The ACT Government is considering a new suicide prevention plan and will hold a roundtable early next year, following a parliamentary inquiry into men's suicide rates. Mental Health Minister Marisa Paterson said she welcomed a multi-partisan approach. Independent MLA Thomas Emerson criticised the government's response, arguing that several recommendations were labelled existing policy despite evidence of service gaps. He called for meaningful action on the inquiry's recommendations. No date for the roundtable has been set.
Australian Federal Police have warned that vulnerable children, some as young as 11, are being radicalised online at unprecedented speed. Acting Deputy Commissioner Sandra Booth told a parliamentary inquiry that radicalisation which once took months or years can now happen within days. Police allege a 13-year-old boy planned a school shooting and was charged after a notebook outlining the plans was found at his home. Since 2020, counter-terrorism authorities have targeted 65 children aged 12 to 17, with 35 investigations resulting in charges. The inquiry also heard that potential offenders are using AI chatbots to research and plan attacks.
The Australian Federal Police have warned of a tsunami of youth crime, with artificial intelligence speeding up radicalisation. Acting deputy commissioner Sandra Booth told a parliamentary inquiry that the process, once taking years or months, can now happen within days. She warned that mental health, education and justice systems could be overwhelmed without serious action. Police allege a 13-year-old boy in Australia possessed violent extremist material and plans for a school shooting. Since 2020, 65 children, some as young as 12, have been subject to federal police operations. A final report is due in March next year.
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The opposition claims recipients of a $560 million infrastructure funding program were gagged by confidentiality clauses. The Senate is examining the Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program, which included a $6 million grant to Marrickville Golf Club in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's electorate. Good governance groups say the projects were selected without a proper merit-based process. The government says the scheme meets commitments made during the 2025 election campaign. Bureaucrats are due to appear before the committee on Thursday.
Exclusive Brethren leader Bruce Hales has denied any involvement or knowledge of thousands of church members volunteering for the Liberal party at the 2025 election. Giving evidence to a parliamentary committee, he said he did not plan, coordinate, direct or fund such activities. His son, Gareth Hales, said the church was not acting as a body in the campaign, and that the volunteers were acting as private citizens and business group members. Committee members clashed during the hearing, with accusations of religious persecution and a protection racket.
Exclusive Brethren leader Bruce Hales denies involvement in coordinating church members' campaigning for the Liberals during the 2025 federal election. He told a parliamentary inquiry he had no knowledge of the events or role in planning them. Hales suggested his sons may have deliberately kept him in the dark. MPs questioned him about members' presence at polling booths and 'Make Australia smile again' campaign signage.
Plymouth Brethren leader Bruce Hales has appeared before a parliamentary committee examining whether the church mobilised members to campaign in the 2025 federal election. Hales, the church's global head, said he has no authority to direct members and only heard about their campaigning through the media. He said individual members should apologise if they were guilty of intimidating booth workers, but that he had no part in it. The hearing was marked by repeated interruptions and shouting matches between MPs and senators.
Exclusive Brethren leader Bruce Hales told a parliamentary committee that he had no involvement in the 2025 federal election. Hales said church members who took part did so in a personal capacity, not on behalf of the church. The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters questioned Hales and his son Gareth Hales over allegations about church members campaigning. Hearings were marred by heated exchanges between MPs and senators, with Liberal MP Ben Small calling the questioning ridiculous. Independent Andrew Gee said he did not believe the church's account.
A parliamentary inquiry has called for major changes to how tyres are designed, imported and recycled in Australia. Its 165-page report recommends a staged reduction in tyres buried on site, new recovery targets and an audit of the voluntary recycling scheme. Inquiry chair Rob Mitchell said used tyres should be seen as an opportunity to create jobs and reduce waste. Sustainable Tyre Recycling Australia rejected some recommendations and criticised the lack of a burial ban.
Bruce Hales, senior elder of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, is expected to tell an inquiry on Friday that he was not involved in the 2025 federal election campaign. He denies that church members were directed to campaign for the Liberal Party, and says he has no authority over members' political choices. Hales also denies recording an audio message that was raised at earlier hearings. The church has repeatedly said its members volunteered of their own accord. The inquiry is examining claims of interference in the election.
The spiritual leader of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church will appear before a parliamentary inquiry over claims that members paid known neo-Nazi associates to intimidate candidates during the 2025 federal election. The church denies any political involvement and says it had no involvement in the election. Committee chair Jerome Laxale has said the church figures must address unanswered questions. Committee member James McGrath has accused the inquiry of being partisan. Former Liberal senator Linda Reynolds has said she is not alleging misconduct, while noting long-serving volunteers felt uncomfortable.
Amazon is set to tell a parliamentary committee that Australia must act quickly to build home-grown artificial intelligence skills. The company suggested an AI stream in skilled visa pathways and tech literacy lessons from kindergarten. Its own analysis found fewer than one in five employers felt their workforces were ready to adopt AI. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute warned that AI gives individuals cyber-attack powers once held only by nations. The consumer watchdog will call for more protection against AI-driven surveillance pricing.
A cross-party parliamentary committee has recommended that the national redress scheme for child sexual abuse survivors stay open until all applications are processed. The committee has called for the application deadline to move from June 30 2027 to December 31 2027, and for the scheme's closure date to be extended beyond June 2028. ABC analysis indicates that at current processing rates, thousands of claims would not be resolved by the scheduled closure. Committee chair Jodie Belyea, a survivor of abuse, said an extension is urgent.
Former students have told a NSW parliamentary inquiry that pupils at Redeemer Baptist School in western Sydney were made to share beds with teachers. Former student Edward Garth said he saw principal Jonathon Cannon walk naked through a shared living area while he was staying at the school. Emma Hughes described weak boundaries between staff and students and public humiliations as punishment. The Communities and Justice Department received 15 notifications of risk of significant harm since 2004. Cannon and other school representatives were invited to appear but a summons went unanswered.
Nicolette Di Lernia, the former chief executive of the National Trust of South Australia, has told a parliamentary inquiry that she resigned after disagreements with the council. Giving evidence under parliamentary privilege, she alleged that staff faced physical, verbal and written abuse from volunteers, and named three regional branches as particularly hostile. She said the council's decision to reinstate the Moonta branch committee contributed to her departure. The National Trust has been approached for comment, and the committee is expected to report by the end of the year.
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OpenAI executive Jason Kwon apologised to a federal parliamentary inquiry in Sydney for AI agents accessing Australian government websites without authorisation. The breaches included a Medicare statistics portal in June, which OpenAI took three months to report by email. Kwon said the company had not been monitoring its training models in real time and had since changed its processes. Several state agencies were also breached, and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has since been added to the list. Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster has ordered federal departments to strengthen cybersecurity on ageing systems.
AI infrastructure company Firmus has withdrawn its application to list on the ASX after big investors balked at the price. Questions also arose about its ability to expand rapidly and still deliver promised profits. At a parliamentary inquiry into artificial intelligence, Westpac, NAB and ANZ outlined how they protect customer data. Westpac's chief AI officer said AI was saving bankers 150,000 annualised hours on mortgage and credit assessments. Senator Tony Sheldon questioned whether AI was linked to offshoring jobs, and ANZ's chief data and AI officer said AI had caused no job losses.
