Federal politics live: Government says it will not be ‘bullied’ to exempt YouTube from social media ban

Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan has defended Israel limiting aid into Gaza, saying Hamas is the “sole responsible actor” for the humanitarian crisis.

Tehan argued that Hamas must be removed from every part of the distribution of food aid before Israel could allow it to be rolled out.

“[Israel] have been trying to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. The problem all along has been an internationally listed terrorist organisation, Hamas. Now, what we need to be calling for is for Hamas to remove themselves from this process,” he told ABC Radio National Breakfast. 

“Until we see that, unfortunately, it’s going to be Hamas that continues to politicise and to weaponise the use of aid in Gaza.

Host Sally Sara pushes back, noting aid organisations have been able to successfully deliver aid in situations where there many be groups labelled as terrorist organisations, such as in South Sudan and Afghanistan.

“So we don’t deliver food at all?” she asked.

“No not at all, but we have to make sure that we do provide food, but where those circumstances are leading to that food being weaponised in a way that isn’t in the long term interests of the people that that food’s been — you obviously have to look at alternatives to try and do that. And that’s what the US and Israel did, understanding that they’re dealing with a terrorist organisation.”

He said Hamas’ actions on October 7, 2023 has led to the situation.

“They stand condemned, rightly condemned, and you know, in my view, they are the sole responsible actor here for the situation that we find ourselves in, and that is where the condemnation should be placed.”

Hamas and hostages are two of the key barriers to Australia recognising a Palestinian state, according to Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

The Albanese government is now publicly weighing up the best time to take a long-discussed step in recognising a Palestinian state, which it says could help further a peace process.

Last year Wong made a public shift in thinking on recognition, arguing it could come as “part of a peace process”, not only at the “end of a peace process”.

But speaking with the ABC, Wong said there were still hurdles that needed to be overcome.

“[The prime minister] made the point [that] there are challenges associated with this,” she said.

“We have to see Hamas demilitarised. We have to see the hostages released.

“We need to see progress in terms of the Palestinian Authority and its moves to a more democratic and accountable governance, and it’s pleasing to see some of that happening.”

Read the exclusive report from Tom Lowrey and Isobel Roe at the link below.

A bill to criminalise the use of AI tools purpose-built to create child sexual abuse material is set to be introduced to parliament.

Independent MP Kate Chaney, who will introduce the bill, says the urgent issue cannot wait for the government’s wider response to artificial intelligence.

While it is an offence to possess or share child abuse material, there is no criminal prohibition of downloading or distributing the wave of emerging AI generators designed to create the illegal material.

The tools are becoming easier to access online, with some of the most popular visited millions of times.

Their spread is diverting police resources and allowing material to be created offline, where it is harder to track.

Speaking with ABC News Breakfast this morning, Chaney says there is a need for “urgent action”.

“We need to be able to plug the gaps as we go, while addressing the broad issues about how we’re going to encourage take -up of AI for its productivity benefits but creating appropriate guardrails so that people can have faith in it.”

Independent MP Kate Chaney has also been out and about this morning, where she was asked about Australian recognition of Palestine.

“I think the immediate priority is stopping children from starving and making sure they’re not being shot when people are trying to access food,” she told ABC Radio National Breakfast.

“So, my focus really is on how we get the humanitarian aid
organisations in there, doing what they do best, and making sure that starvation is not being used as a tool of war.

“Recognition will happen in good time.

“I think it’s appropriate for that to happen when it’s clear who will run a state of Palestine, and Hamas can have no role in that. So, I think that needs to follow part of the peace process.”

Anthony Albanese has dialed into triple j breakfast, where he’s feeling a bit regretful about not including INXS’s Never Tear Us Apart in his votes for the Hottest 100 of Australian songs.

The prime minister says he was umming and ahhing about including the song, which topped the chart on Saturday night, but it didn’t make it off his short list.

He says he was lucky to grow up in Sydney at a time live music was accessible.

Asked what the government was doing to help out the industry, Albanese noted Labor’s election promise to extend the Revive Live program — funding for Australian-owned live music venues and music festivals that showcase homegrown artists.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Israel has breached international law by blocking the delivery of food aid to Gaza but has suggested Australia has no imminent plan to recognise a Palestinian state.

Former foreign minister Bob Carr welcomed the remarks, telling ABC Radio National Breakfast it was “clear that Australia is ready to move” but it was “unfortunate” we’re waiting for the UK to move first.

“But I think we’re giving the impression that we need the comfort of Britain rather than the comfort of the French initiative,” he says.

“And I think that’s very unfortunate.

“I just think Australians are ready to see our country show a flash of independence, strength and maturity by moving with the French and not huddling and waiting for the sanction that Britain would give us when Downing Street finally gets round to it.”

Taiwan is reportedly pushing to be included in Australia’s military exercises, such as Talisman Sabre, according to a report in The Courier Mail this morning. 

The Talisman Sabre exercises involve nearly 40,000 defence personnel from 19 different countries, jointly organised by Australia and the US.

But it seems unlikely the government will support such inclusion.

“We think the best way to maintain security and stability in the region is no unilateral changes to the status of relations between China and Taiwan,” Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says.

“We’re not currently considering involvement of Taiwan in … exercise Talisman Sabre.”

Emma McBride, the assistant minister for rural regional health, has been given the nod to spruik the government’s cheaper medicines plan.

As Tom Crowley just told us, legislation to cut the price of PBS medicines will be introduced this week. McBride says that, when the law is passed, PBS prescriptions will be capped at $25 from January 1 next year.

“The last time PBS general prescriptions cost this was back in 2004,” she says.

The Albanese government will try to keep attention on its election promises as the new federal parliament returns for its second week, but it will face further scrutiny about what new policies it plans to unveil at next month’s economic roundtable.

Labor will introduce legislation to cut the price of PBS medicines to $25 and will also seek to pass the HECS loan cuts introduced last week in what Anthony Albanese says it is a deliberate prioritisation of cost-of-living measures.

The $25 per script price would start in the new year and reduce annual user costs by an estimated $200 million. The $7.70 script price for pension and concession card holders, frozen until 2030, would be unchanged.

The policy was matched by the Coalition during the election campaign, so it is unlikely to be controversial, with the opposition also signalling it would likely support the HECS cuts.

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek says the government won’t be bullied by the tech giants.

The comment came after Google threatened legal action if YouTube was included in the government’s social media ban.

YouTube is not currently included in the plan to ban under 16s from social media but advice from the eSafety commissioner to new communications minister Anika Wells last month recommended that decision be overturned.

“We will do whatever we have to to make sure Australian kids are kept safe,” Plibersek told Seven.

“A lot of kids, they’re really
genuinely harmed by what they’re being exposed to on social media.

“We need to make sure that, as a government, we back in parents’ efforts to protect their kids from some of the harmful stuff that’s online.

“We’re not going to be bullied out of taking action by any social media giant.”

Nationals frontbencher Barnaby Joyce agreed, arguing Google was “incredibly capable” and had the capacity to control harmful content.

“The question you have to ask [is] why do they allow such content to go on their platform … the content that’s not informative, it’s completely toxic, completely dangerous.”

Hi friends, you know the drill. Welcome to another week on our politics blog.

I’m Courtney Gould, logging in from the ABC’s Parliament House bureau in Canberra, ready to bring you all the news as it comes in.

How about that weekend, hey? Between the triple j’s hottest 100 of Australian songs (Untouched was robbed) and the mighty Melbourne Vixens clinching another grand final berth, it was one to remember. Hope you all had a lovely one.

What about today, I hear you ask. We’ve got time, friends. Let’s see what the day has planned for us.

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