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Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez was "approaching intoxication", says the security guard who ejected him from a Byron Bay bar before he was never seen again.

"He seemed like he was losing his co-ordination and balance because he was swaying a little bit," Shannon Mackie told the inquest into the teenager's disappearance on Thursday.

While he was confident about his assessment, Mr Mackie agreed he could have been mistaken but preferred to err on the side of caution to abide by NSW's strict liquor laws.

The 18-year-old traveller went missing after being ejected from the Cheeky Monkey's bar at 11pm on May 31, 2019.

Google data shows Theo looked up the route back to his hostel but for unknown reasons walked in the opposite direction.

Police believe he eventually tried to climb some beachside cliffs, perhaps to reach the famous lighthouse, fell, and was washed away.

But his family say the cautious teenager would not have gone alone through a dark and difficult bushland track to reach the beach.

Mr Mackie testified to having some years experience in observing patrons to assess whether they were intoxicated or approaching that state.

The bar's policy was to remove people in the latter category, as NSW liquor laws required there be no intoxicated patrons on the premises.

His memory of the night was vague so he relied on his police statements which described Theo has being moderately intoxicated.

He saw Theo walk from the toilets when he appeared to be losing his co-ordination and balance, approaching him after watching him for another five minutes.

As per the bar's "code green" policy, he asked Theo for his identification and he pulled out a Belgian driver's licence from his wallet in his jeans.

He agreed if the teenager had had any difficulty doing this it would have been in his police statement, which it was not. Neither was there mention of Theo smelling of alcohol.

The guard took him outside where he told him he was approaching intoxication and would not be allowed back in.

"He said OK" and was "compliant, quiet and showed no signs of aggression".

Sometimes patrons are re-assessed outside, but Theo had not protested as some sober people did who were allowed back in.

Mr Mackie was shown CCTV footage of Theo inside the club and agreed he couldn't see anything untoward, but said he was confident of his assessment.

Both Mr Mackie and the bar's security manager, Bradley Hill, said there was no policy to eject a certain number of people per hour or per night.

Neither was there a policy to eject men to allow more women into the bar.

They had never heard of anything adverse, such as an assault, occurring to someone who had been ejected and both considered the area to be safe.

At the time, a new liquor licensing sergeant had come to the area.

Mr Hill said he reminded staff to be vigilant due to penalties applicable to having intoxicated people on the premises.

While people approaching intoxication were not banned, one more drink would put them over the line and ejecting them prevented stress on the venue.

The inquest continues.

© AAP 2021

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Supermarket giant Coles is being hauled to court accused of shortchanging more than 7500 workers by $115 million.

The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges Coles underpaid 7812 employees between January 2017 and March 2020, some of them by up to $471,647.

The $115.2 million relates mainly to overtime entitlements for salaried managers at supermarkets and liquor stores in each state and territory.

Forty-five managers were allegedly underpaid by more than $100,000.

Coles will face the Federal Court accused of unlawfully failing to keep proper records including those related to employees' overtime hours.

"Businesses paying annual salaries cannot take a 'set-and-forget' approach to paying their workers," Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said on Thursday.

"Employers must ensure wages being paid are sufficient to cover all minimum lawful entitlements for the hours their employees are actually working and the work they are actually doing."

The legal action stems from Coles' disclosure last year to the Australian Securities Exchange it was reviewing the pay of award-covered and salaried employees.

It is accused of significantly underestimating how much money employees were owed. Fair Work said more than $108 million remained outstanding.

Coles faces penalties of up to $63,000 per breach proven.

The company said it had apologised to affected team members and incurred $13 million in remediation costs, with another $12 million set aside.

"To the extent that further remediation may be required, we will update the market accordingly," Coles said.

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A ridiculously cute and chubby newborn pygmy hippo will make her public debut at Sydney's Taronga Zoo in time for the school holidays.

The yet-to-be named baby was born to mum Kambiri and dad Fergus last month and is the first pygmy hippo calf to arrive at the harbourside zoo in more than four years.

She is spending most of her time in an off-exhibit nursery den, under the watchful eye of her mum, learning to walk and swim.

Taronga Unit Supervisor of Ungulates Gabe Virgona said the pair have a shallow pool in their den.

"They were initially hesitant, but just yesterday the calf took her first step into the water. Although it may not seem like a big step to some, it is a massive milestone for mum and calf," she said.

Pygmy hippos are native to West Africa and are generally solitary animals, only coming together for breeding.

There is estimated to be between 2000 to 3000 pygmy hippos remaining in the wild - classifying the species as endangered, with numbers continuing to decline in the wild.

Kambiri and her calf are expected to make their first public appearance in the coming weeks.

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Social media giants will be forced to explain what steps they are taking to keep Australians safe on their platforms, as part of a new inquiry.

The government on Wednesday unveiled the probe to scrutinise big tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter.

The inquiry will examine the online harms faced on social media, as well as the impact on mental health and effectiveness of safety measures.

The inquiry has bipartisan support but Labor communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said it had taken too long for the government establish it.

"The announcements (from the government) comes early ... but the action comes late," she said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the inquiry would ensure social media companies would be held to account.

"Mums and dads are rightly concerned about whether big tech is doing enough to keep their kids safe," he said.

"Big tech created these platforms, they have a responsibility to ensure they're safe."

The inquiry will run for three months over summer with a final report due by February 15.

The committee is expected to invite prominent individuals such as Adam Goodes, Tayla Harris and Erin Molan along with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen to give evidence.

Ms Haugen revealed Facebook knew about the negative impact Instagram had on its teenage users and how Facebook prioritised profits over safety.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the recent revelations amplified concerns about Facebook and social media use.

"This inquiry will be a very important opportunity to examine the practices of these companies, and whether more needs to be done," he said.

"(It) will give organisations and individuals an opportunity to air their concerns, and for big tech to account for its own conduct."

The government also on Wednesday revealed more detail surrounding its anti-trolling legislation, with an exposure draft released.

Under the proposal, a complaints mechanism would allow anyone who thinks they have been bullied or defamed online to require social media platforms to take down offending posts.

Should the platform fail to comply, a court process would allow the person to require social media companies to provide the identity of anonymous posters.

"For too long these are social media platforms have allowed trolls to get away with spewing bile and hate online with no consequences," Mr Fletcher told parliament.

Labor deputy leader Richard Marles said his party supported the thrust of what the government was doing.

© AAP 2021