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Have questions about the under-16s social media ban? Follow our live blog
How are you and your family navigating the under-16 social media ban?
Today, as Australia’s world-first social media ban for children under the age of 16 comes into effect, we’ve enlisted a panel of experts to answer your questions in a live Q&A.
Join our friends over on the social media blog in the link below and catch up on what the experts have had to say.
Federal politicians charge taxpayers $1.1 million for family travel in 12 months
Federal politicians spent $1.1 million flying and driving their families to Canberra and around Australia in a single year, using reunion travel entitlements now under scrutiny.
Rules allowing parliamentarians to charge taxpayers for business-class flights so their families can join them while they work away from home are being questioned after revelations that communications and sport minister Anika Wells used the scheme for her husband to attend several sporting events.
Analysis by the ABC of parliamentarians’ family travel expenses for 2024-25 shows taxpayers were billed more than $700,000 for travel to and from Canberra, while almost $400,000 was spent on flights between other destinations in Australia, and $60,000 on chauffeured Comcar and other car expenses.
Read the full story from chief digital political correspondent Clare Armstrong in the link below.
Wells says ‘gut reaction’ to travel claims fair but she has ‘upheld’ rules
Communications Minister Anika Wells has accepted her taxpayer-funded travel claims have prompted a “gut reaction” in people, after a week of scrutiny over her expenses drew attention away from the government’s efforts to spruik its world-first social media ban.
Taxpayer-funded flights for Wells’ husband to join her at Boxing Day cricket tests and AFL grand finals, bills to hold Comcars for several hours while she attended events, and a more than $100,000 trip to New York for a speech to world leaders on the government’s social media ban, have drawn intense scrutiny.
Read the full story by political reporter Jake Evans.
Liberals demand PM’s department review Anika Wells expenses
Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson says it’s not enough for travel expense claims by Anika Wells to be audited by the parliament’s expenses authority.
Speaking on Sky News, Paterson questioned whether the communications minister’s travel claims were within guidelines — but he also challenged whether the expenses billed to taxpayers met the ministerial code of conduct.
The Liberal senator says the expenses should also be referred to the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet for closer scrutiny.
“There is a real sense from this government that they had a big election win and can basically get away with anything, including spending $100,000 flying to New York city to speak for six-and-a-half minutes, including having a meal out in Paris at taxpayers’ expense that cost $1,000 for food and $750 for alcohol, and including keeping Comcar drivers waiting up to 10 hours while you’re at a sporting event in a corporate box sipping free champagne,” Paterson says.
“I don’t think it’s sufficient that it has been referred to [the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority] only for independent investigation, I think there is a chance the ministerial code of conduct has also been breached.”
eSafety commissioner says agency is ‘united’ in giving ban the very best effort
eSafety Commission Julie Inman Grant has stepped up to speak now to explain how her agency will enforce the social media ban.
Inman Grant says her agency is not expecting flawlessness, but that enforcements will address “systemic failures”.
“We’re united in giving this our very best effort, we’re led by the data and we’ll evaluate the impact over time,” Inman Grant says.
“Parents will be backed, families can reconnect, technology tethers will loosen. Australia stands as a global changemaker firmly on the right side of history,” she says.
Anika Wells says social media ban will ‘change a generation’
Communications Minister Anika Wells has stepped up now and says today’s social media ban will “change a generation”.
She has thanked the people who have pushed for the reform, and says December 10 will be remembered as a moment that sparked a movement.
“Australia, a continent so far away and now yet so far ahead when it comes to online safety,” Wells says.
“Not that long ago, auto manufacturers told us that making compulsory seat belts would break their business model. It couldn’t be done. Now, families choose cars based on who offers the safest features,” she says.
PM says social media ban won’t be perfect because it’s a ‘big change’
The prime minister says the government acknowledges the social media ban won’t be perfect.
“This is a journey that Australia has gone on. It won’t be perfect. It won’t be perfect because this is a big change,” Anthony Albanese says.
He says social media companies have a “social responsibility” to ensure children are safe.
“Success is the fact that it’s happening. Success is the fact that we’re having this discussion, parents are talking to their children around the breakfast table, teachers, as we’re speaking, will be speaking to their students,” he says.
Social media ban ‘biggest social and cultural changes’ Australia has faced: Albanese
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is holding a press conference at Kirribilli House in Sydney to welcome the social media ban.
The prime minister says Australia is leading the world and that the reform, coming into force today, will change lives.
He says Australia will “take back control” from social media companies through this reform.
“This will make an enormous difference. It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced,” Albanese says.
“It’s a profound reform which will continue to reverberate around the world in coming months,” he says.
Albanese has also acknowledged former Liberal leader Peter Dutton for supporting the reforms in the last term of parliament.
Under-16s won’t be able to evade social media ban forever, Wells says
Communications Minister Anika Wells says all platforms affected by the social media ban have informed the government that they will comply with the ban.
Asked what happens to children who have been able to so far evade the ban, Wells says they won’t be able to escape it forever.
“Just because they might have avoided it today doesn’t mean that they will be able to avoid it in a week’s time or a month’s time,” Wells says.
“Media platforms have to go back and routinely check under-16 accounts. This isn’t if you pass today, you’re fine for the rest of your time until you turn 16,” she says.
Wells rejects suggestion she should stand down over expenses
The communications minister has been asked if she should stand down while the IPEA investigation into her expenses takes place.
