Question Time AU

Topic

Online Safety & Technology

Social media, online harms, big tech and AI.

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Question Time Q&As
75
Debates
67

Recent Question Time Questions

Summaries in reported speech - not a transcript.

  • Digital Media Content

    House of Representatives · Thursday 17 September 2026 · Kara Cook ALP

    The member asked what actions the government was taking to protect children from online harm and the role of the digital duty of care.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 17 September 2026 · Rowan Holzberger ALP

    The member asked what actions the government was taking to address bullying in schools and protect children from harmful online content.

    Answered by Jason Clare

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Thursday 17 September 2026 · Kate Chaney Ind

    The member asked if the Prime Minister would commit to increasing funding for the AI Safety Institute, noting its current low budget compared to biosecurity.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Members of Parliament: Staff

    Senate · Wednesday 16 September 2026 · Anne Ruston Liberal

    The senator asked whether the Prime Minister had any involvement in Mr Muldoon obtaining his position with Senator Dowling. She noted that Mr Muldoon had attended the Prime Minister's wedding and that Senator Dowling had...

    Answered by Penny Wong

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 16 September 2026 · Libby Coker ALP

    The member asked how the proposed digital duty of care would protect Australians from apps designed to create fake nude images. She also asked about the government's response to these threats and why action was necessary...

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Online Safety: Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 16 September 2026 · Alison Byrnes ALP

    The member asked how the proposed digital duty of care would help tackle gender-based violence and better protect children.

    Answered by Tanya Plibersek

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Wednesday 16 September 2026 · Deborah O'Neill ALP

    The senator asked how the government has strengthened laws to hold social media companies accountable and what the next steps are for keeping children safe. In supplementary questions, she asked how the digital duty of c...

    Answered by Don Farrell

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 15 September 2026 · Susan Templeman ALP

    The member asked how the government was ensuring AI works for people and reflects Australian values while harnessing economic benefits.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Tuesday 15 September 2026 · David Pocock Ind

    The senator asked whether the government had consulted on an opt-out option for copyright material used in AI training and if it was considering a statutory data training authorisation model.

    Answered by Don Farrell

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 15 September 2026 · Julie-Ann Campbell ALP

    The member asked how the proposed digital duty of care would protect Australians from illegal and dangerous material online.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 15 September 2026 · Josh Burns ALP

    The member asked what the government was doing to protect children from harmful online content and combat antisemitism in the education system.

    Answered by Jason Clare

  • Prime Minister

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 15 September 2026 · Anne Webster Nationals

    The member asked when the Prime Minister first became aware of Mr Muldoon's vile tweets.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Monday 14 September 2026 · Richard Dowling ALP

    The senator asked how the digital duty of care would make the internet safer for children and why basic online safety standards were important. He also asked about responses from community groups and faith-based organiza...

    Answered by Penny Wong

  • Data Centres

    Senate · Monday 14 September 2026 · Sarah Hanson-Young Greens

    The senator asked when the government would introduce a moratorium on new AI data centres or ensure forthcoming AI legislation applied retrospectively to protect Australians. She pressed for a commitment to retrospective...

    Answered by Penny Wong

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Monday 14 September 2026 · Jo Briskey ALP

    The member asked how the government was ensuring Australians could shape the development of AI in the national interest and what the response had been.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Online Safety

    House of Representatives · Monday 14 September 2026 · Alicia Payne ALP

    The member asked how the government was responding to calls for a safer online environment for children and what obstacles remained.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 14 September 2026 · Kate Thwaites ALP

    The member asked how the government's reforms were protecting children online and helping them learn, and what the response had been.

    Answered by Jason Clare

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 10 September 2026 · Gabriel Ng ALP

    The member asked the Minister for Communications to outline how the government is leading global efforts to protect young people online and whether there are obstacles to implementing these safety standards.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 10 September 2026 · Sarah Witty ALP

    The member asked the Minister for Education how government reforms were strengthening online protection for children and aiding their learning, and what the response to these measures had been.

    Answered by Jason Clare

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Thursday 10 September 2026 · Andrew Gee Ind

    The member asked the Prime Minister why the government was rushing into AI technology without proper oversight, and whether he would support the member's bill to protect communities and critical infrastructure.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 9 September 2026 · Zaneta Mascarenhas ALP

    The member asked how the government was enhancing the social media minimum-age law and what was preventing progress on this critical work.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Wednesday 9 September 2026 · Jana Stewart ALP

    The member asked the minister to explain how the government's plan would help Australians take back control of their online experiences. She also inquired about how the digital duty of care legislation builds on existing...

    Answered by Penny Wong

  • Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence

    Senate · Wednesday 9 September 2026 · Carol Brown ALP

    The member asked the minister to outline actions the government is taking to address gender-based violence. She also asked why the government is protecting young people from harmful online content and how it is giving in...

