Australia politics live: Albanese trashes Taylor’s Midwinter Ball speech saying ‘I would pretend it was all a bad dream’

Australia's parliament is debating the timing of social media regulation. A government bill would increase fines for tech platforms and expand the eSafety Commissioner's power to police harmful content. But the Coalition opposition requested an eight-week inquiry first. Labor politician Anika Wells criticized the delay, arguing it gives Big Tech eight weeks to prepare their legal defense — or potentially destroy documents before new rules take effect. Wells says the bill itself is straightforward and shouldn't need the delay. The dispute reflects deeper disagreement over how fast Australia should regulate social media companies.

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