MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND SPORT ANIKA WELLS: Welcome, everyone, to Everton Park State School in my electorate of Lilley here on the Brisbane’s northside. Today I am announcing the Albanese Government's $6 million continued investment in the Alannah & Madeline Foundation. Earlier, we joined class 5MM to try out some of the new modules for the eSmart program, which these students have helped to develop.

Young people today are growing up in a digital age and, while Australia has created a minimum age for social media, just like we teach our kids to swim or to drive a car, we need to teach them how to stay safe online. They need education that keeps pace with the rapidly changing world, which throws up new challenges and new threats with alarming frequency.

Australia's online safety laws are some of the strongest in the world. They are creating real change. We have seen potentially harmful products like chatbots and nudify apps removed from the Australian market. Roblox has introduced children's accounts, and both Apple and Google have given parents more control over their apps which their kids use. And, of course, our social media minimum age has seen 5 million accounts that are under-16s deactivated, and that’s triggered a global movement to give kids back their childhoods.

By delaying the age that young people start using social media, we have given them time to build their online resilience and to learn how to spot fakes, how to spot bad actors and the algorithm. And the Alannah & Madeline Foundation's Safe Kids are eSmart Kids program does just that. I'll hand over to Sarah Davies now to tell you more, and then we'll take your questions.

ALANNAH & MADELINE FOUNDATION CEO SARAH DAVIES AM: Thanks very much, Minister. Well, we are very appreciative of the Albanese Government and Minister’s support, because, for the last three years and now the next three years, we're able to offer the eSmart program nationally, free to all schools across the country with resources from prep to grade 10, helping children navigate their digital lives and their tech worlds well. So, the eSmart resources are for schools, teachers and students, helping children be smart, be safe and be responsible online. So not just about how they look after themselves, but actually how they engage and co-create good experiences for others. They’re practical learning resources, and we are just launching today one of the modules, which is around privacy.

So we know that data equals dollars for platforms and for advertisers, and that therefore their games and their apps and their platforms are designed to keep children engaged and scrolling so they can harvest more and more data. So, this particular program that the students are working through is helping them understand the privacy and the data ‘gotchas’ - where the traps might be, understanding who collects data, why they might use it, where it goes - and then giving them some really practical skills on how to keep their data safe and private and keep themselves safe and private and be smart online. So, we're very grateful. It's a fabulous resource, free across the country for all schools. Thank you, Minister.

JOURNALIST: Minister, on the topic of the ABC's violent video depicting the graphic torture of Gina Rinehart, Chris Bowen yesterday said he expects an ABC apology. Jerome Laxale says it should be removed from iview. Richard Marles is also saying he's surprised it's still on iview, calling it utterly unacceptable. Why aren't you calling on the ABC to apologise or take the clip down? You're the Communications Minister, you set the standard. Why is your condemnation the weakest of your Cabinet colleagues?

WELLS: Harry, I'm the Minister of Communications, and it is my job first and foremost to respect the editorial independence of the ABC. Last week when News24 first asked me about this, I said it was a good thing for it to be referred to the ABC Ombudsman. That's what's happened. We are waiting for that process to play out.

JOURNALIST: Do you still believe that they should not be issuing an apology?

WELLS: I've never said that, Harry. My personal view is that that was unacceptable, but it's not for me to make that determination. It's for the Ombudsman to do so.

And I'll anticipate your next question, Harry – if the Ombudsman finds that, like in my view, it's unacceptable, it would be appropriate for the ABC to issue an apology. But what's important is that that process plays out first, and that's what any news publisher would expect the Minister for Communications to act in this process.

JOURNALIST: Do you think it’s appropriate for taxpayer money to be spent portraying that sort of content on the ABC?

WELLS: Harry, I've made comments to News24 three times on this matter, and I'll leave it there.

JOURNALIST: Just on the gambling reforms, is the government really prepared to walk away from them?

WELLS: I saw the ABC reporting about the Prime Minister's comments in the Parliament last sitting fortnight. That's some weeks ago now, and I'd say we're some ways off that yet. I'm having constructive discussions with both the Shadow Communications Minister for the Coalition and the Shadow Communications Spokesperson for the Greens. We'll keep those discussions going. We'd love to see this passed.

JOURNALIST: Do you expect to see Coalition amendments before Parliament returns next week?

WELLS: I would imagine that the Coalition would play out their party processes in the same way that they always do. That would be for the Shadow Cabinet and the party room to deliberate. I will continue discussing this with my counterpart, the Shadow Communications Minister, in order for her to represent the Coalition's position to the government.

JOURNALIST: And what amendments are you open to?

WELLS: Exactly what I just said – I would wait for the Coalition to form a position and to put those amendments to the government, exactly as this process always plays out when we try to put any piece of legislation through the Parliament.

JOURNALIST: If you pull the gambling bill rather than agreeing to Coalition or Greens amendments to get it passed, aren't you condemning more people to gambling harm?

WELLS: Like I said, we are some ways away from that. We're having constructive discussions. I'll continue to do that with my counterparts. We'd love to see this pass.

JOURNALIST: The beefed-up powers for the social media ban were also sent to an inquiry. Do you have confidence the Coalition or the Greens will ultimately pass these new laws? And what do you make of X's submission to the inquiry that the ban contravenes international law?

WELLS: That isn't a new position from X, and like all legislation that the government works diligently on and puts to the Parliament, I'd love to see it passed. I've made very clear my frustration that a 500-word bill, a four page bill asking for simple, well understood powers for the eSafety Commissioner, has been referred off to an eight-week inquiry. I would have liked to see those powers issued last sitting fortnight. The eSafety Commissioner had notices ready to go that night. All the Coalition has done in this instance is given these big tech platforms eight more weeks to prepare themselves. That isn't a good public policy outcome. That's for them to account for.

JOURNALIST: Backbench MPs are telling their constituents they find it difficult to understand why CGT changes include assets other than housing. How can the government sell these changes if the caucus doesn't even support them?

WELLS: I'm a member of the caucus, and I firmly support these laws.

JOURNALIST: Will the gambling reform legislation be brought for debate during the next sitting fortnight?

WELLS: Let's step out the process. This is rolling along exactly as any other piece of legislation normally does. Last sitting fortnight, I introduced the Albanese Government's package of reforms to the House of Representatives after the Prime Minister had announced them at the National Press Club on Easter Thursday. The House of Representatives has yet to debate that legislation, we're yet to see any amendments come in from the other independent members of the House. Once the House passes the legislation, it will go to the Senate. Same as every other piece of legislation.

JOURNALIST: Would you consider opting measures on streaming platforms instead of opt-out?

WELLS: I await the actual presentation of amendments from either the Coalition or the Greens for the government to consider in the usual way.

JOURNALIST: The State Government seems to be pushing back on the IOC, particularly around, you know, Exhibition Station, Rocky rowing. What's the relationship like among Games leadership stakeholders?

WELLS: We had a very productive meeting earlier this week.

JOURNALIST: What's your response to the new allegations of widespread racism in sport across codes from the elite level to the local level, directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?

WELLS: It's abhorrent. It is a live issue. The Senate has an inquiry on foot at the moment. It is something as the Minister for Sport, I've now had four years in this role, that comes up from time to time. We try to work through and improve through the Australian Sport Commission and the Office for Sport, and I'll continue to do that. Thanks, everyone.