As it happened: PM supports social media ban for kids; Coalition refuses to back RBA reforms

The penalty, issued under Australia’s Online Safety Act, could attract daily fines of $780,000 for each day the company does not respond.

But barrister Bret Walker SC, representing X Corp, told Justice Michael Wheelahan the commission’s actions remained “unfinished regulatory business” that could not be passed on to another company following a merger.

Twitter, incorporated in the US state of Delaware, stopped being a company when it merged with X Corp in Nevada, Walker said, and any penalty process would need to be restarted.

“Part of my learned friend’s language … gave rise to a suggestion or a fear on our part that there is some shadowy afterlife, some wisp of Twitter still existing in X, and in our submission that is to be rejected,” he said.

“Twitter has ceased to exist.”

AAP with Lachlan Abbott

“So I think it’s important those penalties are brought up to date.”

One Commonwealth penalty unit is $330, meaning a 500 penalty unit fine equates to $165,000. The maximum penalty against a corporation can be five times more than the maximum ordered against an individual, according to an eSafety Commissioner document outlining enforcement powers under the Online Safety Act.

Rowland was then asked if she expected those fines would be “substantially enhanced”.

“I won’t pre-empt the outcome,” she responded, “but I will say that this, very clearly, is one of the reference terms the reviewer has been looking at, and is one we are very alive to when it comes to compliance and enforcement.”

Appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing moments ago, Littleproud was asked if he had been threatening when he told Steggall to “be careful”. Littleproud said:

Zali Steggall, who was sitting at the back corner of the parliament [and] cannot even see where I’m sitting, made an assertion I encouraged this gentleman to make an obscene gesture to the prime minister. Now, that’s not something I’ll have my integrity questioned over.

I don’t know this gentleman. I didn’t sign him in. The only person I signed in to parliament today was Mia Davies, who is our candidate in [the WA seat of] Bullwinkle. She was in the Speaker’s gallery. These people were in the public gallery.

But they were people that had come in from outside protesting about what this government had done. And they were very upset with the response they had in question time from the prime minister.

When asked if Steggall’s initial remark calling a man “overweight” was unparliamentary, Littleproud said: “Well I think Zali Steggall is looking for attention and I think we should leave it at that.”

Speirs denies he is the person in the video and picture first published online by News Corp last night, calling the footage “very troubling”.

“I believe this is a deepfake or an elaborate hoax,” Speirs said in a statement.

Tuesday was scheduled to be his first sitting day in South Australian parliament since he quit as leader on August 8, but the Liberal Party confirmed he would be absent.

Tarzia won a party-room ballot after Speirs stepped down, saying he had “had a gutful” of being undermined and didn’t have the energy to continue as leader.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the video and image was “all a bit breathtaking”.

AAP

“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. If the first part of the member’s question was ruled inappropriate, then surely that comment ought to be ruled inappropriate. And secondly, it is not relevant to the question,” Bandt said.

Leader of the House Tony Burke argued against Bandt’s point of order.

“You didn’t ask for the imputation of motives to be withdrawn in that question, and given that it wasn’t withdrawn, it should be completely reasonable for the prime minister to point out the conflicts of interest, the poor motives for somebody who has stood up and railed against action,” Burke said to Chandler-Mather and Bandt.

Albanese continued his answer, criticising Chandler-Mather for his support of the CFMEU rally.

“It is a fact that the member for Griffith attended a rally in which there were … [protesters] referring to members of this parliament as Nazis. And the member for Griffith standing in front of those signs, there is precedent for that sort of thing.”

“We are giving certainty to sheep producers and the supply chain by legislating the phase-out and investing $107 million to support an orderly and well-planned transition away from what is an already declining trade,” Albanese said to shouts from the opposition.

“That is how you provide support for people, those opposite know that this trade will not resume, they know it’s being passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, and they are playing politics.”

Towards the end of Albanese’s answer, Littleproud leaned forward and yelled “rubbish” repeatedly, pointing his finger at the PM. Some public members of the gallery crossed their arms, shook their heads and frowned when Albanese spoke.

As Albanese answered a second question on live sheep exports and said the industry was dying out, the group in the public gallery stood up and stormed out, with one man yelling “bullshit”.