/qresearch/ -  Q Research

>>23947528

Child sex survivor's message after abuser found guilty

Tara Cosoleto - December 5 2025

Child sexual abuse victim Manny Waks has encouraged others to report their allegations to police after his abuser was found guilty of sexually assaulting him close to four decades ago.

Zev "Velvel" Serebryanski, 61, denied the three charges of indecent assault and one count of sexual penetration of a child aged between 10 and 16.

But a Victorian County Court jury on Friday afternoon returned guilty verdicts, finding he did abuse Mr Waks on one night sometime between June 1986 and June 1988.

Mr Waks, an advocate for victims of child sexual abuse in Jewish communities, has given AAP permission to identify him as the victim.

He said he had now held both his abusers - Serebryanski and convicted rapist David Cyprys - to account.

"While there has been a significant cost in pursuing justice over the decades, emotional, mental, financial, familial and in other ways, I feel grateful and blessed to be in this unique position," Mr Waks said in a statement on Friday.

"It's been well worth it, both personally and for our community."

Mr Waks encouraged others with any information on allegations of child sexual abuse to report them to the police.

"My message to victims and survivors is to please know that you're not alone. Please reach out to your support networks and look after yourselves," he said.

Prosecutor Jason Harkess told the jury Serebryanski was in his early-20s when he developed a sexual interest in Mr Waks, who was aged between 10 and 12.

They were both part of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Melbourne's southeast and they regularly attended the Yeshivah Centre.

It was at the centre on one night during the religious Shavuot festival that Serebryanski assaulted Mr Waks.

Dr Harkess told the jury Mr Waks went upstairs, away from the other men and boys who were attending the festival, and Serebryanski followed.

Serebryanski sat down on a bench next to Mr Waks and groped at his groin before pulling him into a bathroom and sexually assaulting him.

The jury was told Mr Waks blacked out during the assault and was in a state of shock and confusion when he went back home.

Mr Waks reported the abuse to police in 1996 and he confronted Serebryanski about the allegations in February 2017.

In a recorded conversation, Serebryanski told Mr Waks he never wanted to harm him, he loved him and he had only wanted to do what Mr Waks wanted.

Serebryanski's barrister Ian Hill KC told the jury his client denied any of the offending took place.

He argued Serebryanski explicitly denied in the recorded conversation that anything happened during Shavuot at the Yeshivah Centre.

Mr Hill also raised concerns over the police investigation and the fallibility of memory, given decades had passed.

The jurors retired to consider their verdict on Tuesday and returned their guilty findings on Friday afternoon.

Serebryanski will face a pre-sentence hearing in the County Court next Friday.

His bail was extended.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline (13 11 14), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) and Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800).

https://www.1800respect.org.au/

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

https://www.kidshelpline.com.au/

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9127970/child-sex-survivors-message-after-abuser-found-guilty/

>>23775923 (pb)

>>23814376 (pb)

>>23843570 (pb)

China and Russia ‘not 10-feet tall’, says spy boss Andrew Shearer

BEN PACKHAM - December 05, 2025

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Outgoing spy chief Andrew Shearer says China and Russia are “ruthless” and well-resourced, “but they are not 10 feet tall”.

The Office of National Intelligence director-general, who will soon become ambassador to Japan, said Australia’s strategic competitors faced an array of problems while Western democracies had “fundamental strengths”.

“I do not believe that the United States or the West are in terminal decline, although I do ruefully acknowledge that we give, on occasion, a reasonable impression that we might be,” he said on Friday.

“I also acknowledge that our competitors are ruthless, purposeful, well-resourced, moving with purpose and self belief, but … I still believe deeply in the fundamental strengths of our systems, our political institutions, our societies, and that, ultimately, freedom is a preferable model.”

Appearing at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue, Mr Shearer said the authoritarian regimes were enjoying some advantages over democracies in “advanced repressive technologies of different types (and) the ability to marshal resources to co-ordinate strategy”.

“All of these are advantageous in some circumstances to our adversaries,” he said.

“But they are not 10-feet tall. They have problems. The extent of corruption across China; the glaring absence of about 20 per cent of the senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party at the recent plenum; continuing corruption in the PLA; all the Russian casualties in the war with Ukraine; the medium and long term damage that’s been done to the Russian economy by running what’s now pretty well-functioning war economy.

“They are storing up massive problems for the future, and the idea that a centrally directed, repressive model is going to be more sustainable over time than our open, free systems, I reject.”

His comments are some of the most candid by an Australian official in recent memory on the threat posed by China, and come as Albanese government works to maintain its stabilised ties with Beijing.

They will be welcomed in Tokyo, where he will be posted in January, amid a vicious campaign of Chinese coercion directed at Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who warned last month that an attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military action.

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>>23951083

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Mr Shearer told the Sydney Dialogue Australia faced a new era of “global disorder”, marked by economic difficulties, sweeping technological change, and “the deep struggle between China and the United States for primacy”.

He said there was no doubt Western nations faced serious challenges, including cost-of-living pressures, productivity issues, and ageing societies.

But he said the West needed to avoid “fear and fatalism” that “can put us in a complete funk and can lead people to throw up their hands and say, ‘Well, it’s not even worth competing’.”

“That is paralysing, and that robs us of our agency, and ultimately robs us of our sovereignty.

“And complacency is equally paralysing. I think, for Australia, the key … is to bring a clear realism to the challenges we face, and a clear realism to the strengths and advantages we have as a country.”

He said these included Australia’s strategically advantageous geographical location, its energy and other natural resources, its social cohesion, and strong institutions.

“And critically, we have alliances and partnerships,” Mr Shearer said.

“Our most important strategic ally is the world’s leading power. It’s not just the world’s leading military power … it’s by far the world’s leading technological power, even though that is obviously being challenged.”

Mr Shearer said the Australia-Japan relationship was also a “critical partnership” and “if anything, is becoming even more important”.

He said another cause for optimism was the growing interest among top executives in how they could play a role in protecting the national interest.

“I think five years ago, it might have been me approaching a CEO to suggest it might be time for an update for their board on issues,” Mr Shearer said.

“But I can tell you that increasingly, CEOs from our big banks or other large Australian companies get in contact with me and say, ‘I’m having a board meeting – I’d like you to come and update us on what you’re seeing in Australia’s strategic environment’.”

His appearance at the ASPI dialogue came as the Australian Defence Force monitored a Chinese naval flotilla in the South China Sea amid fears it could head south in a repeat of February’s circumnavigation of Australia by a heavily armed PLA-Navy task group.

Australian officials are also concerned about Chinese fighter jets’ repeated aggressive encounters with RAAF surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea, while ASIO boss Mike Burgess recently warned business chiefs over Chinese sponsored hackers’ relentless efforts to infiltrate critical systems.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/china-russia-not-ten-feet-tall-spyboss-warns/news-story/01eba7bf332af273f2a0b8c3fd32cccb

>>23895400

>>23904324

>>23921130

Virginia Giuffre’s estate is ‘worth $311,000’. Where are Andrew’s millions?

Giuffre received $12 million from the disgraced former Duke of York and millions more from Epstein’s estate; now her family are at war over her will

Josie Ensor - December 04 2025

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Virginia Giuffre’s family has claimed her estate is worth just over $312,000 (£233,000), raising questions as to what happened to the $12 million in settlement money paid to her by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Giuffre, 41, died by suicide at her home in Western Australia in April without a will, igniting a bitter legal fight over assets which had been speculated to be worth as much as $22 million.

She received five settlement payouts in relation to Epstein’s sex trafficking from 2010 through to 2023, including $12 million from the former Duke of York and the late Queen Elizabeth II. Andrew has consistently denied any allegations of wrongdoing and the payment came with no admission of liability.

Despite receiving millions in compensation payments, Giuffre’s sons Christian, 19, and Noah, 18, have filed a claim in the Supreme Court of Western Australia stating that the estate is worth only A$472,000 ($312,000).

According to the newly released court documents, attorneys for Giuffre’s sons claim the estate includes an unspecified amount held in a family trust, a ranch in Neergabby near Perth, two cars, a horse, jewellery and the potential rights to royalties from Nobody’s Girl, her posthumously published memoir.

However, Giuffre’s lawyer, Karrie Louden, and her former carer and housekeeper Cheryl Myers, have filed a counterclaim suggesting the value exceeds what the sons are suggesting.

The Times has attempted to account for the millions Giuffre was rewarded and investigate what might have happened to the money.

As well as payouts from the royal family, Giuffre was awarded money through the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund in 2020. She won compensation in the range of $7 million from Ghislaine Maxwell and JP Morgan, Epstein’s bank, which paid out a total of $290 million to the late sex offender’s victims as part of a class-action lawsuit. Giuffre’s lawyers requested the details of each settlement not be disclosed as some were subject to non-disclosure agreements.

Much of Giuffre’s settlement money was believed to have been paid into the Witty River Family Trust, which was established in 2020 and lists Giuffre and her husband Robert as co-directors with equal shares. It has raised questions as to whether the millions given in compensation for alleged abuse may have been spent or transferred out of the trust to another bank account.

If a trust has co-trustees, the law usually requires unanimous decision-making unless the trust deed says otherwise. At the time Giuffre died on April 25, she was in the middle of divorce proceedings with her husband of 22 years.

In July, The Times revealed diaries and texts Giuffre sent to family and friends which alleged that Robert was “abusive” and “financially controlling” during their relationship.

In the diary she kept from January until her death, Giuffre expressed concerns that Robert would drink and gamble away money she wanted to be inherited by Christian, Noah and their teenage daughter, whose identity is being protected.

Giuffre suggested in legal documents that Robert, 49, a former mixed martial arts instructor, had not worked since 2017. She alleged in her diary that Robert had been “living off money I was awarded as a victim of trafficking”.

No representative for Robert was in court for last week’s hearing and he could not immediately be reached. He has previously said he would not comment on ongoing legal matters.

Robert did not initially seek to become an administrator of the estate when Christian and Noah did in June but had consented to their application which, if successful, would “preserve any entitlement” he had to the estate. Under Australian law, he could receive a third.

Robert has this week to decide whether he will join his sons in requesting to be made a joint administrator.

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>>23951100

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Robert and Virginia Giuffre bought a number of properties together in Australia. Land title records show that a beachfront home the family purchased in Ocean Reef, Perth, for A$1.9 million in 2021 was done so only in Robert’s name but held in the Witty River Family Trust.

The couple purchased at least three properties with the settlement money Giuffre received from Andrew in 2022, including a six-bedroom house in Heathridge for A$865,000, a five-bedroom property in the nearby suburb of Connolly for A$895,000 and the ranch in Neergabby for A$1.2 million. The ranch — where Virginia spent her final days — is the only property listed by the Giuffre brothers’ lawyers.

The reported $2.7 million contributed by the late Queen from her private Duchy of Lancaster estate is being held in escrow in a bank in the United States. That would leave about $7 million of the total $12 million settlement unaccounted for.

The family trust was managed by Lisa Foster at PwC. Giuffre wrote an email to Foster in late February in the months before her death stating she wanted her money to go to the children, with specific parameters, as well as to other family members and Myers, her housekeeper.

“If I don’t make it please don’t let Rob have any money,” Giuffre wrote in the email, which had the subject line “implied will”, first reported by The Times in July. The unsigned will is at the heart of the battle for the estate. The next hearing has been scheduled for February 13.

Louden and Myers have claimed that as well as having possession of an “informal will” from Giuffre, she had also directed them verbally multiple times to create a formal will in the weeks before she was found dead. They said they were named as a “joint institute executor of the informal will”.

They are fighting to stop Robert being automatically entitled to her money, as he would be under Australian law. The Giuffre brothers, meanwhile, reject the validity of their mother’s purported final wishes, claiming that she was not mentally fit.

They allege that she did not have “testamentary capacity” between February and her death, and that Louden and Myers sought to “take advantage” of being named as beneficiaries in the informal will.

Giuffre’s family in the US hope the court will recognise the informal will. Danny Wilson, Virginia’s 46-year-old half-brother in Texas, told The Times he and Sky wanted to stop Robert being able to “control her legacy” and honour her wishes as to her children’s inheritance. “I’m worried everything she worked for in her life will be just taken,” he said.

The next hearing has been scheduled for February 13.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/us/news-today/article/virginia-giuffre-prince-andrew-millions-family-money-5nx2vjrpj

>>23951100

Virginia Giuffre’s family ask: ‘Where are her missing millions?’

Relatives fear money given in compensation may have been spent or transferred

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Virginia Giuffre’s family have raised questions over a “significant amount of missing money” in the ongoing row over what is believed to be her multimillion-dollar estate.

Giuffre, who was 41, who is thought to have amassed an estimated $22m (£16.5m) fortune through victim compensation funds and civil lawsuit settlements relating to the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein.

This includes an estimated $12m (£9m) payment she received from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to settle a sexual abuse claim brought against him in 2022. Andrew has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

However, court documents filed in the legal battle over her estate in Australia on Friday value it at just $472,000 AUD (£233,000) – a legal threshold that dictates how assets in Australia are divided when there is no will. It may increase when more assets are discovered.

Her attorney and caregiver put the value at at least $501,000 (£240,000). It is not clear where the money has gone.

The administrators – in this case her two sons – will be responsible for ascertaining the true nature and extent of the assets and liabilities of the estate, a source involved in the dispute said.

