Wells rejects claims from Coalition that eSafety ‘sock puppets’ will spread disinformation
Wells rejects claims from Coalition that eSafety ‘sock puppets’ will spread disinformation
For those (including myself until very recently) who don’t know what a sock puppet is, it’s a fake undercover account that Wells says allows researchers or the eSafety commissioner to test and see how tech companies comply with the laws.
In her speech Wells said:
In many cases, the only way eSafety or researchers can examine those questions is to create a test account as a 14-year-old for the purpose of investigation. These provisions simply make that lawful and the evidence they collect usable. Australian researchers used sock puppets to show how they responded to complaints about eating disorder content on their platforms. It showed a huge variation how platforms responded to reports of this dangerous and disturbing content, ranging from not good enough to negligent.
Wells is asked to respond to claims from the Coalition that these sock puppets – which are legally protected under the legislation – will be used to spread partisan mis- and disinformation.
Wells says:
I would say it is just absolutely nothing of the sort. The reason that it’s in the bill is because eSafety and accredited researchers currently basing themselves outside of Australia because they experience no legal protection in Australia want us to put this in to allow them to do this important work here and for the evidence they gather to be able to be used in compliance and enforcement. It’s important that eSafety and researchers asked us to include this in the bill for good reason.
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It’s been a tough week for Labor, with their bill to cut the private health insurance rebate for over-65s blocked by the Greens and Coalition, their digital duty of care legislation punted to an inquiry, and rumblings of internal discontent distracting voters from their attempts at optimism.
Josh Frydenberg’s rumoured return to politics has caused a few headaches for the Coalition, and this sitting week provided a window into the future of the Greens under new leader David Shoebridge.
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Wells ‘confident’ she can get duty of care reforms through Senate
My colleague, Josh Butler, asks Wells to reflect on this bill compared with the government’s failed mis- and disinformation bill that Labor ultimately gave up on without a pathway through the Senate.
Wells says this time is different, but she’s pretty disappointed that the Coalition doesn’t want to get on board.
She says they’ve done a 180 since former Liberal Peter Dutton was pushing forward on social media protections for kids.
I’m confident that I can get a passage through the Senate. I found it extraordinary and puzzling and a complete 180 from the Coalition who previously, particularly under Peter Dutton, for example, really held online safety and online safety for children as a beacon of their party and the work their party does. Last parliamentary sitting week when I introduced the exposure draft and released it to everybody, they convened a special party meeting to reject an exposure draft. That is an extraordinary series of events.
Wells rejects claims from Coalition that eSafety ‘sock puppets’ will spread disinformation
Wells rejects claims from Coalition that eSafety ‘sock puppets’ will spread disinformation
For those (including myself until very recently) who don’t know what a sock puppet is, it’s a fake undercover account that Wells says allows researchers or the eSafety commissioner to test and see how tech companies comply with the laws.
In her speech Wells said:
In many cases, the only way eSafety or researchers can examine those questions is to create a test account as a 14-year-old for the purpose of investigation. These provisions simply make that lawful and the evidence they collect usable. Australian researchers used sock puppets to show how they responded to complaints about eating disorder content on their platforms. It showed a huge variation how platforms responded to reports of this dangerous and disturbing content, ranging from not good enough to negligent.
Wells is asked to respond to claims from the Coalition that these sock puppets – which are legally protected under the legislation – will be used to spread partisan mis- and disinformation.
Wells says:
I would say it is just absolutely nothing of the sort. The reason that it’s in the bill is because eSafety and accredited researchers currently basing themselves outside of Australia because they experience no legal protection in Australia want us to put this in to allow them to do this important work here and for the evidence they gather to be able to be used in compliance and enforcement. It’s important that eSafety and researchers asked us to include this in the bill for good reason.
Government contemplating allowing individuals to sue tech platforms
Anika Wells says the government is considering one of the key asks from the Greens, that individuals be allowed to take matters into their own hands and sue a tech company if they’ve experienced harm on their platform.
Wells says it’s worked successfully in the US where individuals have that power.
I think it’s fair to say that our e–Safety commissioner does a marvellous job at enforcement and compliance, but it’s a huge burden and private right of action allows people to share that burden. It is something that we would contemplate because it has been something that has come in through the consultation process.
