Canberra crunch
It's shaping up as a chaotic week in the nation's capital as the Albanese government juggles multiple reforms that provide insight into its priorities ahead of the election.
The final sitting week of federal parliament for 2024 provides an illuminating window into Anthony Albanese’s priorities heading into the election.
Labor’s controversial misinformation and disinformation bill was finally scrapped on Sunday after it was opposed by the Coalition, crossbench MPs and some of the nation’s most eminent legal experts.
And despite widespread calls for a ban on betting advertising on television, the government has shelved plans to do anything about that until next year, likely after the election.
Yet Albanese is hellbent on passing his social media age ban — the benefits and practicalities of which are highly contested — before parliament rises on Thursday. The parliamentary inquiry into the bill was given just half a day on Monday to conduct a hearing into the proposed ban on children 16 and under from accessing social media sites.