They must then inform the court of their findings and what steps will be taken to gather those assets and preserve them.

According to the legal submissions, the estate is made up of business assets, jewellery, cars, a horse, and personal items recovered at the farm where she took her own life in Neergabby, north of Perth.

Giuffre’s family are understood to be privately concerned over the valuation of the estate and the potential that millions of dollars could be missing.

They are fighting to stop her husband, Robert Giuffre, who filed for divorce two months before she died, from receiving the money.

Giuffre claimed that her husband was controlling and, at times, banned her from being around other men.

“It’s about time that there is a spotlight on Robbie’s control over Virginia,” a source with knowledge of the proceedings told The Telegraph.

Much of Giuffre’s settlement money is thought to have been paid into the Witty River Family Trust. The trust was established in 2020 and lists Giuffre and her husband Robert as co-directors with equal shares.

If the trust had co-trustees, generally there must be unanimous decision-making about the money.

It has sparked fears that the money given in compensation may have been spent or transferred.

Mr Giuffre, a former mixed martial arts instructor, had not worked since 2017, Giuffre claimed.

Although Giuffre was separated from her husband of 22 years at the time of her death, under the state’s spousal law, he could inherit at least a third of her wealth.

Relatives and friends in Australia and the US have argued that she did not want her husband to benefit and changed her will after she accused him of domestic abuse. Her sons told a judge last Friday that they did not believe she was mentally fit enough to write a will at that time. Her husband has not commented.

He has previously been accused by Giuffre’s family members of having an erratic lifestyle.

“Hopefully, the court will order a full forensic audit of her estate” the source said, adding that if it is found that Mr Giuffre knew where the missing fortune is, “He [Robert] will certainly have some explaining to do,” the source said.

Giuffre’s younger brother, Sky Roberts, and her half-brother, Danny Wilson, have long challenged Mr Giuffre’s right to the money.

(continued)

>>23951125

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The legal argument over who should be named administrators of the estate was heard in public for the first time at the Supreme Court of Western Australia in Perth last Friday.

The sons are being challenged by Karrie Louden, one of Giuffre’s lawyers, and Cheryl Myers, her housekeeper and carer, who has described herself as being like a “second mother” to the sex abuse survivor in her final years.

The Giuffre brothers reject the validity of their mother’s purported final wishes, which she emailed an “implied will” to Lisa Foster at PwC in late February.

She stated that she wanted her money to go to the children, with specific parameters, as well as to other family members.

Inheritors stand to benefit from the potential royalties from Giuffre’s memoir Nobody’s Girl, which detailed abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of powerful men.

Mr Roberts and Mr Wilson are also said to want to assume control of her charity, Speak Out, Act, Reclaim, which Giuffre did not manage to get off the ground before she died.

Up to $3m (£2.25m) of the settlement paid by Andrew was ring-fenced for the charity and is still being held in an escrow account managed by a third party.

As well as the settlement from Andrew, Giuffre received $500,000 from Epstein in 2009.

She also received an undisclosed payment after settling a civil case with Ghislaine Maxwell in 2017.

The British socialite was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021 and is seeking a retrial to overturn the 20-year federal prison sentence she is currently serving.

Giuffre also owned four properties, including a six-bedroom seafront home in Ocean Reef, Perth, and a ranch in Neergabby.

A representative for Mr Giuffre was contacted for comment. He has previously declined to comment on allegations of domestic abuse, citing the ongoing legal action.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/12/04/virginia-giuffres-family-ask-where-missing-millions/

>>23930013

>>23939208

PM brands social media ban a success before it starts

Grace Crivellaro - 7 December 2025

Anthony Albanese has already branded Australia's world-first teen social media ban a success while admitting its rollout "won't be perfect".

The ban takes effect on Wednesday - the deadline for social media platforms to restrict users aged between 13 and 15 from accessing their accounts.

The law applies to 10 platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X, and is aimed at protecting children from online harms.

Mr Albanese said the ban was a "success already" because it has sparked conversations about social media between parents and children.

"This is a change that hasn't come from government," he told ABC's Insiders on Sunday.

"This is a change that has come from parents taking what is a personal tragedy and channelling that into wanting no other parents to go through the heartbreak they have experienced."

Labor has met repeatedly with parents including Emma Mason, the mother of 15-year-old Tilly, who took her own life after being bullied online.

Although the prime minister said the ban's rollout "won't be perfect", he compared it to liquor laws that prohibited anyone younger than 18 from buying alcohol.

"We've said very clearly that this won't be perfect, just like the chances are last night … someone under 18 got a drink in a pub," he said.

"We want kids to have the opportunity to enjoy their childhood."

Communications Minister Anika Wells, who has come under fire for her $100,000 taxpayer-funded trip to New York to spruik the laws, warned the list of banned platforms could expand.

Ms Wells defended the trip in a gruelling 25-minute interview on Sunday, stating it was within government guidelines and had been "important to win allies" for the laws.

"We have had teens lose their lives and their parents bravely give up their own time to try and see reform around the world … but we need allies for this to succeed," she told Sky News.

Several smaller apps are growing in popularity as children migrate to those not included in the ban.

They include Lemon8, which has agreed to restrict use of its app to those 16 and older as of Wednesday.

The coalition has ramped up its criticism of the ban, with Nationals leader David Littleproud unconvinced tech giants will comply.

"You've got to understand that these tech giants make a large portion of their advertising revenue from the fact that they have teenagers on their platforms," he told Sky News.

Platforms face up to $49.5 million in fines if they do not take "reasonable steps" to prevent under-16s from holding an account.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/pm-brands-social-media-ban-033852028.html

>>23930013

>>23939208

>>23951156

Tech giants forced to blur porn and violence in world-first Australian social media ban

NATASHA BITA - December 05, 2025

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Tech giants have agreed to blur online images of pornography and violence just weeks after Australia’s world-first ban on children using of social media takes effect on Wednesday.

E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has released new rules to protect children from “harmful age-inappropriate content’’, including suicide, pornography, extreme violence and eating disorders.

The industry-drafted code of conduct will require app stores, social media services, equipment providers, pornography sites and artificial intelligence services to blur pornographic or violent ­images until a user can prove they are over 18.

Apps and websites will also be required to redirect Australians seeking information ­relating to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders to appropriate mental health support services from December 27.

Ms Inman Grant said more children were accidentally seeing “lawful but awful’’ pornography and violent images. “This is about protecting our kids from accidental exposure to material they will never be able to unsee,’’ she said.

“From December 27, search engines have an obligation to blur image results of online pornography and extreme violence to protect children from this incidental exposure. Adults who wish to view that content can still click through to see it if they choose.’’

In a global test of the boundaries between censorship and child protection, Australia will bar 2.5 million children from the most popular social media platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch, Instagram and YouTube, on Wednesday – and the world will be watching.

Will it work? Can the requirement for social media companies to verify that users are at least 16 – a digital age of consent – turn back time to a more innocent and carefree childhood? It might lead to litigation and a mass meltdown of angry and anxious kids, forced to go cold-turkey on their digital addictions. And given the propensity for children to outsmart adults when it comes to technology, the ban might not be effective.

Australia is the first country to legislate fines for social media companies that fail to ensure users are 16 or older, with a ban that has caught the interest of the European Commission, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Zealand.

The ban raises concerns about fraud, privacy and identity theft, as tech companies will be able to insist that all existing users – even adults – use facial age estimation, credit card or identity checks to verify they are over the age of ­consent.

A survey by global data platform PureProfile found that 84 per cent of Australian teachers support the ban – mainly to stop bullying – yet only 20 per cent feel it will be effective. While three-quarters of parents support the ban, two-thirds reckon their kids will find ways to circumvent it.

Death threats in response to regulation

Ms Inman Grant – who has received death threats over her attempts to regulate the internet – is adamant that what she describes as a “pause’’ on children’s use of social media is for the greater good.

“Of course we know that kids are going to try and circumvent the rules,’’ she said. “The burden is on platforms to prevent kids creating fake or impostor accounts, or using VPNs for ­location-based circumvention, or using generative AI or wearing a mask or a moustache.’’

Ms Inman Grant said that “I feel for those kids in the 13 to 15 age bracket, because there is going to be a transition from having that dopamine hit taken away’’.

“The best way they’re going to be able to connect with their friends is through group messaging platforms, or in real life,’’ she said.

Ms Inman Grant addressed the European Commission about Australia’s plans on Thursday night, after the European parliament voted to pursue a similar ban, and has met ambassadors from European countries to ­explain its implementation.

“All 27 countries are keen to know how it works, and each one will roll it out slightly differently,’’ she said. “We’re the first domino.’’

A group of 11 international academics, experts in social media, mental health and technology, will review Australia’s ban over the next two years.

“We’ll be looking at everything – are our kids sleeping more?’’ Ms Inman Grant said. “Are they ­interacting interpersonally more? Are they doing more sports? Are they reading books or playing board games, are they out in the fresh air? Are they taking less medication, whether it’s Ritalin or antidepressants, and are their NAPLAN (scores) getting better? We’ll also be looking at the unintended consequences.’’

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>>23951171

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Addictive gaming algorithms

Psychologist Brad Marshall, the clinical director of Australia’s first gaming addiction clinic, has treated 2500 children for internet addictions over the past 15 years. A researcher with Macquarie University, he is adamant that the tech giants’ addictive algorithms are rewiring children’s brains by cutting their attention spans. His patients at The Screen and Gaming Disorder Clinic in Sydney are as young as seven.

“These kids are gaming for six to 14 hours a day – I’ve seen kids that have not been to school for two or three years,’’ he said.

“I’ve seen kids who sleep three or four hours a night. I’ve seen kids who haven’t exercised in years, who have low vitamin D, low bone density, low iron levels – everything that comes from being in a dark, sedentary room.

“And then there are the behavioural outbursts, which can range from being irritable to verbal anger outbursts to physically breaking stuff, physical ­assaults and police coming to the home, which is not that uncommon.’’

At the clinic, Dr Marshall can work with children for up to nine months to “literally rewire the neurological pathways in their brain’’. Alarmingly, he is also treating young adults whose ­online addictions from childhood interfere with work and study.

He has seen students drop out of university and professionals struggle to hold down a job ­because they are gaming for 10 hours a night.

For a decade, Dr Marshall fought for the dangers of online addictions to be taken seriously. “For the first 10 years of my career, people thought I was a kook,’’ he said. “But your average parent is starting to wake up to it now. Just ask any parent of a kid aged seven to 14 who games – typically on Robolox – and they will tell you about the destruction.’’

High Court case goes ahead

Despite broad support for the ban, the High Court has agreed to hear a constitutional challenge early next year.

The Digital Freedom Project – initiated by the Libertarian Party’s NSW upper house member John Ruddick – has lodged a case on behalf of 15-year-old high school students Noah Jones and Macy Neyland. In their writ of summons, the teenagers argue that the new law impinges on the implied freedom of political communication.

Mr Ruddick insists that none of the tech companies have chipped in to cover the expected $500,000 cost of litigation, although he holds out hope that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, might contribute.

“There should be a separation of state and the internet,’’ Mr Ruddick said. “We should let the internet run free. Censorship will always backfire. Kids are going to get around the ban and then they’re going to be on underground social media, with no parental supervision.’’

Advertisers cashing in on insecurities of young

When Charley Breusch was 15, she suffered from anorexia nervosa, and struggled to recover when social media algorithms kept bombarding her with posts and messages about dieting.

Now 24, Ms Breusch is about to start work as a teacher, and is pleased that a new generation of children will not fall prey to advertisers cashing in on their insecurities.

“When I was at the height of my sickness, it was providing me with my own echo chamber of negative thoughts and feelings about food,’’ she said. “It was all ‘thinspo’ – thin inspiration – showing restrictive diets.’’

Ms Breusch fears it will be “very, very challenging’’ to wean teenagers from social media, but feels the gain will be worth the pain. “I’m really hoping it will get kids to be able to connect more face-to-face, and get away from screens and the hyper-real world of social media, and actually get to experience life,’’ she said.

For decades, Danelle Einstein has been blowing the whistle on the effects of social media on children’s development, self-­esteem and anxiety.

“Social media is making them feel bad about themselves,’’ she said. “Their self-esteem is affected by those likes, shares and comments. It’s altered the way they handle their emotions.”

Dr Einstein, from Macquarie University, insists children must be able to make mistakes without an audience.

“Teens need to be protected at this age,’’ she said. “They shouldn’t have their social mistakes spread like wildfire, and they should learn how to do things without there being a performative element.

“Australia is taking the first step in calling out the harms. I think the 10-year-olds who are not on social media yet are going to be protected because their parents are now much more aware of what’s going on. This will protect the children coming through.’’

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/tech-giants-forced-to-blur-porn-and-violence-in-worldfirst-australian-social-media-ban/news-story/5ff5b98c8c63e9ab5552b93a46ced8b8

>>23947408

>>23947426

>>23947465

US allies that don’t step up ‘will face consequences’, Hegseth warns on eve of AUSMIN

Michael Koziol - December 7, 2025

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Washington: US allies that fail to increase defence spending and contribute to collective defence will face consequences, while those that step up will receive “special favour”, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said as he outlined the Trump administration’s approach to the Indo-Pacific.

