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NATIONAL HERALD

Labor Moves to Strengthen Online Safety Laws as Digital Duty of Care Bill Introduced

Australians could gain new avenues to hold social media platforms accountable as the Albanese Government moves to overhaul online safety laws, with a particular focus on protecting children and teenagers from harmful content.

Communications Minister Anika Wells introduced Labor’s proposed Digital Duty of Care Bill to Parliament on Thursday, opening the way for significant changes to the responsibilities of social media companies operating in Australia.

Under the proposal, platforms would be required to take greater responsibility for protecting users under the age of 18 from harmful material, including content promoting criminal activity, eating disorders, po*******hy and misogyny, as well as posts that cause distress.

The legislation represents a move towards making technology companies more accountable for the material accessible through their platforms, rather than leaving young people and their families to shoulder the burden of managing online risks themselves.

The proposal could also open the door for Australians to take action against social media platforms over failures to meet their legal obligations, potentially giving users greater power to challenge companies over online harm.

The central question is whether the proposed laws will deliver meaningful protection in practice. Social media platforms have enormous influence over what young Australians see, the information they encounter and the online communities they join. With that influence comes a responsibility to ensure their services do not expose children to preventable harm.

However, the effectiveness of the reforms will depend on how the duty of care is defined, how compliance is enforced and whether platforms face meaningful consequences when they fail to act.

The legislation now places the spotlight on the balance between protecting young Australians, holding powerful technology companies accountable and ensuring that legitimate online expression is not unnecessarily restricted.

For parents and families concerned about the impact of social media on children, the proposed overhaul could mark an important step towards a safer digital environment.

NATIONAL HERALD — Keeping Australians informed on the issues that matter.

THE NATIONAL HERALD

GREENS SENATOR STEPS ASIDE AMID HISTORICAL CONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

Western Australian Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John has taken leave from his party room following allegations of inappropriate conduct towards women spanning almost a decade, firmly rejecting the accusations.

The 32-year-old senator, a prominent Greens advocate in the fight against cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), made the decision on Thursday after seven Greens members reportedly signed a letter demanding an investigation into his alleged behaviour.

The allegations relate to incidents said to have occurred between 2017 and 2025, raising questions about conduct within the party and the handling of complaints involving elected representatives.

Steele-John has denied the allegations, and the claims remain allegations rather than established findings. An investigation will be important in determining the facts and ensuring that all parties receive a fair hearing.

The development presents an uncomfortable challenge for the Greens, a party that has frequently emphasised accountability, respect and safe workplaces. How the party responds will be closely watched, particularly as it continues its campaign against proposed NDIS cuts and advocates for Australians living with disability.

For now, the focus will be on whether a formal investigation proceeds, what evidence emerges and whether the allegations can be substantiated.

The National Herald will follow developments as further information becomes available.

NATIONAL HERALD | TRUMP CERTAINLY ISN’T DOING IT TO MAKE ENDS MEET!

Donald Trump is certainly not on struggle street — in fact, he appears to be doing exceptionally well out of being President of the United States.

While millions of Americans grapple with the cost of living, housing affordability, grocery bills and rising household expenses, the man occupying the Oval Office has presided over a remarkable expansion of his own business interests and personal wealth.

According to financial reports and estimates, Trump’s business interests generated at least US$2.2 billion in revenue during 2025, his first year back in the White House. That follows his first presidential term, from 2017 to 2021, during which financial disclosure reviews by ethics watchdogs estimated that his businesses reported more than US$1.6 billion in outside revenue and income.

The sources of his wealth have expanded considerably. Alongside his traditional real estate holdings, hotels and golf courses, cryptocurrency ventures and branded business arrangements have become major contributors to his financial empire. His family-managed trust has not operated as a traditional blind trust, meaning his business interests have continued to generate revenue while he serves as President.

Of course, business revenue is not the same as personal profit, and estimates of his wealth can fluctuate with market valuations. Nevertheless, the scale of the reported figures raises legitimate questions about the relationship between presidential power, private business interests and public accountability.

Trump has previously highlighted his decision to donate his presidential salary of US$400,000 a year. That may sound generous, but when measured against the billions of dollars reportedly flowing through his business interests, the salary is a relatively minor consideration.

The question is not whether a President is entitled to own businesses and accumulate wealth. It is whether the highest office in the United States should provide opportunities for private financial gain that raise concerns about conflicts of interest and public trust.

Trump entered the presidency as a wealthy businessman and has continued to expand his commercial interests while in office. His supporters may regard that as evidence of business success, while his critics see a troubling blurring of the line between public office and private enrichment.

Either way, one thing is clear: Donald Trump is hardly the poster boy for Americans struggling to make ends meet.

