Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulates Donald Trump on US election win; New scam-prevention measures introduced by the federal government; And in cricket, Jake Fraser-McGurk's aggressive batting under scrutiny ahead of the second ODI.
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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulates Donald Trump on US election win;
- New scam-prevention measures introduced by the federal government;
- And in cricket, Jake Fraser-McGurk's aggressive batting under scrutiny ahead of the second ODI.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has personally congratulated president-elect Donald Trump on his win in the US election saying he's looking forward to working with him.
78-year-old Trump, clinched the election after a polarising and dizzying campaign marked by criminal convictions, two attempts on his life and Kamala Harris’ late entry into the race following President Joe Biden's surprise withdrawal.
The prime minister had a phone call with Trump today, congratulating him on the win while also talking about the AUKUS alliance and trade.
Anthony Albanese says he will look to strengthen their cooperation with the US in the Indo-Pacific region.
"Our government will work closely with the new Trump administration to realise the benefits of what is a very strong economic and security partnership. The United States has long played a leadership role in the stability and security of the Indo Pacific and Australia will strive to strengthen the cooperation between our two nations and the region. I look forward to talking with President Trump and working with him in the interests of both of our nations."
Scammers could find it increasingly difficult to con Australians under a proposal that will fine businesses for failing to protect their customers.
Legislation to establish a scam prevention framework has been introduced to federal parliament by the Albanese government today to address an issue which cost Australians $2.7 billion last year.
Under the new reforms, fines of up to $50 million per incident could be handed out if steps aren't taken by businesses to prevent, detect, disrupt, respond and report scams or attempted scams.
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Stephen Jones, says the proposed measures will be the toughest in the world.
"It will ensure that Australia has the toughest scam prevention framework anywhere in the world. This new scam prevention framework will place tough new obligations on banks, social media companies and telecommunication companies to keep their customers safe. Tough fines and penalties for not meeting the new obligations under this act to ensure they're preventing, disrupting, detecting scams and providing redress for customers if they make losses."
A technology expert warns the Albanese government's proposed social media ban would be hard to enforce, and would likely impact users of all ages.
The government has not released details on how its proposed plan to ban kids under 16 from social media would work, other than saying the onus will be on technology companies.
The government says it will introduce privacy protections for any information collected for age-assurance purposes.
Professor of Information Sciences at RMIT University, Lisa McGivern, says the technologies that will likely be used to enforce the ban are far from perfect.
“We will all likely have to be able to verify our age and demonstrate that we're of age to use these platforms. That could involve, for example, uploading ID to a technical site. It could be that, there are technical pieces put into place. So in some cases, there are new technologies around attempting to look at a person's face and determine what their age is, but a lot of those technical features are still very much in development.”
The consumer watchdog has begun a series of public hearings as part of its inquiry into the prices at Australia's supermarkets.
Consumer group Choice and food suppliers are airing their grievances over prices at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry.
The inquiry will examine the pricing practices of the supermarkets and the relationship between wholesale, including farmgate, and retail prices.
The chair of the inquiry, deputy ACCC commissioner Mick Keogh, says high inflation is hurting consumers.
"The issues being considered in this inquiry are front of mind for many Australians right now and this inquiry is being undertaken at a time when Australians are facing rising cost of living pressure, including as a result of the rising cost of groceries."
In cricket,
Jake Fraser-McGurk has shrugged off criticism he needs to alter his ultra-aggressive approach to opening the batting for Australia.
The 22-year-old is preparing for just his eighth match for Australia but is arguably the most-talked about player in the white-ball set-up.
After blasting his way to 16 runs in the first ODI against Pakistan on Monday, Fraser-McGurk mistimed his hit for an easy catch.
The move triggered strong criticism from former Australian great Ian Healy but the Victorian says he has no plans to change his approach.
Australia will face Pakistan again in Adelaide tomorrow, then rounding out their three-match series in Perth on Sunday.
