The federal government wants to ban AI chatbots which seek to create “emotional intimacy” after prime minister Albanese raised the alarm in a heartfelt speech about children treating these agents as their “best friend”.

But Labor is coming under increasing pressure to empower the telecommunications ombudsman to become a watchdog for social media and AI to give Australians an external complaints mechanism and allow the “naming and shaming” of big tech.

The digital duty of care bill passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday and will be debated by the Senate in coming weeks. The government hopes to pass the bill by the end of 2026, but its pathway through the upper house remains unclear. The Greens support the bill, while the Coalition has said it will not vote for it, though Labor still appears keen to win the opposition’s support and remains open to amendments.

The planned framework would apply new online safety standards to social media, games, apps and chatbots. Labor said it would place “an overarching obligation” on tech platforms “to provide a safe online environment for all Australians” and replace a range of existing online codes and standards with a broader duty-of-care requirement to protect users from certain “harmful” content. It would also require social media platforms to offer an “opt-out” feature for its algorithm and suggested content.

The communications minister, Anika Wells, has suggested content that that promotes misogyny, terrorism, suicide, self-harm and eating disorders would be captured by the laws. On Wednesday, the government accepted amendments from crossbencher Kate Chaney which would add certain AI chatbot activity to the list of harms, requiring platforms to ban “material or conduct that simulates emotional intimacy and encourages or fosters a child’s dependence on it in place of human relationships”.

The opposition voted against the bill in the House, alongside One Nation. Political opponents have accused Labor of an “Orwellian” system of “censorship” and of seeking to influence conversations online – claims Wells strongly denied. The bill now moves to the Senate, where the Greens have set up an inquiry to probe the laws due to report back in late November.

Labor has today pledged a further $893 million to upgrade 25 more roads, as the Coalition also vows to make fixing the state’s roads a top priority if elected.

Of the 25 roads earmarked for repair by a Labor government, 19 would be in regional Victoria. Many of the roads slated for upgrades are in highly contested electorates including Ripon, Morwell and South-West Coast. Labor has previously committed to upgrade 25 other roads in recent weeks, including the Bellarine Link, widening Somerton Road in Melbourne and duplicating Findon Road in Epping.

Premier Ben Carroll told ABC Statewide Mornings the focus on roads was part of his “back to basics approach”, delaying some level crossings, making some savings on the Suburban Rail Loop and bringing forward funds for our local roads.

Carroll said the Coalition in the mid-90s privatised road maintenance, while he is currently prioritising bringing it back in-house to change the status quo and bring road maintenance back in-house, full accountability by the Victorian government.

Owners of the new foldable iPhone are reporting cracks in the device’s screen, as Apple confirmed an issue with a “small number” of units.

Reports of cracks have emerged on Reddit and social media platforms since the handset went on general sale globally on Friday. Experts said there had been too few examples to determine whether there was a more serious problem with Apple’s first foldable device, which retails from $1,999.

One user in Australia even reported that their Duo had cracked within six hours of taking ownership of it and posted their experience on Reddit, describing how they were showing it to a friend, but something around the internal hinge underneath the screen cracked and soon the screen also broke. Another user in Australia posted that they had heard “almost a cracking noise” on their handset, which resulted in a similar screen malfunction.

Apple confirmed some devices had been affected by a display glitch, and advised users to contact AppleCare for replacements. A report by the Bloomberg news service also highlighted similar issues among users in the US and India.