    Answered by Katy Gallagher

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 8 September 2026 · Claire Clutterham ALP

    The member asked how the government was ensuring social media platforms fulfilled their social responsibilities to protect Australians, especially children, from harm, and why these reforms were significant.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Tuesday 8 September 2026 · Michelle Ananda-Rajah ALP

    The member asked how the government would provide further protection from harmful content and features on digital platforms while giving Australians more choice over what they see online. She specifically inquired about ...

    Answered by Don Farrell

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 8 September 2026 · Ash Ambihaipahar ALP

    The member asked how the proposed digital duty of care would protect children from harmful content and provide parents with safety tools, as well as how it would give adults more choice over online content.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 7 September 2026 · Basem Abdo ALP

    The member asked how the government was protecting youth from social media harms and what was preventing big tech from complying with Australian law.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Monday 7 September 2026 · Varun Ghosh ALP

    The senator asked the minister to outline how the government was leading the world in protecting children online. He sought details on the tools provided to the eSafety Commissioner and the risks associated with the curr...

    Answered by Don Farrell

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Thursday 20 August 2026 · Jo Briskey ALP

    The member asked why it was important for Australia to develop standards for AI to ensure human oversight.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Tuesday 18 August 2026 · David Pocock Ind

    The senator asked if Australia was doomed to repeat mining boom mistakes by failing to capture tax benefits from AI investments. He asked if the government would mandate sovereign Australian capability in procurement to ...

    Answered by Tim Ayres

  • Aged Care

    Senate · Tuesday 18 August 2026 · Richard Colbeck Liberal

    The senator asked how the government could justify the algorithm's decision to deny additional support to a deteriorating 96-year-old. He asked if the government believed this was the best outcome and why it rejected a b...

    Answered by Penny Wong

  • Aged Care

    House of Representatives · Thursday 2 July 2026 · Cameron Caldwell LNP

    The member asked whether the government would support the coalition's bill to ensure human oversight of all aged care decisions, citing the tragic case of Mr Austin whose application was reviewed by an AI tool.

    Answered by Sam Rae

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 2 July 2026 · Gabriel Ng ALP

    The member asked how the government is working to strengthen social media laws to protect young people from online harm and what obstacles remain.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 2 July 2026 · Emma Comer ALP

    The member asked about the impact of the social media ban and what was preventing stronger protections for children.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 30 June 2026 · Jess Teesdale ALP

    The member asked for details on the government's leadership in protecting children from social media harms.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 29 June 2026 · Zhi Soon ALP

    The member asked how the government was reinforcing Australia's social media ban to protect children and ensure social media companies fulfilled their social responsibilities.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 29 June 2026 · Mike Freelander ALP

    The member asked how the government was reinforcing social media laws to ensure big tech companies were held to account.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 29 June 2026 · Kate Chaney Ind

    The member asked whether the government would commit to a digital duty of care that included an overarching duty to address emerging harms, rather than limiting accountability to currently identified harms.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Political Advertising

    House of Representatives · Thursday 25 June 2026 · Zali Steggall Ind

    The member asked when the government would implement laws requiring AI watermarking, an ethical advertising code, and penalties for misleading political content to protect elections.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 25 June 2026 · Allegra Spender Ind

    The member asked if the government would require social media algorithms to be opt-out to protect communities from online extremism.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 4 June 2026 · Kate Chaney Ind

    The member asked if the digital duty of care would cover AI chatbots that simulate emotional intimacy, or if the government would extend the under-16 social media ban to these apps.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 3 June 2026 · Jodie Belyea ALP

    The member asked how the government was protecting children from online harm.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 27 May 2026 · Kate Chaney Ind

    The member asked why the government had not implemented the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendation to enact laws providing protections and supervision for automated decision-making in government.

    Answered by Tanya Plibersek

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Tuesday 12 May 2026 · David Pocock Ind

    The senator asked what modelling the government had commissioned regarding the fiscal and labour market impacts of AI, and when it would be made public. Supplementary questions asked if the government would commit to tax...

    Answered by Tim Ayres

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Tuesday 31 March 2026 · David Pocock Ind

    The senator asked how the voluntary expectations for data centres would be enforced, given that legislation was required for other tech regulations. He asked how the government would ensure big tech companies complied wi...

    Answered by Tim Ayres

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 31 March 2026 · David Moncrieff ALP

    The member asked how the government was holding social media companies accountable and how other countries were responding to Australian actions.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Thursday 26 March 2026 · Sarah Hanson-Young Greens

    The member asked why the government was failing to legislate a digital duty of care to protect Australians from harmful social media algorithms, despite a commitment made 18 months prior. She referenced the US court ruli...

    Answered by Don Farrell

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Wednesday 11 March 2026 · Fatima Payman Australia's Voice

    The member asked why the government had abandoned the AI advisory board after a 15-month recruitment process and discarded work on a standalone AI act. She also asked how many times the minister had met with AI companies...

    Answered by Tim Ayres

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Tuesday 10 March 2026 · Jacqui Lambie JLN

    The member asked for reassurance that the government would protect copyright holders and not weaken laws. She further asked about plans to make big tech pay for content and why Australia was not investing more in domesti...

