Wells named Time's influential rising star as NSW joins Queensland legal challenge

Anika Wells, Australia's federal communications minister, has been named to Time magazine's annual list of the world's most influential rising stars, a recognition that places her among global leaders shaping the future. The honour reflects her work steering two major policy initiatives: the ban on social media access for children under 16, and the development of what is being positioned as a world-leading digital duty of care framework. Julia Gillard, the former prime minister, wrote the testimonial accompanying Wells on the list, describing her as one of the most significant voices in a growing global movement to reshape how technology and children's wellbeing intersect. Gillard noted that Wells has held firm even as some of the world's largest technology companies have mounted intense opposition to her regulatory approach, and predicted that future generations would regard her changes as courageous and transformative.

Wells shares the Time 100 rising stars designation with an eclectic group of figures: musicians Sombr and PinkPantheress, English soccer player Folarin Balogun, US senator Andy Kim, Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten, and James Blair, a political adviser to Donald Trump. Australian musician Troye Sivan also made the list, with Kylie Minogue writing his testimonial. The inclusion reflects Wells's emergence as a central figure in a policy conversation that has moved beyond Australia's borders—the regulation of social media's impact on young people has become a focal point for governments worldwide, and Wells's legislative approach has drawn international attention as a model for how democracies might constrain tech companies' reach into childhood.

Meanwhile, South Australia has established a royal commission into artificial intelligence, appointing economist and former judge Iain Ross as chair, with Kate Pounder and Christopher Manning selected as commissioners. Manning is the co-founder of Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centred AI and a professor of machine learning there. The inquiry's terms of reference frame AI as the most substantial technological shift in two centuries, and the commission has been tasked with balancing the opportunities AI presents—enriching lives, improving productivity, lifting economic performance—against the risks and threats it poses. Premier Peter Malinauskas acknowledged that the technology sometimes frightened him, but argued that without forceful contemplation of an AI future, Australia could face severe consequences and significant opportunity costs. The commission's formation comes as the Reserve Bank has warned that a sudden loss of confidence in the AI investment boom could trigger disorderly asset price corrections across global markets, with Australia unlikely to escape the fallout.

In other developments, New South Wales has sought to join Queensland in a high court case brought by pro-Palestine protesters challenging laws that ban the phrases "from the river to the sea" and "globalise the intifada." The NSW attorney-general's office confirmed it had filed to intervene in the case, though declined to elaborate. Remah Naji, a spokesperson for Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, the group bringing the challenge, said the NSW intervention would actually strengthen their position by transforming what had been a Queensland matter into a national struggle. The case represents a significant test of how Australian law balances free speech protections against restrictions on language deemed inflammatory in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On the economic front, the Reserve Bank's latest financial stability review warned that threats to global financial stability continue to mount. Beyond the AI investment boom, the RBA cited two ongoing conflicts—in the Middle East and Ukraine—alongside intensifying strategic competition among major powers as sources of instability. The bank also flagged rising cyber-attack risks, potentially enabled by AI itself, and the possibility of a sudden sell-off in global bond markets. High valuations in corporate debt and share markets leave them vulnerable to sharp corrections, the RBA said, with one possible trigger being a shift in sentiment toward AI investments, which are increasingly fuelled by expectations of sustained rapid earnings growth and a debt-financing cycle that is becoming more opaque and circular.

On the domestic front, NSW Premier Chris Minns defended the state's fiscal record as he seeks to distance himself from the federal government ahead of the March 2027 election. Following calls from former RBA governor Philip Lowe for federal and state governments to reduce public spending and run large budget surpluses amid high inflation and interest rates, Minns said it was incumbent on all governments to exercise restraint. He noted that NSW holds the only AAA credit rating from rating agency Fitch among Australian states, and argued that protecting public money was especially important as an election campaign approached, when political parties typically face pressure to spend heavily to secure re-election. The Sydney Metro's southwest extension has received key safety approvals, though six doors across the line will remain closed when services begin later this year—three sets at Dulwich Hill and one each at Marrickville, Canterbury, and Campsie. Transport Minister John Graham said the closures relate to mechanical gap-fillers added to accommodate the curved platforms on the historic 130-year-old railway, and that it remains an ongoing discussion whether these doors will eventually open.