Elon Musk's X Corp ordered to pay $750,000 after admitting it contravened Australian child protection request

Andrew Thorpe - 21 May 2026

Australia's Federal Court has ordered Elon Musk's social media company X Corp to pay $750,000 after it admitted to failing to comply with an order to provide information about steps it has taken to stop child exploitation.

In an order published online this morning, Federal Court judge Michael Wheelahan said the company had 45 days to pay a $650,000 fine and $100,000 in legal costs to the government, bringing an end to a three-year court saga.

"The respondent admits that it contravened the act," said Christopher Tran, a lawyer for eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, referring to Australia's Online Safety Act during the Federal Court hearing this morning.

"There was ongoing noncompliance for some 38 days."

The notice from the commissioner was first issued in early 2023, when Ms Inman Grant asked some of the world's largest technology companies to provide a report on what they were doing about child abuse material appearing on their platforms.

A reporting notice, issued under Australia's Online Safety Act, was sent to Twitter in February that year, and Twitter merged with X the following month.

Arguments presented to the court by X Corp against complying with the notice included that Twitter no longer existed as a legal entity and that X did not carry its predecessor's regulatory obligations in Australia.

Those arguments were rejected by the Federal Court in July of last year. However, X had refused to pay the $610,500 fine levied against it.

Justice Wheelahan's order raises that amount to $650,000, and adds the commissioner's legal costs.

Questioning big tech 'a key part of our work', commissioner says

In a statement issued after the judge's decision, Ms Inman Grant said it was critical that tech companies engaged in "meaningful transparency", rather than simply offering form responses to questions around child safety.

"This is not only a key part of our work as Australia's online safety regulator, it also provides the Australian public with important information about how these companies are tackling the worst-of-the-worst content on their platforms," she said.

Ms Inman Grant has repeatedly clashed with Mr Musk and his companies in her role as eSafety commissioner, over issues of censorship and transparency related to its internal processes to protect children.

Mr Musk has issued a slew of public criticisms of the commissioner in response, labelling her an "unelected bureaucrat" and the "eSafety Commissar", which Ms Inman Grant told the ABC had resulted in her receiving death threats and the doxxing of her children.

The commissioner dropped a separate case against X in 2024 aiming to force it to remove graphic footage of a Sydney church stabbing from its platform.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-21/x-admits-noncompliance-with-australian-child-protection-request/106704850

https://www.comcourts.gov.au/file/FEDERAL/P/VID1092/2023/order_list

https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2026/2026fca0629

https://www.comcourts.gov.au/file/Federal/P/VID1092/2023/3971416/event/32881705/document/2778938

https://qresear.ch/?q=Julie+Inman+Grant

https://qresear.ch/?q=Online+Safety+Act

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‘Disgraceful’: Israeli ambassador condemns minister over shocking flotilla video

Nick Newling and Bronte Gossling - May 21, 2026

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Israel’s ambassador to Australia has condemned the actions of Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who taunted detained flotilla activists, but brushed off the incident as “politics”.

Hillel Newman, who was subject to an official rebuke from officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade over the incident on Thursday, joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of the country’s cabinet in condemning Ben-Gvir, but said an immediate penalty was impossible as the government had entered a pre-election “transitional” period.

Addressing journalists at Parliament House in Canberra, Newman, barely three months into his appointment, said of the incident: “It doesn’t happen in politics? Never happened in Australia that you’ve had a minister that does something which is not accepted by other ministers. There is politics.”

“There can be ministers in Australia, politicians in Australia, even part of a party that is ruling that can do things that are disgraceful. The question is, how you respond and whether you condemn it. In this case, Ben-Gvir was condemned by the leadership of the state of Israel.”

A series of social media videos published by Ben-Gvir show the minister taunting groups of activists who had been detained while sailing towards Gaza on board the Global Sumud Flotilla. Detainees were zip-tied and forced to kneel on the ground. Australian flotilla spokespeople have confirmed no Australians were depicted, but have yet to confirm the health of the 11 citizens currently held by Israel.