She says the government is working through that and negotiating “in good faith” with the Greens.
Asked next if the government would consider introducing safety ratings for tech platforms, like ones that exist for car brakes, she says “dare to dream” … maybe one day.
I need to get this through the Senate to legislate a baseline basic safety standard, but, yes, it is my vision that ultimately we would be in a race to the top where tech companies want you to know them as the safest place your child.
People can still listen to manosphere podcasts and spread conspiracy theories under digital duty of care laws
Anika Wells is trying to dispel claims – many coming from the Coalition – that the government’s duty of care bills will amount to censorship and stop criticism of he government.
Speaking at the National Press Club, she says that’s not true, and adults can still access whatever wacky content they want, as long as it’s not illegal.
The digital duty of care is not a stepping stone for regulating misinformation and disinformation. If adults listen to manosphere podcasts or people post their views about the government or make memes or want to say the moon landing was fake, they can continue to do so without restriction.
She then slightly misspeaks, taking a pause before correcting herself:
We are controlling – we are not controlling free speech, we are not conducting covert surveillance.
The Coalition has vowed to oppose the bill but the Greens are more willing – as long as the penalties are much stronger and individuals can directly sue tech platforms.
Labor to commission independent review into controversial automated aged care assessment tool
Labor has announced an independent review of a controversial algorithm aged care assessment tool which experts and advocates say had no human override function.
The government has faced sustained pressure over the issue to allow humans to review and change decisions made by the automated tool.
The integrated assessment tool (IAT) involves an assessor asking an older person questions about their physical, social and personal circumstances to determine how much government-funded home support they are eligible to receive.
It’s separate to an review by the commonwealth ombudsman into the tool that is ongoing.
In a statement, the minister said:
We have made refinements where people’s experience of the system shows it is needed. We’ve changed the Aged Care Rules to help more people receive care faster, to ensure the accuracy of assessment inputs and to recognise Motor Neurone Disease as a discrete, specific condition warranting urgent priority for Support at Home.
This review will build on that work and respond to feedback that while these changes have made improvements, the assessment systems are not always getting it right.
Benita Kolovos
Anti-abortion campaigner and ex Liberal MP claims Ben Carroll ‘sucked in’ to abortion changes by the left of his party
Bernie Finn, an anti-abortion campaigner and former Victorian Liberal MP who went on to join the Democratic Labour party in Victoria, then Family First and now is a member of One Nation, has unsurprisingly criticised Labor’s plan to make abortion care free in the state.
Speaking on ABC Radio Melbourne, he said:
I’m really surprised that Ben has been sucked into this by obviously the socialist left of the ALP.
Finn said it would cost Carroll the election:
When you’ve got a health system that’s falling to bits, you can’t get into a hospital because the ambulances are ranked up for miles, but yet we’ll pay for your abortion. I mean, what does that say to people out there? What is their government’s priority? That is insane.
He also expressed his disappointment that Liberal leader Jess Wilson had made it clear she would not change the state’s abortion laws if elected:
There are very few Christian Conservatives left in the Liberal party. I mean, the Liberal party is in many ways as leftwing as the Labor party these days. There is really only one option for anybody else to go to.
Benita Kolovos
Jess Wilson says Labor’s abortion policy is ‘playing politics with women’s reproductive rights’
Victorian opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has reiterated that the Coalition has no plans to change the state’s abortion laws, despite the Labor government suggesting today they could oversee a rollback if forced into a minority government with One Nation.
While announcing a $30m election commitment to remove the out-of-pocket cost of abortion care, the health minister, Ingrid Stitt, attempted to align the Coalition with One Nation, which wants to roll back abortion rights.
Wilson, however, said there would be no changes to the laws under a government she leads:
Victorians know where I stand on this issue. There will be no changes to abortion laws under a government I lead. Full stop. And I think it’s incredibly disappointing to see Labor playing politics with women’s reproductive rights five minutes before an election.
The opposition leader also described the premier, Ben Carroll, as a “coward” for not appearing at the press conference with his minister:
We are seeing an end-of-days government, a desperate government, and I think that Ben Carroll should be ashamed of himself. To stand up and to play political football with women’s reproductive rights is disgusting. He is a coward for not standing up today to back in his own policy.