Speaking at a major defence summit as Australian ministers fly to Washington for talks, Hegseth said the US did not seek confrontation in the region but a “balance of power” where all countries’ interests were respected.

That meant “respecting China’s historic military buildup”, while also being positioned strongly enough to deny any aggression, including along the First Island Chain.

“We’re not trying to strangle China’s growth, we’re not trying to dominate or humiliate them. Nor are we trying to change the status quo over Taiwan,” he told the Ronald Reagan National Defence Forum in California. “Our interests in the Indo-Pacific are significant, but also scoped and reasonable.”

The summit’s annual survey also found most Americans - 60 per cent, up from 48 per cent last year - support committing US forces to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion.

Hegseth’s speech came less than 48 hours before he is due to meet Defence Minister Richard Marles for annual AUSMIN talks in Washington, along with Foreign Minister Penny Wong and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The secretary – who faced a difficult week amid accusations he presided over a war crime against survivors of a US attack on a suspected drug boat - reiterated the Trump administration’s call for US allies to lift their defence expenditure to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product.

This was the “new global standard”, Hegseth said, and noted South Korea had pledged to join NATO members in reaching that number as soon as possible. He did not single out Australia but said: “We are optimistic that other Indo-Pacific allies will follow suit.”

“Model allies that step up - like Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, the Baltics and others will receive our special favour,” Hegseth told the Reagan conference. “Allies that do not - allies that still fail to do their part for collective defence – will face consequences.”

The US under Trump sought “real partnerships and alliances based on hard power, not just flags and fancy conferences”, he said. “Our allies are not children. They are nations capable of doing far more for themselves than they have. It’s time they stand up, and they are.”

(continued)

>>23951246

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The speech comes two days after the White House released its broad National Security Strategy, with sweeping changes for how the world is seen and dealt with by Washington.

It included a warning that Europe faced “civilisational erasure” from mass migration and the loss of national sovereignty, as well as a new focus on the US’s own backyard, the Western Hemisphere, and a revival of the so-called Monroe Doctrine.

In the Indo-Pacific, the document treated Australia differently to Japan and South Korea. While they were told they “must” increase defence spending, on Australia and Taiwan the US would only “maintain our determined rhetoric” on higher expenditure.

That reflects the attitude of President Donald Trump when he met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October. Asked about Australia’s defence spending, which is less than 3 per cent of GDP, Trump was relaxed, saying, “You can only do so much.”

The Albanese government argues that, rather than the official Treasury figure of 2 per cent, it actually spends about 2.8 per cent of GDP on defence, using the same formula as NATO.

Trump also emphatically committed to honouring the AUKUS defence pact, including the sale of three US nuclear-powered submarines to Australia starting in 2032.

US lagging on military production

But at Saturday’s (Sunday AEDT) Reagan forum in Simi Valley, California, senior administration and military officials spoke about the ongoing difficulty of ramping up US military production, including the Virginia-class submarines Australia expects to receive.

“Coming back into office, the thing I’ve been blown away by is how far behind we are on these programs,” said Trump’s director of the US Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought.

“I don’t know how many times we’ve said we want more Virginia submarines and ships built. So, it’s not just market demand, it’s execution at these companies to be able to make their contracts and stay on time.”

Admiral Daryl Caudle, who told Congress in July that the US was not making enough submarines to honour AUKUS commitments, said there was no shortcut to increase shipbuilding to the level required.

“Moving the tool chest closer, giving [workers] an iPad - that’s not going to give me the 100 per cent increase I need,” he told the Reagan conference. “I’ve got a capacity issue that needs to be addressed.”

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/us-allies-that-don-t-step-up-will-face-consequences-hegseth-warns-on-eve-of-ausmin-20251207-p5nlhi.html

>>23930013

>>23939208

>>23951156

Christmas unplugged: Australian teen social media ban brings holiday headspace woes

Byron Kaye and Cordelia Hsu - December 8, 2025

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SYDNEY, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Sydney teenager Ayris Tolson believes the start of her first summer holiday under Australia's youth social media ban will be relatively easy as she spends time with family, but as the weeks drift by, she fears being alone and isolated.

From December 10, Australia will impose a world-first social media ban on under-16s, blocking them from TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram.

More than one million under-16s will lose their accounts and nine days later break for the long December-to-January holidays when most of Australia shuts down until February.

"You're basically isolated for about six weeks during the school holidays," Tolson, 15, told Reuters. "As it continues on, I will probably feel more attached to social media. It's not such a good time."

Mental health experts say a rollout right before the longest school holiday of the year may worsen the shock for teenagers who rely on the technology for socialisation and won't have the grounding routines, or institutional supports, of school.

The cold turkey effect of no school and no socials will be especially pronounced for children in remote locations or minority groups like migrants and LGBTQI+ people, who lean more on the internet for connection with like-minded people, the experts say.

No quantitative studies show how many Australians under 16 use social media to access mental health services, but a 2024 survey by youth service ReachOut.com found 72% of those aged 16-25 use it to seek mental health advice and nearly half use it to find professional help.

"If you were at school, there would have been a lot of conversation and chatter around it; it's a shared experience," said Nicola Palfrey, head of clinical leadership at headspace, a government-funded youth mental health service.

"If you've got more time on your hands and you're in your head quite a bit, if you're feeling quite anxious or worried or sad, that's the sort of thing where time alone with your thoughts is not ideal. It's those people that are starting to feel concerned."

The Australian government has pitched the ban - which threatens platforms with a fine up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) - as beneficial to mental health since it will protect young people from bullying, harmful content and addictive algorithms.

At a conference this month, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said some young people in marginalised groups "feel more themselves online than they do in the real world", and should visit various exempted online spaces including those run by headspace.

The government will collect two years of data following the ban on its "benefits, but also the unintended consequences", she said.

(continued)

>>23954828

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YOUTH SERVICES READY FOR INCREASE IN CASES

Already the timing - a byproduct of when the law passed through parliament - is prompting changes in youth services which rely on social media to reach young people.

Kids Helpline, a telephone and online service, typically experiences a lull over the summer. This year, it is training 16 additional counsellors, an increase of 10%, for a possible deluge of referrals due to the social media ban, said its head of virtual services Tony FitzGerald.

School-related stress typically eases over holidays, but "with young people being disconnected from being able to communicate, potentially, with each other on these platforms, that may actually increase anxiety", he said.

"We'll be making sure that we've got adequate counselling resources available to support that surge."

Lauren Frost, head of policy for the Youth Affairs Council Victoria, said she was getting so many inquiries from youth organisations about how to function without social media, she was planning a new national body to discuss reaching young people offline. But over the holidays, even offline options will be in short supply.

"The interaction that young people have with teachers or support staff or youth workers will be less, so they won't be able to play that role of supporting young people through this time of transition," Frost said.

"They're feeling a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety."

At Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, a clinic treating addiction to gaming and social media will monitor for an uptick of presentations over the holidays, said its head of mental health and addiction services Daniela Vecchio.

Annie Wang, 14, said she uses various social media apps but wasn't too worried about the ban because she did most of her communicating on Discord, which is exempt since its main purpose is messaging.

For those without Discord, she said: "They're basically just shut off from everyone, and they will be probably inside all of the school holidays, which is not good".

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/christmas-unplugged-australian-teen-social-media-ban-brings-holiday-headspace-2025-12-08/

>>23954839

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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson welcomed Mr Joyce’s decision.

“I have always been very straightforward about asking Mr Joyce to join our team, and on making it clear this was always his decision,” Senator Hanson said in a statement on Monday.

“I am pleased he’s chosen One Nation, and I welcome his experience, his advice and his determination to get a fair go for farmers and regional Australia.

“Mr Joyce strengthens One Nation’s position in parliament just as many Australians are strengthening our position in the polls.

“One Nation’s support is growing across the country.

“Voters are looking for leadership on the issues which matter to them, like getting rid of net zero and Labor’s record immigration.

“Voters know exactly where I stand on these issues, and in recent weeks I think Mr Joyce has been very clear where he stands too.”

Senator Hanson added One Nation’s commitment to abandon net zero, exit the Paris Agreement and focus on lowering power bills had been “an important factor in Mr Joyce’s decision”.

“I look forward to working with Mr Joyce and One Nation’s Senate team as we continue to expose and oppose the Albanese Labor government’s agenda,” she said.

Nationals leader David Littleproud criticised Mr Joyce for his “disappointing” decision, saying the New England MP had turned his back on his electorate.

“One Nation is a party of protest, not a party of government,” he said.

“Our regional representatives need to be able to get things done in government and that can only happen as part of a Coalition.

“Today, Barnaby’s decision breaks the contract he made with the people of New England at the 2025 Federal Election.

“It is disappointing for the people of New England and disappointing for the loyal National Party members who worked day and night volunteering to support him.”

The Nationals had supported Mr Joyce through his “darkest moments”, Mr Littleproud added.

“Barnaby has chosen to turn his back on The Nationals and on his electorate and instead join a party of protest, which is never able to achieve anything other than headlines.

“I have never had a personal issue or problem with Barnaby Joyce. This issue is about Barnaby wanting to be the Leader of a party.”

He said the Nationals would continue to fight for “real outcomes” for local communities.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/former-nationals-mp-barnaby-joyce-defects-to-one-nation/news-story/6356a5d6d40a53d3e7a1de37ff2bcff7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRLV3nHs-Nc

>>23934651

>>23947408

>>23947465

>>23951246

US piles fresh pressure on Australia over military spending

BEN PACKHAM - 7 December 2025

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Australia will face renewed ­pressure to increase its defence budget during high-level talks in Washington this week after the White House pledged a “determined” ­effort to get Canberra to spend more to help deter conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet US counterparts Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio for the nations’ annual AUSMIN talks on Monday, local time, with concerns over China and critical minerals set to top the agenda.

The trip comes days after the Trump administration released its national security strategy, warning the US would no longer tolerate “free-riding” on American power. It said the US expected its allies to spend “far more” of their GDP on defence, adding that “in our dealings with Taiwan and Australia we maintain our determined rhetoric on increased defence spending”.

“The days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over,” the strategy said.

Mr Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, underscored the message in a speech on Saturday, saying NATO countries had agreed to spend 5 per cent of their GDP on defence, and the Trump administration wanted to apply the standard to its allies across the world. “In a few years, thanks to President (Donald) Trump’s visionary leadership, we will have our allies – which include some of the wealthiest and most productive countries in the world – once again fielding combat credible militaries and more state-revived defence industrial industries,” he said.

The strategy says the US’s primary strategic focus will be on preventing war in the Indo-­Pacific and warns Beijing that America “cannot allow any nation to become so dominant that it could threaten our interests”.

The renewed defence funding push comes after the US President gave Anthony Albanese some breathing room on the issue in their October meeting at the White House, declaring: “I’d always like more, but they have to do what they have to do. You can only do so much.”

The Prime Minister has declared Australia will decide its own defence budget, while indicating a potential increase in military funding next year from the current 2 per cent of GDP.

The AUSMIN talks come amid intense pressure on Mr Hegseth, who faces war-crimes allegations over an alleged “double tap” strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, in which two survivors of the first strike were killed by the second, and adverse findings that he put US personnel at risk by sharing sensitive military details on an unclassified system.

The meeting will aim to bed down the nations’ recent critical minerals deal and follows the Pentagon’s endorsement of the AUKUS pact in its recently completed “America First” review of the submarine program.

Mr Marles will discuss proposed improvements to AUKUS and “critical deadlines” that must be met at a trilateral meeting with Mr Hegseth and British Defence Secretary John Healey on ­Wednesday.

He will fly to the US from Japan, where he expressed concern during a meeting with counterpart Koizumi Shinjiro over the actions of a Chinese fighter jet a day earlier that locked its fire-control radar on Japanese aircraft in international airspace.

Mr Marles said Australian aircraft had experienced similar incidents in encounters with the PLA-Air Force and vowed to work with Japan to counter such conduct.

“We understand that there will be interactions between our respective defence forces and indeed the defence forces of China, but our absolute expectation is that those interactions are safe and are professional,” he said. “And we will continue to stand with Japan in working with Japan to assert the rules-based order in this region, and we will do it resolutely.”

Mr Marles and Mr Koisumi agreed to meet annually with their defence and intelligence chiefs for new enhanced bilateral consultations.

(continued)

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The Chinese jet’s actions represented a serious military threat, signalling the Japanese F-15s that they were about to come under attack. Relations between the nations have sunk to their lowest level in years after Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned last month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military action.

Japan’s former top diplomat in Australia Shingo Yamagami last week accused the Albanese government of failing to publicly support his country after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened Ms Takaichi.

“If you stick that filthy neck where it doesn’t belong, it’s going to get sliced off,” China’s consul-general in Osaka, Xue Jian, declared.

Mr Marles did not specifically mention Ms Takaichi, but said Australia and Japan were closer partners than ever. “There is no country in the world today with whom we are more strategically aligned than Japan,” he said.

The new US security strategy confirms the US’s commitment to working with Australia, Japan and India through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which has been strained by the White House’s punishing tariffs against New Delhi and its embrace of Pakistan. It says it will also seek Australia’s help, together with other nations, to help reset the world’s trade relationship with China by encouraging Beijing to focus on domestic consumption rather than exporting its “enormous excess capacity”.

