Politics live: Chalmers calls social media a ‘business model for hate’; half of young Australians say US a ‘threat’

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says overheated discourse on social media is in large part responsible for the toxicity in politics, including the threats and abuse being sprayed at politicians.

Speaking at the Political Book of the Year awards in Canberra last night, Chalmers reflected on the alleged attack against Indi MP Helen Haines last week. He said hate had always been present in Australian society but it now has “a business model, a formula, an assembly line for mass-production.”

He described a new kind of digital misogyny that follows women in public life wherever they go, making the current climate harshest for women.