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Labor’s flagship online safety bill – the digital duty of care – has been introduced into parliament.
Kimberlee Weatherall, an expert on technology regulation, and her coauthors have combed through the complex document to detail what exactly is in it.
One of the better-known parts is an “off switch” to allow social media users to opt out of algorithms. It’s a move that’s been tested by one of China’s largest social media platforms and, as Fan Yang and her colleagues write, there was a big downside.
Earlier this week, public health and harm-reduction advocates like Isabelle Volpe and her colleagues wrote they were concerned the bill could undermine public drug and sex education programs by shadow banning some content. The language in the bill has now been changed to try to alleviate those concerns.
Change won’t be fast; the bill will face a Senate inquiry and even if it is passed by the end of the year, it’ll be another year before any of it comes into effect.
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Signe Dean
Science + Technology Editor
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Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney; Christine Parker, The University of Melbourne; Kath Albury, Swinburne University of Technology
This is a large and complex piece of legislation, and the government has made adjustments in response to expert feedback.
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Fan Yang, The University of Melbourne; Luke Heemsbergen, Deakin University; Robbie Fordyce, Monash University
If the government’s digital duty of care bill passes, users would be able to switch off algorithms. But this might not be as good as it seems.
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Jeff Borland, The University of Melbourne
Markets now think it’s less likely the Reserve Bank will increase interest rates again on November 3. But it is still possible.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Albanese governments latest budget has faced many hurdles. With sour economic news increasing the pressure on the government.
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Julian Novitz, Swinburne University of Technology
The legal threat to Sally Rooney has drawn new attention to the controversial UK definition of a ‘terrorist organisation’.
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Benedict Moleta, Australian National University
Israelis will soon vote for or against another Netanyahu government. The election outcome alone will not provide Israel with a solution to Hamas in Gaza.
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Jo Case, The Conversation; Suzy Freeman-Greene, The Conversation
ABC Radio National is about to reveal Australia’s top 100 books, chosen by popular vote. Ahead of the countdown, The Conversation has asked our experts for theirs.
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Cameron Webb, University of Sydney; Katie Anders, Monash University; Sarah McGuinness, Monash University
Dengue is common in tropical destinations popular with Australian travellers such as Bali, India and Thailand.
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Rob Nicholls, University of Sydney; Jeannie Marie Paterson, The University of Melbourne
Just as car makers have to report and pay to fix faulty airbags, AI companies should be legally responsible for their faulty products.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Western Australian Greens will investigate the allegations against the senator.
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James Skinner, University of Newcastle; Danny F Hill, Providence College
The cheating scandal has caused political ripples across the UK and UAE and highlights how geopolitical interests can threaten sporting independence.
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Health + Medicine
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Megan Prictor, The University of Melbourne
Veterans have launched a class action against the department for ‘mass and routine sharing’ of their medical records over 20 years. How common is this?
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Environment + Energy
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Hayley Pring, Grattan Institute
Debate about climate pollution from Australian coal mines is focused overseas. But emissions released at home matter, too.
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Science + Technology
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Adrian Barnett, Queensland University of Technology; Philip Clarke, The University of Melbourne
Leaving some funding decisions up to luck can save everybody time and effort – and help understand what the funding actually does.
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Fiona Petchey, University of Waikato
Radiocarbon dating at two archaeological sites shows how early settlers adapted to life in Aotearoa, with some economic changes happening sooner than thought.
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Kerry Fanson, La Trobe University; Phoebe Edwards, Iowa State University
Cortisol has been cast as a modern health villain, seeking to slowly destroy you. But it’s actually a critical hormone.
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Karin Sowada, Macquarie University
There’s little left of the ship itself but based on clues from its cargo, a research team has tentatively dated the wreck to around 2700–2400 BCE.
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Arts + Culture
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Anita Manfreda, Torrens University Australia
South Australia’s first Michelin selection celebrates a food culture rooted in place, shaped by migration and sustained by the people behind every plate and welcome.
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Your Say
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In your article, 'School teachers are burning out at alarming rates. How can we help keep them happy in their jobs?', I think even the best workplaces can only tinker with burnout pressures. The most naturally effective answers lie in the individual's personal life, through having opportunities (even if only for minutes) to switch the mind off work and switch on to personal experiences they enjoy. These personal interests can regularly re-energise teachers.
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Regarding your article on ‘Should you watch a tiger mauling a man – or a live‑streamed execution?’, it is not usual for ordinary people to endorse the viewing of other people’s deaths. Personally, I see no virtue in showing dead children in photojournalism, nor would I find it acceptable to show executions or sudden death. The current politicians who run the US seem to think that portraying death, especially state-sanctioned death, is a form of warning. Apart from the rather unpleasant knowledge that there is state-imposed death, watching it happen is simply repulsive.
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