Hannah Lam

Prominent Australian advocates for children have raised concerns over the sudden resignation of the Northern Territory children’s commissioner, Shahleena Musk, ahead of changes to the Territory’s child protection laws. Australia’s peak advocate for Aboriginal children has described the circumstances around child protection in the Northern Territory as “dire” following the shock resignation. The resignation has raised questions about the state of child protection in the Territory and the adequacy of safeguards for vulnerable children. The timing of the resignation, coming shortly before significant legislative changes, has drawn particular scrutiny from advocates who fear that critical oversight may be lost during a period of transition.

The Northern Territory has a history of challenges in child protection, with previous inquiries highlighting systemic issues in the care and protection of children, including over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care and inadequate support for families at risk. The resignation of the children’s commissioner adds to concerns about the stability and effectiveness of the Territory’s child protection system, which has been under strain due to high caseloads and workforce shortages. Advocates are calling for urgent action to address the underlying issues that have contributed to the current situation, including increased funding for family support services and culturally appropriate intervention programs.

The circumstances surrounding the resignation remain unclear, with limited information available about the reasons for Musk’s departure. However, the concerns raised by child advocates suggest that the issues facing the Territory’s child protection system are significant and require immediate attention. The situation has prompted calls for a thorough review of child protection arrangements in the Northern Territory and greater transparency about the challenges facing the system. The federal government has been urged to provide additional support and resources to strengthen child protection in the Territory, including specialised training for frontline workers and expanded therapeutic services for children who have experienced trauma.

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A federal government crackdown on big businesses that fail to take action to eradicate modern slavery from their supply chains is a welcome step to ending forced labour, human rights advocates say. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has announced the nation’s modern slavery laws will be strengthened with substantial fines and criminal offences. The Albanese Government has announced plans for a new criminal offence and civil penalties for large companies that fail to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. The move gives the law “some teeth” after years of a voluntary code that was able to be ignored by the worst offending companies, many of which continued to source from high-risk regions without meaningful due diligence.

Australia imports billions of dollars of goods with a high risk of slavery in their supply chains every year, including electronics, garments, seafood and agricultural products from countries with weak labour protections and limited enforcement capacity. Human rights advocates have welcomed the crackdown, describing it as a welcome step to ending forced labour. The Australian Council of Trade Unions also welcomed the announcement, describing it as a long-overdue reform that will improve corporate accountability and help prevent labour exploitation. The new laws will make big companies criminally liable for modern slavery in supply chains, with penalties that include fines of up to $10 million or 10 per cent of annual turnover, whichever is greater, and potential imprisonment for senior executives in egregious cases.

The strengthened laws respond to longstanding concerns that the existing framework, which relied on voluntary reporting, was inadequate to address the scale of modern slavery risks in global supply chains. The new criminal offence creates a powerful deterrent for companies that might otherwise turn a blind eye to labour abuses in their supply chains. The legislation is expected to have significant implications for large businesses operating in Australia, requiring them to demonstrate robust due diligence processes, including regular audits, risk assessments and transparent reporting. In March 2026, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called on Australia to introduce mandatory human rights due diligence, adding international legitimacy to the reforms.

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Australia’s landmark under-16 social media ban, which came into effect in December, is struggling to clear age-check hurdles, rendering the first-of-its-kind law ineffective, according to a testing firm. The law mandates that platforms including Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube bar people under 16 from having accounts. Since the ban’s implementation, complaints of cyberbullying on banned social media platforms increased 26 per cent when comparing January 2026 with January 2025, with complaints largely stemming from TikTok. The rise in complaints suggests that young users may still be accessing platforms despite the age restrictions, either by lying about their age or using workarounds such as VPNs and borrowed accounts.

