Australia news live: Ley challenges Albanese over Trump meeting; storm warning for Sydney

October 16, 2025 adminsr

Key events

Looming social media ban on docket for education parley

The government leaders responsible for enforcing a world-first ban on social media for teenagers will gather to hear how the initiative will work.

Education ministers from across the nation, whose armies of school teachers will help police the restrictions, will assemble for the high-level meeting on Friday.

Less than two months from the ban kicking in, federal communication minister Anika Wells and eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant are set to speak to state education ministers on Friday.

The duo will unveil a resource package for both educators and parents to help them understand the laws and how to engage with kids on them.

From December 10, platforms must take reasonable steps to find underage users and stop under-16s accessing the platforms, as well as provide an accessible complaints process for users.

-AAP

Adeshola Ore

Melbourne pro-Palestine rallies to pause after ceasefire

Melbourne’s weekly pro-Palestine rallies will be paused following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the activist group behind the demonstrations says.

In a social media post on Instagram, Free Palestine Coalition Naarm and The Sit-Intifada said the weekly Sunday rallies outside the State Library would be halted after the ceasefire agreement last week:

We will be pausing the weekly protest initiative in response to the cessation of the Zionist offensive.

Melbourne’s pro-Palestine protests – which at its peak attracted more than 10,000 people – began shortly after Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack and were held almost every Sunday.

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Jordyn Beazley

Good morning, and happy Friday. I’m Jordyn Beazley and I’ll be taking you through our rolling news coverage this morning.

If you see anything you’d like to draw my attention to, you an reach me on jordyn.beazley@theguardian.com.

Adeshola Ore

First Peoples’ Assembly says not too late for Victorian Liberals to back treaty

Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly says it’s not too late for the opposition to back the state’s Indigenous treaty bill as it passed parliament’s lower house on Thursday.

The Coalition this week announced it would repeal the agreement – Australia’s first formal treaty with First Nations people – if elected next year.

The opposition already withdrew its support for the treaty process after the failure of the 2023 referendum to change Australia’s constitution to create a federal voice to parliament.

The bill passed the lower house with the support of Labor and Greens MPs. Opposition MPs voted against it. Assembly co-chair and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg urged the opposition to support the bill in the upper house:

Aboriginal voices from across the state have been clear that Treaty is the change we need to create a better future for our people. As the Bill moves to the upper house, my message to Liberal and National representatives is it’s not too late to again walk with us.

Parliament’s upper house will debate the bill at the end of the month. Once the bill passes parliament, as expected with the support of the Greens and other progressive crossbenchers, the government and the assembly will formally sign the treaty agreement.

Jacqui Lambie accuses parliamentary committee of ‘stealth hearing’ on controversial FOI bill

Krishna Dhanji

The independent senator Jacqui Lambie has accused a parliamentary committee of conducting a “stealth hearing” on controversial changes to freedom of information legislation.

The Senate referred the bill to an inquiry last month, which has now received submissions, will hold its first public hearing today and will make recommendations for the bill, which is due by 3 December.

But notably absent from the list of submissions and list of witnesses is former senator and self-proclaimed “transparency warrior” Rex Patrickwho looks like he’s been “censored” says Lambie.

The Tasmania senator also claims the committee did not provide advance notice to her office of the upcoming public hearing, despite her “strong interest” on the issue.

“I have moved amendments on this legislation … but I wasn’t notified of the hearing in a timely way. There’s something unusual going on here – it’s like they’re trying for a stealth hearing on changes to legislation that is about secrecy and transparency.

What really blows me away is that the witness list has been published without consultation and it looks like Rex Patrick and [former ABC investigative journalist and barrister] Paul Farrell – two of the most experienced FOIers in the country – haven’t been invited to give evidence.

It looks like Mr Patrick’s very comprehensive submission on the bill, has been censored. Mr Patrick did accuse the prime minister of hypocrisy in his submission, but his accusation is grounded in fact.

Guardian Australia has contacted the committee secretary for comment.

Hail and storms forecast for Sydney this afternoon

Sydneysiders: batten down the hatches. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a storm is coming.

While the city is forecast to hit a high of 32C, it’ll get cloudier during the day and thunderstorms are likely in the afternoon and evening, possibly severe, with damaging winds and large hail.

Good luck out there.

For those outside the NSW capital, Perth will be sunny and 28C, Adelaide partly cloudy and 21, Melbourne cloudy and 20, Hobart showery and 16, Canberra windy and 27, and Brisbane sunny and 28.

Ley says Albanese must get ‘concrete outcomes’ from Trump meeting

Josh Butler

The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has challenged Anthony Albanese to extract “concrete outcomes” on Aukus, trade and tariffs from his meeting with President Donald Trump next week.

The prime minister heads to Washington DC on Sunday ahead of a White House meeting on Monday. It will be the first formal face-to-face meeting between Albanese and Trump, after a series of phone calls, a cancelled meeting in Canada and a brief chat in New York last month.

The Labor government is downplaying prospects of any immediate outcomes on the Pentagon’s Aukus review, tariffs on Australia, or a mooted critical minerals deal coming during Albanese’s trip. But Ley has continued the opposition’s criticism that Albanese hasn’t met Trump before now.

She said she’d written to Albanese saying she hoped to see an assurance on the American review of Aukus, “real commitment” on pillar two of the Aukus agreement on future technologies, a “deal” on Trump’s trade tariffs and progress on Australia becoming a supplier of advanced weapons systems.

Ley wished Albanese well, but yet again noted “this meeting could have, and should have, occurred sooner.”

When it comes to the prime minister stepping into the Oval Office, there is only Team Australia. But this must be more than a photo opportunity, Australians are relying on the PM to deliver.