“I have a record of standing up to those who will seek to threaten Australia’s interests,whether they’re outside this country or inside this country,whether in the online world or whether in the real world,and that’s the strength that is required to lead this country,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison made the comments during a visit to the Headspace centre in Queanbeyan in NSW,just over the border from Canberra,where he announceda broad-ranging parliamentary inquiry into the toxic impacts of social media.
Facebook,Instagram,TikTok and Twitter are expected to be called by the inquiry,which will begin public hearings this month and report by February 20,adding firepower to the government’s campaign in the lead-up to the federal election next year.
On Monday,the government hinted the federal election could beheld in early May,after setting March 29 as the date for the federal budget,but this can be changed at any time.
Taking a tough stance on social media companies is politically popular. A Resolve Strategic survey of 1606 people conducted forThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age last month showed 71 per cent favoured better regulation,with 70 per cent agreeing anonymous social media accounts should be made illegal and 67 per cent agreeing social media companies should be held responsible for posts on their platforms.
Mr Morrison rejected as “cynical” the suggestion the inquiry was set up to bolster the Coalition’s campaign platform,saying he was acting on concerns from parents about their children’s exposure to harm online.