Anikas Wells says she “absolutely” won’t stand down because she’s the steward of a “world leading” social media ban.
“I’m also the communications minister who needs to make sure that taxpayers have confidence in the system, particularly across the summer,” Wells says.
Anika Wells says her family hasn’t been there during the ‘vast majority’ of her program
Communications Minister Anika Wells says parliamentarians should not set travel rules for other parliamentarians.
Wells says her family were not a part of her program for the majority of travel
“For the absolute vast majority of items in my program, week in week out, no my family aren’t there,” she says.
“Yes we have used family reunion entitlements within the rules on occasion but the vast numbers of items in my diary for the last three-and-a-half years, no they haven’t been there.”
‘I have always followed the rules’, Wells says
The communications minister says the rules around travel allowances are set an arm’s length from parliamentarians.
Anika Wells says she’s abided by the rules during the course of her life as a parliamentarian.
“My job is to follow the rules, I have followed the rules and I will always continue follow them,” Wells says.
Asked if the rules should change, she says parliamentarians should be aware of community sentiment.
She says the independent agency reviewing her expenses should also take into consideration community expectations.
“I don’t have anything to hide, I’ve followed the rules,” she says.
Communications minister says she takes taxpayer money ‘really seriously’
Anika Wells has been asked what the business purpose was to travel to a Labor Business Forum on August 7.
The communications minister says she’s happy for the journalist to look at her daily programme.
She says she understands people want value for money and that she takes taxpayer money “really seriously”.
“I’ve got three different portfolios. I have countless requests to be in all different towns and cities to do all different things. I could probably live every day three times over, and still not get through all of the requests to people and my time,” Wells says.
Wells says she understands travel expenses may prompt ‘gut reaction’
The communications minister says she understands that the dollar figure of her travel would prompt a “gut reaction” in some people.
Anika Wells says she explained “from the get go” that she “deeply believes” a parliamentarian’s travel should be scrutinised.
“That’s why I’ve always put all of my travel through the independent regulator. We’ve never had any issues with it. I’m happy for them to have another audit of all of my travel,” Wells says.
“I really do each and every day I try to discharge my duties as the minister for communications and the member for Lilley. I really do work very hard and try my best,” she says.
Anika Wells says she gives ‘really thoughtful care’ into her decisions
Communications Minister Anika Wells has just stepped up for a press conference at Kirribilli in Sydney where she’s answering questions about her use of the family reunion entitlement.
Wells says she gives “really thoughtful care” into the decisions she makes around her program.
“I’m confident that I have upheld the guidelines at all times with all of my travel, but given the public interest, I’m very happy for IPEA [Independent Parliamentary Expenses Agency] to have another look at them so that there’s no doubt,” Wells says.
Wells says she referred expenses to agency for the ‘absolute avoidance of doubt’
Communications Minister Anika Wells says she has referred her travel expenses to an independent agency for the “absolute avoidance of doubt”.
The communications minister has come in for criticism for taking trips with her family using the family reunion entitlement.
Speaking to commercial radio station Nova, Wells insists she has followed the rules around travel expenses and that she is always available to answer questions.
On the social media ban, Wells says parents can tell their children that the government is responsible for banning under-16s from social media.
“The Australian government is the first in the world to do this,” Wells says.
“We’re doing it for a really good reason, because we know that this is causing harm and mental health harm to you and your friends and everybody who has been caught up in these addictive algorithms online,” she says.
‘Not appropriate’ to weigh in on Linda Reynolds claim against Commonwealth: PM
Former defence minister Linda Reynolds appeared on 7.30 last night where she called on the government to acknowledge that some of what was said about her was not true.
Reynolds is suing the Commonwealth and its lawyers, claiming they breached a duty of care to her when they assumed control of her defence in the handling of Brittany Higgins’s $2.4 million payout.
She says she will continue to pursue action against the Commonwealth government and labelled senior Labor members “cruel” over what she says are lies that ended her career.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Reynolds has a claim against the Commonwealth and therefore it was “inappropriate” for him to comment.
“Linda Reynolds has a claim against the Commonwealth. We’ve just been talking about taxpayer funds. The idea that I comment on that, is entirely not appropriate,” Albanese says.
PM says Communications Minister Anika Wells enjoys his full support
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Communications Minister Anika Wells still enjoys his full support following revelations about her use of a travel allowance.
The communications minister has referred her use of travel expenses to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA).
Wells charged taxpayers for multiple trips with her family under the family reunion entitlement, including a ski trip to Thredbo which also involved work commitments.
Speaking to ABC Radio Sydney, Albanese says a sports minister going to an Australian sports event shouldn’t be surprising.
“Anika Wells has done the right thing. She has referred all of her expenses to the independent authority. They’ll have a look at that. That’s appropriate,” Albanese says.
The prime minister has again refused to say whether he thinks the family reunion entitlement rules should be tightened.
Albanese says Australia shouldn’t shy away from laws that are hard to enforce
The prime minister says Australians shouldn’t shy away from introducing laws that are in the best interest of society because some may break them.
Anthony Albanese has called into ABC Radio Sydney to spruik the federal government’s social media ban.
He says the federal government understands the laws won’t be perfect, but it will make an “enormous difference”.
He says the social media companies will have to provide the eSafety Commission the numbers of people online yesterday compared with today.
“This is an obligation importantly on the social media companies who are subject to penalties rather than penalising young people themselves or family,” Albanese says.