While ordinary families count the dollars between paydays, the President's business empire continues to operate on a vastly different financial scale.

For Donald Trump, the presidency appears to be about considerably more than the presidential salary.

National Herald — examining the money, the power and the politics.

HIDDEN CAMERA DISCOVERED IN WOMEN’S SHOWER ABOARD HMAS LEEUWIN

ADF MEMBER ASSISTING MILITARY POLICE AS NAVY LAUNCHES FLEET-WIDE AUDIT

A disturbing breach of privacy aboard an Australian Navy vessel has prompted an investigation after a concealed video recording device was discovered in a women’s shower on HMAS Leeuwin.

An Australian Defence Force member has been identified as a person of interest and is assisting military police with their inquiries. No findings of guilt have been established, and the investigation is continuing.

The discovery has sent shockwaves through the Navy, raising serious questions about the privacy, safety and welfare of personnel serving in Australia’s defence forces.

The Chief of Navy has condemned the incident as a “despicable betrayal of trust”, reflecting the gravity of a situation in which members of the ADF must be able to rely on their colleagues and trust that their personal privacy will be respected.

In response, the Navy has initiated a fleet-wide audit of shower and bathroom facilities to check for similar devices and identify any further breaches of privacy.

The investigation will need to establish who was responsible, whether any recordings were made or distributed, and whether other personnel may have been affected.

A fundamental breach of trust

Service in the Australian Defence Force demands discipline, professionalism and mutual respect. Those obligations do not end when personnel leave their operational duties and enter private facilities.

Women serving in the ADF are entitled to the same privacy, dignity and security as every other member of the organisation. Any deliberate invasion of that privacy, if established, would represent a serious violation of those basic rights.

The fleet-wide audit is an important precaution, but the Navy must also ensure that affected personnel receive appropriate support and that the investigation is conducted thoroughly and impartially.

The presumption of innocence must be respected while the facts are established. At the same time, the seriousness of the discovery cannot be understated.

The message is clear: privacy is not optional, and trust within the Defence Force must never be abused.

The National Herald will continue to follow developments as further information becomes available.

NATIONAL HERALD | COALITION RESISTS PRIVATE HEALTH REBATE REFORMS AS LABOR SEEKS AGED CARE FUNDING

The Federal Coalition appears set to oppose Labor’s proposed changes to private health insurance rebates for older Australians, with Deputy Liberal Leader Jane Hume signalling little appetite for compromise, even if pensioners were exempted from the changes.

Hume told the ABC that the Coalition “doesn’t like” the idea of older Australians losing their private health insurance rebates, arguing that incentives to maintain private cover help ease pressure on the public hospital system. She also expressed support for expanding aged care beds, a key objective of the Government’s proposed reforms, but offered little indication that the Coalition would negotiate a compromise to help deliver them.

Instead, Hume suggested Labor should find the money elsewhere, pointing to the National Reconstruction Fund, the Housing Australia Future Fund and what she described as “climate bureaucracy”, including electric vehicle subsidies, as areas where government spending could be reduced.

THE POLITICAL QUESTION IS WHETHER THE COALITION HAS A BETTER ALTERNATIVE.

There is a legitimate debate to be had about how private health insurance should be supported and how the public health and aged care systems should be funded. Older Australians deserve certainty, and any changes to rebates should be assessed carefully for their impact on pensioners and people living on fixed incomes.

However, if the Coalition supports the expansion of aged care beds, it should explain precisely how it would fund that expansion rather than simply identifying other government programs it would prefer to cut.

The Government’s challenge is to demonstrate that its proposed reforms are fair, financially responsible and capable of delivering the additional aged care capacity Australia needs. The Opposition’s responsibility is to scrutinise those proposals and put forward workable alternatives.

JUST FOR THE SAKE OF OPPOSING

Yet the pattern of opposition to Labor’s initiatives raises a broader question: is the Coalition prepared to negotiate practical improvements, or will it oppose the Government’s proposals and insist that the money be found somewhere else?

Opposing a policy is part of parliamentary democracy. Providing a credible alternative is what voters should expect from a party seeking to govern.

For older Australians waiting for appropriate aged care, the debate should be about more than political point-scoring. It should be about securing the beds, services and support they need, while ensuring that the costs are distributed fairly.

National Herald — Keeping Australians informed and holding our politicians to account.

AUSTRALIAN ANNIVERSARIES - 15 OCTOBER

1923 – Lindsay Thompson, Liberal Premier of Victoria from 1981 to 1982, is born in Warburton.

1940 – Peter Doherty, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996, and Australian of the Year in 1997, was born in Brisbane.

1953 – The first of two nuclear tests in Operation Totem was conducted at Woomera, South Australia.

1954 – Peter Bakowski, Australian poet, was born in Melbourne.

