Andrew Charlton (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. How is the Albanese Labor government addressing the need to protect young Australians through limiting access to social media, and what other measures are being considered to make online environments safer for children?

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for the question. This is a very important issue. As I said yesterday, many parents are telling us they need help, and that's what our legislation is about. Our message to parents is clear: we have your back. But I do acknowledge the valid points, raised by experts, that we cannot stop there and we need to take forward a range of reforms in regulating tech companies to make their services safer. As I said yesterday, we will consult. Understandably, there's a wide variety of views, but, as a government, our objective is clear. Restricting children's access to social media is not a magic pill to address all online harms, and our actions to improve online safety are not 'set and forget'. We have taken a comprehensive approach, as a government, to tackling online harms for all Australians.

Earlier this year, I amended the basic online safety expectations, requiring platforms to place the best interests of the child at the centre of their products and services, and this has already empowered the eSafety Commissioner to issue notices to the platforms on the number of children using their services and the age assurance measures they have in place. We have provided funding so previously neglected initiatives on media literacy are now available in schools across Australia for free. Minister Rishworth and I delivered an Australia-first dating app industry code to improve the safety of Australians using those services. The Attorney-General is driving reforms to tackle hate speech and bolster privacy protections, particularly for children, and has criminalised the creation and distribution of non-consensual deepfake pornography. The Assistant Treasurer is delivering vital reforms to make digital platforms accountable for protecting Australians from scams.

The Albanese government's systemwide approach is what is needed to tackle the harms facing Australians, particularly young people online, and it's why I brought forward the statutory review of the Online Safety Act by a full year. Though it only came into force in January 2022, I was compelled to expedite this because it was clear our laws were not keeping pace with emerging technologies and associated harms. It's examining how we can make online spaces safer and ensure that the eSafety Commissioner has the power needed to keep Australians safe.

The Albanese government will not resile from holding big tech to account and keeping Australians safe online, particularly our most vulnerable. We are live to these issues right across government, and we are delivering to make the online environment safer and better.