MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND SPORT ANIKA WELLS: …complexities in this policy area, and I’m really proud to be leading it. But I do have a few minutes before I go inside. I’m very happy to answer your questions.

JOURNALIST: Minister, are you going to think twice before charging taxpayers for non-essential travel?

WELLS: Look, I always give really thoughtful care into the decisions I make around my program. It’s not possible to be in all the places that people ask me to be across the country as the Minister for Communications and the Minister for Sport and the member for Lilley. I really do my best, and like I said, I am confident that I have upheld the guidelines at all times with all of my travel. But given the public interest, I’m very happy for IPEA to have another look at them so that there’s no doubt.

JOURNALIST: But do you accept it doesn't meet community expectations? You’re someone who earns a few hundred thousand dollars a year, and a lot of people are really struggling right now. Do you accept it doesn't meet those expectations?

WELLS: I absolutely accept that those figures prompt a gut reaction in people. I honestly accept that. And I agree with everybody that parliamentarians' entitlements should be scrutinised. I've said that from the get-go. I've always said that. It's something I deeply believe in. And that's why I've always brought all of my travel through the independent regulator. We've never had any issues with it. I'm happy for them to have another audit of all of my travel. And like I said, I really do each and every day try to discharge my duties as the Minister for Communications, the Minister for Sport and the member for Lilley. I really do work very hard and try my best, but I’m happy for people to …

JOURNALIST: You've gone through the guidelines the whole time. Given the level of public interest, do you think this is being overgrown somewhat? And do you think also there's a gendered element to this? If you were a male politician, would you be copping so much flak over it?

WELLS: I'm always listening carefully to my community and trying to sense from them what they care about, what they want us to be focused on. And I really have been trying to be focused on my work as we do this incredible world-leading band. But also, I hear it. I hear that people have questions. I'm happy to answer your questions. I've been happy to answer your questions [inaudible] …And now that I've referred it to IPEA, you'll be able to see their audit and their determination of all this travel.

JOURNALIST: What was the business purpose that coincided with the Labor Business Forum on 7 August? Why were taxpayers charged for that?

WELLS: I'm happy, Paul, to give you my program for 7 August. Which city was I in? You can appreciate we go to lots of different cities across the course of the week.

JOURNALIST: Sydney to Brisbane, one thousand nine hundred and fifty four. What was the business purpose that coincided with going to the Labour Business Forum?

WELLS: Paul, like I said, I've referred all of my travel to IPEA, and I’m happy for you to have a look at my program for the day. I'm confident whatever brought me here. Like I said I've got three different portfolios. I have countless requests to be in all different towns and cities to do all different things. I could probably live every day three times over and still not get through all of the requests for people and my time. I'm happy to answer these questions. I understand that people want value for taxpayer money. I take taxpayer money really seriously, and I'm happy for you guys to have this debate, to keep answering your questions.

JOURNALIST: You've already been audited, Minister. All these things have been audited, some of them twice, by the same authority. We know what the answer’s going to be. They're going to say they're within the rules.

WELLS: That’s right.

JOURNALIST: But the rules don't meet community standards.

WELLS: These rules are set at arm's length from parliamentarians. These rules were made under the previous government. I have abided by the rules the whole time I've been a parliamentarian. Parliamentarians must follow the rules. I have followed the rules.

JOURNALIST: [Interrupts] They're governed by legislation which you can change.

WELLS: Absolutely. And IPEA regularly review all of these things. My job is to follow the rules. I have followed the rules. I will always continue to follow the rules.

JOURNALIST: But you must have a personal feeling about the rules. Do you think now that they need to be changed if they trigger such, as you say, a gut reaction in people?

WELLS: I think parliamentarians should always be sensitive to community sentiment. This has obviously prompted a national discussion. As I'd note, we've had several times before, even during my time in the parliament I think. That's why IPEA should constantly review these things and should take into account community sentiment. I guess as a parliamentarian, I have followed the rules and made myself available for these questions, as I'll continue to do. But just for the absolute avoidance of doubt, like Mark says, this has all been through IPEA. I have been found to have followed the guidelines so far. But for the absolute avoidance of doubt, I'm happy for them to have another look.

JOURNALIST: The previous government introduced these rules. So you wouldn’t rule out or consider changing anything, have the government change anything, given that clearly this is not meeting standards? Clearly people are outraged. We saw this morning the Prime Minister facing questions on this. So you yourself wouldn’t personally back that? Clearly, people are not happy with this.

WELLS: I think what is clear is people do not want parliamentarians to set these rules. So whatever my opinion is it shouldn’t matter, because I should not set the rules. Parliamentarians should not set the rules. These things should and do operate at arm’s length for us. My job is to follow the rules – I have followed the rules.

