Crikey Daily - 10/12/25

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Wednesday Dec 10

Hi Reader,

The world is watching as Australia is first out of the gate — the canary down the coal mine — to ban social media for under-16s.

Today we speak to the minister responsible for the policy, Anika Wells, who outlines her post-ban vision and why the work is far from over. For our resident ban expert, Cam Wilson, it's been the culmination of a huge body of work forensically unpacking the policy, in all its flaws and complexities. Read his own words about why the ban has been so important to interrogate.

In other news, Donald Trump is changing tack — accommodating China and interfering with the West. Funnily enough, the usual anti-China alarmists are strangely silent now…

Meanwhile, we bring you the most memorable political expenses scandals, reveal which is Australia's smartest state or territory (and what the data is missing), and look at an animal welfare report that NSW Labor barely cares about.

Thanks for supporting independent media.

Alisha Rouse
Editor

Anika Wells' vision beyond the ban

Communications Minister Anika Wells (Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas)

As the teen social media ban kicks in, Anika Wells tells Cam Wilson she wants more than just “conversations” — the metric for success touted by the prime minister. The communications minister speaks about how she’s positioning herself as a “big sister” rather than the “nanny state”, but didn’t have an answer for what teens’ digital habits would look like if the policy works perfectly.

Leading experts have grave concerns

The government centred protecting children’s mental health as a key argument for the teen social media ban. However, as Cam Wilson writes, leading experts have grave concerns about its impact — a case that's been bolstered by new research on suicide-related content on social media, shared exclusively with Crikey.

Why I've gone hard on the ban

Anika Wells and Anthony Albanese (Image: Private Media)

I’ve written a fair bit — around 44,000 words — about the teen social media ban over the past year. From secret deals to rushed inquiries, the ban’s mix of good intentions and bizarre processes meant there was no shortage of things to cover.

Now that the ban has arrived, I hope its problems and downsides were overblown or wrong — and that Australia’s most vulnerable teens don’t have to pay the price.

Cam Wilson
Associate editor

Australia's Trump shills are strangely silent

Donald Trump, Anthony Albanese and Pete Hegseth (Images: AP/AAP)

The Trump regime has made it clear that it wants to accommodate China’s rising military power while actively interfering in the domestic affairs of its allies. As Bernard Keane writes, our US-addicted security and military establishment seems blithely indifferent to the fact that the US is now as much a threat as an ally.

Parliamentary expenses: The greatest hits

Communications Minister Anika Wells is having her every expense pored over, following the news that $100,000 in taxpayer money had been shelled out getting her and two advisers to the United Nations. But as Charlie Lewis asks, where does she sit in the glorious history of Australian expenses scandals?

Which is Australia's smartest state?

(Image: Private Media/Zennie)

Upon an initial reading of NAPLAN results, there is a clear winner when looking for the nation’s smartest state or territory. However, as economist Jason Murphy explains, a deeper analysis of the results is needed to truly understand what kids are learning and where — and why rural kids are being left behind.

Animal abuse report proves NSW Labor is rotten

A 700-page report that details extensive animal abuse and misconduct in the NSW greyhound industry has been snuck out by the Minns government. And as Bernard Keane writes, it is ignoring most of the recommendations, including that the industry be suspended unless it complies with basic obligations.

Why parliament expansion is good for Nationals

Nationals leader David Littleproud (Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas)

There are rumblings from Canberra suggesting that Labor is seriously considering expanding the size of the federal parliament. As electoral analyst Ben Raue writes, if this is true, the Nationals should seriously consider backing the change, despite what their Coalition partners want.

RBA holds interest rates at 3.6%

The Reserve Bank of Australia has done what everyone expected and held interest rates at 3.6%. But could comments made by governor Michele Bullock on Tuesday signal whether a rate rise is on the cards next year?

Catch up with all the latest headlines in this morning's Worm. Get access by becoming a Crikey member today.

Rich James
Worm editor

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