Australia news live: Anika Wells named in Time’s ‘influential rising stars’; NSW seeks to join Queensland in ‘from the river to the sea’ ban case

Australia’s Communications Minister Anika Wells has been named among Time magazine’s influential rising stars, recognised for her world-first under-16 social media ban and her push for a digital duty of care for tech platforms. At the same time, the NSW Labor government has moved to join Queensland’s defence of its prohibited-expressions law in a High Court case brought by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin. You can follow the same story on Watan News’ English main site.

Key facts

• Anika Wells, the federal Communications Minister, was named among Time’s influential rising stars (TIME100 Next).
• She was recognised for Australia’s world-first under-16 social media ban, in force since December 2025, and draft digital duty-of-care laws.
• Former prime minister Julia Gillard wrote the testimonial accompanying Wells’ inclusion.
• The NSW Labor government has given notice to join the High Court case defending Queensland’s prohibited-expressions law.
• The case, brought by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, challenges bans on “From the river to the sea” and “Globalise the intifada”.
• Card surcharges ended on 1 October 2026 across the major card networks under the RBA’s payments framework.
• Ampol announced a $225 million agreement to acquire the Evie electric-vehicle charging network.

Anika Wells named among Time’s rising stars

Time magazine has included Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells on its list of influential rising stars — the TIME100 Next — honouring her work on digital policy. She helmed Australia’s world-first ban on social media accounts for under-16s, which took effect in December 2025, and is now driving draft digital duty-of-care laws that would let Australians switch off social media algorithms.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard wrote the testimonial accompanying Wells’ inclusion, praising her as a significant voice in the global movement to redefine the relationship between technology and children’s wellbeing. The list also features international names including US Senator Andy Kim, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, footballer Folarin Balogun, musicians Sombr and PinkPantheress and Trump adviser James Blair — as well as Australian musician Troye Sivan, with a testimonial from Kylie Minogue.

NSW moves to join Queensland in slogan-ban defence

The NSW Labor government has given notice that it is joining the High Court case brought by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin in support of Queensland’s prohibited-expressions law — the statute that bans the phrases “From the river to the sea” and “Globalise the intifada”. The group launched its High Court challenge on 28 July, arguing the law infringes the implied freedom of political communication.

Queensland’s Liberal National government enacted the law earlier this year with a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, after protesters were arrested in March for using the slogan at a rally. NSW Premier Chris Minns has also flagged moves against the “intifada” slogan, although a NSW parliamentary committee previously recommended against criminalising “from the river to the sea”. The case is now shaping as a national test of free-speech limits; AAP reported the background to Queensland’s nation-first ban when the reforms were unveiled.

Card surcharges scrapped from 1 October

Debit and credit card surcharges ceased on 1 October 2026 under the Reserve Bank of Australia’s new payments framework, which cleared the card networks to introduce no-surcharge rules across eftpos, Visa and Mastercard. American Express, UnionPay and PayPal adopted matching no-surcharge arrangements from the same date. Merchants can no longer add a separate card fee at checkout, though the RBA says businesses may reflect acceptance costs in their overall prices.

Ampol plugs $225m into EV charging with Evie deal

Ampol has entered a share sale agreement to acquire Evie Networks — operator of one of Australia’s largest public electric-vehicle charging networks — for $225 million, in a deal announced on 1 October. The acquisition would add more than 1,030 charging bays to Ampol’s network, creating a combined platform of about 1,425 bays across more than 400 sites.

The deal is subject to clearance by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and is expected to complete in the first half of 2027. Ampol chief executive Matt Halliday said the purchase positions the company to capture growth as EV uptake accelerates — electric vehicles have exceeded 20 per cent of new cars sold in Australia on average over the past five months.

Property market: slump but no negative equity crisis

Despite a continuing slump in the property market, reports see no sign of a negative equity crisis emerging. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 first home buyers have used the government’s 5 per cent deposit scheme in the past year, which aims to make home ownership more accessible.

In brief

Telecommunications companies are preparing temporary disaster-roaming services ahead of the summer bushfire season. In other economic news, Reserve Bank of Australia staff have expressed dissatisfaction after being denied a real-terms pay rise.

Conclusion

The recognition of Anika Wells by Time underscores her growing influence on digital policy at home and abroad, while the NSW–Queensland alignment on the prohibited-expressions law sets up a landmark High Court test of protest and free-speech rights. Read more of our World coverage for continuing updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Anika Wells named by Time magazine?

Time included the federal Communications Minister among its influential rising stars for her digital-policy work — chiefly Australia’s world-first under-16 social media ban and her draft digital duty-of-care legislation.

What is NSW doing in the slogan-ban case?

The NSW Labor government has given notice to join the High Court case brought by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, in support of Queensland’s prohibited-expressions law banning “From the river to the sea” and “Globalise the intifada”.

Have card surcharges really ended in Australia?

Yes — from 1 October 2026, no-surcharge rules apply across eftpos, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay and PayPal under the RBA’s payments framework.

What is Ampol buying?

Ampol has agreed to acquire Evie Networks for $225 million, which would create one of Australia’s largest public EV-charging networks with about 1,425 bays. The deal still needs ACCC clearance.

Has a negative equity crisis hit Australia’s property market?

No — despite the market slump, reports indicate no signs of a negative equity crisis. More than 100,000 first home buyers used the 5 per cent deposit scheme in the past year.

How is the under-16 social media ban working?

The eSafety Commissioner reported that access to 4.7 million under-16 accounts had been removed by March 2026, though studies show many teenagers have retained or regained access through workarounds such as fake accounts.