The digital duty of care bill, which passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, aims to impose new online safety standards on social media, games, apps, and chatbots. The legislation would place an "overarching obligation" on tech platforms to provide a safe online environment for all Australians, replacing existing codes with a broader duty-of-care requirement. Notably, the government accepted amendments requiring platforms to ban "material or conduct that simulates emotional intimacy and encourages or fosters a child’s dependence on it in place of human relationships."
Communications Minister Anika Wells stated that content promoting misogyny, terrorism, suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders would be captured by the laws. The bill also mandates that any algorithm opt-out features must be "accessible, easy to use" and "prominently available." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously warned Parliament about "the stories we hear about people identifying a chatbot, a non person as their best friend, should be a huge wake up call for every member of this Parliament to be prepared to act."
While the Greens support the bill, the Coalition stated it would not vote for it. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young called for the legislation to be strengthened, arguing that "Australians also need an external complaints pathway, free from the profit-driven whims of ‘big tech’s’ content moderation." Independent MP Sophie Scamps proposed expanding the remit of the telecommunications industry ombudsman to allow users to seek remedies for issues like hacked or inaccessible accounts. The bill now moves to the Senate, where the Greens have set up an inquiry to report back in late November.
