The Coalition will put parents back in control of their children’s online safety, force greater transparency from Big Tech and oppose Labor’s sweeping new coercive powers for the eSafety Commissioner.
Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety Sarah Henderson said the Coalition would move Senate amendments to the Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 to give Australian families more choice, control and transparency online.
“Parents should be in charge of how they protect their children online, not Silicon Valley and not Canberra,” Senator Henderson said.
“Big Tech has enormous power over what Australians see, read and hear every day, yet the algorithms making those decisions remain largely hidden from view.
“These systems decide what gets recommended, what gets promoted, what gets buried and what gets moderated.
“Australians have a right to know how that works.
“The Coalition will require social media companies to disclose the key factors and signals driving their recommendation and moderation systems, while protecting source code, personal information and legitimate security interests.
“That means journalists, researchers and Australians themselves can better scrutinise whether platforms are pushing harmful material, manipulating users, censoring legitimate views or applying their own rules unfairly.
“Big tech should not be able to operate a black box which shapes what millions of Australians see every day without proper scrutiny.
The Coalition will also move to give parents greater freedom to choose the digital safety services they use to protect their children.
“Apple, Google and Microsoft should not be able to lock out competing safety tools while giving their own products privileged access,” Senator Henderson said.
“Parents should be free to choose the tools they trust to block harmful content, restrict apps and websites, manage screen time and keep their kids safe.
“This is about a simple principle. Families should have the choice, not Big Tech.”
The Coalition has also warned against rushing proposals to mandate non-profiled social media feeds, particularly given the potential consequences for Australian small businesses.
“There is a legitimate debate about whether Australians should be able to switch algorithmic profiling on or off.
“But Canberra should not dictate what Australians see online by replacing one compulsory system with another.
“Any change of this scale needs proper scrutiny, including its impact on Australian businesses which rely on digital platforms to reach customers.”
The Coalition will oppose Labor’s extraordinary new compulsory interrogation powers for the eSafety Commissioner.
“After demanding the Coalition rush this legislation through Parliament, Anika Wells has dropped sweeping new interrogation powers on the Senate at the eleventh hour, backed by heavy fines and the threat of up to 12 months in jail,” Senator Henderson said.
“These are serious coercive powers and Labor is trying to ram them through without proper scrutiny. We will not support that.
“We have also raised serious concerns about proposals allowing the eSafety Commissioner to compel documents from virtually anyone, including children and their parents.
“Protecting children online matters enormously, but that does not give the government a blank cheque to radically expand the coercive power of the state.
“When it comes to online safety, Labor keeps reaching for more power for government while failing to get the basics right.
“It is no coincidence the minister is releasing draft digital duty of care laws that raise serious free speech concerns on the very day her defective online safety laws are being debated in the Senate.
“Serious online harms require serious action, but Australians should not have to surrender basic freedoms in the process.
“The Coalition’s approach is to protect kids, empower parents, shine a light on Big Tech and protect the freedoms Australians expect,” Senator Henderson said.