QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:04): I thank Senator Stewart for her question. What the Prime Minister announced yesterday on behalf of the government is all about giving Australians greater choice—greater choice over their platforms. It is about taking back control from platforms and putting it back into the hands of Australians, giving people control, not government—people.

With the My Feed, My Way initiative, we are acting. Now, we all understand the way we engage with things online has changed. Social media has become ubiquitous.

We know that technology is impacting our lives, at times enriching and connecting us in ways that we welcome. But we also know that too often the opposite is true. Algorithms can be weaponised to target Australians by those who mean to do us harm, and too often it has been our youngest Australians who have felt the consequences.

So this government will require social media platforms to provide tools which empower users to make genuine and enduring choices about what they see in their feeds. If users choose to opt out, users can't be penalised with a worse experience. Now, if you prefer your social media the way it is, platforms must apply the basic safety standards required by the digital duty of care.

Already we are seeing the reaction online. Australians from across the community are saying it's about time. It's about time that big tech took responsibility for the harms their tools are causing, and it's about time that Australians feel like they have a real say of what is in their social media feeds.

And, if I may say, it's about time the coalition, the Liberal Party and the National Party, stop looking to One Nation for their policy on these issues and stand up for Australians who want a choice. The PRESIDENT: Senator Stewart, first supplementary.