    Answered by Tim Ayres

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 10 March 2026 · Kate Chaney Ind

    The member asked if the upcoming budget would include further investment in AI opportunities and safety, citing concerns about the current plan's hands-off posture.

    Answered by Jim Chalmers

  • Political Advertising

    House of Representatives · Thursday 5 March 2026 · Zali Steggall Ind

    The member asked if the government would introduce truth-in-political-advertising laws and ban generative AI and deepfakes in political advertising, citing misinformation spread by a specific activist group.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese; Anika Wells

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Tuesday 3 March 2026 · Jacqui Lambie JLN

    The member asked how an advisory institute could protect Australians without legislative powers. She followed up by asking why the government relied on pre-existing laws rather than new legislation, and which specific AI...

    Answered by Tim Ayres

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 12 February 2026 · Kate Chaney Ind

    The member asked what more the government would do to build safe online spaces.

    Answered by Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 10 February 2026 · Tim Watts ALP

    The member asked what steps the government was implementing to safeguard Australian children from harm on the Roblox gaming platform.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Australian Defence Force

    House of Representatives · Monday 9 February 2026 · David Smith ALP

    The member asked what the government is doing to grow ADF capabilities in new domains and why this is important.

    Answered by Matt Keogh

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 9 February 2026 · Carol Berry ALP

    The member asked how the social media age restriction is helping to protect young people and what the response has been.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 3 February 2026 · Emma Comer ALP

    The member asked about the impact of the social media age restrictions and how the policy was protecting young Australians from harm.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 27 November 2025 · Ali France ALP

    The member asked what threats the social media minimum age law faced and how the government was protecting parents and children.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Wednesday 26 November 2025 · Lisa Darmanin ALP

    The senator asked how the government's social media laws would protect children and where families could find information.

    Answered by Don Farrell

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 26 November 2025 · David Smith ALP

    The member asked how the government was helping Australians prepare for the implementation of the new social media law.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 24 November 2025 · Matt Burnell ALP

    The member requested details on how the world-leading social media minimum age law would protect young Australians.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Wednesday 5 November 2025 · Tammy Tyrrell Ind

    The member asked what work was being done to fix extraterritorial enforcement issues and ensure overseas platforms comply with Australian online safety laws.

    Answered by Malarndirri McCarthy

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 5 November 2025 · Lisa Chesters ALP

    The member asked how the government's social media laws were helping parents keep children safe online.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Monday 27 October 2025 · Susan Templeman ALP

    The member asked what measures the government was taking to protect Australian creatives from the impacts of artificial intelligence.

    Answered by Michelle Rowland

  • Cybersafety: Artificial Intelligence

    House of Representatives · Thursday 4 September 2025 · Kate Chaney Ind

    The member asked if the government would quickly implement its crackdown on 'nudify' apps and support her bill to criminalize downloading AI tools designed to create such material.

    Answered by Michelle Rowland

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Wednesday 3 September 2025 · Charlotte Walker ALP

    The member asked how the government was tackling abusive technologies and protecting the community from stalking, nudity, and deepfake apps.

    Answered by Don Farrell

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Tuesday 2 September 2025 · David Moncrieff ALP

    The member asked what the government was doing to safeguard young Australians against harmful and abusive technology.

    Answered by Anika Wells; Anthony Albanese

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Monday 1 September 2025 · Alicia Payne ALP

    The member asked how the social media minimum age law would protect young Australians online.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Thursday 31 July 2025 · Jana Stewart ALP

    The senator asked how the government was protecting young Australians from social media harms, reducing medicine costs, and cutting student debt by 20 per cent as promised.

    Answered by Penny Wong

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Senate · Thursday 31 July 2025 · Dave Sharma Liberal

    The senator asked if the government had agreed to union demands on AI before the reform roundtable and whether productivity-stifling concessions had been made.

    Answered by Katy Gallagher

  • Cybersafety

    House of Representatives · Thursday 31 July 2025 · Jess Teesdale ALP

    The member asked how the government's online safety measures would prioritize Australian families over online platforms.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Wednesday 30 July 2025 · Josh Dolega ALP

    The member asked how the government is protecting young Australians from the harms of social media and providing peace of mind to parents. He sought details on how the legislation holds tech companies accountable and wha...

    Answered by Jess Walsh

  • Social Media

    House of Representatives · Wednesday 30 July 2025 · Jo Briskey ALP

    The member asked how the government was protecting the next generation from social media harms and providing peace of mind to parents.

    Answered by Anika Wells

  • Racism

    Senate · Tuesday 25 March 2025 · Anne Ruston Liberal

    The member asked if the minister would promise that the Labor Party would not promote racist or hate-based material in its political campaigns.

    Answered by Penny Wong

  • Cybersafety

    Senate · Tuesday 4 February 2025 · David Pocock Ind

    The member asked for the reasons behind the recommendation for a digital duty of care and whether the government was still committed to legislating it promptly.

    Answered by Malarndirri McCarthy

Recent Debates

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