TIME recognises Anika Wells for online safety work amid travel expense scrutiny
Communications Minister Anika Wells has been named by TIME as one of its influential rising stars, recognised for leading Australia’s social media age restrictions and other online safety measures. Former prime minister Julia Gillard wrote Wells’s profile, praising her advocacy for protecting children online despite opposition from major technology companies.
The recognition comes amid scrutiny of Wells’s use of public money: a parliamentary expenses audit found four travel-rule breaches between 2022 and 2025, and she repaid $10,116. Her reported expenses include about $90,000 for a New York trip promoting the social media policy, flights for family members and chauffeur costs for sporting events; the article also says her husband joined taxpayer-funded travel.
- TIME recognised Wells for her work on children’s online safety.
- An audit found four travel-rule breaches and required a $10,116 repayment.
- Her travel and family-related expenses remain under scrutiny.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Anika Wells named one of the world’s ‘rising stars’ by TIME magazine – despite criticism from Aussies over huge travel bills and taxpayer-funded trips for her lobbyist husband”.