Question Time Response – Protecting young people online

Question – Federal Member for Werriwa, Anne Stanley  

My question is to the Minister for Communications. How is the Albanese Labor Government working to support families to keep children safer on social media?

Answer – Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland: 

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Member for her question because the safety and mental health of our young people is paramount.

The Albanese Government is committed to ensuring that we make the environments where children live, learn and interact safer and that includes digital environments. We are taking the whole of Government approach to minimising the harms that come from children accessing content online that is not appropriate for them. The Prime Minister has committed to introducing legislation this year to enforce a minimum age for access to social media. Implementing this legislation will be informed by the age assurance trial funded in this year 's budget and the legislation is also being informed by engagement with National Cabinet, the eSafety Commissioner and recent work by former Chief Justice Robert French. I acknowledge the Premiers of New South Wales and South Australia who have kicked off the Social Media Summit today in Sydney and I will join them in Adelaide tomorrow.

This legislation is one part of a comprehensive approach this Government is taking to address online safety. The Attorney-General delivered legislation making it a criminal offence to share non-consensual deep fake explicit material and he is progressing important work to strengthen online privacy for children. The Social Services Minister and I have delivered an Australia-first dating app industry code, to ensure the safety of especially women. With the support of the Treasurer and the Finance Minister, the Albanese Government quadrupled ongoing base funding for eSafety to ensure they are equipped. I have amended the Basic Online Safety Expectations so that platforms must place the best interests of the child at the centre of services. I have brought forward by a year the independent review of the Online Safety Act to ensure it is fit for purpose and expect to receive that in coming weeks. 

Collaboration and co-operation within and across Governments is the best approach to making digital environments safer. As we navigate solutions for parents, we are applying the principles to our social media age limits legislation and also engaging with experts and advocates around the unintended consequences that young people may experience through this reform. Let me reassure the House - our approach is not about punishing young people, or letting big tech off the hook. We all have a role to play. Social media services must act to address the impacts of their content on their platforms on how they affect young people. Platforms have shown they are capable of doing more and we welcome their efforts to make services safer but the Albanese Government is determined to do our share to make digital environments safer for all Australians.