Average age of girls first viewing porn falls by two years
Tory Shepherd
Girls are now seeing porn for the first time at 13.6 years, on average – two years younger than they were in 2018.
And more than 70% of young people say porn often shows aggression and violence towards women, a new report from Our Watch has found.
Patty Kinnersly, the chief executive of Our Watch, said young people are using porn to learn about sex, and that it has been normalised with greater online access. She said:
Our Watch’s concern is with the representation of certain people, particularly women, rather than porn itself.
It’s the frequent viewing of violent porn, that is sexist and derogatory, [and] associated with a greater likelihood of men and boys holding attitudes that can lead to violence against women.
Kinnersly said porn overwhelmingly shows women as submissive, and men as controlling, and that it has made the dangerous practice of choking mainstream.
Research published earlier this year found almost 60% of people under 35 had been choked at least once.
Parents might not realise the extent of porn use, and the extent to which the internet and porn is “flooded with misogyny and hate for women, for LGBTI+” and others, Kinnersly said:
The line between IRL [in real life] and online is very blurry, so we can’t just say certain types of porn are bad… we’ve actually got to take proactive actions across the rest of a young person’s life so they can critique it.
Our Watch wants to see pornography integrated into education on respectful relationships, and for parents to understand the new world their children are in.
Key events
Senior Trump advisor replies to Rudd’s congratulations tweet with hourglass gif
A senior Trump adviser has posted a gif of an hourglass in response to Kevin Rudd’s congratulation message to the incoming president.
In a post to X on 7 November, Rudd – Australia’s ambassador to the US – shared a statement congratulation Donald Trump on his election win. This came as he deleted comments he previously made on X about Trump, saying they did not reflect the view of the Australian government.
Dan Scavino, a senior advisor to Trump, quoted the post with this gif overnight:
Muswellbrook mayor says region has experienced more than 50 earthquakes in three months
The mayor of Muswellbrook Shire Council, Jeffrey Drayton, spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier after the town experienced a 4.1 magnitude earthquake yesterday.
As Kate Lyons’ reported in yesterday’s blog, the earthquake was the fourth event over magnitude four in three months in the NSW Hunter – and was likely part of an “earthquake swarm” that has been affecting the region for several months.
Drayton said the region has experienced more than 50 earthquakes in three months:
There doesn’t appear to be as much damage as there was with the first two earthquakes, it was a little bit smaller. It was 4.1 versus 4.9 earlier on. But certainly people felt it and it probably was felt … in a much wider area this time …
The mayor also said residents are reporting to council that their insurance claims are not being accepted:
There’s been a number of stories, you know, stories like … we think the damage is from movement of the earth, but it’s more likely blasting in the mines, so there was obviously an attempt to try and push away that liability … We’ve had some examples of people in the community who are in their 70s and 80s, been paying insurance all their life and tell us they’ve never, ever made a claim.
You can only imagine that people expect the comfort of what insurance brings and certainly when they do need to claim, the insurance companies should be doing the right thing and making sure they accept these claims when they are reasonable and genuine.
Caitlin Cassidy
Ministers write to principals and parents associations about social media age limit
The minister for education, Jason Clare, and minister for communication, Michelle Rowland, have written to peak principals and parents associations to quell concerns about Labor’s proposed ban of social media to under 16s.
The move to restrict access to social media follows the decision by education ministers last year to ban access to mobile phones in public schools, in line with OECD data indicating boosted academic performance.
Clare said schools were “seeing the difference” from the phone ban.
Ask any teacher, any principal, ask most students and they will tell you this was the right decision. And that it’s making a difference. But when school finishes, students get their phone back and they’re back in that social media cesspit. That’s why setting a minimum age limit for social media is so important.
Pat Murphy, president of the Australian Government Primary Principals Association, said more than half of his body’s students in years five and six were regularly using social media sites.
Our students are facing unprecedented challenges with social media influencing their self-esteem, relationships, and concentration in the classroom. With social media’s constant comparisons and pressures, many primary school students feel overwhelmed, and they are not mature enough to deal effectively with these pressures.
