The Australian government is seeking support from global tech giants as it works to strengthen the country’s online safety laws and artificial intelligence (AI) regulations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who met Apple CEO Tim Cook at the tech company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Saturday, said that “Australia can’t do it alone” when it came to protecting children from the dangers of the internet. “We spoke about what we’re doing to protect children from online harm and the work ahead,” Albanese wrote on social media. “We’re putting stronger rules in place to keep Australians safe online,” he said. “And now, big tech companies like Apple are stepping up too.” Albanese, who is also in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly, used his trip to call for stronger AI regulation after dire safety warnings from industry leaders. Australia will introduce new standards for AI by the end of the year, he said. In a video posted to his X account, Albanese said his Labor government is “making sure technology works for Australians”, and not the other way around.
In a post on X, Cook also said he shared with Albanese new “strong and intuitive controls to help keep kids safe online”. New Australian legislation unveiled this month would place a “duty of care” requirement on the firms behind popular platforms, such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, and allow users to turn off their algorithms. The draft laws will be introduced to parliament later this year after consultation with social media companies, industry bodies and civil society groups. The opposition Liberal-National Coalition opposes the bill “in its current form”, according to a statement published on September 10, saying that it “contains inadequate safeguards for free speech and journalism, and leaves too much power in the hands of the Communications Minister”.
Australia implemented legislation barring children under 16 from social media platforms last year as part of a world-first crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and “predatory algorithms”. However, data last month found that Australians under 16 continued using social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok despite the ban.
