Today with Sylvia Jeffreys

SYLVIA JEFFREYS, CO-HOST: National debt will today tip over $1 trillion, the highest in history outside the pandemic. To discuss, Minister for Communications Anika Wells joins me now live from Canberra. Minister, good morning.

It is a grim milestone, isn't it? You are drowning in zeros. And Angus Taylor says your out-of-control spending is to blame.

Is he right? MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS ANIKA WELLS: He’s not right, because it would be bigger under his government, it would be bigger under the Coalition. That's the alternative before Australians.

We understand that we need to grow the economy so that debt is affordable, but we also know that people need help now, and that's why we've been really focused on cost-of-living measures to help Australians address that. What do you say to young Australians who are looking at this and thinking, well, we're lumped with this in the end? I’d say that we're working hard for them in a number of different ways.

Intergenerational equality has been an important issue for the Albanese Government but we are trying to get the balance between helping people now, giving people the assistance they need now while growing the economy to make sure that this debt that we've inherited and that would be worse, and was worse under the government that Angus Taylor was part of, that that's affordable.

OK, we've got to move on to your portfolio this morning. The gaming platform Roblox must address key safety issues over the next three months or risk being taken to court by Australia's eSafety watchdog. Can you explain for us what's changed here?

Well, we've got 1.7 million Aussie kids on Roblox and you might recall in February, I had the founder and the head of Roblox come to my office and account for themselves when the eSafety Commissioner pointed out that too many adults were able to contact Aussie kids on Roblox. They gave us assurances. The eSafety Commissioner is not satisfied, and like you say, they've now got three months to clean up their act or they could be before the Federal Court.

Okay, so it's one thing to go to court, but what are the potential penalties here for Roblox if they fail to improve protections over the next three months? Well, penalties are decided by the Federal Court, and the eSafety Commissioner has to make the decision that, on behalf of Australians, Australian citizens, Australian taxpayers, she has to make the decision to go to the Federal Court.

They would face significant penalties, but we know –let's not beat around the bush here – these are some of the world's richest companies. Financial penalties are there for a reason, but this is about their social licence. They gave us assurances that they were going to clean up their act.

Their founder looked me in the eye and said that he would do that. They need to clean it up faster. They've got three months.

Finally, your Veterans Minister, Matt Keogh, is under a lot of heat right now. The Coalition calling for the PM to sack him over the $5,000 allied health services cap. Does he have your support in that portfolio?

He does. He works very hard, and to deliver the recommendations of the Royal Commission has been hard work, which he engages with really sincerely. I had a service delivery portfolio prior to communications and sport, in aged care.

I understand how difficult it is to try and deliver for the people that you serve whilst upholding these recommendations, intractably difficult reform, through the Federal Government. He's working really hard and as you heard from the Prime Minister yesterday, he has our confidence. Okay, we're out of time, Minister.

Thanks for joining us this morning.