David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank Senator Payman for bringing this motion on and bringing the issue to the Senate. It was in October 2024 when the Labor government got the statutory review which says, at its core, that we need to do something to keep people safe online. That's what the review says—things need to happen to keep people safe online. One of the core recommendations was to implement a digital duty of care and have at least some underpinning for decency and standards and protections online.

That was in October 2024. The world is moving quickly when it comes to the online space. I don't know if the Labor government hasn't noticed this, but, since October 2024, there have been major changes—this constant rolling mall of technological changes, the expansion of AI and the creep of that into even more parts of our online world. Unless we have a nimble government willing to actually get in front of this or, at least, not be 10 or 20 years behind this—we absolutely need action from the government.

They keep saying that they're doing something on a digital duty of care, on an online duty of care. They keep saying that, but where is the consultation? There has been no effective public consultation and no identifiable public process. Are they going to do what they did 18 months ago when it came to banning children from social media? Are they are just going to rush in into parliament with a thought bubble which won't achieve their policy outcomes? Is that their plan—just wait until a further crisis develops and then just rush a poorly drafted, poorly conceived, ineffective piece of legislation in on digital duty of care and say, 'Problem solved'? I fear that's the actual plan, if you could call it that.

Why do we need to be taking this seriously? Why should government be taking proactive steps to protect us from some of the worst risks of AI? Because we're seeing those risks happen right now. We are seeing chatbots that are enticing—why should be taking action now? Why should we be expecting the parliament and government to be taking steps to protect us from the obvious harms of AI? It's because we're seeing the damage happening right now. We're seeing chatbots that are enforcing delusions which potentially lead to psychosis. We are seeing chatbots encouraging suicidal ideation and self-harm. We are seeing chatbots, AI run chatbots, literally facilitating sexual harassment and the grooming of minors, and we are seeing, across the online world, AI promoting misinformation and extremism. And the government's response is: crickets, nothing, some vague statements about a digital duty of care that perhaps might come out at some future time without consultation with the public.

Well, I say, and the Greens say, that we need to start this urgently now—a public consultation on duty of care, with a concrete proposal before us that will at least put some standards in the online world that we can hold platforms to account for, such that we can actually give people some protection and not just do what Labor is doing at the moment, egged on by One Nation and egged on by the coalition, who say, 'No rules: whatever the billionaires want, whatever the big platforms want; we're just going to sit frightened in a little corner and let the online world descend into hatred, extremism and online violence.' That is not an answer.

We need digital duty of care now—one that works, that holds these platforms to account—and for once to have this parliament and this government stand up to the billionaire backers of this AI attack on our basic freedoms and liberties and stand up for the rights of ordinary Australians.