Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sport) | Hansard source

I thank those members who have made a positive contribution to this urgent debate on the Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026. The government will not support the member for Kooyong's second reading amendment, as it largely deals with matters unrelated to this bill. I note that the government will introduce a gambling reform bill to the House this week, which includes measures outlined in the government's response to the You win some, you lose more report.

I also want to recognise the contributions made by the member for Moreton, the member for Brisbane, the member for Flinders, the member for Whitlam, the member for Curtin, the member for Kooyong, the member for Wentworth, the member for Flinders and the member for Mackellar in backing the government's commitment to deliver a digital duty of care.

Building on the social media minimum age, the Albanese government will this year introduce a digital duty of care that will require all digital service providers, including social media platforms, to adopt safety by design, maximise user choice and transparency and have systems in place to prevent the harm before it occurs. This includes harm from personalised, algorithmic recommender systems that maximise engagement and profit before user wellbeing; systems that amplify extreme content, entrench social biases and negatively impact mental health through addiction and harmful online comparisons; systems that send users down rabbit holes and create echo chambers that fuel division or extremism in the community; and systems that cause psychosocial harm by rewarding emotional intensity and conflict.

Creating a digital duty of care is complex policy and cannot be rushed, but the Albanese government is committed to working with all sides of parliament to get it right because all Australians, not just young people, are relying on us to regulate the tools that are causing us systemic harm.

On the social media minimum age bill before us, the government will not support the opposition's second reading amendment, which fails to meaningfully contribute to the bill and seeks to score cheap political points. Emma Mason, an incredible parent advocate who fought for the original bill and supports our efforts to strengthen the eSafety Commissioner's powers, said:

I pray that the silly point scoring nonsense we saw in late 2025 is behind us. It was a consensus law that passed in December 2024, and we need all Australian politicians to continue to get behind this legislation. Children's safety is not a political ball to be kicked around.

I call on all members to rise to Emma's call to action and support the bill. We must come together and stand on the side of parents and kids, not platforms. Delaying or blocking passage means delaying or blocking accountability of the social media companies. I thank the House.

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