She said the Coalition would accept an element of the government’s plan, which would extend a travel subsidy to regional Victorian women who must travel long distances for abortion care. Wilson was not asked if she would adopt Labor’s entire proposal.
Josh Butler
Conservative campaign against DDOC ‘absolute rubbish’, Hanson-Young says
The Greens want Labor’s digital duty of care bill to go much further, confirming they will send the legislation off to an inquiry but that they support the bill in principle.
Sarah Hanson-Young said Australians were “sick and tired of being manipulated, dictated and addicted by big tech”, saying the Greens would back the bill if the government added the ability for Australians to directly sue tech companies. The inquiry, which will be formally locked in later today, will report back in late November.
She also said that rightwing campaigns against the legislation were “running cover for big tech”.
To suggest this is about censorship or about shutting down anything is absolute rubbish. It is a fake debate, it’s got nothing to do with it, and it is purely the radical right running the speaking points of big tech.
She went on to say that the Greens would introduce a bill in the November sitting period to “ban the broadcast of live executions”, after a debate earlier in the week about whether Australian regulators could block the looming US military execution which is expected to be livestreamed.
Conservative campaign groups, podcasters and media personalities have strongly criticised the bill, claiming it would be used to censor right-wing groups and viewpoints – claims the government strongly denies. The bill was a major topic of debate at the CPAC conservative conference last weekend in Brisbane.
Unemployment reaches 4.7% in September
Patrick Commins
Unemployment has reached 4.7% and is at its highest in nearly five years after the economy shed jobs in September as cost of living and higher interest rates bite.
The total number of employed Australians dropped by 39,300 jobs in the month, a surprise for economists who had expected employment to rise.
Full-time employment increased by 34,400 in September, but this was more than offset by a sharp drop in part-time employment of 73,700.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures would have shown the jobless rate ticking higher last month had it not revised up the August figure from 4.6% to 4.7%.
Patrick Commins
NSW will waive stamp duty for restructuring trusts
Daniel Mookhey, the NSW treasurer, says his state will waive stamp duty for small businesses and others who restructure their trusts to avoid paying the federal government’s proposed 30% minimum tax.
Jim Chalmers, the treasurer, yesterday introduced the new trust minimum tax legislation into parliament, including an option for discretionary trusts to opt to become a new “excluded election trust” that would not be subject to the new and potentially higher tax rate on trust income.
The decision by NSW will be a boost to Chalmers, who has faced trenchant opposition from business groups over his tax reforms. The question now is whether other states and territories will follow suit.
Mookhey in a statement this morning said:
NSW needs small businesses to thrive. We want them to grow. We want them to hire more people. We don’t want them to worry that their state is trying to make a windfall gain at their expense.
While the federal government’s proposed tax changes are still some way off, we want businesses to have as much certainty as possible, as early as possible, so they can carry on with more confidence.
Liberal senator urges action to ban shackling of incarcerated pregnant women
Liberal senator Paul Scarr has spoken out in the Senate against Labor and the Coalition who will reject a bill by independent Lidia Thorpe to ban the shackling of incarcerated pregnant women.
He says he’s “deeply concerned” having recently learned of the practice that has occurred across the country. He says he will be raising it directly with the state Queensland attorney general.
He suggests that it’s a bit of a cop-out for the major parties to argue that these issues occur under state and territory jurisdiction, and says the government should consider convening a national cabinet meeting.
I have considerable sympathy in relation to this legislation and the issues it’s seeking to address … What I’ve heard deeply concerns me and I do hope, that this vote shouldn’t be an end to this matter, we’ve got to do better than this and we’ve got to look at ways this issue can be addressed.
He says Australia and all of the members of the UN general assembly unanimously adopted the Bangkok rules in late 2010, which says that shackling “a pregnant women during transfers to hospitals, gynaecological examinations and birth … violates international standards”.
Labor and Coalition set to reject bill to stop incarcerated women being shackled
Lidia Thorpe’s bills to prevent incarcerated women being shackled while giving birth, and stop children being strip-searched will fail in the Senate.
