In this bulletin; Labor to introduce a new mandatory digital duty of care around social media algorithms; US and Iran trade strikes in a new round of fighting; and in sport, Australia's wildcard Dane Sweeny knocked out of the US Open
TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- Labor to introduce a new mandatory digital duty of care around social media algorithms
- US and Iran trade strikes in a new round of fighting
- And in sport, Australia's wildcard Dane Sweeny knocked out of the US Open
A draft digital duty of care is expected to be released in Parliament in the coming fortnight that would force social media companies to give Australians a clear choice to opt out of algorithms.
The proposal comes days after consent activist Chanel Contos spoke about men and boys being exposed to misogynistic so-called manosphere content, which was helping to fuel the prevalence of sexual violence in Australia.
Her organisation's Fix Our Feeds campaign has called for linear social media feeds that would only transition to algorithm-based models if users chose them.
Labor's Matt Thistlethwaite has told News24's Sunday Agenda program the government believes the opt out approach would prevent boys from being bombarded with violent and misogynistic material.
"Young Australians shouldn't be exposed to violent behaviour that results in disrespect for women, that results in some of the shocking scenarios we have seen around online pornography, that's producing some pretty devastating consequences for many Australian families. So, we think that it's reasonable and indeed it's what parents expect that we put in place laws that keep their children safe when they're online."
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Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has declined to support the draft law, saying parents should have more control over what their children can see on social media.
Previous University of Newcastle research has showed more than 80 per cent of 12-to-17-year-olds were still using socials following the December 2025 crackdown on young users.
Mr Taylor has told News24 the government's new plan should be advanced when other measures like the underage ban have failed to achieve their major purpose.
"I mean, the government should be focused on that because it's not working. So then going off and starting on some other thing ... We're sceptical, I think there's good reason to be sceptical about that."
Greens leader Sarah Hanson-Young is also wary, saying the government's draft proposal doesn't go far enough.
"It is concerning that they're not really taking the swing at big tech that they need to be. Half-baked measures in the face of the power of big tech is not going to make online a place of safety for young people or indeed anyone."
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US forces have struck three Iranian oil tankers, one of them near the key oil export hub of Kharg Island.
US Central Command says the attack was prompted by US navy warships being targeted with ballistic missiles by Tehran, and that the tankers were part of a shadow network helping to fund Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and its armed proxies in the region.
The Guard in turn has said it targeted three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and three US affiliated vessels elsewhere in retaliation.
A statement on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News says the three tankers were crossing the waterway through an unauthorised route in the Strait.
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Voters in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt are going to the polls in a closely watched election that could see the Alternative for Germany (AfD) become the first far-right party to take power at a state level since the World War Two.
The party has been polling comfortably ahead for months, and there is a genuine chance the AfD could take an absolute majority, particularly if several smaller parties fail to clear Germany's five per cent threshold to enter parliament.
The vote is being closely watched as a barometer for the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has attempted to chip away at the AfD's popularity by taking a tougher line on migration and security.
For the AfD, the Saxony-Anhalt election is a stepping stone towards its larger ambitions of securing national power in the next federal election scheduled for 2029.
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To sport and in tennis news,
Dane Sweeny has been eliminated from the US Open, ending Australia's chances in the single men's event.
Alex de Minaur's shock second-round loss had left Sweeny as Australia's last man standing at Flushing Meadows - but his gallant campaign has come to a frustrating end with a tough third round loss to seeded Italian Luciano Darderi.
The world No.123 only gained a last-minute entry to the season's last slam after two late withdrawals that allowed Tennis Australia to grant Sweeny the wildcard they initially handed to Alexei Popyrin.
Sweeny says that while he remains a little disappointed by how he played in his last Open match, there is still much to be proud of.
"I think the wildcard was a great opportunity to play a main draw, and test myself. And yeah, I think I did a really good job to show up and back myself, even though I wasn't feeling that confident leading into this event."
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