Australian Surfers’ Parents Fly to Mexico for Trial Amid Push for Tougher Lobbying Laws

Parents of Australian surfers killed in Mexico fly in for trial

The parents of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson will travel to Ensenada to attend their aggravated homicide trial following the brothers’ deaths in Mexico in 2024. The two surfers, aged 33 and 30, and their American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, were camping in a remote coastal area when they were killed, allegedly during an attempted vehicle theft.

Debra and Martin Robinson expressed that while the upcoming trial is “overwhelmingly difficult,” being present in the courtroom is “one of the last things we can do for Callum and Jake.”

We are going because we need to be there, not only for ourselves, but to represent the immense love, heartbreak, and unimaginable loss felt by their families, friends, and everyone who loved these three extraordinary young men.

We want to hear the truth. We want to understand what happened. And most importantly, we want to be their voices, because they can no longer speak for themselves.

In 2025, a Mexican court sentenced a woman to 20 years in prison for her involvement in the incident.

Labor challenges Coalition and the Greens over social media fines

Communications Minister Anika Wells has challenged the Coalition and the Greens to pass legislation that strengthens the eSafety Commissioner’s powers, specifically regarding the social media ban for children under 16. Labor intends to secure passage of this legislation in Parliament this week.

The proposed laws would enhance information-gathering powers to investigate social media platforms that fail to comply with the ban, while doubling the maximum penalty for breaches to nearly $110 million.

A Senate committee previously recommended the bill’s passage in August.

It’s been more than two months since the Albanese government introduced an urgent law to strengthen eSafety’s powers to enforce the social media minimum age law,” Wells said.

Australian kids and parents needed these laws eight weeks ago, but the Coalition and Greens teamed up to send our four-page bill to an eight-week inquiry.

This is the kind of dawdling and delay that has enabled social media companies to get away with harming our kids for so long.

Tom McIlroy

More Australians head to Nepal to help

Two additional Australians are traveling to Nepal to assist with humanitarian and rescue efforts following the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods. These social workers will join a total of 49 Australian personnel providing disaster relief.

Nepal declared Monday a National Day of Mourning after the death toll reached nearly 1,400. Furthermore, 36 Australians remain among the nearly 5,000 individuals who are still unaccounted for.

Bipartisan ‘Dads Caucus’ to launch in Canberra

A bipartisan group of father MPs in the federal Parliament will launch a “Dads Caucus” in Canberra to champion new data highlighting the importance of fathers spending quality time with their children, advocating for progress on parental leave. The group includes Labor’s special envoy for men’s health, Dan Repacholi, assistant minister Matt Thistlethwaite, and MPs Josh Burns, Jerome Laxale, Peter Khalil, and Aaron Violi.

Supported by Movember, the launch event will feature appearances by Wiggle Lachlan Gillespie, Jebediah frontman Kevin Mitchell, Joel Phillips, and Movember ambassador Zach Perez.

According to Movember’s More Time With Dad Report, 70% of fathers who take parental leave say it benefits their mental health, 83% note it strengthens their bond with their child, and 78% find it improves their relationship with their partner. However, nearly a third of fathers take no parental leave, and among those who do, a majority (56%) state the leave is insufficient.

Movember is requesting the Albanese government establish a cross-departmental working group and lead a review of the next phase of Paid Parental Leave rules.

Tom McIlroy

Labor under pressure to toughen lobbying rules

A coalition comprising 75 charities, social service organizations, and transparency campaigners has urged the federal government to introduce a national lobbying act to better regulate efforts to influence decision-makers in Canberra.

Representing millions of members, these groups encompass advocates for the environment, human rights, regional communities, faith organizations, and online campaigners. They argue that the federal lobbying register and controls from the attorney-general’s department and Parliament House are severely insufficient to serve the public interest.

Australian Democracy Network chief executive Saffron Zomer emphasized that the breadth of support demonstrates lobbying reform is no longer a specialist integrity issue. She stated, “Organizations working on very different issues share the same experience: well-resourced interests have greater access to government, while much of that influence remains hidden from public view. If the same professional lobbying activity is taking place, the same rules should apply. We have a crisis of public trust in government, and we can’t rebuild this trust without transparency.”

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