Australia news LIVE: Climate campaigns seize on Dutton’s refusal to set emissions target; PwC scandal report calls for strict new consulting rules

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to introduce an age verification system on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram within the first 100 days he is in office if he is to win government.

Speaking Seven’s Sunrise, Dutton said the system would work through using technology to verify a users’ age.

“It’s best to look at it from a parent’s perspective and parents want some rules in place,” he said.

“I think this is a sensible measure, there’s a lot of technology in place to help with the age verification that’s not going to take people’s data.”

Dutton said to get this policy to work, he would not be intimidated by companies such as Elon Musk’s X.

“We want the same rules and the same laws that apply in real life to apply online and I don’t think it’s good enough for us to say that we’ve got a massive spike in the number of mental health instances that these companies need to be pressures and if we do nothing, the red lines continue to be crossed,” he said.

“I think we can work with the technology companies. We can work through the tax system or whatever is required to budge these companies into an outcome.”

Climate 200 convenor Simon Holmes à Court, who helped bankroll teal independent candidates that wiped out Liberal MPs in blue ribbon seats at the last election, has flagged Opposition Leader Peter Dutton may face a well-funded challenger campaigning on climate policy in his own seat at the next federal poll.

Speaking on ABC Radio National this morning, Holmes à Court criticised the Liberal leader for refusing to commit to a 2030 target to cut greenhouse gas emissions this week.

Simon Holmes a Court in 2023.Credit: James Alcock

Dutton said he was committed to reducing emissions to net-zero levels by 2050 but would not sign up to a 2030 target or a revised 2035 target later this year, saying the Coalition policy goal would be set after the election if it formed government.

“Dutton is as negative as [former prime minister Tony] Abbott, but as slippery as [former prime minister Scott] Morrison on climate,” he said this morning.

“And he’s now nailed those colours to the mast. People see what the threat is. They thought the climate wars were behind us – or would soon be – but Dutton’s saying he wants a climate election.”

Holmes à Court said he thought Australians “have gotten sick of squabbling on this” and argued Dutton had turned his back on using Australia’s renewable energy resources to drive economic growth and provide cheaper energy.

He indicated Climate 200 may target several seats in south-east Queensland, including outgoing Liberal MP Karen Andrews’ seat of McPherson.

“We were aware of two strong groups on the Gold Coast – MacPherson and Moncrieff. There are two groups on the Sunshine Coast – Fairfax and Fisher,” Holmes à Court said.

Host Patricia Karvelas then asked if Dutton’s seat of Dickson in suburban Brisbane could be among the group’s target seats.

“There is a group there in Dickson. And if it gets up and going … we could very much see a community campaign in Peter Dutton’s seat. That would be very interesting. He’s quite marginal in that seat,” Holmes à Court said.

“There are groups in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and WA as well that are really starting to hit their straps. So I think it’s going to be quite easy to get to 30 groups. It’ll be a real challenge to work out, of all the wider groups, which ones to [narrow] down to. But we’ll be very much looking at the data and looking which ones are winnable.”

Holmes à Court said incumbent Labor MPs may also be targeted, including in the ACT seat of Bean, and criticised the federal government’s gas policy.

“On our export emission story, there’s not really much to separate the two parties, and that’s where the vast majority of Australia’s emissions come from,” he said. “So people are frustrated, but I tell you are what, they’re white-hot after Mr Dutton’s reversal on climate.”

Holmes à Court said small donations to Climate 200 last weekend were 20 times that of a normal weekend.

“We’ve raised nearly $950,000 over the last six weeks, but [had] a big uptick last weekend,” he said.

Chiropractors have given themselves the green light to resume manipulating the spines of babies following a four-year interim ban supported by the country’s health ministers.

In a move that has been slammed by doctors as irresponsible, the Chiropractic Board of Australia has quietly released new guidelines permitting the controversial treatment for children under two.

New guidelines allow chiropractors to recommence spinal manipulations on babies and young children.Credit: Getty Images

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) hit out at the decision, saying there was no evidence supporting the spinal manipulation of babies and children and that the practice should be outlawed.

“There is no way in the world I would let anyone manipulate a child’s spine,” said Dr James Best, the College’s Specific Interests Child and Young Person’s Health chair.