NATALIE BARR, CO-HOST: A new law that would double the fines for tech giants who failed to enforce Australia's social media ban has stalled. The Federal Government hoped to get it through Parliament this week, but the Greens and the Coalition have teamed up to delay it.
MATT SHIRVINGTON, CO-HOST: The new bill will now head to an inquiry, which will
report back in August.BARR: Communications Minister Anika Wells joins us now. Good morning. Does it actually matter how much these penalties are? We know these companies aren't doing enough, clearly, but in the six months we've had this ban, not a single one of them has faced a penalty.
MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS ANIKA WELLS: And that was the other half of this really important bill, Nat. It was to give eSafety Commissioner more powers to enforce these laws and to go after them in the Federal Court. And it's inexplicable why Angus Taylor and the Coalition would seek to stall progress on this bill, allow under-16s to stay online for eight more weeks, deny the eSafety Commissioner what she has asked parliamentarians to give her to help us get this done.
SHIRVINGTON: What's the purpose if there are no fines? It's just a bigger toothless tiger, isn't it?
WELLS: This isn't a traffic inspector issuing a parking fine. This is the eSafety Commissioner as our independent regulator, having to take some of the biggest, richest, most resourced companies in the world to our Federal Court. So this is about giving her the powers that she needs in order to give her the best case possible for success in our Federal Court.
BARR: So these companies say they’ve deactivated 5 million accounts. We know that 80 per cent of kids are still online. Aren't they just faking their verification and making new accounts? So is that 5 million just a furphy?
WELLS: The 5 million are verified by eSafety, but I agree with you, Nat, these companies are absolutely taking the mickey, and that's why we want to strengthen these laws and hold them to account. It is a craven and tribal decision for Angus Taylor to push this off for eight weeks to get himself through the week, basically, when 120,000 Australian parents asked the Australian Parliament to act. Until yesterday, this was a bipartisan measure, proudly fettered across the world. And it’s on Angus Taylor to explain why a 500-word, four-page bill needs eight weeks of inquiry.
SHIRVINGTON: Anika Wells, thanks for your time.
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