This year’s AUSMIN talks were due to be hosted by Australia but Mr Hegseth and Mr Rubio were unable to travel.

Mr Marles said: “Australia’s Alliance with the United States is fundamental to our national security, built on our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. AUSMIN is an invaluable forum to set the strategic direction for the Alliance, including on defence and security. I look forward to advancing our strong defence partnership, including through AUKUS and our longstanding US Force Posture Initiatives in Australia.”

Senator Wong said Australia and the US were “working to shape the Indo-Pacific for the better”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/us-piles-fresh-pressure-on-australia-over-military-spending/news-story/9cb44658fa06ce4f3020d13f3b9357e4

>>23954857

Beijing plays victim after harassing Japanese planes

WILL GLASGOW - 8 December 2025

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Beijing has accused the Japanese government of “misleading the international community” after Tokyo called out “dangerous conduct” by a Chinese J-15 fighter jet as the relationship between East Asia’s two biggest powers continues to deteriorate.

The latest incident saw Chinese People’s Liberation fighter aircraft at the weekend twice train fire-control radar on Japanese military jets in a two-hour period.

After Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles called the Chinese actions “concerning” and said Australia would “continue to stand with Japan”, Beijing tried to cast Tokyo as the aggressor.

“The facts are very clear: the greatest risk to maritime and air security lies in the frequent close-in reconnaissance and interference by Japanese fighter jets against China’s normal military activities,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said.

“Japan’s hype … is a distortion of the truth, an attempt to shift blame, an attempt to escalate tensions, and a misleading of the international community – all with ulterior motives.

“China firmly opposes this. We strongly urge Japan to immediately cease its dangerous actions that disrupt China’s normal military exercises and training activities, and to stop all irresponsible hype and political manipulation,” the spokesman said. Beijing added that it had “rejected” Japan’s diplomatic complaints about the military encounter “on the spot” and “lodged counter-representations”.

The Chinese government’s strong push back to public criticism about its military personnel follows the approach it has repeatedly used when challenged by the Australian government about the People’s Liberation Army’s conduct.

Speaking later, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the incident was “extremely unfortunate” .

“We strongly protested to China and demanded measures to prevent any recurrence,” Ms Takaichi said in an interview with Japan’s TBS News.

“We will respond calmly and firmly,” she said.

Speaking on Sunday at a joint press conference with Mr Marles, Japan’s Defence Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, said the Chinese pilots had engaged in “dangerous ­conduct”.

At the same press conference, Australia’s Defence Minister also called out China’s military conduct.

“We are deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours. Australia and Japan work together to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Mr Marles said. “We understand that in the process of that, there will be inter­actions between different defence forces, but we expect those ­interactions to be safe and professional.

“And we will continue to stand with Japan in working with Japan to assert the rules-based order in this region, and we will do it resolutely,” he said.

(continued)

>>23954869

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For more than a month, Beijing has waged a pressure campaign on the new Japanese Prime Minister after she made comments indicating her government would consider a Chinese attack on Taiwan a “survival-threatening situation”.

In response, China’s government has resumed a ban on Japanese seafood, blocked Chinese tourists from travelling to Japan and threatened a severe military response if Tokyo gets involved in what it maintains are its “internal affairs”. Beijing continues to make near daily demands that the ­Japanese Prime Minister “retract” the remark.

In an apparent new prong in its campaign, a Chinese fighter jet on Saturday twice locked radar on two Japanese F-15s in a two-hour period while flying over what Tokyo said were international ­waters near Okinawa, in Japan’s southwest. Beijing disputed Tokyo’s account and accused Japanese jets of disrupting air training by Chinese pilots.

The incident came amid reports that Tokyo has been frustrated by the lack of public support given to the new Japanese Prime Minister by the Trump administration.

Beijing is meanwhile running a vigorous propaganda campaign, portraying Japan as a militant ­society with expansive regional ambitions as it tries to isolate the new Prime Minister.

Vladimir Putin’s Russia has lent support, with Moscow and Beijing last week pledging to “firmly safeguard the fruits of the victory in World War II” and “firmly push back the attempt to revive Fascism and Japanese militarism”. Before flying to Washington to meet with his US counterpart, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister made it clear that Canberra rejected Beijing’s claims that the contemporary Japanese state was a source of threat.

“Japan’s growing presence in our region and indeed in the world, from an Australian point of view, is deeply welcome,” said Mr Marles, adding that Australia supported the “defence and security reforms” taking place in Japan.

“When we are working more closely with Japan, we feel safer as a nation,” he added.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/beijing-plays-victim-after-harassing-japanese-planes/news-story/5b04568e269fcde7904ac2752f213405

>>23954894

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Luke Twyford, chair of the Child Death Review Board, said there were 18 chances where Griffith’s actions could have been detected by authorities, adding that he was dismissed from jobs at five childcare centres.

“Parents went to police, only to be told that there was insufficient evidence for a crime. Parents went to the child protection system, only to be told that they were the parents and that they were acting protectively,” he said.

“This is not someone that escaped all eyes or visibility. Children spoke about him, parents spoke up about him, colleagues and centre managers spoke up about him.

“He was dismissed from his employment on more than five occasions. He had police investigations into his conduct [and] early childhood regulatory investigations into his conduct.

“And none of that made a difference. This man was ultimately caught because he uploaded photos to the dark net when he was living in Italy. There is something wrong with our system.”

Premier David Crisafulli said “the system failed these kids right across the board”, but rebuffed questions about whether police inaction would be investigated further.

“I’ve seen commentary from Queensland Police and the AFP that there’s an acceptance of the need to do better, and that’s what you want,” Crisafulli said.

The 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended a reportable conduct scheme. That was not passed by the state Labor government until June 2024.

The scheme will not begin until 2026.

Twyford said 40,000 organisations in Queensland were preparing for the reportable conduct scheme to begin next July.

“It requires them to train and put in place policies and procedures around how they will all receive and investigate reportable conduct allegations. They will then need to report it to the Queensland Family and Child Commission,” he said.

The review found Queensland’s Blue Card system was operating as intended, but it recommends it be joined with the reportable conduct scheme under one entity.

“[So] that the people that receive concerns sit beside the people that decide who’s safe to work with children,” Twyford said.

Griffith is currently appealing his sentence.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/queensland-s-worst-childcare-paedophile-could-have-been-caught-five-times-report-finds-20251208-p5nlon.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgxjwJZu5nk

https://www.qfcc.qld.gov.au/board/system-responses-to-child-sexual-abuse

https://qresear.ch/?q=Ashley+Paul+Griffith

https://qresear.ch/?q=Ashley+Griffith

>>23954894

Ashley Paul Griffith: The 13 defining moments that could have stopped Queensland’s worst paedophile

Courtney Kruk - December 8, 2025

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WARNING: This story contains details of child sexual abuse.

It was rightly described as a harrowing read.

A 516-page report examining the systematic failures that allowed one of Australia’s worst paedophiles, Ashley Paul Griffith, to commit hundreds of acts of child sexual abuse across dozens of Queensland childcare centres over a 20-year period.

Nearly as shocking as the abuse itself, inflicted upon children aged between one and nine, were the instances, detailed throughout the report by the Child Death Review Board, where parents and educators disclosed their concerns to employers, police and government agencies as far back as 2009.

Queensland Family and Child Commission chief executive and chair of the Child Death Review Board Luke Twyford said they were shocked to find 18 points where the offending could have been detected or disrupted earlier, including 13 outcome-defining events that enabled him to remain undetected.

These are just some of those defining moments.

2009: The ‘mean man’

The first known formal complaint about Griffith dates back to October 2009, when the parent of a child, aged between two and three, reported to the Queensland Police Service and the Office for Early Childhood Education and Care, the predecessor of the Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (ECRA), that their child had complained that a “mean man” named “Ashley” hurt them during nappy changes.

The child told their parent that Griffith changed their nappy when he didn’t need to and when other staff were outside, and described being held close to Griffith’s hips, causing a pain that “felt like a nail being hammered into [their] back”.

The parent told police they had previously notified the centre’s director that their child did not like the man changing their nappy or pants, and detailed behaviour changes including separation anxiety, bed-wetting and refusing to go to the toilet – prevalent indicators of child abuse.

The report found the police delayed interviewing the child, did not identify Griffith as the suspect, and recorded his name in the QPS’s management system as “Ashleigh” despite being written in the statement as “Ashley”.

2015: Access denied

The AFP first attempted to identify Griffith in 2015 by linking the then-unknown predator to bedsheets spotted in abuse material that had appeared on the dark web.

Investigators asked the bedding supplier to help track down where these images were taken, but they were “not forthcoming” with the information.

Seven years later, in 2022, that same bit of crucial evidence – the bedsheets – was ultimately how a specialist taskforce of Queensland and Australian Federal Police were able to identify the childcare centre Griffith worked and he was arrested at his home on the Gold Coast within 24 hours of the link being made.

2018: “I’m going to smack your bottom”

A parent interviewed by the board spoke about a complaint lodged with a centre that employed Griffith for four weeks between July and August 2018, after witnessing him threaten to smack a child.

When Griffith noticed the parent had heard his comments – recorded as “you better bring your bag back here or I’m going to smack your bottom” – he reportedly looked wide-eyed and guilty, and said he wouldn’t have actually smacked the child.

The parent said their initial attempts to make a complaint were met “aggressively” by the centre’s director/owner, and they later learned the child’s parents were never informed of the incident. No further action was taken by the centre, despite legislation requiring them to notify ECRA of the complaint.

Griffith’s employment was terminated during his four-week probation period.

(continued)

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2018: A change of clothes

In September of the same year, Griffith was employed at a centre for three weeks and again had his employment terminated during his probation period, though the reasons were not recorded.

During interviews with ECRA in 2025, the centre’s management said his employment was terminated because he was a poor fit with the centre, lacked engagement with staff and children, and failed to follow best practice by having children sit on his lap. These concerns were not available in documents requested by the Child Death Review Board.

A parent reportedly told the centre during Griffith’s brief employment that “something about [the offender] made her feel uneasy” and requested that her concerns were recorded and investigated.

They also shared two incidents, discussed with centre staff, including one occasion where their daughter could not be located during pick-up, and another when their daughter had been changed into spare clothes.

The child was later identified as a victim-survivor of Griffith. No records relating to any of the parent’s concerns were located. During the making of the report, the centre told the review that the comments did not meet the threshold for a reportable complaint under national law.

2019: ‘Yesterday was a tough day’

Records show numerous issues identified during Griffith’s employment at a centre between February and December 2019, including that he filed late or incomplete documentation, showed favouritism towards certain children, and used his personal camera to take photos and videos of children.

In a report filed to the centre by a parent in August, details emerged of an incident where Griffith grabbed a boy’s arm and squeezed it hard, with the child telling their parent “yesterday was a tough day”. Management gave Griffith the option to resign, take leave or complete behaviour training. He opted for the latter.

The incident of physical harm was never reported to ECRA.

2021: ‘I saw something’

At a centre where Griffith was employed between December 2019 and April 2022, enrolments dropped drastically, with the centre operating at between 24 and 47 per cent capacity. Feedback from potential families indicated interactions with Griffith were the reason they did not continue with enrolment.

The report considered that Griffith strategically kept enrolment numbers low to reduce supervision and create opportunities for abuse.

In October 2021, another educator complained they saw Griffith kiss a five-year-old child during rest time. The incident was reported to ECRA and the QPS and the centre launched an investigation. It found evidence of grooming behaviours such as lying down with children, tickling and touching, and being “extremely affectionate”.

Despite this, police did not pursue the complaint and Griffith returned to work, where he was reportedly hostile to the staff member who reported his behaviour. They later resigned over his continued employment.

Griffith eventually pleaded guilty to offences against the child he had been seen kissing.

(continued)

>>23954933

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2021: ‘…Over or under your undies?’

In December 2021, a parent complained to a centre where Griffith worked that their child had disclosed being touched under her underwear during rest time by a female teacher.

Griffith handled the complaint and reported it to ECRA, who subsequently reported it to QPS. Following a QPS interview with the child, it was determined that the teacher had patted her “front bottom” as an accident. The parents were satisfied with the investigation’s findings and did not pursue the matter further.

After Griffith was arrested, he confessed that the child may have confused the female teacher with him. He was later convicted of offences against the child.

2021: It’s a match

In 2021, six years after detectives first tried to locate Griffith through bedsheets viewed in abuse materials, the AFP was provided with detailed customer records from the previous owners of a bedding supplier. The list included individuals and childcare centres who had purchased the sheets, but did not include sales made to the centre where the abuse occurred.

The centre was identified the following year during a review of a customer list previously provided to the AFP in 2018. It was a visit to one of the childcare centres on that list that led to Griffith’s arrest.

2022: ‘He touched my private parts’

Griffith worked two relief shifts at a centre in April 2022. The centre later asked the agency not to send Griffith back after a supervisor reported feeling uncomfortable with him. She was allegedly accused of “being sexist”.

Griffith was sent back to the same centre, a move questioned by the supervisor. Despite the briefness of his shifts, he reportedly developed a “quick relationship” with one of the children, who wanted to sit next to him during lunchtime.

The parent of this child later informed the centre that, after Griffith’s second shift, their child had disclosed being touched on the private parts by Griffith during rest time. The parents reported the incident to police, and the supervisor reported to ECRA.

