PM says social media amendment bill delay is “outrageous”

ABC Radio The World Today

Presented by Andy Park Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 12:00pm

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says delays to the enactment of new laws to further crack down on global social media companies will harm Australian children.

A government bill which would double the fines and give more powers to the eSafety Commissioner will now be reviewed by a Senate committee.

The Prime Minister says the delay is “outrageous” and will play into the hands of the “big tech” companies. 

Featured:    

Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister
Julie Inman-Grant, eSafety Commissioner
Sarah Henderson, Liberal Senator
Professor Terry Flew, University of Sydney 

To read the full article click here

Share this article

More News

ABC will trial using AI for journalism. What are the risks and benefits?

Earlier today, the ABC flagged a shift in their position on generative artificial intelligence (AI) use in their news production. Despite previous caution, a recent deal with US tech company Anthropic has opened the door for ABC staff to bring Claude AI into their broadcasting news work.

ABC says AI will write articles

ABC says AI will write articles.

Royal commission told US politics and Elon Musk are fuelling online hate in Australia

Social media experts say American policies, businesses and current events are jeopardising Australia’s social cohesion, with the antisemitism royal commission hearing recommendations for wholesale online reform at odds with the Trump administration.

UK planning to ban social media for kids under 16

It took Cruz Condren about a week to lose his Snapchat account, and a few seconds to get it back. “It asked me to verify my age by a camera,” says the 14-year-old from the Gold Coast. “I just asked my mum to scan her face because she’s over 18. It just let me back on.” Six months after Australia became the first country to ban under 16s from social media, Cruz’s workaround – performed with his mother’s blessing – is the kind of evidence now being weighed in London, Brussels and Ottawa as governments decide whether to copy Australia’s experiment or learn from its mistakes.