Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications. How is the Albanese Labor government working to strengthen Australia's world-leading social media laws to protect young Australians from online harm, and what is standing in the way?

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

I thank the member for Menzies for his important question. Last year, the member for Menzies and I visited the media students at East Doncaster Secondary College to talk with them about Australia's incoming social media minimum age. Their questions were thoughtful and nuanced, and we all agreed on the importance of holding—

Milton Dick (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

No. We're not having those sorts of interjections. Member for Bowman, you are warned. The minister is 20 seconds in. We don't want those sorts of sledges across the chamber. I'm not having those personal attacks. I'm just asking everyone to just lift up a little bit today.

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

Their questions were thoughtful and nuanced, and we all agreed on the importance of holding social media platforms accountable for the harm they do to these students and their friends. This week, the Albanese government introduced a bill to parliament to strengthen Australia's world-leading social media minimum age law. The bill has four pages of content. It sought to achieve two goals. The first goal is to empower Australia's online safety watchdog to compel documents from big tech companies in their investigation into systemic non-compliance with the social media law. The second goal is to double the fine for non-compliance from $49.5 million to $99 million. That's it—two changes to strengthen a bipartisan law designed to protect young Australians from the harms of social media.

Last night, the Leader of the Opposition and the coalition broke bipartisanship and sided with social media platforms over Australian parents. Last night, the coalition sold out Australian kids to some of the richest, most powerful companies in the world, giving them at least two more months to sharpen their legal strategy, to get rid of documents and to continue to do the bare minimum to follow Australian law. They did a deal with the Greens political party to send a four-page bill with two simple goals to a two-month Senate inquiry—a bill that Australian parents implored this parliament not to treat like a political football. The Leader of the Opposition and the coalition have treated those parents with utter contempt.

Wayne Holdsworth is a brave Victorian father, whose son Mac died by suicide due to sexual extortion experienced through social media. We all welcomed him to this place on Monday. Here's what Wayne had to say last night after news of the coalition deal broke:

As every day goes by that we don't up the ante on tech giants acting responsibly, innocent kids are targeted by sex extortionists and the kids will become anxious, depressed, have suicidal thoughts and take their lives.

This is absolutely pathetic and I want to meet Angus Taylor and look him in the eye and tell him the actual damage this will cause. His predecessor Peter Dutton was a leader with genuine compassion this block shows no genuine compassion at all.