Despite the child telling police Griffith had touched her bottom, and police receiving a more detailed video account of the incident from the parent, Griffith was never interviewed. It was later determined there was not enough evidence to meet the threshold for proving an offence.

ECRA did not conduct an investigation into the report and the employment agency continued to place Griffith in centres despite their knowledge of the complaint.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline (13 11 14), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) and Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800).

https://www.1800respect.org.au/

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

https://www.kidshelpline.com.au/

https://www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/the-13-defining-moments-that-could-have-stopped-our-worst-paedophile-20251208-p5nlqt.html

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-08/qld-ashley-paul-griffith-child-death-review-board/106113728

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-08/how-ashley-paul-griffith-could-have-been-stopped/106116080

https://qanon.pub/#1735

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Mr Hegseth outlined the force posture initiatives taking place with Australia, noting that both nations were “working on defence industrial co-operation.”

“First on force posture initiatives, we are upgrading the infrastructure on air bases in Queensland and the Northern Territory – that allows for additional US bomber rotations,” he said. “We are upgrading logistics and infrastructure in Darwin so more US marines can do rotational deployments and pre-positioning MV-22 Ospreys. This establishes new and resilient logistics networks across Australia.”

“We are deepening our co-operation on the defence industrial base; co-operation on guided weapons production and future capabilities; two-year road maps on Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise; ground breaking co-operative actions on things like GMLRS (Guided Missile Launch Rocket Systems); precision strike missiles,” he said. “And we are working toward co-production and co-sustainment of hypersonic attack cruise missiles; co-sustainment air-to-air missiles; co-operative programs across the board including Mark 54 torpedoes.”

Senator Wong said the work done together by Australia and America was “indispensable to a peaceful stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

She described America as Australia’s “principal ally and our principal strategic partner” and noted that both nations were together navigating volatility while investing in one another and the stability of the Indo Pacific region.

Senator Wong said that Australia’s approach to the alliance had always been to ensure its benefits delivered for both US and Australia, adding that AUKUS was “critical to that” endeavour.

“We welcome President Trump’s statement ‘we are full steam ahead,’” she said.

Mr Marles said that Australia’s relationship with the United States was the “most important relationship that we have” and described the ANZUS alliance as the cornerstone of Australian strategic and foreign policy.

“We are living in a much more contested world,” he said. “It really matters to be doubling down with friends and allies – obviously America is front and centre.”

Mr Marles said that the US President had provided the “motto” for the AUSMIN talks by ensuring it was “full steam ahead” with the AUKUS agreement.

“It is very much full steam ahead in terms of the alliance, in terms of progress on AUKUS, in preparing ourselves for the establishment of Submarine Rotational Force West by the end of 2027. That is a significant moment in the journey of AUKUS.”

He said there had been an increased number of visits of US nuclear powered submarines to Australia “including the USS Vermont which has been at HMAS Stirling over the last six weeks or so where it’s undergone the most extensive maintenance that a US nuclear submarine has undertaken outside of the United States.”

Mr Marles said it was “so important going forward to make very clear in our region that Australia and America stand side-by-side and working together to contribute to the peace and security of the Indo Pacific.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/aukus-to-go-full-steam-ahead-washington-vows/news-story/d26c897f0722931172eca79a5b38ccca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNIUonUU_xk

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Day of ‘reckoning’ as Jacinta Allan apologises to Aboriginal citizens

PAIGE TAYLOR and LILY MCCAFFREY - 9 December 2025

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Victorian Labor Premier Jacinta Allan’s sweeping apology to Aboriginal people covers the state’s actions and inactions, “the colony that came before it” and an apology to those who did not live to hear her say it.

In a lengthy statement in the Victorian parliament on Tuesday, Ms Allan described the new statewide treaty legislation as a negotiation between equals and said: “Today this parliament becomes a place of reckoning.”

Ms Allan’s apology was endorsed in the lower house on Tuesday morning by all Labor MPs, Greens and independent Will Fowles.

All Nationals and Liberal MPs in the lower house opposed it, although new Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said this was a policy disagreement about the best method to reduce disadvantage, not a dispute that the disadvantage existed.

Ms Wilson issued a short apology on behalf of the opposition.

“To all Aboriginal Victorians listening today, I say this plainly: I see the injustice in our history. I see the disadvantage that still exists today, and I am determined that we must do better,” Ms Wilson said.

“We accept that this parliament and governments past has authored laws and policies that have hurt and caused injustice and disadvantage to Aboriginal Victorians. And for that, we say sorry.”

Ms Allan’s statement is an agreed element of the Statewide Treaty Bill that has passed both houses of state parliament and will become law on Friday.

The Premier evoked the memory of Kevin Rudd’s memorable 2008 apology to the Stolen Generation, when he famously repeated the phrase “we say sorry” three times in a short, powerful statement of fewer than 200 words.

While Mr Rudd’s apology was for the pain caused by past child removal policies that targeted Aboriginal children, Ms Allan’s apology was much broader and longer. She said sorry 14 times for a range of past wrongs. She said “better futures for many came at the expense of others”.

“To all the First Peoples in the gallery today, and to every community across this state – we say sorry,” Ms Allan said.

“For the laws, the policies and the decisions of this parliament and those that came before it – laws that took land, removed children, broke families, and tried to erase culture – we say sorry.

“For the tears shed in the dark, for the silence that shadowed their years, and for the childhood taken, never to return – for the Stolen Generations – we say sorry.

“For the violence committed under the banner of the state, and the colony that came before it, and for the neglect that allowed it to continue without consequence – we say sorry.

“For the laws that criminalised culture and punished survival — we say sorry.

“For the wealth built on lands and waters taken without consent, while First Peoples were locked out of the prosperity it created – we say sorry.

“For the silencing of language, and the erasure of words that carried knowledge older than the State itself – we say sorry. The loss of those languages is a loss for us all, for they held truths about this ancient land that we may now never fully understand.

“For the forced removal of families to missions and reserves, where culture was controlled, movement restricted and identity denied – we say sorry.

“For the policies that stripped First Peoples of the right to move freely, to marry without permission, to work for fair wages, or to live with dignity on their own land – we say sorry.

“For the laws and policies which removed First Peoples from their lands and allowed the sale of sacred sites without consent – we say sorry.

“For the laws that filled institutions disproportionately with First Peoples and made this seem ordinary – we say sorry.

“For the harm that was done, and for the harm that continues – we say sorry, with the resolve to work with you to address injustice in all its guises.”

(continued)

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In her reply to the apology, Ms Wilson said it was different to the one issued in state parliament by Jeff Kennett in 1997 because he had worked with then opposition leader John Brumby on a set of words that both sides of politics could support. Mr Kennett’s apology was to Aboriginal families for the removal of children under past policies.

Ms Wilson said it was sad that John Howard’s words at the opening of the 1997 Australian Reconciliation Convention remained true.

“He noted it cannot seriously be argued that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not, as a group, profoundly disadvantaged. Sadly, almost three decades on, the truth of this statement remains largely unchanged,” she said.

“I emphasise that the policy difference is a matter of approach, not a dispute on the substance of the issue, which is that governments have a responsibility to do more, much more to address Indigenous disadvantage and empower Indigenous communities.

“And there are meaningful steps that can be taken without delay.

“We must … improve attendance and learning outcomes for Indigenous children in our schools. We must invest in improving health outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians. We must implement diversionary programs to keep Indigenous youth out of the justice system, and we must empower Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to secure funding and genuine decision making authority.

“And we must act to create job readiness programs to effectively participation for Indigenous people. Speaker. Good intentions matter, but so too did good outcomes. Actions matter.”

The statewide treaty bill makes an expanded First Peoples Assembly of Victoria into a legislated voice to advise government, though the body will not be called a voice.

Its advice will not be binding, but it will have some powers including the authority to set standards to test who is and is not Aboriginal.

This comes amid widespread concern inside Victoria’s Aboriginal communities that a person can apply for a government job intended for an Aboriginal person on the strength of their own affidavit.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/indigenous/day-of-reckoning-as-jacinta-allan-apologises-to-aboriginal-citizens/news-story/57e652616cbcd9655fd70a69f676acce

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Chinese envoy Xiao Qian blasts Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi over Taiwan call

BEN PACKHAM - 8 December 2025

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Beijing’s top diplomat in Australia has sought to drive a wedge between Canberra and Tokyo, casting Japan as an aggressive power after the country’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, warned a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response.

In an opinion piece for The Australian, China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, accuses Ms Takaichi of refusing to accept Japan’s defeat in World War II and of seeking to revive Japanese “militarism”.

Mr Xiao also claims Taiwan “is an inalienable part of Chinese territory”, without acknowledging the island has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, and that neither Japan nor Australia accepts Beijing’s position that Taiwan should come under mainland rule.

The article follows an opinion piece by former Japanese ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, who challenged the Albanese government to publicly stand up for Ms Takaichi in the face of a vicious Chinese campaign directed at the Japanese leader.

It comes just days after Defence Minister Richard Marles declared in Tokyo that Australia and Japan had “never been more strategically aligned” and condemned the actions of a Chinese fighter jet that locked its fire-control radar on Japanese aircraft in international airspace.

Ms Takaichi declared last month under questioning in Japan’s parliament that a conflict over Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” under the country’s constitution, prompting mobilisation of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces in support of the self-governed territory. The comment prompted a furious backlash from Beijing. “If you stick that filthy neck where it doesn’t belong, it’s going to get sliced off,” Xue Jian, China’s consul-general in Osaka, declared.

Mr Xiao adds his voice to the torrent of Chinese criticism, declaring: “Takaichi’s remarks blatantly break Japan’s fundamental commitment to a path of peace and seek to exploit populism to revive militarism. The Taiwan question is merely the lever that has been chosen to advance this dangerous agenda.

“People who cherish peace across all nations must draw lessons from history, understand and support China’s just position, remain highly alert to any resurgence of Japanese militarism, and resolutely oppose any attempt to whitewash the history of colonial aggression.”

The ambassador claims the phrase “survival-threatening situation” has “historically been a prelude to Japan’s foreign aggression”, arguing Tokyo used the same pretext to attack Pearl Harbor, “inflicting profound suffering on peoples across the Pacific”.

Australian Institute of International Affairs chief executive Bryce Wakefield said Japan had used false pretexts to justify its historic aggression, but the term “survival-threatening situation” was a legal term created in 2015.

“It is a modern legal concept, tied to an interpretation of when military action, strictly curtailed under Japan’s constitution, can be justified – and this is crucial – only for the purposes of maintaining Japanese security,” Dr Wakefield told The Australian.

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Mr Xiao invokes Japan’s WWII legacy, arguing its “brutal war of aggression” caused “tens of millions” of innocent deaths, including those of “more than 900” Australians in the bombing of Darwin.

According to the Australian War Memorial, 252 allied service personnel and civilians were killed in the Japanese attack on the city.

Mr Xiao says Japan never apologised for its actions in WWII – a claim Dr Wakefield lashed as “outright nonsense”, citing multiple statements of contrition in the 1990s and 2010s.

The ambassador also argues that Ms Takaichi’s rhetoric “exposes Japan’s refusal to accept defeat in World War II and its ambition to subvert the post-war international order”, saying the post-WWII Potsdam Proclamation “explicitly prohibited Japan from rearming”.

Dr Wakefield said the Potsdam Proclamation and other international statements at the close of the war were “not binding treaty law” and were made in consultation with Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, not the CCP. He said a claim that Japan was reviving militarism was also a tired trope.

“Japan doesn’t have armed forces marching around its streets or major military parades in its capital. The population is coming around to the notion that a competent defence force is necessary in a dangerous neighbourhood, but it is hardly embracing militarism as that term is usually understood,” Dr Wakefield said.

Mr Yamagami argued in The Australian last week that Japan took a strong public stand against China’s Covid-era coercion of Australia but Canberra has failed to reciprocate in light of Beijing’s attacks on Ms Takaichi.

“Is it too much to expect the same from our Aussie mates in times of need?” he said.

Mr Marles did not specifically mention China’s attack on the Japanese leader, but called out the actions of the People’s Liberation Army air force in targeting Japanese jets, and expressed Australia’s solidarity with Tokyo.

“We understand that there will be interactions between our respective defence forces and indeed the defence forces of China, but our absolute expectation is that those interactions are safe and are professional,” he said. “We will continue to stand with Japan in working with Japan to assert the rules-based order in this region, and we will do it resolutely.”

Mr Xiao’s arguments follow this year’s edition of the authoritative Lowy Institute Poll, in which a record 90 per cent of respondents expressed their trust in Japan to act responsibly in the world. The same poll suggested just 20 per cent of Australians trusted China to act responsibly.

Outgoing Australian spy chief Andrew Shearer declared last week that China and Russia were “ruthless” and well-resourced, “but they are not 10 feet tall”.

The Office of National Intelligence director-general, who will soon become ambassador to Japan, said Australia’s strategic competitors faced an array of problems while Western democracies had “fundamental strengths”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/chinese-envoy-xiao-qian-blasts-japanese-pm-sanae-takaichi-over-taiwan-call/news-story/da701ba68b022526a3360b2de6b6e49c

>>23959526

COMMENTARY: A warning on the rise of Japanese aggression

XIAO QIAN - 8 December 2025

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Recently, someone published misinformation in Australia, in the aim of whitewashing Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks of military threat against China by invoking a “survival-threatening situation”.