JOURNALIST: But is- the COMCAR waiting for eight hours, that is following the rules. But that’s not appropriate, you would argue. Having a COMCAR wait for eight hours, that doesn’t pass anyone’s viewpoint.

WELLS: Look, I’m happy for IPEA to have another look at that. I’m not sure exactly what happened there. Obviously we’re looking at 3.5 years of travel. But like I said, I’m happy for everyone to have another look at it. I don't have anything to hide. I've followed the rules.

JOURNALIST: The prime Minister has explained your expenses and noted you are a young mother of twins, did your children go to all of the AFL grand finals along with your husband?

WELLS: No, and I love this question because for the absolute vast majority of items in my program week in, week out, no, my family aren't there, as many people who have FIFO workers in their families don't have their family attend these things. Yes, we have used family reunion entitlements within the rules on occasion, but within the vast numbers of items in my diary across the three-and-a-halfvyears, no, they haven't been there.

JOURNALIST: Can I ask you, just on the social media ban, obviously, it's only just kicked in but we're already seeing 15-year-olds getting around it. So what will be your measure of success? Is there a percentage that you want to see of these kids off social media?

WELLS: I think, at this point today, I've got three measures of success. Firstly, the fact that we've had a national debate around digital hygiene, what our habits are, how have we got to this place. I’ve had so many parents say to me, I'm doing a digital detox in solidarity for my teen who has to come off social media accounts today. That's so good that we're having these discussions around the dining table because social media has really crept up on us, and we all find ourselves in a daily routine that maybe we wouldn't have chosen academically from the outside. So, I really consider a measure of success firstly that we are having this national debate.

Secondly, I think since we went to the UN, we held our event in High-Level Week, you've seen about 10 countries now come out and say we're going to follow Australia. We went there to win allies. It was really important that we did that. And now, this change is sweeping the world as a result of the momentum that Australians have created, and I'm really proud of that. That's my second measure of success.

Thirdly, my measure of success is these accounts deactivating. We already know today more than 200,000 TikTok accounts have deactivated. We're going to see hundreds of thousands across the next few days and weeks, and we're measuring that through writing to the platforms tomorrow, saying, what were your numbers on 9 December? What were your numbers on 11 December? And we're going to ask every month to make sure that downward trend is happening.

JOURNALIST: Just to go back to expenses, Minister, the Opposition says you should stand down while this latest investigation takes place. Will you consider doing that since, as you say, you want to avoid any doubt over wrongdoing?

WELLS: Absolutely not. I am the steward of a world-leading social media event that has an incredible cultural and generational change unfurling as of today. I'm also the Communications Minister who needs to make sure that taxpayers have confidence in the Triple Zero system, particularly across the summer. I have a lot of really important work to do. I love doing it. I'm grateful to be doing it. And I will continue to do that work.

JOURNALIST: And what's the latest - what have you heard from X, and if they're not participating, when [indistinct]…?

WELLS: Well, as of yesterday, I'm really proud to say that all of the impacted platforms have indicated that they will comply with the law. They might not agree with the law, and that's their right. We don't expect that to receive universal support. But they have indicated that they will comply with the Australian law, and that's a pretty great thing.

JOURNALIST: So have you heard back from X if they are participating in this?

WELLS: They have to report to eSafety, and that’s where the talk is at.

JOURNALIST: Kids are already getting around this ban. They just lie about their age and they fool the photo identity software. What's the point if they can do that?

WELLS: So just because they might have avoided it today doesn't mean that they will be able to avoid it in a week’s time or a month's time. These social media platforms have to go back and routinely check under-16 accounts. This isn't, if you pass today, you're fine for the rest of your time until you turn 16. Also, like you've heard me say before, these social media platforms have so much data on us because we choose to give it to them because we like social media. And because you've had your older brother scan their face for you today, which has bought you a bit of time, doesn't mean that these accounts aren't going to see you talking to other 14-year-olds tonight about the under-16 soccer carnival on the weekend, about your upcoming school holidays, and what your Year 10 teacher is next year. They have so many points of data on you. If your VPN overnight switched to Oslo but you have for the past few months or years been posting photos from the Sunny Coast on Queensland, they know. And that's why we've always said the onus is on the platforms to ensure this. It's not on parents.

JOURNALIST: Minister, you just said social media crept up on us. Are AI chatbots creeping up on us now, and are you going to act quickly on that?

WELLS: You would have seen the eSafety Commissioner has focused some of her work in the months running up to this on AI chatbots. I agree. It's a really important space. And that's why I'm really excited about where we go next. Today, we're leading the world in our social media ban. Next year, we're bringing in a Digital Duty of Care, another paramount and novel innovative thing that asks Australians to reflect what responsibility, what morality do these social media platforms owe us all as Australians, how do we want them to conduct themselves on our shores. These are really important questions. I love working in this space.

And with that, I'm due inside for the launch of our world-leading ban. Have a good morning.