Katy Gallagher calls for social media platforms to take account
Minister for women, Katy Gallagher, says the volume, scale and forcefulness of threats and abusive language has increased during her time in politics.
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volume → call → politics
This follows reporting from the ABC that found almost 5000 threats and violent comments were flagged on the social media accounts of 22 Labor politicians in three months by an AI tool.
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threats → follow → tool
Gallagher told ABC Radio National:
It’s simply out of control in an online world and we’ve got to make the platforms accountable.
Facebook is the worst in terms of the platforms, Instagram and TikTok less so, but still bad.
The platforms have to help us here because, the way it’s going now, our accounts are just a place for people to come and abuse pretty vigourously.
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people → tell → us
Greens to announce plan for Victorian lobbyist register
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Greens → announce → register
The Victorian Greens will today announce an election commitment to establish a lobbyist register and ban political donations from “big corporate money”.
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Greens → announce → money
The party said under their plan, there would be a legislated register for lobbyists with teeth and a total ban on political donations from the gambling industry, fossil fuel companies and property developers.
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party → say → industry
Currently, Victoria has a $7,500 cap on donations but only foreign donations are banned.
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donations → have → donations
The state has a lobbyist register but under current rules the only sanction available is the removal of a lobbyist from that register.
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sanction → have → register
Guardian Australia last year reported no lobbyist has been sanctioned in Victoria since the latest code of conduct was introduced by the Napthine government in 2013.
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code → report → 2013
Victorian Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, says the state’s laws have allowed corporations to influence politics in the state:
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corporations → say → state
These corporations don’t hand over thousands of dollars out of the goodness of their hearts.
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corporations → hand → hearts
They expect something in return, and it’s everyday Victorians who end up paying the price.
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who → expect → price
The Age reported last night that Labor had planned to crack down on lobbying but shelved the idea despite having drafted new laws.
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Labor → report → laws
Former Rio Tinto boss to lead defence procurement watchdog
Tess Ikonomou
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boss → lead → Ikonomou
Former mining boss Kellie Parker has been tasked to lead the new defence agency responsible for overseeing the delivery of projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars on time and budget.
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Parker → task → time
The Albanese government will today announce Parker, who used to run Rio Tinto’s Australian business, has been appointed to the role of national armaments director for a five-year term.
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who → announce → term
She begins next month at the new independent defence delivery agency which has been operational since July, and was set up in response to cost blowouts and lacklustre project management.
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which → begin → blowouts
The government had been looking to the private sector to fill the position as Labor pumps tens of billions of extra spending into defence.
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Labor → look → defence
Defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, pointed to Parker’s experience in bringing cultural change to the mining company after the destruction of the ancient Juukan Gorge rock shelters in 2020.
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minister → point → 2020
He said other senior female appointments including the first woman to lead the army, Lt Gen Susan Coyle, were merit-based.
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appointments → say → army
They’ve both dealt with male-dominated industries with cultures that are pretty rough and challenging for women, and so they’re perfect people to lead that cultural journey.
Malicious actors using AI to find vulnerabilities, defence minister warns
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is doing the rounds this morning to address the Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) annual cyber threat report.
It warns Australians to prepare for more basic and important online services to go offline unexpectedly and urges businesses and critical infrastructure to use cutting-edge AI models to defend against digital threats.
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services → deal → threats
Marles told News24 this morning:
If you’ve got an old system which is attached to the internet, it is effectively a gateway to a malicious actor.
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it → tell → actor
You’ve really got to prioritise hardening your system, even if that’s at the expense of access to it.
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that → get → it
Malicious actors, are now able to use AI to find vulnerabilities in the systems of organisations and companies, and they’re doing that to exploit them.
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they → use → them
Female and First Nations public servants facing ‘more egregious’ abuse online, parliament hears
A departmental boss has warned female public servants receive more “more egregious forms of abuse” on social media after complaints from bureaucrats about what they claim is selective clipping of evidence being posted online.
Last month, the Secretaries Board, which includes heads of departments, asked the government to introduce rules restricting testimony from being uploaded to X and Instagram.
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which → face → X
They argued the clips were exposing public servants to ridicule and abuse, but their bid has been dismissed as an attempt to limit public accountability.
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bid → argue → accountability
Steven Kennedy, secretary of the department of the prime minister and cabinet, told a parliamentary hearing yesterday:.
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Kennedy → tell → hearing
I would note that secretaries have observed that it is often female public servants and those from First Nations … backgrounds who experience the more egregious forms of abuse on social media.
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who → note → media
Liberal candidate’s husband allegedly assaulted in Melbourne confrontation
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husband → assault → confrontation
The husband of a Victorian Liberal party candidate has allegedly been assaulted during a confrontation over election signs.
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husband → assault → signs
A Liberal party spokesperson on Monday evening confirmed the husband of their candidate for Yan Yean, Amanda Dow, was involved in an alleged incident in Mernda yesterday afternoon.
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husband → confirm → Mernda
They said:
We understand Ms Dow’s husband approached a member of the public who was removing Liberal party campaign signage and was allegedly assaulted.
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who → say → signage
He suffered facial injuries and was taken to hospital and was discharged today.
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He → suffer → hospital
Police confirmed a 59-year-old Mernda man had been charged with recklessly causing injury, criminal damage and unlawful assault over the incident, which they alleged occurred near Abundant Avenue and Bridge Inn Road at about 2pm yesterday.
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they → confirm → pm
“Police have been told the victim attended an address to retrieve political campaign signage when he was [allegedly] assaulted,” a spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → tell → signage
They said the man has been bailed to appear before Heidelberg magistrates’ court on 1 February 2027.
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man → say → February
The Liberal party spokesperson asked for privacy for Dow and her husband while he recovers.
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he → ask → Dow
It comes amid alarm about the safety of candidates in the wake of the Helen Haines attack and after Victoria’s emergency services minister said he thought he was being followed.
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he → come → attack
Lambie says Hanson hasn’t personally apologised over cartoon
Josh Taylor
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Hanson → say → cartoon
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie says the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has yet to personally apologise to her over her party’s “Please Explain” cartoon that poked fun at her medical condition, as the candidate behind the cartoon refuses to apologise.
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candidate → say → cartoon
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