To advance this narrative, they openly distorted history, misled public opinion, and sought to disrupt the relationship between China and Australia. Some misled people made comments that confuse right with wrong. To justify the truth, I would like to make the following clarifications.

First, a “survival-threatening situation” has historically been a prelude to Japan’s foreign aggression. In history, Japan repeatedly invoked the so-called “survival-threatening situation” to push public opinion into supporting wars of foreign aggression, including the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the invasion of China’s northeast on September 18, 1931, and the North China Incident that marked Japan’s expanded aggression in 1935.

In 1941, using the same pretext, Japan launched the attack on the US base at Pearl Harbor, inflicting profound suffering on peoples across the Pacific. Creating crises, mobilising public opinion and engaging in military adventurism have long been a go-to tactic for Japan to launch aggression.

Takaichi’s remarks blatantly break Japan’s fundamental commitment to a path of peace and seek to exploit populism to revive militarism. The Taiwan question is merely the lever that has been chosen to advance this dangerous agenda.

This reminds us that more than 80 years ago, Japanese imperialism launched a brutal war of aggression against the peoples of the Asia-Pacific, causing tens of millions of innocent civilian deaths. Even Darwin Port, 14,000km from Japan, was savagely bombed, resulting in the deaths of more than 900 innocent civilians.

To this day, it remains the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. In Southeast Asia, Australian soldiers were beheaded after surrendering, and more than 10,000 were tortured to death.

Second, Takaichi’s remarks on the “Taiwan contingency” gravely hurt the Chinese people’s sentiments and violate Japan’s commitments.

Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times and is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. Japan occupied Taiwan for 50 years through war and unequal treaties. More than 600,000 Taiwanese were killed, over 300,000 young Taiwanese men were forcibly employed by the Japanese military, and over 2000 Taiwanese women were forced into sexual slavery as “comfort women”. Japan’s colonial rule is a painful, traumatic chapter in the collective memory of the people of Taiwan.

Good prevails over evil. In 1945, China and Australia, together with other countries for justice, defeated Japanese aggression with tremendous sacrifices. The return of Taiwan to China is clearly stipulated in the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, Japan’s Instrument of Surrender and other international documents. It is an undeniable outcome of World War II victory and a binding international obligation that Japan must honour as a defeated nation.

(continued)

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The “one China” principle is the universal consensus of the international community and a solemn commitment made by the Japanese government. The 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement explicitly states “the government of Japan recognises the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China” and “fully understands and respects the stand of the government of the People’s Republic of China that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory”.

The 1978 Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People’s Republic of China gave these commitments legal binding force. Subsequent political documents have also reaffirmed these principles. No matter which political party or individual in Japan is in power, they must adhere to and strictly honour the commitments.

Third, Takaichi’s rhetoric exposes Japan’s refusal to accept defeat in WWII and its ambition to subvert the post-war international order. To prevent a revival of Japanese militarism, the Potsdam Proclamation explicitly prohibited Japan from rearming, and Japan’s constitution pledges to “forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes”.

Yet after WWII, many Japanese war criminals were never held fully accountable, and the full extent of their atrocities was never thoroughly adjudicated. In recent years, these forces have distorted and glorified Japan’s war of aggression.

Under the pretext of “external threats”, they have repeatedly broken constitutional constraints, increased defence spending for 13 consecutive years, loosened restrictions on arms exports multiple times, pushed for the “normalisation” of the Self-Defence Forces, and even schemed to revise the “three non-nuclear principles”, paving the way for Japan’s return to military great-power status. These dangerous developments deserve our highest vigilance.

A country that loses its credibility would falter. Japan has never genuinely reflected on its history of aggression and has yet to offer sincere apologies to countries in the region, including China and Australia. Once Japanese militarism revives, it would seek ruthless revenge, and the peoples of the Asia-Pacific would be the first to suffer.

Today, Takaichi disregards the solemn commitments made by successive Japanese governments to China and flagrantly interferes in China’s internal affairs on the Taiwan question. Tomorrow, she could tear up any of Japan’s agreements with other countries or even turn against its allies to pursue hidden agendas. China’s firm response is not only to safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity but also to defend international fairness and justice.

Appeasement cannot bring peace, and indulging only emboldens aggressors and ultimately harms oneself. People who cherish peace across all nations must draw lessons from history, understand and support China’s just position, remain highly alert to any resurgence of Japanese militarism, and resolutely oppose any attempt to whitewash the history of colonial aggression.

Only by working together can we safeguard regional peace and stability, uphold the post-war international order, and prevent humanity from once again being devastated by the horrors of war.

Xiao Qian is China’s ambassador to Australia.

Editor’s note: Ambassador Xiao’s article follows the publication of a separate opinion piece by Japan’s former ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami (“Where is Australia in Japan’s moment of need?”, 2/12).

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/where-is-australia-in-japans-moment-of-need/news-story/30242bb2b67f09e02f325169b9477548

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/a-warning-on-the-rise-of-japanese-aggression/news-story/9e4face456423343a9bd2ab890af4e5b

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NRL sets itself as unity force against China in PNG

Tom Wark - December 9 2025

In the PNG Chiefs, James Marape sees a "national unity project" akin to South Africa's Rainbow Nation Rugby World Cup win in 1995.

The Papua New Guinea prime minister hopes the incoming NRL team will get kids in school and companies investing in the economy, transforming his nation.

"Sport has more unification than any other pursuit of life," Mr Marape said in Sydney on Tuesday.

"Look at the Nelson Mandela strategy using rugby union to unite South Africa … we find common unity behind a team."

Mr Marape was visiting Australia for an annual PNG investment conference in Sydney, also attended by Anthony Albanese.

The PNG leader was wrong-footed by a goosestep from colourful ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys, who said rugby league would be a tool to repel Chinese influence.

"Having rugby league there for the community as a whole - taking the kids to school, bringing all the people together like a glue," Mr V'landys said on Tuesday.

"No matter how much investment China makes in PNG, it can never achieve that.

"You can never achieve the heart and soul and brain of the PNG person - and we can in sport."

Mr Marape hurriedly stepped in to affirm support for critical Chinese investment in his country.

"I want to quickly say a word or two, a big thank you to China and all our bilateral partners," he interrupted.

Divisions at home and abroad are the last thing Mr Marape is hoping for from the team's historic entry into the NRL in 2028, saying he wants the Chiefs to be a "national unity project".

However, it's plain that Australia - which is spending $600 million on the team - hopes the Chiefs will give a diplomatic boost with PNG at Beijing's expense.

Mr Albanese hailed the Chiefs as an opportunity for education investment across the largely rural nation.

"Prospects of representing the Chiefs in the NRL when (PNG kids) grow up will encourage education, because (they will) have to be at school to play," the prime minister said.

Under Mr Albanese, Australia has made vast commitments to deepening the trans-Torres relationship.

The recent Pukpuk treaty, which elevates PNG to Australia's third defence ally, will drastically increase defence co-operation.

Australia maintains a high level of development aid for its northern partner, which includes climate financing.

Australia was also investing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure projects such as ports and highways designed to help diversify the traditionally resources-heavy PNG economy, Mr Albanese said.

The PNG leader wasn't short of a rhetorical flourish of his own though, enticing the hundreds of companies in attendance with a substantial offer.

"When the economy hits 200 billion kina ($A71 billion), I will drop corporate tax," the leader of the 135 billion kina economy said to wrap up his speech.

As to who would eventually coach the much-anticipated NRL team, Mr V'landys ensured Panthers multi-premiership-winning mentor Ivan Cleary would have an awkward few days ahead.

"I'll say something controversial - there's a reason why the prime minister was at Penrith," he said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9129934/nrl-sets-itself-as-unity-force-against-china-in-png/

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Australian teens defy world-first social media ban flocking to unregulated apps

JARED LYNCH and JACKSON ROBB - 10 December 2025

Australia’s world-first social media ban for children under 16 has been met with immediate and widespread defiance, with teenagers downloading lesser-known, unregulated apps to stay connected with friends online.

TikTok’s sister app Lemon8 – owned by the same Chinese company ByteDance – soared to the top of the most downloaded apps on Apple’s App Store after the ban took effect on Wednesday.

Private photo messenger Yope was second most downloaded, followed by Coverstar – an app that advertises itself as ‘all the fun of TikTok without the hate’.

Tech experts have warned about potential evasion and the ban inadvertently pushing minors, seeking unmonitored social interaction, toward less-regulated, darker corners of the internet and apps that are not covered by the ban.

In online forums, many teens and technically adept users are already discussing easy workarounds, suggesting the ban may be more symbolic than effective.

The primary anticipated evasion tactics include the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to mask a person’s geographic location, making it appear as if they are accessing the service from an unrestricted country, and simply lying about their age during the account sign-up process.

The ban, designed to protect young people from overconsumption of social media content, has been implemented across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.

Communications Minister Anika Wells has said the list of banned social media platforms would be “dynamic and agile”.

Peta Ware, 14, told The Australian “a lot of young people might use their parents’ accounts, their parents’ IDs even” to bypass the ban.

“They can use make-up to create wrinkle lines that can make you look a lot older,” she said.

She said she believed the big tech platforms being banned were “a lot safer because they are well known”.

Tama Leaver, professor of internet studies at Curtin University, shared similar insights from students he interacted with.

“They’ve all been sharing tips on how to tilt your head and suck your cheeks in and look a particular way that’s going to make you look three years older” he said.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has also said she would watch and respond to migratory patterns as users shifted to different platforms not impacted by the ban.

Coverstar currently sits at No.65 of the most popular free apps, with Yope at 50 and Lemon8 at fourth place on the Australian App Store.

Apps like Bluesky, Yubo, Wizz, Bump, Locket and Zigazoo were just some of many options that remain available to the under-16 population.

“Teens have made it pretty clear they want to stay on digital apps and be using digital affordances,” Professor Leaver said. “They’re very likely to keep migrating to the next platform that’s still available and that may well expose them to high levels of harm rather than reducing it.”

Alternative apps are also enlisting younger creators to help convert users to their platforms. Coverstar recently partnered with 14-year-old teen influencer, known online as @_heyitszoeyandmark, to promote the app to her underage audience.

As an outspoken critic of the ban, she challenged the government in a video that has received more than 500,000 views.

“This isn’t really about keeping kids safe, it’s about you having control,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/teenagers-deploy-new-tools-to-overcome-social-media-ban/news-story/0ffae99fce9e78aac0bbc49c1d2393c2

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Australia social media watchdog sees common cause with US as age ban begins

Byron Kaye - December 10, 2025

SYDNEY, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The regulator overseeing Australia's world-first teenage social media ban rejected the "technological exceptionalism" championed by mostly U.S.-based platforms and said a groundswell of American parents wanted similar measures.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Australia was entitled to restrict access to social media, just as it applied safety rules to any imported good, and added that many American parents had decried a lack of equivalent guardrails there.

The comments show the regulator framing the Australian law as a step toward a common goal and shrugging off complaints by some of the world's biggest tech firms and senior U.S. lawmakers who have called the Australian law, with its corporate fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million), a threat to free speech.

Ahead of Australia's law requiring social media platforms to block people under 16 taking effect on Wednesday, a U.S. congressional committee said it wants Inman Grant to testify, describing her as a foreign official challenging the First Amendment.

"I hear from the parents and the activists and everyday people in America, 'we wish we had an e-safety commissioner like you in America, we wish we had a government that was going to put tween and teen safety before technology profits," Inman Grant said in an interview at her office in Sydney.

"There's more that unites us than divides us," added Inman Grant, who is American-born and worked in policy roles at Microsoft and Twitter before becoming Australia's first internet regulator in 2017.

Already governments from Europe to Asia have said they plan similar steps to Australia amid rising concern about social media's links to bullying, body image problems and radicalisation, all fuelled by what Inman Grant called a "system to keep stickiness through outragement".

But the U.S. has bristled at attempted restrictions, with attempts by some states to impose an age minimum stalled by legal challenges. U.S. federal legislation which contains safety requirements for minors but no age minimum is yet to become law after three years.

That did not mean the U.S. would never follow Australia's lead regarding online safety, said Inman Grant, adding that she had worked in the past year with the Department of Homeland Security to help build tools to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material.

The Take It Down Act, a U.S. law banning artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in May, "very much emulates what we've been doing here for eight years", Inman Grant said.

Regardless, she said, countries were entitled to impose safety standards on imported goods, from cars to medicine, and it was "technological exceptionalism" for platforms to say the same shouldn't apply to them.

"There is no other consumer-facing industry in the world where we don't expect them to make sure that there are safety standards," she said.

"This is Australia calling time on social media and the deceptive and harmful design features tethering our children to their platforms."

All 10 platforms covered by the ban - including Meta's Instagram, TikTok, Snap's Snapchat and Alphabet's YouTube - have said they will comply, but Inman Grant acknowledged the challenge enforcing the law if the platforms ultimately violate it.

That may not matter.

"In my experience…sometimes it isn't the regulation itself that is the impetus for doing the right thing," she said.

"It's often the reputational damage."

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/australia-social-media-watchdog-sees-common-cause-with-us-age-ban-begins-2025-12-10/

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‘Parents need help’: US Republicans back Australia’s social media ban as tech groups attack

Michael Koziol - December 10, 2025

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Washington: Australia’s ban on social media for children has galvanised advocates for change in the United States, including a key Republican senator and potential Democratic presidential candidate who have backed the policy for adoption in the US.