1970 – A portion of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapses, killing 35.

1997 – Cheryl Kernot, leader of the Australian Democrats defected to the Australian Labor Party.

Image - Totem 1 test

— Wikipedia

WEST PAPUA: A CONFLICT THE WORLD TOO OFTEN OVERLOOKS

West Papua’s decades-long struggle for independence and the human suffering associated with it receive remarkably little attention in Australian media. Yet reports of military operations, civilian deaths and families fleeing into remote jungle areas deserve far greater scrutiny.

In this article, Thomas Petersson examines how the conflict has reached the isolated Korowai people and why independent reporting, accountability and international attention are so important.

The National Herald
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War in West Papua reaches one of the world’s most isolated peoples

Thomas Petersson 14 October 2026


On 2 July 2026, Nicholas F. Gosselin, an American pilot working for the Indonesian aviation company Associated Mission Aviation, landed a small aircraft carrying seven Indigenous Papuan passengers at an airstrip in West Papua. Fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) shot him dead and set fire to the plane. The passengers survived.

The TPNPB is the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, or OPM, which fights for West Papuan independence from Indonesia. It said the aircraft had entered an area where it had warned civilian planes not to fly, alleging that such flights were used to transport Indonesian troops and supplies. The Indonesian military denied that Gosselin’s plane was carrying troops. Its passengers, it said, were civilians.

Indonesian soldiers recovered Gosselin’s body the following day. Later in July, Indonesian military and police operations reached the territory of the Korowai people. Local sources told Human Rights Monitor that ground forces moved through the forest with the support of helicopters and drones. They alleged that security forces fired into civilian settlements. These accounts have not been independently verified.

Hundreds of people from the area including children, pregnant women and the elderly reportedly fled into the jungle. Human Rights Monitor has identified two civilians it says were killed during the operations, though the circumstances of their deaths remain unclear.

When I visited the area twice in the early 2000s, contact with the Korowai was still relatively limited. I particularly remember three women who approached our camp after a week. They had observed us from a distance and were cautiously curious. They told us it was the first time they had ever encountered white people. They left us as swiftly and silently as they had appeared. They offered a reserved smile. Then, they were swallowed up by the jungle once more.

I cannot know where those women are now. But the reports of families fleeing into the jungle have brought that encounter back to me. To understand why soldiers and independence fighters have come to this remote part of West Papua, we have to look beyond the events of July.

West Papua’s future was sealed when Indonesia took over control of the western half of New Guinea from the Netherlands in the 1960s. Under the 1962 New York Agreement between Indonesia and the Netherlands, the Papuans were supposed to determine their own future through a vote: an ‘Act of Free Choice’. The choice was independence or integration with Indonesia. Amid violence and under military duress, all 1,025 handpicked Papuans voted in 1969 to join Indonesia, then ruled by the Suharto dictatorship. The vote was monitored and accepted by the UN.

"No society, no human being, lives outside the current of history. However much outsiders imagined their home as an untouched frontier, the Korowai were never outside West Papua’s struggle over land, power and independence."

For many Papuans, the vote did not settle the question of independence. It denied them a genuine choice. The OPM’s armed struggle, and Indonesia’s continuing military response to it, cannot be understood apart from that history. Great power interests dictated the outcome, and Papuans still live with its consequences.

The voices of smaller nations have rarely carried much weight in West Papua’s modern political history. Instead, the region’s fate has been shaped by notions of ‘primitive savages’ and the doctrine of might makes right in international relations. During the Cold War in the early 1960s, for instance, an official White House memorandum described West Papua as ‘a few thousand square miles of cannibal land’.

The Indonesian dictatorship under President Suharto (1967–1998) held West Papua in an iron grip, backed by the United States. Since the early 1970s, the American mining company Freeport-McMoRan has extracted gold and copper in West Papua, protected by the Indonesian military. Freeport signed its first mining contract with the Suharto regime as early as 1967. The mine is illustrative of how the struggle over West Papua has always been a contest of control of its land and resources, which matter to Indonesia and to foreign companies.

Over the years, thousands of Papuans have lost their lives in the conflict and under Indonesian rule. The democratic progress that gained momentum after the fall of Suharto in 1998 has not resolved the conflict in West Papua. In the 2024 Indonesian presidential election, victory went to Prabowo Subianto, the former general who under the Suharto dictatorship was deeply entangled in the brutal repression in West Papua. As commander of the army’s elite Kopassus forces, he led several harsh military operations in both East Timor and West Papua.

Since Prabowo assumed the presidency, the Indonesian military (TNI) has intensified its operations in West Papua through several large-scale campaigns. The Indonesian government justifies these operations as counter-terrorism measures against what it calls ‘separatist terrorist groups’, and as necessary steps to protect vital infrastructure and agricultural mega-projects. Throughout 2025 and 2026, the military has launched raids against numerous isolated villages and areas where OPM members are suspected to be hiding.

