The ridiculously-titled Special Minister of State, Don Farrell, admits that his authoritarian Albanese Labor government is about controlling us, not serving us.

The 72 year old ex-union official even says, “I think everybody recognises that we have to regulate social media and the internet”.

He also thinks that the Communications Minister, Anika Wells is “fantastic”.

He rambles on, “We are not seeking to deprive people of freedom of speech, there will be plenty of that”.

Does he mean that someone else will be depriving us of that, or there will be plenty of freedom of speech? There's nothing “special” about this Special Minister of State's communications skills.

He blunders on, advising that, “ …. there has to be regulations and there has to be controls”.

Who ever thought that an Australian politician would be arrogant enough to say such things publicly. Australians need to be ‘controlled’ in what they can see and say.

Senator easy-ride-into-parliament-from-the-unions Farrell was responding to Shadow Minister for Communications Sarah Henderson's statement that Labor’s latest go at censorship with ‘Digital Duty of Care’ is a threat to free speech, draconian and a backdoor reintroduction of the failed disinformation and misinformation bill, giving the Albanese government power over any commentary, news, organisation or opinion that it didn't like.

The communications Minister has lots of excuses and ‘safeguards’, to be found here:

'We must regulate the internet: Special Minister of State Don Farrell makes stunning admission about new laws'. Oscar Godsell

Regulation of social media and AI is a no brainier, if harm to children is to be mitigated. Through social media children are being exposed to cohesion, cyber bullying and sexual exploitation as well as other negative developments including violent extremism to eating disorders and misogyny . Evidence of these negative consequences leading to anti-social behaviour, mental disorders and even suicide are well documented.

Platforms are collecting massive amounts of user information for targeted advertising, with no concerns for privacy. Even tech leaders from firms like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Grok have expressed fears that rapidly evolving models in that field could become dangerous if developed without guardrails. Governments should establish frameworks like the AI Safety Institute to monitor and prepare for extreme risks.

The Digital Duty of Care (DDoC) contains these innocuous-looking words: “presents a seriously harmful threat to public safety” in regard to the terrible things that might lurk on the internet and threaten our “safety”. Sounds benign, but it leaves open the opportunity for some minister, anytime in the future, to decide what that “threat” is. It could be anything he or she decides it is. It gives them ‘open-ended’ powers. “Protection’ is easily turned into restriction.

We can only hope that silent majority gets it before the next election.

Taylor says that the Coalition won't support the Bill, but, who are they these days? A party hampered by wets, such as currently Ruston, Bragg, Sharma, Wilson, Leeser, Bell, Price (Melissa), Archer. There could be other sneaks on the backbench who don't show themselves much.

There is also the petulant Hastie, pushing the electors of Canning to kick him out because he is too arrogant and stupid to know that his attacks on Paulind Hanson will only help her.

All of the a above could very well stab Taylor in the back before the next election. And I am not at all confident that there are enough Australians who are 'stunned' by the march of totalitarianism headed by Albanese and the likes of the appalling despot Farrell.

meanwhile Indigenous kids are being abused at a massive rate and getting the usual washing of hands by those paid massive dollars to prevent this. Obvious to anyone that this dei Government wants their complete failure hidden and have useful idiots like ekaren to do their bidding.

Hi runner,

YOU are a great one to bring up child abuse. How many children were and still are abuse by your clergy. I think a lot of the wringing of hands about social media censorship by the extreme right, has more to do with their free access to vulnerable children, than anything to do with protecting children from harm.

Paul

yes Paul the only thing worse than child abusers are those who falsely accuse. You are a typical regressive who ignores abuse in front of you and virtue signals your care. You fit in well with the projectors. Several times you piled in on Pell knowing quite well that he was a political prisoner hated by your mob. Better to shut your mouth than show your hypocrisy. But heh you always dig in deeper with your lying narrative.