At the same time, technology lobby groups have gone on the attack. One circulated a briefing paper that says the policy will “severely disadvantage US-based companies” and disproportionately isolate marginalised young people, including regional and LGBTQ teenagers.

Republican senator Josh Hawley, who sits on the Senate judiciary committee and is an advocate for harsher restrictions on social media, told this masthead American parents would welcome an Australia-style ban.

“I like it. I’ve supported age limits here in the US for kids on social media,” he said. “I say this as a parent … Parents need help, and they feel like they’re swimming upstream when everybody else has social media.

“My kids don’t have it, but they go over to somebody’s house and they have it – it’s difficult. An age limit for when kids can use social media would work. I think parents would welcome it.”

Hawley, who wrote a book called The Tyranny of Big Tech while in office, said he had been in contact with Australian stakeholders about the ban, but declined to say whom.

Barack Obama’s former chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel, a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, also threw his support behind the Australian world-first move, comparing it to banning phones in schools or regulations to reduce teen smoking.

“No child under the age of 16 should have access to social media,” Emanuel wrote on X. “When it comes to our adolescents, it’s either going to be adults or the algorithms that raise our kids.

“TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and others are too powerful, too addictive, too alluring and too often target our young kids. Parents cannot fight Big Tech alone.”

Emanuel – who is a former mayor of Chicago and was until this year the US ambassador to Japan – has said he is “in training” for a potential 2028 presidential run.

Veteran independent senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, told this masthead: “I applaud Australia for having the courage to understand the impact that social media is having on children.”

But asked if it was something he would support for American families, Sanders said: “That’s something I’d have to think about.”

Other Democrats were also uncertain about the idea. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who also sits on the Senate judiciary committee and participated in a hearing on online safety on Wednesday (AEDT), said age verification “doesn’t really work without really intrusive and strict methods of collecting information and then storing it – which could be problematic”.

Republican senator Ted Cruz pointed this masthead to an existing bill he is backing, the Kids Off Social Media Act, which would prohibit children under 13 from creating accounts. He said that was a more appropriate age cut-off.

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Members of Congress are exploring measures to protect children from online harm, including from social media, and can expect to come under intense lobbying to push them away from an Australia-style ban.

On Wednesday, the Computer and Communications Industry Association circulated a briefing paper that said Australia’s policy deployed “structurally over-broad tools” that carried serious consequences for privacy, free speech, competition and global digital trade.

“Because the Act’s model is already spreading internationally, the US has a strategic interest in shaping implementation and promoting evidence-based, trade-facilitating alternatives,” the briefing paper said.

“Without careful engagement, the [ban] may become a global precedent for discriminatory regulation of US digital services.”

The lobby group’s briefing note highlights that Australia is “actively promoting its model abroad”, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s speech to the United Nations, and says several other countries are considering a version of the policy.

“This heightens the risk that ‘minimum-age bans’ become a standard regulatory lever used to target foreign businesses, condition market access, or compel proprietary disclosures under the guise of online safety,” the group tells lawmakers.

The warning about discriminatory treatment of US companies comes as the Trump administration condemns policies it views as targeting American tech giants, including numerous Australian government initiatives.

The Australian Financial Review reported last month that US State Department deputy secretary Christopher Landau and the US Trade Representative had contacted Australian ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd to complain about new laws requiring streaming services to invest a certain percentage of earnings or spending on local content, among other matters.

The Australian ban is also shaping a debate in the British parliament about whether to copy the changes across the UK, after a former British schools minister revealed plans to put the same kind of law to parliament in Westminster.

John Nash, who was a Conservative minister from 2013 to 2017, said Britain should adopt the Australian model.

“Today, Australia is making a brave stand, banning children under 16 from social media,” he wrote in The Times of London. He noted that several European countries were also aiming to do the same, and that the European Parliament backed the idea. His conclusion: “Britain is being left behind.”

The stumbling block for Nash is Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is showing no signs of picking up the policy from his friend Albanese. There is a chance, however, that support will build among backbench MPs in Westminster, just as it did in Australia.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/oceania/world-watches-as-australia-s-teen-social-media-ban-kicks-in-20251210-p5nmdh.html

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Justice department can release Ghislaine Maxwell court materials, judge says

Records could be made public within 10 days under new Epstein Files Transparency Act

Associated Press - 10 Dec 2025

The justice department can publicly release investigative materials from a sex-trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime confidant of Jeffrey Epstein, a federal judge said on Tuesday.

Judge Paul A Engelmayer ruled after the justice department in November asked two judges in New York to unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits from Maxwell and Epstein’s cases, along with investigative materials that could amount to hundreds or thousands of previously unreleased documents.

The ruling, in the wake of the passage last month of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, means the records could be made public within 10 days. The law requires the justice department to provide Epstein-related records to the public in a searchable format by 19 December.

Engelmayer is the second judge to allow the justice department to publicly disclose previously secret Epstein court records. Last week, a judge in Florida granted the department’s request to release transcripts from an abandoned federal grand jury investigation into Epstein in the 2000s.

A request to release records from Epstein’s 2019 sex-trafficking case is still pending.

The justice department said Congress intended the unsealing when it passed the transparency act, which Donald Trump signed into law last month.

Three judges – two in New York and one in Florida – had previously refused an unusual department request to unseal grand jury transcripts.

The latest request, though, dramatically enlarged the files that the department said it planned to release to encompass 18 categories of investigative materials gathered in the vast sex-trafficking investigation.

Epstein, a financier, was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges, a month before he was found dead in a federal jail cell. The death was ruled a suicide. Maxwell was convicted of sex-trafficking charges in December 2021. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Maxwell, a British socialite, was moved over the summer from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas as her criminal case generated renewed public attention.

In response to a request by the New York judges for more specifics on what it would release, the department said in recent submissions in Manhattan federal court that the materials would include 18 categories including search warrants, financial records, survivor interview notes, electronic device data and material from earlier Epstein investigations in Florida.

The government said it was conferring with survivors and their lawyers and planned to redact records to ensure protection of survivors’ identities and prevent the dissemination of sexualized images.

Tens of thousands of pages of records pertaining to Epstein and Maxwell have already been released through lawsuits, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests.

Many of the materials the justice department plans to release stem from reports, photographs, videos and other materials gathered by police in Palm Beach, Florida, and the US attorney’s office there, both of which investigated Epstein in the mid-2000s.

Last year, a Florida judge ordered the release of about 150 pages of transcripts from a state grand jury that investigated Epstein in 2006. On 5 December 2025, at the justice department’s request, a Florida judge ordered the unsealing of transcripts from a federal grand jury there that also investigated Epstein.

That investigation ended in 2008 with a then-secret arrangement that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges by pleading guilty to a state prostitution charge. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/ghislaine-maxwell-epstein-court-files-doj

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?order_by=desc

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.820.0.pdf

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'Are we next?': world reacts to Aussie social media ban

Tess Ikonomou - 10 December 2025

Australia's decision to boot children under the age of 16 off social media has dominated international coverage.

Platforms including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are now required by law to kick kids off, and face fines of up to $49.5 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to do so.

Malaysia has flagged it intends to follow suit with a similar ban in 2026, as global attention is drawn to the landmark reform.

The Asian nation's media outlets including Focus Malaysia and the Malay Mail referenced their government's own next steps.

The ban was leading a popular CNN weekday afternoon program, while being extensively covered by news sites.

USA Today wrote "Australia is first nation to ban social media for kids. Is the US next?"

Prestigious mastheads The Washington Post and New York Times also ran several stories in the lead up to its coverage of the age-restrictions coming into effect.

The BBC had live blog posts of the ban, with affected Australian children sending in their experience and thoughts of the new rules.

"As part of our coverage, we've asked teenagers across Australia to report for us on how they're feeling about the ban. We'll be bringing you their views throughout the day," a blog post reads.

Stories about the ban were the most prominent articles on the public broadcaster's website.

As debate rages in the UK about whether to implement a similar policy, Sky News ran segments exploring the "troubling lack of data behind Australia's social media ban for children".

Al Jazeera noted both parents and advocates rejoicing over the ban, while pointing to the looming High Court challenge the government's laws are facing.

In Europe, French outlets France 24 and Le Monde covered the rules, while Germany's Deutsche Welle also reacted.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has previously said she would be studying how Australia's laws would play out.

Singaporean daily The Straits Times considered whether Australia might set the precedent for other nations.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/next-world-reacts-aussie-social-054214177.html

https://x.com/TheLeadCNN/status/1998529738650816884

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Reddit prepares challenge to Albanese’s social media age ban in court

Sam Buckingham-Jones - Dec 9, 2025

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Global online forum Reddit is preparing to mount a high-stakes legal challenge to the Australian government’s world-first social media age limits, in a direct threat by a major tech company to one of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s headline policies.

The potential for a blockbuster legal showdown has emerged less than 24 hours before the Albanese government’s youth social media ban comes into effect on Wednesday.

The $US44 billion ($67 billion) technology platform has enlisted barrister Perry Herzfeld, SC, to run its case, backed by top-tier law firm Thomson Geer, according to two sources with knowledge of the challenge who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Reddit’s lawsuit, which could be lodged within days, is expected to be through the High Court of Australia, challenging the restrictions the social media ban imposes to teenagers’ implied right of freedom of political communication.

Herzfeld is a highly regarded silk and a top advocate on constitutional law. Thomson Geer, meanwhile, has repeatedly represented X (formerly Twitter) when challenging rulings by the eSafety Commissioner.

Reddit initially declined to comment, but on Tuesday morning said through a spokeswoman: “The only decision we’ve made is to comply with the law”. There is no guarantee it will file a challenge. Thomson Geer and Herzfeld did not respond to requests for comment.

After 12 months of preparation, consultation, millions of dollars in advertising campaigns and petitions by teens who plan mass-unfollows of the prime minister, the minimum age to hold a social media account will increase in Australia from 13 to 16 from December 10.

“You’ll know better than anyone what it’s like growing up with algorithms, endless feeds and the pressure that can come with that,” Albanese told school children in a recorded video message on Monday evening. “That’s why we’ve taken this step to support you.”

The prime minister has also written to all state and territory leaders thanking them for their support for the ban.

There are currently 10 social media platforms included in the new law: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch, Kick, X, YouTube and Reddit.

The law threatens penalties of up to $49.5 million for breaches and was passed with bipartisan support in November last year after a vigorous and emotional campaign to reduce the amount of harmful content children are exposed to online.

Reddit’s lawsuit would be the second challenge to the youth social media ban. The Digital Freedom Project, a campaign group led by NSW Libertarian Party MLC John Ruddick, lodged a case fronted by 15-year-olds Noah Jones and Macy Neyland with the High Court two weeks ago. It named the Commonwealth of Australia, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant and Communications and Sport Minister Anika Wells as defendants.

The Digital Freedom Project has likewise argued the ban trespasses on teenagers’ freedom of political communication. The group appears to be backed by donations from the public and is represented by barrister Matthew White, SC, and law firm Pryor Tzannes and Wallis.

Reddit, which has 3.7 million monthly Australian users, has far deeper pockets and a challenge would set the Albanese government up for a legal clash with big tech. If Reddit launches its case and succeeds, it would benefit all tech platforms caught up by the law.

In an interview on Monday ahead of the social media ban coming into effect, Inman-Grant said she was prepared for the possibility of further legal challenges.

“We know that some companies were briefing barristers,” she said. “Yes, I am prepared for that.”

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Reddit’s co-founder Alexis Ohanian is married to tennis legend Serena Williams and said earlier this year he had banned social media for his two daughters.

“I’m not surprised seeing a lot of governments now moving to ban social media use for preteens and teens,” Ohanian, who left Reddit in 2020, told his followers on Instagram in June.

“I’m not surprised more governments are starting to do the same. But I’m not waiting for a law to make that call. If more of us just said ‘not yet’, it’d probably be a lot healthier for our kids.”

Reddit has assembled a formidable legal team. Herzfeld co-authored a legal textbook called Interpretation. He represented conservative commentator Candace Owens in her unsuccessful High Court challenge after Australia denied her a visa.

Of all the firms that could have prepared this case for Reddit, Thomson Geer is perhaps the most experienced in bringing challenges to the eSafety Commission’s rulings.

It represented X in challenging the regulator, which ordered it to remove graphic footage of a stabbing of Assyrian Christian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney’s west last year. eSafety dropped the case.

It also overturned an order by eSafety demanding X take down a post about trans rights activist Teddy Cook. Chris Elston, known as Billboard Chris on X, shared a post insulting Cook, equating transgender identity with mental illness and linking to an article suggesting Cook was “too smutty” for intergovernmental work.

X complied with eSafety’s order, but lodged an appeal which was upheld. Thomson Geer partner Justin Quill labelled the ruling “a win for free speech in Australia” and “another example of the eSafety Commissioner overreaching in her role”.

Thomson Geer has lost some of its skirmishes. It challenged eSafety’s demands for Twitter (before it became X) to share steps it was taking to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse material on the platform. X took it to a full bench of the Federal Court on appeal, and lost.

