Question Time Response - Keeping Australians safe online

Question - Federal Member for Dunkley, Jodie Belyea MP:

How is the Albanese Labor Government making the online environment safer for all Australians?

Answer - Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland: 

The Albanese Government takes seriously its commitment to keeping all Australians safe online. We know that parents are concerned about the harms to children and we have taken a decision to support them. This House has passed our world-leading legislation for an age limit for access to social media. And I thank the members from all sides who joined the Government in supporting this vital bill. 

As I said yesterday, the Government is committed to working with young people and other key stakeholders as we implement this legislation. I also thank the members who have shown an interest in this bill. Some of their statements and proposed amendments pointed to the need for a legislated Digital Duty of Care. 

Earlier this month, I announced that the Albanese Government would do precisely that. The Duty of Care would deliver a more systemic approach to making online services safer. It has support, including from the International Justice Mission. Reach Out, the Black Institute, Beyond Blue, the Butterfly Foundation, and others.

It was an important recommendation from the Online Safety Act Review and the report from the joint committee. The Duty of Care will complement the ongoing work across Government to help keep all Australians safe online. This includes the Assistant Treasurer, who is delivering important reforms to tackle the financial and harms faced by too many Australians as a result of scams. 

The Attorney-General is leading work to safeguard the privacy of Australians and has legislated to criminalise the non-consensual sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes, and, as we marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I acknowledge the work to help keep women and children safe online. This includes the Minister for Social Services, who has worked with me to deliver a world-leading dating app code to tackle tech-facilitated abuse that particularly targets women. 

The eSafety Commissioner recently launched more grants to develop innovative projects to address the root causes of tech-facilitated abuse. And the Albanese Government has funded the Alannah and Madeleine Foundation to make practical resources and learning tools available to all schools across Australia for free to better equip young people to navigate online environments. Mr Speaker, we know that keeping Australians safe online requires decisive action and the Albanese Government is delivering exactly that.