The Victorian government has scrambled to fix an oversight that would make Melbourne home to the country's first pedestrian tollway when the Metro Tunnel opens this weekend.

The more-than-$13 billion project, which included the construction of 9km twin tunnels under Melbourne's CBD and five new underground stations, is set to open this Sunday.

But an underpass connecting two CBD stations was thrown into the spotlight today when it was revealed pedestrians using the walkway to access shops at Melbourne Central would need to pay more than $5.

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Situated just metres apart, the State Library and Melbourne Central stations share an underground concourse on La Trobe Street.

But pedestrians who want to avoid foot traffic or bad weather by using the underpass were told they would be charged a full fare when they tap on at the State Library and exit less than 50 metres away at Melbourne Central.

"It's a ticketed train station area… I don't think it's that confusing," Public Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams said.

Premier Jacinta Allan told media today that Myki's change-of-mind policy, which doesn't charge commuters who tap on and off at the same station within 15 minutes, would apply.

https://x.com/metrotunnelvic/status/1993179448758485169?s=46&t=cEzraAkIJjokwmcV4Qu_MQ

But that message was at odds with a post on Metro Tunnel's social media.

"Touching on your myki at State Library Station and touching off at Melbourne Central Station will be counted as a trip and your myki will be charged," Metro Tunnel said on X last night.

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The state government backflipped on its stance late today, confirming it intends to leave a gate open at the stations to allow pedestrians to travel through the underpass for free.

"As a result of building five brand new stations, two of which connect to existing stations, we want to make them fully accessible because we want Victorians to make the most of them," a government spokesperson said.

"We will have one gate open at both Town Hall and State Library stations to provide a free thoroughfare and Metro Trains staff will be out in force to help passengers.

"These underpasses will be open to everyone with no Myki required."

Town Hall Station is located on the corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane, near Flinders Street Station.

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The Metro Tunnel has been in the pipeline for 10 years making Sunday's grand opening long-awaited.

But it will be nearly another year before all the station entries are open.

The Flinders Street Station entrance at Young and Jacksons will open early next year, while the entry at Federation Square is still another year off.

To celebrate the opening, the state government is offering free public transport on weekends from November 30 to February 1.

From November 30, 240 extra train services will run through the tunnel as the service integrates into the network.

The Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines will run exclusively through the new tunnels from February.

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A man has died after being pulled from the water this evening.

Ahead of the impending under-16 social media ban, nine.com.au has spoken with a number of young content creators to find out what they think about the upcoming changes.

Some describe it as a "double-edged sword". Others believe that removing under-16s from their audience will have long-lasting effects on their engagement, audience reach and, subsequently, their livelihoods.

Mackenzie McIntyre is a creator from Queensland who creates relatable-style observational content, amassing a huge audience in the process.

McIntyre has garnered over 27 million YouTube views and has over 400,000 TikTok followers. Those numbers could soon take a huge hit once the restrictions come into effect on December 10.

"I've had a lot of friends, especially who make content for high school, people in high school, pretty concerned recently because it's obviously going to have a huge impact on their engagement." Mackenzie McIntyre said.

What's your take on the upcoming ban? Let us know at jo************@******om.au.

"The freedom to create as a young person is being really stripped away," McIntyre said.

"Not just like someone who's already creating for viewers, but for people who want to create."

"When I was 15 years old, all I wanted to be was a content creator, so I think that plays a big role in it too."

Creators like Western Australia's Empire Family announced to their 1.8 million followers in October that they moved to the UK to avoid the upcoming social media ban. 

"I've got a lot of friends who have already, in preparation for the ban or just the regulations that are coming in, have moved to America or moved to Bali, or Indonesia keep that younger audience," said Josiah Young.

Josiah is a creator who has been posting relatable content skits since he was 18 and believes that creators will have to adapt to the changes.

"I will definitely have to start tailoring some of my content."

"I've even started thinking about maybe pushing up that age to kind of end of high school, early university days sort of relatability."

"It might end up being a double-edged sword where kids just end up in these really unsafe places because they are just scrambling to find somewhere that they can continue consuming the content that they've grown up with."

"I think it's almost like it hasn't really sunk in for a lot of creators that there will need to be some sort of change."

Dane Clarke is the creator of Clarkey's Rugby League Column

Clarke's daily rugby league content posted to his Instagram account has fostered an audience of nearly 150,000 followers, including a mix of people who are set to have their accounts wiped on December 10.

"It will certainly affect my engagement numbers, as the younger generation is a highly engaged portion of my followers," Clarke said.

"Whenever I meet someone under the age of 18 or looking like they're in high school, they usually tell me that they love my page and get all their news from it daily.

"I suspect plenty of them will just find an alternate method to access social media. Kids are resourceful, and I am sure they are going to find hundreds of ways to loophole this ban."

The government has placed the responsibility of enforcing the laws into the hands of the social media platforms included in the ban.

