Key events
Adeshola Ore
Findings of Victoria’s Indigenous truth-telling inquiry may be used as teaching resource
The findings of Victoria’s Indigenous truth-telling inquiry, set to be handed down by the Yoorrook justice commission in the coming days, may be used as a teaching resource in schools, parties to the state’s treaty talks say.
A joint statement by the Victorian government and First Peoples’ Assembly, who are negotiating a state-wide treaty, says the parties have discussed the significance of the inquiry’s three-year process to create an official record of the state’s history.
It says Yoorrook’s official record could be a “valuable resource for teachers to use when educating students about Victoria’s history.”
Yoorrook – tasked with documenting injustices experienced by Victoria’s First Nations people since colonisation – is preparing to hand over its final report to the state in the coming days.
The commission’s deputy commissioner, Travis Lovett, will conclude his 400km “Walk for Truth” to highlight the commission’s work, at state parliament this morning.
Lovett, a Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man, is expected to present the Victoran premier, Jacinta Allan, with a message stick he has carried along the walk.
Josh Butler
Most Australians support under-16s social media ban, but many have concerns about privacy
The federal government is forging ahead with its age assurance trial for its under-16s social media ban, releasing survey results from late last year showing nearly 90% of Australians at the time backed the ban. But a survey of nearly 4,000 adults and children found a huge number of people concerned about privacy and security issues related to the new regime.
The operators of the trial will release some early findings later this week, with a final report to go to the government shortly. Ahead of that data, the communications minister, Anika Wells, has shared more information to make the government’s case for the change, showing a high level of support for the under-16s ban and stats from a survey of children showing many teens were worried about content they see online and how much time they spend on social media.
The survey of around 4,000 people – 3,140 adults and 807 children aged 8-17 – was conducted in October and November 2024. It found 88.9% of those surveyed were somewhat or very supportive of the age assurance change, with 80% willing to use such technology, at the time of the survey.
It also found 77% of people were very concerned about privacy issues and 76.8% very concerned about security issues related to implementing an age assurance framework. About half were also worried about accuracy, and also government oversight.
It said around 88% were willing to consider a government ID system to enforce the scheme, but only 37.7% were comfortable with biometric methods – which underpins several leading age assurance methods.
Of children, about 50% said they were worried about cyberbullying online, and 45% had been exposed to inappropriate contact, with another 49% concerned about what is showing up on their feeds.
In a statement, Wells said the under-16s social media ban was to come into effect from December and that she was engaging with the eSafety Commissioner about the rules to underpin the scheme:
This research shows Australians widely support our world-leading age restrictions on social media for under-16s and have strong expectations of platforms when it comes to data protection and security.
Our Government knows social media age-restrictions will not be the end-all be-all solution for harms experienced by young people online but they will make a significant impact.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over for Martin Farrer. Stick with us as the morning moves along.
Patrick Commins
Jim Chalmers links collapse in trust in liberal democracies to failure to lift living standards
Jim Chalmers will say today that his three priorities for Labor’s second term are boosting productivity, fixing the budget and making Australia more resilient in an increasingly tumultuous world.
The government does not believe it can tackle these three big economic challenges without buy-in from a wide range of stakeholders, from business to unions and, more broadly, without a mood for change among voters and the media.
After Anthony Albanese last week announced an economic roundtable in August to build a national consensus for economic reform, Chalmers will use a speech at the National Press Club this lunchtime to tie the failure to lift living standards with the collapse in trust in liberal democracies around the world.
“We have a mandate to deliver the policies and plans we took to the election, and a duty to build on them. And the best way to work out what’s next, is together,” the treasurer will say in Canberra.
The government has a “responsibility and an obligation” to revive productivity through reform, not least for the prosperity of future generations.
“That’s why productivity matters, why budget sustainability matters, why resilience in the face of global turmoil matters. It’s why reform matters,” he will say.
Treasury’s incoming government brief blamed Australia’s poor productivity performance on four things.
“Firstly, our economy is not dynamic or innovative enough. Secondly, private investment has picked up, but not by enough to make our capital deep enough. Thirdly, skills aren’t abundant enough or matched well enough to business needs.
“Finally, our changing industrial base and the growth in services – where productivity is harder to find, and where traditional measures don’t account well for quality.”
Daisy Dumas
Australia ‘calling for de-escalation’ between Israel and Iran, Marles says
Richard Marles would not be drawn on the Trump administration’s policy on the conflict between Israel and Iran and any potential support Australia may lend to its ally.
Speaking with the ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday, the acting prime minister said Australia was “deeply concerned” about the conflict broadening and was “very much calling for de-escalation”.
