Rudd Government

In a milestone decision, Australia's Senate on Thursday passed laws to ban children and teenagers from using social media, in the first such decision by any government across the globe.

The Australian government has proposed new legislation that would impose a social media age limit of 16, barring children under this age from using platforms such as X, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, Reuters reports. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that social media is harming children and stated, "I'm calling time on it," during his announcement.

Australia's prime minister on Nov. 7 vowed to ban children under 16 from social media, saying the pervasive influence of platforms like Facebook and TikTok was "doing real harm to our kids."

The tech giants would be held responsible for enforcing the age limit and face hefty fines if regulators notice young users slipping through the cracks, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended congratulations to Donald Trump on his victory in the recent US presidential election, calling for stronger "dialogue and communication" between the two nations, BTA reported. Xi emphasized that both countries must work toward "understanding," noting that cooperation benefits both sides while confrontation harms them.

China's relationship with Australia is "on the right track", Premier Li Qiang said in Canberra on Monday as the two trading partners moved on from a bitter economic dispute.

The highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Australia since 2017, Li held high-level talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following a welcome ceremony at Parliament House.

Australia has told China of its "outrage" over a suspended death sentence handed to Chinese-Australian dissident writer Yang Jun, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday.

Yang was sentenced to death on Monday with a two-year suspended execution and had all of his property confiscated, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

The U.N.'s cultural agency UNESCO welcomed on June 6 commitments from Australia to protect the Great Barrier Reef, with the government pledging 4.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion) to safeguard the natural wonder.

Tax revenue surpassed the target by 1.3 billion euros in the first two months of 2023, according to provisional state budget execution figures on a modified cash basis.

However, a part of this increase, worth €470 million, covered the delayed payment of car circulation fees initially expected to be paid in December 2022.

Australia's prime minister on Monday defended an obscure and longstanding protocol that bars the nation's parliament from sitting for 15 days following a British monarch's death.

Lawmakers will reconvene on Sept. 23 to debate a condolence motion for Queen Elizabeth II, the earliest date that the protocol allows, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Australia's new government has urged China to lift trade sanctions if it wants to reset a bilateral relationship that plumbed new depths under the previous administration.