Live: Israeli ambassador arrives after being called in by Wong over Frankcom IDF findings
Penny Wong says Australia is "outraged" Israel Defense Forces personnel involved in a strike that killed humanitarian worker Zomi Frankcom have been cleared.
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Roblox agrees to independent audit of safety standards
By Clare Armstrong
By Clare Armstrong
Gaming giant Roblox has agreed to undergo an independent audit of its safety standards amid concerns children on the platform remain at risk of grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse.
eSafety earlier this year identified "gaps" in Roblox safety systems, including that adults could still send connection requests to young children without parental consent and that kids' accounts were not automatically set to private.
The regulator has now accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Roblox that the company will put in place more robust measures.
Roblox will have three months to implement changes and if they fail to do so could be taken to court.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says Roblox is played by an estimated 1.7 million children in Australia.
"We want to ensure that any platform with a high preponderance of kids to be a safe place where they can enjoy the benefits of online gaming, creativity and connection, including building their own worlds and experiences online," she says.
"But those benefits can only be realised when effective safeguards are in place to protect children from serious harms such as grooming, child sexual exploitation, sextortion or recruitment into violent extremism."
Inman Grant says she also wants Australian parents to have the tools and "peace of mind" they will be notified when strangers are reaching out to their children online.
"We have been engaging with Roblox for some time at senior levels about our concerns and the company has responded, making a number of improvements to its service," she says.
"Their executives clearly understand that verifiable safety measures are critical to their long-term viability and success."
In a statement, Roblox says it has delivered on the commitments made to eSafety over the last 12 months and "will continue to work towards our shared goal of keeping Australian children safe online".
Israel's military clears soldiers of criminal wrongdoing in Gaza strike that killed Zomi Frankcom
By Matthew Doran
By Matthew Doran
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has cleared its personnel of any criminal wrongdoing in the April 2024 strike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy in Gaza, where Australian woman Zomi Frankcom was killed.
The IDF said it had concluded there were serious failures that led soldiers to falsely identify a Hamas fighter was travelling in the convoy, which prompted an attack that killed seven humanitarian workers.
The armed man travelling with the vehicles was a security guard "to protect it from seizure by armed actors in Gaza", the IDF said in its statement.
But it said the presence of that guard had not been flagged with the IDF prior to the convoy setting off, and the vehicles later took a different route to what had been coordinated prior with the military.
Read the full story from Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran in the link below.
Key Event
Australia 'outraged' after IDF clears personnel involved in Zomi Frankcom killing
By Joshua Boscaini
By Joshua Boscaini
Australia will haul in Israel's ambassador to Canberra after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) cleared its personal of any criminal wrongdoing over a strike on a humanitarian convoy that killed an Australian woman.
Zomi Frankcom was among seven people that died in an IDF strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza in April 2024.
Last night, the IDF cleared its personnel of any wrongdoing saying they falsely identified a Hamas fighter travelling in the convoy.
In a statement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is "outraged" Israel has decided not to pursue criminal proceedings against personnel responsible for killing Frankom and her colleagues.
Wong says the decision falls "far short" of the accountability Australia expects, and the government is considering its "next steps".
"The Australian government learned of Israel's decision late last night, moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day — which is especially insulting to Zomi's loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians," Wong says.
"Democracies seek and accept higher standards. The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues.
"I will call in Israel's Ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman and have directed Australia's ambassador to Israel to convey our views directly to Israel as the Australian government considers next steps."
Good morning 👋
By Joshua Boscaini
By Joshua Boscaini
Hello friends and welcome to our federal politics live blog! Thanks for joining us here bright and early this Thursday morning.
I'm Josh Boscaini joining you live from Parliament House and I'll be taking you through the day's federal politics news.
The foreign minister says Australia will be hauling in the Israeli ambassador after Israel Defense Forces soldiers involved in a strike that killed Zomi Frankcom in Gaza were cleared of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Labor last night passed its controversial gambling advertising legislation through the parliament with the support of the Coalition.
Let's get right into the day and see what happens on the final sitting day of the parliamentary sitting fortnight.
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