{"id":891089,"date":"2026-09-14T00:26:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T00:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/891089\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T00:26:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T00:26:20","slug":"we-must-regulate-the-internet-special-minister-of-state-don-farrell-makes-stunning-admission-about-new-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/891089\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We must regulate the internet\u2019: Special Minister of State Don Farrell makes stunning admission about new laws"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Albanese government has made a stunning declaration about policing the internet as its sweeping new laws spark concerns about political censorship.<\/p>\n

Special Minister of State Don Farrell told News24.com.au that Labor’s Digital Duty of Care laws would \u201clead the way\u201d in regulating information online.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everybody recognises that we have to regulate social media and the internet,\u201d Mr Farrell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think what Anika Wells has been doing in this space has been fantastic. We’re leading the way in terms of regulation of this sort of information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re not seeking to deprive people of free speech, there’ll be plenty of that. But there has to be regulation and there has to be controls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Farrell\u2019s comments come amid Coalition warnings the new regime could be used to control political information and censor Australians online.<\/p>\n

Shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson told News24.com.au that the laws amount to a \u201cthreat to free speech\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis draconian legislation \u2026 is a serious threat to free speech and continues Labor’s insidious agenda of controlling what we say and see online,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis legislation is a backdoor way of reintroducing the disinformation and misinformation bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s all about shutting down any online service and it is frightening that it includes \u2026 news websites.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich of course means they have the power to shut down any commentary, any news report, any media organisation, any opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Henderson said the Coalition remained committed to keeping children safe online but would oppose the Digital Duty of Care.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Ms Wells has told News24.com.au, “There is no change to how journalists can report news under the Digital Duty of Care.”<\/p>\n

\"Trump<\/p>\n

Asked by News24.com.au about the Coalition’s free speech concerns, Mr Farrell dismissed them as \u201cnonsense\u201d.<\/p>\n

He pointed to legal action involving major technology companies and their algorithms in the United States as evidence governments needed to intervene.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in the United States these big companies are being taken to court about some of the ways in which they operate their algorithms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The government released draft legislation for its Digital Duty of Care on Tuesday, which would impose new obligations on social media platforms and other online services.<\/p>\n

The laws would give the Communications Minister and eSafety Commissioner enforcement powers backed by penalties of up to $109.2 million.<\/p>\n

However, Ms Anika Wells has conceded she\u2019s willing to make concessions over powers allowing the minister to determine new categories of \u201cserious harm\u201d.<\/p>\n

The exposure draft says the minister may, by legislative instrument, determine material, conduct or a combination of the two that may cause serious harm.<\/p>\n

Asked on ABC\u2019s Insiders whether there were limits on what she could potentially designate as harmful, Ms Wells said there were safeguards.<\/p>\n

These include consulting with the eSafety Commissioner and the fact any MP or Senator could move a disallowance motion against her.<\/p>\n

However, the government has control of the parliament, including a supermajority in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

\"Digital<\/p>\n

Ms Wells also blasted the Coalition for opposing the exposure draft<\/a> legislation before proposing changes to the government.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven’t had so much as a phone call from the shadow communications minister on the exposure draft,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, they convened a special party room meeting to reject an exposure draft, and then they convene a press conference to make sure you all knew about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s an extraordinary series of decisions. They are playing Yahtzee with kettlebells on this, and I invite them to reconsider.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concession comes as Ms Wells has also repeatedly failed to rule out Labor resurrecting its controversial misinformation and disinformation laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Labor abandoned its misinformation and disinformation bill in 2024 following a political backlash and concerns about its potential impact on freedom of speech.<\/p>\n

But when Ms Wells was repeatedly questioned about whether the government could return to the issue, she did not rule it out.<\/p>\n

Ms Wells said misinformation and disinformation were \u201centirely separate\u201d from the Digital Duty of Care.<\/p>\n

Asked directly whether she would return to \u201ctrying to tackle that separate issue of mis- and disinformation\u201d, Ms Wells did not rule it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment, I am highly focused on introducing the digital duty of care to the parliament,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not unreasonable for us to deliver basic safety standards like we have for cars or food or toys to an industry seeking to make money off Australians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether that meant she might return to misinformation and disinformation in the future, Ms Wells replied: \u201cThat’s not what I’m saying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressed again, she said: \u201cIt’s not part of the agenda that I need to deliver this term. I am focused on delivering the digital duty of care.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Albanese government has made a stunning declaration about policing the internet as its sweeping new laws 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