Man charged with murder of 75-year-old man
A man has been charged with murder after the body of a 75-year-old man was found at Parkes at the weekend.
The man’s body was discovered inside a home on Alluvial Street about 1.40pm last Sunday. Officers established a crime scene and following inquiries, a 28-year-old man was arrested at a home in Tullamore – about 100km north-west of Parkes – yesterday.
He was taken to Parkes Police Station where he was charged with murder. He has been refused bail to appear at Parkes Local court today.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives strike has officially begun, kicking off about 45 minutes ago. You can read more about this below:
Sammy J leaves ABC Melbourne Breakfast
Amanda Meade
ABC Melbourne Breakfast presenter Sammy J has announced he is leaving his radio show after five years.
Hosting Melbourne Breakfast was an unexpected opportunity that became an unexpected joy. But radio demands all of you and deserves nothing less, and after five years I’m ready to trade the 4:15 am alarm for more regular hours.
Sammy farewelled listeners in his usual fashion, with a song. ABC Radio Melbourne acting manager Shelley Hadfield said Sammy had connected with the audience on 774 in a unique way:
Sammy has asked the questions we never knew we wanted answered. He’s grilled the Prime Minister and the Premier, he broke the news to Melbourne of the Queen’s death, and he interviewed musicians, magicians, meat workers and mathematicians.
Commonwealth Bank posts $2.5bn quarterly profit
Jonathan Barrett
Australia’s biggest lender, Commonwealth Bank, has recorded a quarterly $2.5bn cash net profit backed by “strong momentum” in home lending.
Credit card and personal loan arrears fell slightly, despite enduring cost-of-living pressures, as consumers benefited from income tax rate changes. Home loan arrears were stable over the three-month period.
The CBA chief executive, Matt Comyn, said:
Growth in the Australian economy remains slow, as higher rates continue to weigh on consumer demand and bring inflation back to the target range. We remain optimistic on the overall outlook and the Australian economy remains fundamentally sound.
The bank recorded growth in home loans and deposits during the quarter, helping its earnings. The September quarter result was in line with last year’s corresponding period.
Former US ambassador Sinodinos on second Trump presidency
Australia’s former ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, was on ABC RN earlier this morning to discuss the second Trump presidency.
Sinodinos said Trump “says what he means and means what he says” and policies around tariffs and immigration are core promises of his – but Trump thinks other countries pay tariffs when in fact they’re passed on to US consumers:
We’ll have a bit of a challenge to explain some of this to him but he’s determined to do this … The big focus will be on what he tries to do with China … Complicated is one way to describe it.
On the Australia-US relationship and Kevin Rudd’s deleted tweets, Sinodinos said the president was a “transactional figure” and he would be focused on the relationship going forward.
In relation to Australia I think he has a benign view of Australia … we’re a strong partner in defence, we more than pull our weight, so we’re in reasonably good shape compared to other countries … It would not be a good look to just suddenly yank the ambassador out.
He said Australia would have to tout its benefits to the US, rather than relying on them:
I think we should always talk about the value we provide [and] our value as a middle power … the important regional groupings. We have a lot of influence, we shouldn’t be afraid to use it … and we should have the ambition that goes with that.
One-third of referred telco complaints unresolved
A third of complaints made by telco consumers to the sector’s ombudsman remained unresolved at the end of the latest reporting period, AAP reports.
The figures, between July and September of 2024, found 30%, or 3,389, of complaints returned unresolved after a referral to a telco in relation to issues including poor customer service, problems with bills or equipment, and service drop outs.
This followed the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman beginning a new follow-up process with consumers to get a better picture of resolutions at the end of the referral period.
A total of 13,541 complaints about phone and internet services were lodged between July and September of 2024. This figure constitutes a 4.6% increase on complaints in the same period in 2023, or a total of 599 additional complaints.
More than half the complaints made by customers related to no or delayed action from a telco, followed by complaints about service and equipment fees and complaints about no phone or internet service.
Complaints raised in relation to failure to cancel a service, where a customer claims a telco has not terminated an agreement properly, jumped by 7% since the previous quarter.