During a military operation in the village of Soanggama in October 2025, 14 people were killed. The military claimed that all of them were OPM combatants, but local human rights defenders later said that the majority were civilians. In mid-2026, violence intensified sharply in the Sugapa and Agisiga districts. Several church workers, pastors and a pregnant woman were reportedly killed as gunfire struck civilian homes. Similar incidents have been reported in various other locations.

According to Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), 97 incidents occurred in West Papua in 2025, leaving 119 people dead and 43 injured in connection with violence and armed conflict. The corresponding figures for the first half of 2026 stand at 42 incidents, with 59 people killed and 50 injured. According to a report by Human Rights Monitor, there were around 127,000 internally displaced people in West Papua at the end of August 2026.

It is difficult to establish what has happened in many of the places where people have fled. Critical journalists are, and have long been, effectively banned from the region. The question of allowing the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights access to West Papua has been debated for years. In early September, the member states of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) sharpened their rhetoric, demanding that the High Commissioner be granted entry before 31 December 2026—a date that coincides with the expiration of Indonesia’s current term on the UN Human Rights Council.

Whether this heightened rhetoric will bear any fruit remains to be seen. The difficulty of obtaining independent access matters especially in the Korowai area, where reports of the July operations remain contested and displaced families are hard to reach. In Australia, this area is perhaps best known for the 2006 media battle between Channel Seven and Channel Nine over attempts to ‘rescue’ a six-year-old boy named Wawa, who had been portrayed by Nine’s 60 Minutes as being at risk of being killed and eaten.

The Korowai lived for a long time with very limited contact with the outside world. The first mission post in the area was established around 1980. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the region became a mecca for wealthy Western tourists. The untouched drew them in. The pure and unspoiled. Exoticism. Treehouses, p***s gourds and stone axes captivated the Western gaze.

A gaze that has compartmentalised and directed its focus elsewhere. A gaze that would rather look at a man in a p***s gourd than listen to a politically conscious Papuan speaking of their reality. A gaze that has sought both to embrace and to dominate.

Over the past few decades, transformation in the region has been profound. Today, many Korowai have moved from the deep jungle to permanent villages established by Christian missionaries and the Indonesian state. The presence of Indonesian authorities has grown increasingly palpable. The tourists’ fascination has waned, but the rest of the world has drawn ever closer.

No society, no human being, lives outside the current of history. However much outsiders imagined their home as an untouched frontier, the Korowai were never outside West Papua’s struggle over land, power and independence. Now that violence has reached their territory, the question is whether those same outsiders will pay attention to what its people say has happened.

I remember the warmth in those three women’s eyes, their wonder. Today, I remember them with sorrow. I do not know whether they are among those who fled. But the people who did flee deserve more than our speculation: they deserve safety, help and an independent account of what happened to them.

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JOBLESS RATE HOLDS AT 4.7% AS PRESSURE EASES ON THE RBA — BUT RATE HIKE FEARS REMAIN

National Herald

Australia's weakening jobs market has offered some relief to mortgage holders, with the unemployment rate remaining at 4.7 per cent in September, easing pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to lift interest rates again. However, with inflation remaining stubbornly high, the prospect of another rate rise has not disappeared.

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday show unemployment held steady at 4.7 per cent for the second consecutive month. The August figure was also revised upwards from 4.6 per cent, reinforcing signs that the labour market may be losing some of its strength.

A cooling employment market can reduce pressure on wages and consumer spending, potentially helping the RBA bring inflation under control without resorting to further interest rate increases. However, the consequences for workers are significant, particularly for Australians already struggling with the cost of housing, groceries, electricity and other household essentials.

The RBA faces a difficult balancing act. Raising interest rates further could place additional pressure on mortgage holders, small businesses and household spending, while leaving rates unchanged for too long could allow inflation to remain elevated. The challenge is to bring inflation down without unnecessarily weakening employment and economic activity.

Questions surrounding the interpretation of the latest labour force figures also mean the Bank is unlikely to base its next decision on unemployment alone. Inflation trends, wage growth, household spending and the broader economic outlook will remain crucial considerations.

For Australian families, the latest figures offer a little breathing space, but hardly a reason to celebrate. A softer jobs market may reduce the likelihood of another immediate rate rise, yet it also raises concerns about employment security and the health of the wider economy.

The bottom line: The jobs market is taking some heat out of the interest rate debate, but until inflation shows a convincing and sustained decline, Australians should not assume the RBA has finished raising rates.

National Herald — Keeping Australians informed on the economy, politics and the issues affecting everyday life.