The Australian government has moved to strengthen the ban, introducing new laws in parliament to give its internet regulator more power to pursue tech giants in court for non-compliance. The regulator is investigating possible non-compliance by five platforms: Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Google’s YouTube. The strengthened enforcement measures aim to address the shortcomings identified in the initial implementation of the ban, with the government seeking to demonstrate that it is serious about protecting young people from online harms. The amendments include higher fines and the ability to issue infringement notices without lengthy court proceedings, expediting the compliance process.

The social media ban has been closely watched internationally as a pioneering effort to regulate children’s access to social media platforms. Supporters argue that the ban is necessary to protect young people from cyberbullying, online predators and the negative mental health impacts of social media, which have been linked to increased rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents. Critics contend that the ban is difficult to enforce effectively and may drive young people to less regulated corners of the internet, such as encrypted messaging apps or obscure forums, where they may be exposed to even greater risks. The enforcement challenges highlight the complexities of regulating global technology platforms through national legislation, especially when platforms are not based in Australia.

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Councils across New South Wales are delivering projects to strengthen community connection and overcome hate, racism and discrimination at a local level, thanks to the latest round of the NSW Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government. Under the $800,000 program, seven metropolitan and six regional councils will consult with their communities to elevate local voices and shape each council’s response to hate, racism and discrimination. When social cohesion is undermined, communities are less resilient and division grows. The program responds directly to those concerns, supporting councils to deliver practical solutions and reinforce that hate, racism and discrimination have no place in NSW, particularly in the wake of rising community tensions observed in recent years.

Each project is locally designed and led to reflect the needs of specific communities, with many supporting the development of local anti-racism strategies and other long-term initiatives to build more inclusive communities. In Willoughby, council will facilitate a youth-led project across council areas along the Metro Line to build shared connection and address racism, misinformation and social division through guided engagements. In Lake Macquarie, accessible training will build the skills and confidence of community members to prevent, respond to and report racial discrimination. Since launching in 2021, the NSW Social Cohesion Grants program has delivered more than $2.7 million to 21 local governments, reaching diverse communities from western Sydney to regional centres.

Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper said: “Our communities are made stronger by our diverse faiths, backgrounds, and cultures. It’s vital that we do everything we can to ensure our differences are respected and seen as the strengths that they are.” “No one should be made to feel like they do not belong in our state,” he said. “Creating a safe and inclusive environment for every person, and every family, is a duty that we all share.” Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said councils play an important role in bringing people together and helping create places where everyone feels they belong. The grant program is part of a broader state government commitment to social cohesion, which includes funding for community festivals, interfaith dialogues and multicultural media.

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Four deaths in four days sparked renewed calls for a royal commission into violence against women, with a Hobart commercial radio host putting the idea directly to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The petition referenced on the program has now reached 131,873 signatures, with 20 people adding their names in the space of 40 minutes. However, the prime minister’s response — that royal commissions primarily “fund lawyers” — has drawn criticism from some quarters. While many working to end domestic, family and sexual violence don’t support the call for a royal commission, they don’t entirely back the prime minister’s approach either, viewing his comment as dismissive of legitimate community anguish.

On paper, a royal commission is an independent, public inquiry, but in the collective consciousness, it is also a sign that an issue is of the utmost importance. This is despite the fact that many recommendations from royal commissions are left ignored for years or decades, as seen in previous inquiries into institutional abuse and natural disasters. Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin isn’t a big backer of a national royal commission. “What we need to see now is action, coordinated action at a national level that is funded commensurate with the scale of the problem,” she said, arguing that further inquiry risks delaying implementation of already well‑documented solutions.

Cronin said she understands why people may want a royal commission, but she and her team have examined thousands of recommendations already made by more than 25 different inquiries — including royal commissions and inquests — providing practical solutions to stop and respond to violence against women and children. They found while many recommendations were repeated in report after report, they were never acted upon. Some of them were made by Cronin herself in the report of the federal government’s own rapid review into how to prevent violence against women and children, which was delivered more than two years ago. The lack of follow‑through has frustrated advocates who see the issue as one of political will rather than lack of knowledge.

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