Josh Butler

21/11/2023

communications minister Michelle Rowland will today require tech companies to better control AI-generated images and videos over fears about abuse and hate speech

Rowland also concerned about "the rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric on X [Twitter]"

‘Rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic rhetoric on X’ makes the need for this clear, communications minister will say

10/10/2023

Spoke to Noel Pearson. He fears “for the future of my people” if the Voice referendum fails on Saturday

“We’re reduced to being told by the no campaign ‘leave it to the politicians’. My pitch to the Australian people, is, ‘Guys, you know that will not work. You know that relying on politicians will not work."

"'It hasn’t worked in the past and won’t work in the future.’”

In a late plea for a yes vote in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, the respected leader says he fears ‘for the future of my people’ if it is defeated

30/08/2023

The referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament will be held on October 14, PM Anthony Albanese has announced in Adelaide.

“Say Yes to an idea whose time has come,” he said in a speech.

Need to update your details on the electoral roll to vote? Visit AEC.gov.au

06/08/2023

“You can’t say we want to have legislated voice, so we can listen to Indigenous Australians, but we’ll fail at the first hurdle by not listening to them about the form in which it takes," PM Anthony Albanese said on Sunday.

Speaking at the Garma festival in the Northern Territory the prime minister issued a plea for support for a yes vote, saying there will not be another opportunity any time soon

05/07/2023

Linda Burney is concerned about “fairly unsavoury things” opponents of the Voice have aired during the campaign, saying the government is talking with mental health organisations to support Indigenous people hurt by the debate

Minister for Indigenous Australians claims no campaign’s aim is to ‘polarise, to sow division’ and to ‘mislead’

22/05/2023

Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney has blasted Peter Dutton for spreading "misinformation and scare campaigns" about the Indigenous Voice

Dutton claimed the Voice would "have an Orwellian effect" & was "a reckless roll of the dice"

Minister attacks ‘scare campaign’ after opposition leader says plan would ‘re-racialise’ Australia

09/05/2023

LOTS in the federal budget tonight: boost to Jobseeker & other welfare payments, increase to Commonwealth rental assistance, and GP bulk-billing going up. Here's my story on the $14.6 billion cost of living package - but it won't keep everyone happy

Jim Chalmers concedes some Australians want the government to do more to help those struggling to pay rent and bills

19/04/2023

Chin Tan, Australia’s race discrimination commissioner: "Creating an Indigenous voice to parliament is not racist or inequitable. On the contrary, it presents an opportunity for Australia to address and overcome racism and discrimination."

Equality does not mean we are all treated the same. It has always been true that marginalised groups sometimes require unique representation

11/04/2023

breaking: Liberal frontbencher Julian Leeser has quit shadow cabinet, over the opposition's decision to campaign against the Indigenous Voice referendum. Leeser is a longtime supporter of the voice, and has quit as shadow attorney-general and shadow Indigenous Australians minister

Shadow attorney general quits frontbench less than a week after Peter Dutton announced Liberals would oppose Indigenous voice to parliament

14/03/2023

Government announces Aukus nuclear submarines plan - expected to cost up to $368 billion (at this stage) over 25 years, with Australia to get 3-5 American-made boats, then build 8 of our own new ones

‘Rotational forces’ of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines set to visit Australia from 2027 as part of landmark pact

27/02/2023

a major new group of civil society orgs is launching the Allies for Uluru Coalition today, backing the Voice - Oxfam, Fred Hollows, ACOSS, Unicef, Beyond Blue, Save The Children among them

group says they'll reach "millions" of people, urging a Yes vote

Allies for Uluru to act as ‘conduit’ for organisations to support yes campaign, and include Fred Hollows Foundation and Oxfam

22/02/2023

the Fair Work Commission says the government should give aged care workers a 15% pay rise in one hit from July - after the government planned to split it over 2 years instead.

Unions will keep pushing for 25% wage rises, saying people can get paid more working at KFC than in aged care

Federal government had planned to split increase over two years, as union eyes push for further increase

21/02/2023

the Labor government quietly approved a new gas mine in Queensland last week - at the exact time the Greens have been asking for them to stop approving new gas mines

leader Adam Bandt accused Labor of “wanting coal and gas corporations to keep polluting, profiting, and opening more mines”, and was critical that the approval was made without a media release or public statement

“For a government that likes to talk about integrity and transparency this is straight out [of] Morrison’s playbook,” Bandt said.

