My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Senator Farrell. Australia is a world leader in our efforts to keep children safer online. This began with our social media minimum-age law, which has seen more than five million under-16s' accounts removed or deactivated and has inspired more than 20 other countries to follow suit. How is the Albanese Labor government continuing to ensure people, particularly Australian children, are better protected online, and why is this so important?

I thank Senator Polley for her question and the great work that she does for the people of Tasmania. The Albanese government backs Australian parents and kids by giving them the tools and the laws to keep them safer online. It was a major world-leading moment when, almost two years ago, parliament came together in a bipartisan way to pass laws to give Australian kids a break from the pervasive pull of social media. We have heard about the difference that that has made, but we will not stop there when it comes to applying standards to what people see online.

The digital duty of care will set basic safety standards for digital services that we use every day, just like we have for food, cars and toys for kids. It will make platforms protect Australian children from harmful content and provide features that will give parents the tools that they need to keep the family safe online.

It's not just the government that is calling for more to be done to ensure people, particularly Australian children, are better protected online. The Prime Minister and the minister for communications stood together with experts and advocates calling for more to be done to protect people online. They included the Butterfly Foundation, the Alannah & Madeline Foundation and Project Rockit. All of these respected organisations came together because they recognise that more can be done and should be done to protect people online, and the Albanese government is doing that through our digital duty of care. Online safety should not be a political issue when it comes to protecting people, particularly children.

Senator Polley, first supplementary?

Thank you, Minister, for that response. It's unfortunate that those opposite couldn't be bothered to listen to your answer. How is the Albanese Labor government working to protect Australians from online harm? What specific harms will the digital duty of care be designed to help protect young people from, and why is this so important for them and Australian parents, who will bother to listen, unlike those opposite?

I thank Senator Polley for her first supplementary question. As you say, the opposition may not be listening, but the Australian people are. The Australian people are listening because the Albanese government backed parents when it came to delaying access to social media for children under 16, and we have heard from them about how relieved they are. But we know they still are worried about how they can protect their kids on other platforms, like online games and AI chatbots. Under the digital duty of care, platforms, like social media, online games and AI chatbots, must protect under-18s from harmful content, like content that promotes or encourages eating disorders, misogynistic content that promotes hostile ideas about women and gender—

Thank you, Minister. Senator Polley, second supplementary?

A new report released by Deakin University researchers shows eating disorder content remains on platforms that have policies in place to remove this content. Why is it important that companies are not left to check their homework and researchers are able to do this work? How will this proposed digital duty of care enable this?

I thank Senator Polley for her second supplementary question. Research from respected institutions—

Minister Farrell, I'm sorry. Order across the chamber! If you want to chat, I invite you to go outside.

Thank you, President, for that protection. Research from respected institutions, like Deakin University, along with Australia's regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, is important to ensure platforms are doing what they are obligated to do. This research shows why platforms shouldn't be left to check their own homework. These Australian researchers had to conduct their study overseas because, right now in Australia, they have no protection from legal threats. Australian researchers should be able to investigate whether young people in Australia are being exposed to harmful material, like pro-eating-disorder content, without fear of legal threats from platforms. The digital duty of care will enable this to be done in Australia.