he had any other celebrities in his phone’s contact book, Albanese says: “There are a few people in my bag, you know”.
Moving on to his meeting with US President Donald Trump, the PM said he had “really positive” conversations with the president.
He says the suggestion that Australia should be “subservient” to the United States is “nonsense”.
The PM backed Kevin Rudd as Australia’s ambassador to the US, following Trump’s comments at a press conference with Albanese in Washington.
“It was fine, it was absolutely fine. Again, people looking for a negative at what was a very successful meeting.”
1h agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 8:57pmPM says criticism of his Joy Division t-shirt was ‘a load of nonsense’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is doing the rounds on commercial radio this morning, starting with NOVA in Sydney.
The PM apparently went to an Oasis concert in Sydney on the weekend. He was asked if he wore that Joy Division t-shirt which sparked criticism from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
“What a load of nonsense that was,” Albanese says.
“It was rather extraordinary. I was going to say, but a few people commented exactly that,” he says.
He’s also paid tribute to Sydney veteran radio broadcaster John Laws, who died over the weekend, as a “legend”.
“He which was such an extraordinary figure in Australians’ lives. My mum never missed him,” Albanese says.
“He had strong views that he would put himself, but it was a genuine conversation. And I don’t think they’ll be another like him.”
Albanese says the social media ban for under 16s, which will come into force in exactly a month now, is “so important”.
He poured cold water on the suggestion that the government was trying to create a digital ID.
“This is about letting kids be kids, but it’s also about empowering parents to have those conversations with the young ones,” he says.
1h agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 8:53pm
Analysis: Replacing Sussan Ley as leader isn’t the easy fix the Liberals seek
As the federal Liberal Party embarks on more self-harm over climate change policy this week, the idea seems to have set in among some that tearing down its first ever female leader could be a low-consequence affair.
The party that got smashed in Australian cities only six months ago seems to be on the hunt for a new leader, despite the fact they still haven’t diagnosed why they lost in the first place.
The situation is so bad former Liberal party strategist Tony Barry warned “terrorist cells operating inside the Coalition is not a pathway to electoral success”.
Whatever you make of Sussan Ley’s leadership — her flaws, her own goals, her style — there is alarm in some quarters that the party will dispose of Ley for doing exactly what she said she would do: follow a process to determine contentious policy.
Read the full analysis from Patricia Karvelas in the link below.
1h agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 8:37pm
A ‘good thing’ the NACC hasn’t found corruption yet, says Farrell
Special Minister of State Don Farrell says it’s good the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC) hasn’t made a major finding of corruption yet.
The NACC was introduced by Labor as part of an election promise at the 2022 federal election, and has been in operation for about two years.
But the commission, which has had about 5,000 referrals, hasn’t made any major findings of corruption.
Farrell says that’s a good thing, and shows the the system is working.
“If no charges have been laid, that’s an indication that the system is working. There is no corruption. And I say that’s a good thing,” Farrell says.
The minister has rejected the suggestion that the major political parties are behind the drop in trust in Australia’s political system.
1h agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 8:31pm
Special Minister of State Don Farrell defends democracy, political system
Special Minister of State Don Farrell joined the ABC’s AM program, where he was asked about trust in Australia’s political system.
A recent report found that a quarter of Australians think democracy isn’t preferable, and nearly 10 per cent say violence can be justified for a political cause.
The minister says he believes an overwhelming number of Australians believe in democracy.
Farrell says the government is taking steps to increase trust in Australia’s political system by introducing real-time disclosures and transparency in political donations.
“I think a combination of that figure of 76 per cent plus the things that we’re doing before the next election, I think are an indication that we should be reasonably positive about support for democracy in this country,” Farrell says.
2h agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 8:21pmBarnaby Joyce labels renewable energy a ‘total swindle’
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek and former deputy prime minister and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce have popped up on Channel Seven this morning.
Asked whether the federal government would extend energy rebates to keep power prices low, Plibersek said it was a matter for the treasurer and has touted Labor’s cost-of-living measures.
She points out that the Coalition has voted against Labor’s cost of living measures, and that the government last week announced the Solar Sharer scheme to help bring down prices for some households.
But Joyce isn’t a fan of the scheme, which would unlock three hours of free power for homes on the default energy market offer.
The Nationals MP, who is a vocal critical of renewable energy, has called renewables a “swindle” and “intermittent power”.
“It is a total swindle, it’s a Band-Aid on an amputated leg in the paddock. What we see is all of the things that Tanya brought up where the taxpayers’ money is given back to taxpayers or non- taxpayers, it is not about a fundamental change,” Joyce says.
“The intermittent power swindle has brought a structural decline and destruction of our power grid.”
But asked if he would support extending government energy rebates, Joyce says he thinks it would be politically unpopular not to support any extension of rebates.
“Let’s see the detail of it,” Joyce says.
2h agoSun 9 Nov 2025 at 8:13pm
Good morning 👋
Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of our federal politics live blog!
I’m Josh Boscaini joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra here and ready to bring you all of today’s federal politics news!
Well, we’re exactly one month away from the government’s social media ban for people under 16.
And net zero is high on the agenda this week, with the Liberals set to meet this Wednesday to thrash out a decision on the policy.
I’m not sure what today could bring, so let’s get straight into it!