News and politics live updates: Wong urged to sanction Israel, Greens blasts ‘outrageous’ Frankcom decision

Australia’s gross federal debt is set to cross the $1 trillion mark for the first time as the government grapples with ongoing pressure from the May Budget.

The Australian Office of Financial Management, which manages the Commonwealth’s borrowing, recorded $983.7 billion of debt as of August 14.

Further borrowing of $13bn through a syndication and another $4bn on Thursday will push the total figure to about $1,000,800,000,000.

That number is expected to dip below $1 trillion briefly on Friday when about $6b of notes mature. But the milestone is unlikely to be temporary, with government debt expected to stay above the threshold more consistently from September.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ May Budget forecast gross debt would reach $1.051 trillion this financial years, which is equivalent to about 34 per cent of GDP. Debt is projected to climb to 35.8 per cent of GDP by 2028-29.

Dr Chalmers defended the government’s record, pointing to Australia’s AAA credit rating and arguing Labor has improved the financial position it inherited.

“Moody’s, the second global ratings agency in the course of the last couple of weeks, reaffirmed Australia’s AAA credit rating and they did that because of the responsible way we have gone about managing a Budget, getting gross debt down $200bn lower than we inherited and the trajectory that those opposite left us when we came to office,” Dr Chalmers said.

The Coalition instead blamed Labor’s spending.

“A trillion dollars of Labor debt is a grim milestone for Australia,” Leader of the Opposition Angus Taylor said.

“It is what happens when you have a Labor government that cannot control its spending or the Budget.

“Labor is spending at levels we have not seen outside a recession in around 40 years, yet Australians are being told to pay more tax and accept higher prices.”

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has warned Roblox could face penalties of up to $100 million if it fails to strengthen protections for children using the hugely popular gaming platform.

About 1.7 million Australian children play Roblox, which has agreed to undergo an independent audit after the regulator identified “gaps” in its safety systems.

The company has three months to comply with the enforceable undertaking or could face court action.

“When we import a car into Australia, we expect them to comply with our safety standards and be built to our safety standards and to be tested and to be verified.

We need to do the same thing with this broad array of technology services,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told ABC Radio National Breakfast.

Roblox said it would continue working with eSafety towards keeping Australian children safe online.

Gaming giant Roblox has agreed to an independent audit of its child safety standards after Australia’s eSafety regulator identified “gaps” that could leave young users exposed to grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse.

The court-enforceable undertaking gives Roblox three months to introduce stronger protections, with legal action possible if it fails to comply.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said about 1.7 million Australian children use the platform.

“We want to ensure that any platform with a high preponderance of kids (is) 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 said parents should have “peace of mind” that they will be notified when strangers contact 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.” Roblox said it had delivered on commitments made to eSafety over the past 12 months and “will continue to work towards our shared goal of keeping Australian children safe online”.

Firebrand Senator Jacqui Lambie has broken down in parliament, passionately demanding more support for women with reproductive issues.

Revealing her own painful battle, she accused Veterans Affairs of failing women who’ve served their country in a deeply personal and emotional revelation.

“About six months ago, my vagina started to prolapse. This is an injury that is directly connected to my back injuries from my time in the Army,” Lambie told parliament.

Unable to access a specialist in Tasmania and still waiting on her Department of Veterans Affairs claim, Lambie travelled to Canberra, paying $7000 for emergency surgery.

“They want us to fight for this country. You want us to have babies for the country. But you’re not interested in supporting our reproductive system,” she said.

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Greens leader Larissa Waters has blasted the decision by Israeli authorities to clear soldiers involved in the strike that killed Australian humanitarian worker Zomi Frankcom, describing the outcome as “outrageous”.

The Israel Defence Forces said its investigation found serious failures led soldiers to mistakenly believe a Hamas fighter was travelling in the World Central Kitchen convoy. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also said Australia is “outraged” and will summon Israel’s ambassador to Canberra, while Ms Waters said sending the ambassador home should be considered.

“I think it’s just very clear that strong words are not enough to deter this sort of conduct. This means precisely that the Australian government needs to do more than just issue some strongly worded statements,” Ms Waters told ABC Radio National Breakfast.

“They need to sanction the state of Israel and they need to make sure that we are not involved in a two-way arms trade, which we are at the moment.”

Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti has called on Foreign Minister Penny Wong to send Israeli ambassador Hillel Newman home after the Israel Defence Forces cleared soldiers involved in the April 2024 strike that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues.

Senator Wong has said Australia is “outraged” by the decision, which she says falls “far short” of the accountability expected, and will summon Newman over the findings as the Government considers its “next steps”.

Mr Sidoti, a commissioner on the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, went further, arguing Mr Newman should be expelled as an “unacceptable representative”.

“He has interfered in Australia’s internal politics, he has been offensive in dealing with Australian members of the flotilla that tried to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid and again, his government now has failed Australian citizens. So he should be told that he’s going home,” Mr Sidoti says.