Alex Antic (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend paragraph 2 of general business notice of motion No. 1054 standing in my name by omitting '30 December 2022' and substituting '30 November 2021'.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

(1) That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee on Big Tech Influence in Australia, be established to inquire into and report on activity by major international and domestic technology companies (Big Tech) with reference to the management of:

(a) disinformation, misinformation and malinformation, including 'shadow banning', 'de-platforming', 'no platforming' and 'demonetisation';

(b) fake accounts and bots that engage in online campaigns;

(c) terms of service, including user privacy settings and use of user data by Big Tech and third parties;

(d) the extent of compliance with Australian laws; and

(e) any related matters.

(2) That the committee present its final report on or before 30 November 2021.

(3) That the committee consist of six senators, as follows:

(a) three nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate;

(b) two nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate; and

(c) one nominated by minor party and independent senators.

(4) That:

(a) participating members may be appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate or any minority party or independent senator; and

(b) participating members may participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee and have all the rights of members of the committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee.

(5) If a member of the committee is unable to attend a meeting of the committee, that member may in writing to the chair of the committee appoint a participating member to act as a substitute member of the committee at that meeting, and if the member is incapacitated or unavailable, a letter to the chair of the committee appointing a participating member to act as a substitute member of the committee may be signed on behalf of the member by the leader or whip of the party or group on whose nomination the member was appointed to the committee.

(6) That the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding that not all members have been duly nominated and appointed and notwithstanding any vacancy.

(7) That the committee elect as chair one of the members nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate and as deputy chair one of the members nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

(8) That the deputy chair shall act as chair when the chair is absent from a meeting of the committee or the position of chair is temporarily vacant.

(9) That the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, may appoint another member of the committee to act as chair during the temporary absence of both the chair and deputy chair at a meeting of the committee.

(10) That, in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote.

(11) That the committee and any subcommittee have power to send for and examine persons and documents, to move from place to place, to sit in public or in private, notwithstanding any prorogation of the Parliament or dissolution of the House of Representatives and have leave to report from time to time its proceedings and the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may deem fit.

(12) That the committee have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of 3 or more of its members, and to refer to any such subcommittee any of the matters which the committee is empowered to consider.

(13) That the committee be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and be empowered to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee with the approval of the President of the Senate.

(14) That the committee be empowered to print from day to day such papers and evidence as may be ordered by it, and a daily Hansard be published of such proceedings as take place in public.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition won't be supporting this select committee. Normally we do work collaboratively with all senators in this place around the establishment of committees and referrals to committees. We were advised by the government that they are concerned at the number of select committees that are currently operating in the Senate and at the level of work that references committees have—that select committees are perhaps filling part of the role that references committees had in the past—only to be given this motion on the Notice Paper. So we won't be supporting this today, based on the government's own advice that there are too many select committees at this point in time.

Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I draw senators' attention to page 485 of Odgers, which says that back in 2009:

… the Procedure Committee recommended an understanding that there should be no more than three select committees in existence at any time.

There are currently nine select committees. If this motion is agreed to today, there will be 10.

I would point out also that there is a stipend, paid by the public, in relation to these committees. A chair receives $23,240 of additional payment and a deputy chair receives $11,620, so this is a cost to the taxpayer of $34,000. At the same time, we are paying a stipend for the references committee chairs and deputy chairs, and they seem to be underutilised. I won't be supporting the appointment of this select committee. I would support it if it were a references committee.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a one-minute statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no doubt that we do need an inquiry into the influence of big tech in this country, particularly its impact on our democracy and our media and the way that big tech has allowed for the proliferation of far-right extremism on digital platforms in Australia. However, this motion contains language which concerns the Greens. It is language which is used overwhelmingly by the far right, including terms like shadowbanning and deplatforming. While we won't be supporting this motion today, we do remain open minded and of the view that we need to have a look at some of the impacts of the big tech sector on those areas I mentioned earlier.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion No. 1054, as amended, be agreed to.