He said the government wanted “to see a move towards diplomacy and dialogue … implied in that, obviously, is a very clear concern that we have about the opposite – about this escalating into some broader conflict”.
When asked whether Australia would support US involvement in the conflict militarily, Marles said:
I’m not going to go down the path of speculating but we’re not a part of this conflict.
In light of Donald Trump’s early departure from the G7 meeting in Canada, Marles said he did not know whether the prime minister had been notified that the president was cancelling Wednesday’s meeting with Albanese before it became public knowledge.
In the meantime, he advised Australians to shelter in place in Tehran.
He said 650 Australians in Iran and 600 in Israel had sought an assisted departure and that preparations were being made to start departures when airspace opened “in any form”.
For more on this read Jordyn Beazley’s interviews with Australian stuck in Iran:
Sharp rise in Australians identifying as LGBTQI
Australians are becoming more comfortable identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, with experts likening it to the sexual revolution of previous decades, Australian Associated Press reports.
Researchers at Charles Darwin University estimated Australia’s LGBTQI population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3% to 5.8% of adults over 15.
The data came from the Hilda longitudinal survey of 17,000 Australians with responses from participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity.
The data was collected in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
During this time period there was a “burst of acceptance” of sexual minorities in Australia, particularly after the 2017 same-sex marriage vote, lead researcher Fiona Shalley told AAP.
If the young adults who participated in the study maintained their sexual minority identities throughout their life, Australia’s LGBTQI population could grow by about 3% each year.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2024 estimated 4.5% – or about one in 20 – Australians aged 16 and over were LGBTI+, based on combined data from multiple household surveys.
Tom McIlroy
German chancellor asks Albanese to wrap up negotiations over EU free trade deal with Australia
The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has asked Anthony Albanese if he can help secure a speedy end to negotiations over a European Union free trade agreement with Australia.
The pair have met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis and agreed to do everything they can to finalise long-running negotiations. Progress on a deal stalled in 2023 but have gained new momentum since Donald Trump launched his tariff war.
Australia has previously offered a possible removal of the luxury car tax, but wants greater access to European markets for lamb and beef exports. Geographic indicators on products such as prosecco and feta cheese also remain a point of conflict from the European side.
“Is there anything that we can do, that I can do to speed it up a little bit?” Merz asked Albanese in their meeting.
Albanese said Australia was “very keen on getting it done quickly”.
He will meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later today, along with European Council boss António Costa.
The two sides are also considering a new defence and security pact which could involve military exercises and other cooperation in areas of mutual interest including foreign interference, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, defence industries and critical technologies.
Albanese tells G7: single countries should not be allowed to control supply of critical mineral
Tom McIlroy
Anthony Albanese is at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, meeting with world leaders and talking about renewable energy and artificial intelligence.
The prime minister has joined the traditional leaders family photo and held bilateral meetings with German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba.
He is expected to meet the British prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, later in the afternoon, local time, and has shared a hug with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In one of the main summit sessions, Albanese made an intervention on critical minerals, telling the summit single countries should not be allowed to control supply.
“Critical minerals are the new drivers of energy security,” Albanese said.
“Australia is blessed to have some of the largest critical minerals deposits on Earth.
“But we are increasingly finding that critical minerals markets are concentrated and vulnerable to manipulation. Producers struggle to remain competitive, and supply chains are affected by export bans and controls.”
Albanese told the leaders that Australia remains committed to working with international partners to build new energy industries, ensure regional energy security and advance the energy transition.
He said he was pleased that Australia had signed on to the G7’s critical minerals action plan, “which will support secure, diversified critical minerals supply chains”.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories, and then my colleague Nick Visser will pick up the slack.
Anthony Albanese has been busy while most of us slept, with bilateral meetings (including a hug with Zelenskyy) and an intervention in a session on critical minerals. All eyes this morning will be on his upcoming chat with Keir Starmer.
Back home, Richard Marles refused to be drawn on the Trump administration’s policy on the conflict between Israel and Iran or whether Australia would weigh in on behalf of its ally. He told ABC’s 7.30 last night that Australia was “deeply concerned” about the conflict broadening and was “very much calling for de-escalation”.
Jim Chalmers will lay out his key priorities for reforming the economy when he speaks at the National Press Club at lunchtime, as he confronts “intensifying pressures” on the economy. He will say his three priorities are boosting productivity, fixing the budget and making Australia more resilient.
More Australians are identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, with experts likening it to the sexual revolution of previous decades. A new study claims the LGBTQI population doubled between 2012 and 2020, increasing from 3.3% to 5.8% of adults over 15.