Reddit could still comply – at least temporarily – with the social media delay laws, but it will have a self-confessed tougher time doing so. It told the government earlier this year it does not know how many teenagers are on its platform because it does not ask its users how old they are or use an algorithm to infer their age.

The platform published a blog post on Tuesday morning announcing it would begin asking new Australian users for their age and estimating the ages of others. It is clear these features have been added reluctantly.

“While we’re providing these experiences to comply with the law and to help keep teens safe, we are concerned about the potential implications of laws like Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age law,” Reddit wrote in a post. These laws, it added, undermine free expression and privacy.

Reddit said it also disagreed with its designation as social media, arguing it is a text-based forum that “lacks the features of traditional social media”. It was “arbitrary, legally erroneous and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian Parliament” to exempt other obvious contenders (it did not say what they were).

The major social platforms have 1.4 million combined underage accounts, most of which will be blocked from Wednesday. There is some leeway, though – Twitch says it will stop signing new younger users from Wednesday, but won’t deactivate accounts of those under 16 until January 9.

https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/reddit-to-challenge-albanese-s-social-media-age-ban-in-court-20251205-p5nl63

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLQfLyJpzLN/

First climate migrants arrive in Australia from sinking Tuvalu in South Pacific

Kirsty Needham - December 11, 2025

SYDNEY, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The first climate migrants to leave the remote Pacific island nation of Tuvalu have arrived in Australia, hoping to preserve links to their sinking island home, foreign affairs officials said on Thursday.

More than one-third of Tuvalu's 11,000 population applied for a climate visa to migrate to Australia, under a deal struck between the two countries two years ago.

The intake is capped at 280 visas annually to prevent a brain drain in the small island nation.

Among the islanders selected in the initial intake of climate migrants is Tuvalu's first female forklift driver, a dentist, and a pastor focused on preserving their spiritual life thousands of kilometres (miles) from home, Australian government officials said.

Tuvalu, one of the countries at greatest risk from climate change because of rising sea levels, is a group of low-lying atolls scattered across the Pacific between Australia and Hawaii.

Manipua Puafolau, from Tuvalu's main island of Funafuti, arrived in Australia a fortnight ago. A trainee pastor with the most prominent church in Tuvalu, he plans to live in the small town of Naracoorte in the state of South Australia, where several hundred Pacific Islanders work in seasonal agriculture and meat processing jobs.

"For the people moving to Australia, it is not only for their physical and economic well-being, but also calls for spiritual guidance," he said in a video released by Australia's foreign affairs department.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo visited the Tuvaluan community in Melton, Melbourne, last month to emphasise the importance of maintaining strong ties and cultural bonds across borders as citizens migrate, Tuvalu officials said.

On Tuvalu's main atoll of Funafuti, the land is barely wider than the road in many stretches. Families live under thatched roofs, and children play football on the airport runway due to space constraints.

By 2050, NASA scientists project daily tides will submerge half of Funafuti atoll, home to 60% of Tuvalu's residents, where villagers cling to a strip of land as narrow as 20 metres (65 feet). The forecast assumes a one-metre rise in sea levels, while the worst case, double that, would put 90% of the country's main atoll under water.

CLIMATE VISAS OFFER 'MOBILITY WITH DIGNITY'

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the climate migrants would contribute to Australian society.

The visa offered "mobility with dignity, by providing Tuvaluans the opportunity to live, study and work in Australia as climate impacts worsen", Wong said in a statement to Reuters.

Support services are being established by Australia to help Tuvaluan families set up in the east coast city of Melbourne, Adelaide in South Australia and in the northern state of Queensland.

Kitai Haulapi, the first female forklift driver in Tuvalu, recently married and will relocate to Melbourne, population five million. In a video released by Australia's foreign affairs department she says that she hopes to find a job in Australia and continue to contribute to Tuvalu by sending money back to her family.

Dentist Masina Matolu, who has three school-aged children and a seafarer husband, will move with her family to the northern Australian city of Darwin. She plans to work with indigenous communities.

"I can always bring whatever I learn new from Australia back to my home culture, just to help," she said in a video statement.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/first-climate-migrants-arrive-australia-sinking-tuvalu-south-pacific-2025-12-11/

https://qresear.ch/?q=Tuvalu

Australians to be forced to provide their social media to enter the US

Michael Koziol - December 11, 2025

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Washington: Australian travellers will be forced to provide their social media details to US authorities to enter the country under the popular Visa Waiver Program, as part of new Trump administration rules for “enhanced vetting” of foreigners.

Applying for a visa waiver is also set to get more complicated, with authorities planning to collect far more detailed information including five years of phone numbers, 10 years of email addresses, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, biometrics, and information about family members.

Australia is one of 42 countries with access to the Visa Waiver Program, allowing visitors to enter the US for 90 days by obtaining a waiver, known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), which is available quickly and costs only $US40 ($60).

A notice filed by US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security overnight is seeking comment on a proposal that will require ESTA applicants to provide the names of their social media accounts for the past five years.

Currently, ESTA applicants may voluntarily provide their social media history, and are prompted for their Facebook profile, LinkedIn name, Instagram handle and Twitter/X identification – but it is not yet mandatory.

“CBP is adding social media as a mandatory data element for an ESTA application,” the notice filed overnight said. “The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last five years.”

It says the change is designed to comply an executive order from President Donald Trump in January, titled: Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.

That order compelled authorities to “re-establish a uniform baseline for screening and vetting standards and procedures, consistent with the uniform baseline that existed on January 19, 2021 [the last day of Trump’s first term] that will be used for any alien seeking a visa or immigration benefit of any kind”.

CBP will also add several “high-value data fields” to the ESTA application “when feasible”. These fields include: phone numbers for the past five years, email addresses for the past 10 years, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, family member names, numbers, dates of birth, places of birth and place of residence, biometrics such as face, fingerprint, DNA and iris, and business contact details.

The changes are open to public comment for the next 60 days and must be approved by the powerful Office of Management and Budget, run by Trump appointee Russell Vought.

US immigration advisory firm Fragomen says that if the changes are implemented, visitors to the US should be aware they will be asked for a higher level of personal detail and become subject to a social media review.

“The increase in data collection could also mean that ESTA applicants would face an increased likelihood of being flagged for closer scrutiny and/or would experience longer waits for ESTA approval,” Fragomen says.

“The United States, like Australia, is a sovereign nation,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

“They have a right to set the rules which are there. And we give advice on Smartraveller to Australians travelling to destinations overseas about what are the expectations of particular countries … so we comply with laws. This is a decision that the United States is making. We recognise that.”

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More than 1 million Australians travelled to the US in 2024, with most using the Visa Waiver Program for short stays. From January to October this year, 810,000 Australians have entered the US – down 5.6 per cent, US data says. For tourist visas, the number is down 6.4 per cent.

A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said visa conditions were a matter for the country that issues them.

Other countries on the program that will be affected by the new policy include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Qatar.

In June, Australian man Alistair Kitchen was detained and questioned at the US border about pro-Palestinian protests he attended while studying at Columbia University, and which he wrote about on his blog.

He said he was questioned about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and ultimately deported back to Australia after admitting to past drug use.

The latest move expands on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown following the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington in November, over which an Afghan refugee has been charged.

The US plans to expand the travel ban that Trump applied in June to 19 countries, including 12 that are subject to a complete ban and seven that have a partial one.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, local time, Trump resurrected his infamous description of “shithole countries”, which was leaked from a meeting with lawmakers during his first term.

“We had a meeting, and I say, ‘Why is it that we only take people from shithole countries?’ ” Trump told the rally.

“Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few … but we always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster – filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/australians-to-be-forced-to-provide-their-social-media-to-enter-the-us-20251211-p5nmoj.html

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Australian travellers face huge data demands in proposed US visa changes

ROBYN IRONSIDE - 11 December 2025

Australians planning US holidays face a tortuous application process under new entry requirements that extend to social media activity, family history and DNA.

Currently, travellers from certain countries including Australia can apply for electronic travel authorisation known as ESTA online before visiting the US at a cost of $US40 ($60).

The relatively straightforward process involves a passport upload and details of travel, health and criminal history; now, however, the Department of Homeland Security wants much more information.

Among changes outlined in a document titled “60-day notice and request for comments” is the requirement for applicants to provide details of social media use over the past five years, biometric data including fingerprints, an iris scan and DNA, and extensive family history extending to the names, addresses, dates and ­places of birth of immediate ­relatives.

The department also plans to close the ESTA website in favour of a mobile phone app, in an effort to enhance security and improve efficiency.

Anthony Albanese said as a sovereign nation, the US had the right to set the rules for entry. “This is a decision that the US is making,” the Prime Minister said in Canberra on Thursday. “We give advice on Smartraveller to Australians travelling to destin­ations overseas about what are the expectations of particular countries, for the US or other ­nations as well; so we comply with the laws.”

In the first instance, a second photograph or “selfie” of the applicant will be required in ­addition to the passport photo, to help verify identity.

Second, would-be visitors may have to hand over details of their social media presence from the past five years to determine their suitability for US travel.

Whether this will extend to the supply of user names and passwords for sites such as Instagram, Facebook and X is not yet clear.

Third, several “high-value data fields” will be added to the ESTA application seeking even more extensive personal information about the applicant.

These include personal and business phone numbers of the applicant from the past five years, personal and business email addresses from the past decade, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, and family member names, addresses, phone numbers dating back five years, and dates and ­places of birth.

Finally, consideration is being given to adding a field for “biometrics” including face, fingerprint, DNA and iris.

It comes at a time when travel to the US from Australia is down on previous years, largely because of the exchange rate and expense of an American holiday.

Bureau of Statistics data showed in the year to September, Australian travel to the US declined 0.3 per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

Comment on the proposed changes is being sought by Customs and Border Protection over the next two months, but there is no specific timeline for implementation. The notice indicated comments should address whether the proposed collection of the extra information would have “practical utility” and sought suggestions “to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of information to be collected”.

Vialto immigration specialist Stacey Tsui said the changes were in line with what the US was doing in other areas but it was not clear “what the government was looking for”.

“If you attended a protest in the past, would that be a basis to deny your ESTA or your visa? That is not clear right now, but that is the fear,” she said. “Our recommendation for ESTA applicants is to apply early in advance; with more information being requested, it very well may take longer to get a decision. People should continue to be mindful of what they post on social media.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/australian-travellers-face-huge-data-demands-in-proposed-us-visa-changes/news-story/51eac0946a18d0fd4ab2622cdeab87b2

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/10/2025-22461/agency-information-collection-activities-revision-arrival-and-departure-record-form-i-94-and

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-12-10/pdf/2025-22461.pdf

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that AUKUS reflected a “continued commitment to a pragmatic practical application of hard power between our countries that reflect peace through strength.”

He also made clear the US view that AUKUS was essential as a military deterrent in the Indo-Pacific region against China, arguing that it was about “hard power” and “real capabilities that demonstrate a deterrent effect that we all want.”

He said that Donald Trump loved “supporting countries that step up.”

The Australian was informed that Mr Marles met twice this week with Mr Colby, but not in one-on-one meetings given the Pentagon’s policy chief is not as senior as the Australian Defence Minister within the US system.

However, Mr Colby was included in the US delegations who – along with Mr Hegseth – attended Monday’s AUSMIN meetings as well as the trilateral defence talks on Wednesday local time.

Over the last three days, Mr Marles said that he had met with “a number of Senators” as well as key figures in the Pentagon including the US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll with talks planned on Wednesday afternoon with US Navy Secretary John Phelan.

Mr Marles also made a visit on Tuesday local time to the Newport News Shipbuilding yard owned by Hunting Ingalls Industries in Virginia – one of the two facilities which builds the Virginia-class submarines for the US.

Mr Marles said it was largest shipyard in the United States and a “key place” where the billions of dollars of Australian investment in the American submarine industrial base would be going,

“And it was (a) very impressive facility to see. And also gave me a sense of confidence that as we invest into the submarine industrial base here in the United States … that we are actually seeing an increase in the production rates here, which is so important.”

The completion of the AUKUS review and the political endorsement of the US President means the focus of all three countries is now shifting to delivery – a massive endeavour for Australia.

The agreement is seen as a vital military deterrent against Beijing in the Indo-Pacific. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Australia Caucus, said that he had championed the security pact “because it serves as a critical deterrent to China’s malign actions.”

“The president’s decision to move ‘full steam ahead’ once again telegraphs his commitment to peace through strength in the Indo-Pacific and around the world,” he said.

A joint statement issued after the trilateral meeting stated that Mr Hegseth, Mr Marles and Mr Healey all reaffirmed the “shared commitment to the AUKUS partnership” and recognised the work “underway to deliver priority infrastructure and workforce uplift in support of an enhanced trilateral submarine industrial base.”

“Through the discussions today, the three Principals discussed ways to continue to strengthen AUKUS and reiterated their shared commitment to inject pace and focus on delivery to ensure the long-term success of the AUKUS partnership,” it said. “The Principals recognised the critical importance of submarine cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I to ensure a robust deterrent.”

“Additionally, they recognized the importance of advanced capabilities development under AUKUS Pillar II and discussed opportunities to further accelerate delivery of such projects, with particular focus on near-term warfighting objectives.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/changes-to-pillar-2-key-part-of-aukus-talks-says-marles/news-story/3fc3def4dcc30a61edfe0165f9d256be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7okSgTArxI