This includes removing and deactivating any accounts used by anyone under the age of 16, as well as preventing the creation of any additional accounts and preventing workarounds that may allow children to bypass the restrictions.

The platforms set to be age-restricted include: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kick, Twitch and Reddit.

However, there are no penalties for under-16s who access age-restricted platforms, with the government stating that the purpose is to protect young Australians rather than punishing and isolating them.

Other creators have echoed this sentiment, believing that under-16s will find their way around the new legislation.

"I really don't think a lot of them will settle for just not being able to do it," McIntrye said.

"These young people are going to have to find alternative ways to watch this content, whether by using their parents' account, then that messes up all the demographics. statistics and everything."

"That can also create a dangerous environment because then they may be shown more adult content because the age range is a lot higher."

Social media influencer agencies have been preparing for months in the lead-up to the new laws.

"Under-16s often drive trends and virality, though their direct purchasing power is limited," said Head of Brand and Partnerships at Sticki and DataSauce, Rachael Webb.

"Over the last few months, our focus has been on education, helping brands understand that this legislation represents a delay in when young audiences can legally participate, rather than the disappearance of youth influence online."

"The key challenge for creators is understanding how this will affect their analytics. With Influencer marketing now highly data-driven, engagement metrics may fluctuate as under-16 accounts are removed or restricted."

Webb is urging creators to be proactive and use the new laws as a way to test new approaches and formats to see what works as the social media landscape continues to evolve rapidly.

"Test new angles of content, explore what resonates with your other audience segments, and experiment with new creative styles."

"It's rare for a creator's audience to be made up entirely of under-16s, but many will see shifts in their community makeup."

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A man has died after being struck by a tree on the NSW Central Coast as wild weather continues to bring dangerous conditions across the state.

The 76-year-old man was hit by the falling tree at a home on Glenworth Valley Road on the Central Coast, and was unable to be revived by emergency workers who were called to the scene about 1:30pm.

The tragedy occurred as severe thunderstorms swept through Sydney and its surrounds, hitting Richmond, Camden, Campbelltown and Penrith in the early afternoon, as well as the Hunter, with warnings stretching as far as Tamworth, Bourke, Scone, Walgett and Coonabarabran.

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At about 1pm, emergency crews also responded to a large gumtree falling onto a house on Kurrajong Road at North St Marys, where a woman and her baby were inside.

There were no injuries, and they were taken to Nepean Hospital for mandatory testing.

"She was just very shaken up, she was just thankful that we were there to put her in the car," a witness told 9News.

A 35-year-old man had to be cut free after being trapped under a branch while camping in Orange. 

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The SES has so far received more than 620 calls for help, more than 200 of which have come from Blacktown. 

The Bureau of Meteorology has said the severe thunderstorms in Sydney have temporarily eased, but that they could redevelop later today.

The BoM has warned that severe thunderstorms were likely to produce damaging winds and large hailstones in the state's north, between Taree, Kempsey and Mungindi, over the next several hours.

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Light rail services between Carlingford and Rosehill are not running due to fallen overhead wires near Carlingford. 

Passengers are being advised to make alternative travel arrangements.

Trains are not running between Parramatta and Richmond, or between Parramatta and St Mary's on the T1 North Shore and Western Line, T5 Cumberland Line and Blue Mountains Line, due to severe weather conditions causing power supply issues.

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Replacement buses have begun running between Blacktown and Richmond.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has advised people impacted by storms to stay indoors and move cars under cover and away from trees.

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Chloe Nicholson failed to wake up from her nap nine years ago.

A sinister tax loophole which has left thousands of vulnerable Australians with secret debts could soon be closed by the federal government.

Perpetrators are taking advantage of the tax system with a little-known form of economic abuse known as "coerced directorships" – and it can cost people millions of dollars in fines.

Coerced directorships are a complicated type of financial abuse and typically involve abusive partners forcing or convincing victim-survivors to become a co-director or sole director of a business that they control.

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Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino today said the government aimed to crack down on the "dodgy use of directorships by perpetrators".

"Too many people have been left with liabilities they never agreed to and penalties for decisions they never made," Mulino said.

"Our goal is to build a system that protects people from exploitation and ensures perpetrators cannot hide behind corporate structure."

A newly released consultation paper has delivered some options for how legislation may stop financial abusers exploiting Australia's tax system.

This includes strengthening the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's (ASIC) powers to remove non-consenting company directors and making it easier for victims to engage with the Australian Tax Office (ATO).

The report also suggests stronger criminal consequences for fraudulent or coerced director appointments.

Submissions to the consultation will close on December 24.

Is economic abuse a crime in Australia?

In Australia, economic abuse or financial abuse can be considered a crime it if involves fraud, theft or coercive control.

Every Australian state and territory also recognises that economic abuse is a type of domestic violence.

And every state and territory has a form of a domestic violence order which is designed to protect victims.

According to the Centre for Women's Economic Safety, these orders aren't often used to protect money or assets but you may be able to request this if necessary.

Currently, there is no legislation that specifically outlaws "coerced directorships".

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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