Thorpe tells the horrific stories of women who gave evidence to a committee examining the bill:
In 2026 people can be shackled while giving birth, and children can can also have their clothes removed by adults to examine their bodies legally … the people sitting in this room have the power to end these barbaric, inhumane traumatic and totally unnecessary practices.
The government says “the responsibility of criminal justice system predominantly sits with state and territory government”, and that’s why they’ll reject the bill, while the Coalition says it “understands the intent” of the bill but also won’t support it.
The Greens leader, David Shoebridge says the practice of shackling is a disgrace:
To have the Labor party and Coalition come in here and say no, no we’re not going to stop this practice … the Labor party and the Coalition come in here and say it’s a matter for states and territories if they want to shackle women to a bed while they’re giving birth we’ll just let them do that … don’t torture women giving birth and don’t strip-search children.
Black market hiding illegal cigarettes in plain sight
Black market tobacco trade continues to thrive as sellers turn to counterfeit packaging to skirt bans, prompting calls for the urgent passing of tougher laws, AAP reports.
Intelligence provided to the federal government shows cigarettes in plain, Australian-style packaging are being produced illegally at an industrial scale in south-east Asian warehouses.
Factories owned and operated by criminal syndicates, primarily based in Cambodia, are pumping out increasingly sophisticated fake products that replicate common brands, some even branded with Australian health warnings.
The customs minister, Julian Hill, has urge his parliamentary counterparts to pass tough laws as soon as possible, with a new bill on tobacco trade expected to be debated in the Senate today.
It would give law enforcement stronger powers to detect and disrupt illegal tobacco trade lines, including choking off criminal profits.
Hill says sophisticated overseas production is becoming harder to notice and stop.
Serious and organised criminal syndicates have weaponised the cheap oversupply of tobacco globally and will do anything to make a buck … the crooks will continue to adapt their tactics.
Mark Butler introduces private health insurance rebate … again
The health minister, Mark Butler, has reintroduced his bill to reduce private health insurance rebates for over-65s after it was thrown out by the Senate yesterday by the Coalition and crossbench.
He has made no changes to the bill, and the Coalition and Greens have said they will not support it in its current form – so it could just go to die in the Senate again.
Butler says the bill is important “in order to re-establish intergenerational equity and to better target and simplify the rebate”.
He maintains Australians over 65 will pay about $250 per year more due to the changes (though it will be more for those with higher-level cover) and that private health insurance uptake is still expected to increase among that cohort.
Wells introduces digital duty of care bill to House
Anika Wells has introduced her bill to force tech companies to prevent harmful and illegal content from appearing on their platforms in Australia.
She’ll continue trying to sell the legislation to the public when she appears at the National Press Club later today.
The Coalition are dead against the bill, while the Greens want bigger fines and the ability for Australians to sue the platforms directly.
It means the legislation can go through the House as soon as the government wants, but it needs the Greens on side to get it through the Senate.
Wells tells the House:
The core of the digital duty of care bill is to provide a safe online environment where all Australians are protected from seriously harmful and illegal conduct. It moves the safety net upstream to the people who design the product to stop the harm before it ever reaches an Australian.
She also pushes back on claims from the Coalition that the government is using the bill to censor individuals.
It is not about controlling adults online; it is about getting illegal and seriously harmful material offline, and giving adults choice.
One Nation a ‘risk’ to abortion access, says Plibersek
The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, has backed in the Victorian health minister’s claims that One Nation pose a risk to abortion access, as the state party promises free abortion care if re-elected.
Plibersek tells News24 there are still significant cost barriers nationally to accessing care around the country – particularly in regional areas.
Asked about criticisms that the Victorian policy will make abortion access easier, and claims more women will access abortion unnecessarily, Plibersek hits back:
One Nation’s made it clear that they support winding back access to safe and medically available abortion … When I was the health minister, we managed to make medical termination more easily available, that dealt with part of the problem for women in regional communities, but certainly, there’s still real restrictions on the cost of getting a surgical termination in many parts of Australia.
Abortion is not easy, and I don’t think that anyone who has had an abortion would say that it was easy. I think the only people who think it’s easy are people who’ve never had to make that difficult decision, and guess what, a lot of them are blokes who never will have to.
