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Key events
Meta removes access to nearly 550,000 accounts in first month of under-16s social media ban
Meta said this morning it has removed access to almost 550,000 accounts belonging to people believed to be under 16, its first compliance report a month after the landmark social media ban law went into effect.
That figure includes about 330,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 Facebook accounts and nearly 40,000 on Threads. The company said compliance was a “multi-layered process that we will continue to refine”.
Meta said while it was taking all steps necessary to comply with the law, it continued to speak with the Australia government to “find a better way forward” instead of “blanket bans”, adding:
As we’ve stated previously, Meta is committed to meeting its compliance obligations and is taking the necessary steps to remain compliant with the law. That said, we call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans.
Adelaide festival chair resigns amid ongoing writers’ week crisis
The chair of the Adelaide festival board, Tracey Whiting, is the latest person to resign after a controversial decision to disinvite the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 writers’ week program.
Whiting said her resignation overnight would allow the body to “refresh its leadership and its approach to these circumstances”. As we reported yesterday, three other board members resigned from the festival this weekend.
Whiting wrote on LinkedIn about her decision:
Recent decisions were bound by certain undertakings and my resignation enables the Adelaide Festival, as an organisation, to refresh its leadership and its approach to these circumstances.
My tenure as Chair has been immensely enjoyable, as has working with the terrific AF team. I look forward to the future success of the Adelaide Festival.
I have no further comment.
Good morning
Welcome to the Australia live news blog for Monday 12 January.
Major Victorian bushfires that have left at least one person dead and hundreds of structures destroyed are expected to burn for weeks, including the Longwood blaze in the state’s north. Cooler conditions could offer some relief to firefighting efforts, but for many small communities, the damage has already been done. More soon.
After days of intense buildup, ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji ran out of power as it crossed the Queensland coast, downgraded to a tropical low – but forecasters warn the threat is not over as Queensland braces for more devastating floods. Thousands were meanwhile without power, AAP reported, as authorities worked around the clock to restore electricity to affected areas.
And the chair of the Adelaide festival board, Tracey Whiting, is the latest person to resign after a controversial decision to dump the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 writers’ week program. Three board members resigned on Sunday. We’ll have more on that soon.
And the Golden Globes kick off in the US a bit later – we’ll have rolling coverage of the awards, red carpet highlights and more – stay tuned.