Newman said all Australians were well and would be swiftly processed.

The videos have received widespread international condemnation. Netanyahu, echoed by Newman, said the actions were “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”, but the flotilla’s mission amounted to unnecessary provocation.

Newman said Ben-Gvir was directly responsible for police forces who may have participated in the activity, and that an investigation into the incident was likely.

“I don’t know how it folded out, how he managed to get them into that position, but once it was known to the government of Israel, it was condemned by the government of Israel entirely,” Newman said.

“It’s not acceptable, it’s disgraceful … I say this also to the government of Australia: we have the same concerns. It does not reflect our values … and therefore is condemned and declared disgraceful and harmful to the state.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Thursday morning condemned the actions as “shocking and unacceptable” and ordered Newman to appear before DFAT. A meeting between Australian officials and the ambassador took place late on Thursday afternoon.

“The images we have seen posted by Israeli minister Ben-Gvir – who Australia has sanctioned – are shocking and unacceptable. We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained,” Wong said.

The government has called for all detained Australians travelling on the Global Sumud Flotilla to be released and for Israel to comply with international obligations to treat detainees respectfully.

This is the second time Israel’s ambassador to Australia has been called in, after his predecessor Amir Maimon was summoned amid accusations of starvation and famine-like conditions in Gaza last July.

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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among the most vocal critics of Ben-Gvir’s behaviour, calling it a “violation of human dignity” and summoning Israel’s ambassador to Rome. The US ambassador to Israel and strong supporter of the nation’s settler movement, Mike Huckabee, called Ben-Gvir’s actions “despicable”, saying he had “betrayed the dignity of his nation”.

The Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the Zionist Federation of Australia echoed Netanyahu and Newman’s condemnation of Ben-Gvir and the flotilla participants.

Ben-Gvir was filmed walking among some of the approximately 430 detained activists who tried to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and telling them they should face lengthy imprisonment.

“Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” says Ben-Gvir, waving a large Israeli flag. One handcuffed activist shouts “free Palestine” and is immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel as Ben-Gvir walks by.

In another video, Ben-Gvir says the activists “came here all full of pride like big heroes. Look at them now”, while appealing to Netanyahu to grant him permission to imprison them.

Asked whether Ben-Gvir would be able to act in a similar manner should he be re-elected, Newman said: “Any politician can do something tomorrow morning … He’s been condemned by the leadership, by the prime minister and the foreign minister, but in the end he’s not hurt anyone, he’s not attacked anyone”.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar publicly chastised Ben-Gvir on X, saying: “You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display … you are not the face of Israel”.

Australians Neve O’Connor, Sam Woripa Watson, Anny Mokotow, Isla Lamont, Juliet Lamont, Surya McEwen, Zack Schofield, Bianca Webb-Pullman, Gemma O’Toole, Violet Coco and Helen O’Sullivan were all detained by Israel earlier this week.

Flotilla organisers and DFAT were yet to speak to the Australians on Thursday afternoon, but were expected to contact them later in the day.

“The legal team is in constant communication with DFAT, but unfortunately, both the legal team and the Australian family members, we’re still in the dark,” Bernadette Zaydan, a lawyer representing the majority of the Australian participants, said.

“We know that there are some serious injuries that have been sustained by some of the participants, but we don’t know if any Australians were affected.”

Netanyahu has given instructions for the activists to be deported “as soon as possible”,

The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel accused the nation’s authorities of “employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists”, arguing that Israel had faced “zero accountability” for its actions against subsequent flotilla missions.

Flotilla organisers claimed Israeli soldiers fired on five boats during their interception, causing some damage.

Newman rebuffed this claim, saying interceptions “took place within the most sensitive manner” and that no one was harmed.

Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla, which set off from Turkey last week, about 268 kilometres off the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/middle-east/netanyahu-scolds-hardline-minister-for-releasing-videos-taunting-detained-flotilla-activists-20260521-p5zza5.html

https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/2057046925417824697

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i_kf65Yquo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eqGuti2Cfg