Australia news LIVE: Wells under fire for fresh travel expense revelation; Reddit expected to challenge government’s social media ban in court

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7.23am

Reddit enlists lawyers to take on teen social media ban

By Brittany Busch

Reddit is expected to launch a High Court challenge against Australia’s under-16s social media ban, the Australian Financial Review has reported.

The masthead reports the $67 billion platform, which hosts anonymous discussion forums, has enlisted barrister Perry Herzfeld, SC, backed by law firm Thomson Geer to run its case, according to anonymous sources with knowledge of the challenge.

Reddit has enlisted lawyers to launch a High Court challenge against Australia’s under-16s social media ban.

A Reddit spokesperson said in response to the claims: “The only decision we’ve made is to comply with the law”.

The platform posted a statement this morning outlining how it planned to comply with the ban, but highlighted its concerns with the new restrictions and called its application “legally erroneous”.

“We are concerned about the potential implications of laws like Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age law. We believe strongly in the open internet and the continued accessibility of quality knowledge, information, resources, and community building for everyone, including young people.

This is why Reddit has always been, and continues to be, available for anyone to read even if they don’t have an account,” the statement said.

“By limiting account eligibility and putting identity tests on internet usage, this law undermines everyone’s right to both free expression and privacy, as well as account-specific protections. We also believe the law’s application to Reddit (a pseudonymous, text-based forum overwhelmingly used by adults) is arbitrary, legally erroneous, and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian Parliament, especially when other obvious platforms are exempt.”

6.58am

Marles won’t say whether US pressured government to increase defence spending

By Emily Kaine

Defence Minister Richard Marles is taking questions at a press conference in Washington, following a meeting of ministers for annual AUSMIN talks.

Marles refused to provide any details on the Pentagon’s review of AUKUS, released to the government last week, only claiming it “looks at ways AUKUS can be done better”.

“Last week, we received the AUKUS review from the United States, we are very grateful for having received it… and the way in which they enabled us to contribute to the review means we are moving full steam ahead, and that is very much the context in which the review has been written.

“The review is essentially looking at ways in which AUKUS can be done better, and we continue to work with the United States and the United Kingdom about how we can do AUKUS better,” he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, left, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles at the State Department in Washington.

Pressed on whether the US put further pressure on Australia to increase its defence spending in meetings today, Marles remained tight-lipped, saying he would not describe details of the discussions.

“We’re very clear about our position in relation to defence spending and where that has led, and that has led to the biggest increase in peacetime defence spending in Australia’s history, and that is acknowledged by the US.

“But I think that in describing the conversations as frank speaks to the closeness of the relationship... and I’m not going to give you a running commentary, conversations, public comments, which is very much reflected in the way in which that meeting was conducted behind closed doors,” Marles told reporters.

6.39am

Marles and Wong address the media from Washington

Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong are addressing the media from Washington, following a meeting of ministers for annual AUSMIN talks. Follow along with their address.

6.35am

Joyce pressed on his new party’s past policies

By Jack Gramenz

Barnaby Joyce has been doing the media rounds after officially announcing his defection from the Nationals to join One Nation for a tilt at the Senate at the next election, prompting questions about his support for the party’s past policies.

Joyce made the announcement on a Tamworth radio station yesterday, later appearing on Sky News alongside One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, before an interview on the ABC’s 7.30.

After a delay to sort out some microphone issues, Joyce told the program he and One Nation would be “dealing with the issues as they come before the parliament” but “there’s very much a sort of symbiosis on issues”.

Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce in Tamworth.

On whether this “philosophical alignment” between Joyce and One Nation meant he supported what host Sarah Ferguson called the party’s “long-running vilification of ethnic groups”, Joyce told 7.30 “I don’t believe that there is a vilification by Pauline Hanson of racial groups”.

Asked if he agreed with Hanson’s statement on Muslims having “a culture and ideology that is incompatible with Australia’s”, Joyce said incompatibilities could be found “if you go to the extremities of Islamic religion, like most religions”.

On how the party’s policy of deporting 75,000 illegal immigrants a year, about 75 times more than current numbers, could be enacted, and whether it meant “ICE-style raids”, Joyce said he was “not going to support keeping illegal immigrants in Australia because they’re illegal” and “should be going back to where they came from”.

6.35am

Fresh scrutiny for Wells over use of travel entitlements

By James Massola and Natassia Chrysanthos

Sport Minister Anika Wells charged taxpayers almost $1000 to have a government-funded Comcar wait seven hours for her while she attended the Australian Open tennis final in January 2023, in the latest example of the embattled cabinet minister’s use of travel entitlements.

It adds to fresh reports yesterday that show Wells billed taxpayers $10,000 to fly her husband to Melbourne for the AFL grand final three times, for the Boxing Day Test two times, and to a cricket event at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Sydney residence.

Minister for Communications and Minister for Sport Anika Wells.

Scrutiny over Wells’ spending began last Wednesday, when it was revealed taxpayers paid almost $100,000 in flights for the minister and two staff to visit the United Nations in New York in September.

It then emerged she charged $3681 for a work trip to Adelaide that included a friend’s birthday party, $1389 for her husband and two children to join her at Thredbo’s ski fields while she was there for a work event, and $1200 to fly to Melbourne for the F1 Grand Prix with her husband.

Read the full report here.

6.35am

What’s making news this morning

By Emily Kaine

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Tuesday, December 9. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming our coverage for the first half of the day. Here’s what is making news this morning.

Sport Minister Anika Wells charged taxpayers almost $1000 to have a government-funded Comcar wait seven hours for her while she attended the Australian Open tennis final in January 2023, in the latest example of the embattled cabinet minister’s use of travel entitlements. It adds to fresh reports yesterday that show Wells billed taxpayers $10,000 to fly her husband to Melbourne for the AFL grand final three times, for the Boxing Day Test two times, and to a cricket event at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Sydney residence.
Barnaby Joyce confirmed he was joining One Nation and will run for the Senate in NSW at the next election, appearing on a Tamworth radio station with party leader Pauline Hanson to make the announcement yesterday. Joyce was doing the media rounds yesterday after the announcement and faced questions about his support for the party’s past policies.
Global online forum Reddit is preparing to challenge the government’s social media ban in court, the Australian Financial Review reported this morning. The threat of the legal challenge comes less than 24 hours before the controversial social media age restrictions are set to be enforced. The lawsuit could be lodged by Reddit within days.
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Australia for its next $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) cheque to stimulate American shipbuilding as part of the AUKUS agreement, as ministers meet in Washington for annual AUSMIN talks.

Stay with us as we continue to bring you rolling news updates from Australia and beyond throughout the day.