The top five local government areas with the highest number of complaints were Brisbane (426), Gold Coast (279), Moreton Bay (251), Sunshine Coast (199) and Wyndham (198). These five areas alone contributed 10% of all the complaints received in this reporting period.
Albanese on social media ban: ‘We don’t pretend this is easy [or] you can just flick a switch’
Anthony Albanese was also asked about moves to ban under-16s from social media, and the privacy concerns around this – will everyone need to prove they are over 18? How would this policy actually be implemented and regulated?
He responded that there will be one year to develop the details, and that there would be a trial of age verification:
There’ll be detail in the legislation but we don’t pretend this is easy [or] you can just flick a switch … Parents won’t be penalised, people won’t be penalised, the onus will be on these social media companies.
‘Increasingly we’re seeing … opinion reported as fact’
Moving to the misinformation bill, Anthony Albanese said what is important is that “there is a distinction between fact and opinion”.
Increasingly we’re seeing in the media things that are opinion reported as fact and that is a concern for people. The changing media landscape where everyone can be a producer as well with their device means society has to respond to that. It’s not easy, the whole world is grappling with this.
Albanese says Australia can play a role in US and China ‘competition’
Anthony Albanese is speaking with ABC Sydney before he leaves for South America to attend APEC and the G20 leaders’ summit.
Asked if he would be meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, Albanese said the “strategic competition” between the US and China is “something we’re dealing with” and that Australia can play a role as a middle power, because “we’re trusted and our word matters”.
The prime minister said that during his recent call with Donald Trump after his US election win, he told him it was in the US’s interest to trade with Australia and that Australia was in one of the fastest growing regions in human history.
Dutton on Rudd as US ambassador: ‘He’s got an incredible work ethic, but he’s made disparaging comments’
Peter Dutton was also asked if ambassador Kevin Rudd would remain in his role as US ambassador under a Coalition government.
This comes after Rudd deleted comments he previously made about Trump after the Republican’s election win, saying they did not reflect the view of the Australian government.
Dutton told ABC RN the Coalition has supported Rudd in his role as ambassador and “it’s important that he does work in our country’s name”:
He’s been a very effective contributor to public debate, particularly as a former prime minister is well respected, and I hope that he’s able to form a relationship with the new administration, as he’s done with with the current one.
He’s got an incredible work ethic, but he’s made disparaging comments, and that’s an issue for for the government to deal with.
Asked if the opposition would like to see Scott Morrison in the role, Dutton said Rudd has a term to finish:
Following that term, that’s an issue for the government of the day to decide who would be in that role. I think Joe Hockey, for example, did a great job when he was ambassador.
Dutton will not require Canavan and Antic to withdraw bill to change abortion law
Karen Middleton
Peter Dutton says he supports the right of women to access legal abortion but will not (NOT) require the Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan and the South Australian Liberal senator Alex Antic to withdraw a sponsored bill to change abortion law.
The opposition leader old ABC RN earlier that Canavan and Antic were entitled to sponsor the bill, which has been on the Senate notice paper for two years, and he would not be issuing instructions either for or against presenting it:
I’m not advocating that they withdraw their bill or put it forward. They as senators – as the Labor senators, the Green senators, David Pocock, the independents – have the right to put forward a private member’s bill. In most cases – 99% of the cases – the bill won’t get forward unless it’s got the support of the government. So if the government’s playing games, then that’s an issue for them, but for us, our senators have a right to put their own bills forward and it can be voted on on that basis.
Last week, Dutton used his weekly private address to coalition MPs to urge them to show more “discipline” and stop speaking publicly about the abortion issue because it was potentially politically damaging. This morning, he offered his personal view on the issue:
I support a women’s right – a woman’s right to choose. And I’ve been in very difficult circumstances, where, as a detective working in the sex offender squad, I’ve dealt with women who have been raped. I’ve dealt with women in domestic relationships who have been raped. It’s a very, very difficult situation, and ultimately, that’s a choice and a decision for that individual to make, and that’s the position I support.