Decision allows Santos to open 116 new wells with an operational life of about 30 years in Queensland’s Surat Basin

16/02/2023

Voice to parliament campaigners from the NT say the voice would have helped mitigate the recent social and crime problems in Alice Springs

It comes as campaigns to lobby federal politicians are intensifying in Canberra - with campaigners from both the Yes and No sides becoming fixtures inside Parliament House, meeting with politicians, journalists and other backroom operatives

Uluru statement signatory Barb Shaw joins lobbying effort in Canberra as yes and no referendum advocates visit Parliament House

13/02/2023

Coalition leader Peter Dutton admitted he got it wrong in boycotting the 2008 apology to the stolen generation, saying he failed to grasp “the symbolic significance” of the moment

But Dutton said those questioning the Indigenous voice to parliament were “not hardhearted” after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, used the 15th anniversary to argue the referendum was the next stage in Australia’s reconciliation process

Opposition leader says he ‘failed to grasp’ significance of 2008 apology but insists those questioning Indigenous voice are not ‘hardhearted’

06/02/2023

eSafety Commissioner calls on dating apps to share data about “bad actors” using their services, to stop people making fake accounts for abuse and harassment

Julie Inman Grant also says investigators are on alert for racist abuse of Indigenous people online during voice to parliament referendum, and will compel platforms to remove such content

Rise in online abuse a concern for regulator, who says investigators will be on the lookout for racist behaviour during voice to parliament referendum

06/02/2023

In a sermon to federal MPs at a service this morning, a church leader implored them to support the voice to parliament

“Our nation has received the great gift of a statement from the heart of the first peoples of this land. This is a wisdom text, born of heartbreak"

“The call for a First Nations voice to be enshrined in the constitution is thus not just another policy proposal to be debated at the level of strategy and argument. It’s an invitation to our nation as a whole to grow in wisdom’s way"

Anthony Albanese ‘very hopeful’ laws can be quickly introduced after successful referendum and says body’s advice would be ‘available for all’

02/02/2023

A bill to amend the constitution is planned for March, then a Senate inquiry in April. The voice referendum campaign, to begin properly this month, will then accelerate significantly from May

The government is urging Peter Dutton and the Liberals to engage "constructively" on the voice and referendum

Anthony Albanese urges Peter Dutton to bring ‘an open heart’ when he meets expert Indigenous referendum group

30/01/2023

multicultural groups have pushed back strongly on calls from opponents of the voice to parliament opponents to instead to symbolic constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians and migrants

FECCA: "We never asked for migrants to be recognised... This is not being done in good faith and it’s divisive"

"a red herring"

Chair of body representing culturally diverse communities says Warren Mundine’s push for ‘symbolic’ recognition is a ‘red herring’

25/01/2023

Allied health say people "shouldn't have to be" reliant on GPs to begin care, and that people should be able to see physios or nurses as a first point of call - which would be a major change to current settings where a GP manages patients

Medical groups are jockeying for funding priority as the government plans major Medicare changes and offers $750 million in cash

Allied health groups say allowing people to see other practitioners in first instance would reduce load on doctors

22/01/2023

the eSafety Commission said it investigated nearly 1700 child cyberbullying complaints last year - mostly by other children, but some adults

it is also investigating safety issues or harms around the metaverse & generative AI (like ChatGPT and DALL-E)

Exclusive: eSafety commission investigating nearly 1,700 complaints and has asked social media companies to remove offensive content 500 times in a year

17/01/2023

Ni****ne va**ng products should only be available from pharmacists as a "last resort" to quit smoking, and flavours should be removed, the Australian Medical Association has urged - as PM Albanese simply says "don't v**e"

Peak body for doctors wants ni****ne products used only as last-resort tool to quit smoking

20/10/2022

Bureau Formerly Known As BOM update: just two days after asking for a new nickname, the Bureau has conceded you can call it the BOM after all ⛈️🌞🌪️

After days of online derision, Bureau of Meteorology says people are ‘welcome to refer to the Bureau in any way they wish’

27/07/2022

aged care legislation the first bill to pass the new parliament - with experts saying residents “can’t afford to wait any longer” for reforms around new funding, governance and conduct of staff

Legislation enacting royal commission’s recommendations for sector expected to pass parliament despite opposition’s accusation of ‘playing politics’

21/07/2022

PM Anthony Albanese has blasted predecessor Scott Morrison's "we don't trust in governments" speech

Albanese: "that sort of nonsense, throwaway, conspiracy line about the United Nations, I think isn't worthy of someone who led Australia"

PM accuses his predecessor of making ‘nonsense throwaway conspiracy’ claims about the UN at a church in Perth

15/07/2022

State premiers urge Labor government to bring back pandemic leave payments as Covid case numbers rise

Amid pressure from premiers, Monday’s national cabinet meeting is shaping as the PM’s first major domestic test since taking office

03/05/2022

I had a look into why the parties are pumping out so many (often terrible) memes for this election

"People assume there is a deep sophistication in campaigns. It’s depressingly not the case," one former Liberal strategist said

The major parties have turned to internet jokes as they fight for attention, but some experts think it’s a big waste of time

07/04/2022

“This is what you said when you got elected last time, ‘We’re going to help all those people who worked all their lives, paid their taxes, and those who have a go, get a go.’ Well, I’ve had a go, mate, I’ve worked all my life and paid my taxes.”

PM abused and mocked in Edgeworth pub hours after man interrupts Anthony Albanese’s Perth press conference

08/03/2022

Lismore MP Janelle Saffin wants a flood 'reconstruction commission' and a JobKeeper-style wage subsidy program for flood towns

State and federal politicians in disaster zones are demanding changes to insurance, saying their communities simply can't afford it and don't have any

Coalition and Labor MPs say widening pool would help flood victims in NSW and Queensland who can’t afford insurance premiums