Albanese Defends Social Media Crackdown Amid White House Criticism, as Wilson and Joyce Clash

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his government's social media crackdown after it drew criticism from the White House, according to live coverage of the day's political developments.

Separately, shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg said he supports having "big debates" about housing policy, after proposing a plan that would allow Australians to use their superannuation savings as collateral for home loans. Bragg said such a debate would echo discussions in the 1980s and 1990s over national savings and housing that ultimately led to the creation of the compulsory superannuation guarantee.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor said the previous day that the superannuation-as-collateral proposal is not official Coalition policy, indicating the idea remains Bragg's individual position rather than a formal party platform.

Bragg said it is important to calibrate Australia's retirement, housing and superannuation systems together to achieve the best outcomes for the public. Separately, according to the live coverage, senators Wilson and Joyce exchanged sharp remarks, though further specifics of that exchange were not detailed in the available reporting.