QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (14:23): I thank the member for Macarthur for his question and for his lifelong and sincere commitment to the health and wellbeing of Australian children, both in this place and outside this place. It's been just over six months since Australia's world-leading law creating a minimum age for social media began.

So far, more than five million under-age accounts have been deactivated or removed. According to a recent YouGov survey, 30 per cent of young Australians aged between 13 and 15 are spending more time playing sport; 27 per cent report better sleep; online bullying is down nine per cent; and exposure to inappropriate and violent content has fallen by 18 per cent.

Australia has started to create cultural change that we can all be proud of. Despite our immense progress, I am not satisfied that tech companies are doing everything they can to keep under-16s off their platforms. The eSafety Commissioner is actively investigating noncompliance by five major platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

The commissioner has found that these companies are adopting a range of dirty tricks to undermine Australia's law that is straight out of the big tech playbook. It is clear, and not just to the government but to parents, kids and teachers around the country, that social media companies are deliberately failing to comply with the law. It is clear to Mia Bannister and to Wayne Holdsworth, who are in the chamber with us today.

They know all too well the harm that social media can have on young people. As Emma Mason said: … we need to show the social media giants that we are serious about their compliance with Australian law and their access to children under 16 … Today, Australia is sending a message to these companies: if you want to do business in Australia, you will obey Australian laws, and, if you don't, you will face the consequences.

Today, the Albanese government will introduce a bill that gives eSafety more tools in their belt to take on these billion-dollar social media companies. We are doubling the maximum penalty from $49.5 million to $99 million, and we will strengthen eSafety's information-gathering powers so they can get the evidence they need to hold these companies to account. I call on all members of parliament to come together to support the urgent passage of this bill so that eSafety can hold social media platforms to account as soon as possible.

Delaying or blocking passage means delaying or blocking accountability. Let's come together. Let's get this bill passed for Mia, Emma and Wayne and the millions of parents who are relying on us.

I will finish with a quote from Wayne, whose son died by suicide after he was sexually extorted online: This isn't a political football—this is actually saving lives.