Labor challenges Coalition and Greens on social media fines as campaigners demand lobbying overhaul

Communications Minister Anika Wells challenged the Coalition and the Greens to back the bill, saying Australian children and parents needed the laws eight weeks ago. She accused the two parties of sending the four-page bill to an eight-week inquiry, saying this delay had allowed social media companies to harm children. A Senate committee recommended the bill be passed in August. The proposed changes would also broaden information-gathering powers for investigating non-compliance.

The Guardian also reported that 75 charities, social service organisations and transparency groups called on the federal government to introduce a national lobbying act. They said the current federal lobbying register and controls from the attorney-general’s department and Parliament House are badly insufficient for the public interest. Saffron Zomer, chief executive of Australian Democracy Network, said organisations across different issues shared the same experience: well-resourced interests have greater access to government while much of that influence remains hidden. She said public trust in government would not be rebuilt without transparency.

In another development, a cross-party “Dads Caucus” was set to launch in Canberra on Monday, backed by Movember. The group includes Labor MP Dan Repacholi, assistant minister Matt Thistlethwaite and MPs Josh Burns, Jerome Laxale, Peter Khalil and Aaron Violi. Movember’s More Time With Dad Report found that 70% of fathers who took parental leave said it was good for their mental health, 83% said it helped them bond with their child, and 78% said it benefited their relationship with their partner. But nearly a third of fathers take no parental leave, and 56% of those who did said it was not enough. Movember said it wants the government to establish a cross-departmental working group and review the next phase of Australia’s Paid Parental Leave rules.

Separately, Debra and Martin Robinson, parents of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, will fly to Ensenada, Mexico, to attend the aggravated homicide trial over their sons’ deaths. Callum, 33, Jake, 30, and American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, were killed in 2024 while camping in a remote beachside area; investigators suspect an attempt to steal their vehicle. In a Facebook post, the Robinsons said attending the trial felt “overwhelmingly difficult” but that “being in that courtroom is one of the last things we can do for Callum and Jake.” They said they wanted to hear the truth and be their voices because their sons could no longer speak for themselves. In 2025, a Mexican court sentenced a woman to 20 years in prison for involvement in the incident.