Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the report on the committee's inquiry into the influence of international digital platforms. I want to quickly note and support Senator Bragg's mention of the collegiality on this inquiry. I look forward to continued bipartisanship across the parliament as we all continue to progress reforms in this really critical area. It is a critical area because the influence of digital platforms is truly massive. Every day, millions of us are messaging a friend, running businesses through platforms and interacting in some way with these platforms. While the opportunities and impacts that platforms have on the economy are significant and are welcomed, the challenges presenting to users and governments are also significant. Platforms have significant market power and control over consumer experiences online.

It was clear in this inquiry—as it was in the earlier inquiry into foreign interference through social media, for which I was deputy chair—that the platforms need to do a lot more. They need to do a lot more to be transparent about their practices, they need to do a lot more to be accountable to the community and they need to do a lot more to be accountable and transparent to the community through the parliament as well. We all agree that these platforms need to do better and need to be more transparent in meeting community expectations. We also agree that regulation is required.

This inquiry, which was chaired by Senator Bragg, looked at many of these issues. We also had the opportunity to look at how government is responding to them. I'd like to thank my committee colleague Senator Jana Stewart, who has a longstanding interest in the impact of digital platforms on our gig economy workers—people like the delivery drivers who, we know, are too often putting their lives on the line every day at work and the commercial passenger vehicle drivers that we all rely on and whose livelihoods depend on the conduct of these platforms. I do look forward to this place closing the loopholes to better protect these workers who are dependent for their livelihood on how big platforms operate and how big platforms treat them.

The rights of consumers and improving market competition are at the heart of the government's response to addressing the influence of digital platforms. Like the chair, Senator Bragg, I want to recognise the work of the ACCC, who have since 2019 been thoroughly and methodically inquiring into digital platforms and their services. It's their work and their recommendations which have led to a great deal of reform by the government, and it's their work which submitters also point to as leading the way for future directions. Government responses include a ban on unfair contract terms, which came into effect this month, and progressing options on unfair trading practices. The government is committed to delivering reforms set out in the ACCC's interim report 5, on regulatory reform options.

Importantly, the work of modernising the Privacy Act, another recommendation of the ACCC's digital platform inquiry, is now underway. These much-needed reforms will increase individuals' rights to their data. It will improve their privacy, including a right to delete, and it will increase transparency. The government will also develop a children's online privacy code, a much-needed reform to keep children safe. To conclude, I again thank the chair, the committee, the submitters and the secretariat for this inquiry and the report.