QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (15:04): I thank the member for Menzies for his question and for his generous invitation to East Doncaster state high school in his electorate to talk to media students there about Australia's social media minimum-age laws. We had a thoughtful discussion about the importance of balancing online safety and keeping young Australians connected.
I hope the students follow their passion for communications and media and become cadet journalists and maybe even, one day, join the illustrious heights of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery. Today marks 43 days— Opposition members interjecting— Ms WELLS: Again! The opposition made interjections during the last answer about the calibre of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, and they have done it yet again here.
We have— The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will just pause. I want to hear from the manager.
Mr Hawke: The member just reflected on the opposition. We did no such thing. We've made no reflections either way.
She's strayed from her answer, and I ask you to draw her back to it. The SPEAKER: Maybe we'll just get back to the answer now. I'm not sure what the issue is, but we'll just continue on with the answer without reflections on anyone.
Ms WELLS: Today marks 43 days until Australia's world-leading social media minimum-age laws commence, which will see the minimum age to access platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok increase to 16. This reform will not just change a law on 10 December; it will change a generation. It will deliver lasting cultural change, and it will protect young Australians going through a critical development of progress in their lives and from predatory algorithms, harmful content and toxic popularity meters.
It will give them three more years to actually have a childhood and to build community, identity and resilience in the real world. It will offer Australian parents some peace of mind, knowing they don't have to worry what their teenager is being exposed to on their social media account, because the Albanese government has their back. As one Australian mum told me: 'I have friends who are about to move to Australia.
They have two daughters. Their eldest, who is 13, said she would need to get on Snapchat and Instagram when they move.' The parents told their 13-year-old it would be illegal in Australia until she was 16, and her response was: 'Well, that's fine. I only wanted to do it because I thought everybody else would be on there.' That is the kind of cultural change that Australia can look forward to and that is the kind of cultural change that Australia can be proud of.
We are not expecting perfection, but we are expecting social media platforms to understand and comply with their legal and social responsibilities and to make a meaningful difference. To help Australian families prepare, we have launched a national education campaign airing on television, radio and digital channels across the country. The campaign points parents, carers and young people to helpful resources on the eSafety website.
In response to feedback I've heard from young Australians worried about how these laws will change their lives, last week I hosted a roundtable with the assistant minister for mental health and 20 frontline mental health organisations. They stand ready to help anyone who needs assistance with navigating this change. We understand that cultural change can be difficult, but, with seven out of 10 young people experiencing harm online, this is too important not to act.