Communications Minister Downplays White House Warning Over Australia’s Online Safety Laws

Communications Minister Anika Wells has downplayed a direct warning from the White House, which branded potential multi-million-dollar fines against U.S. tech giants under Australia’s new digital laws as a form of “extortion.”

This comes as the federal government released its draft Online Safety Digital Duty of Care Bill 2026, introducing penalties of up to $109.2 million for tech platforms that fail to meet strict safety standards.

White House spokesman Kush Desai told the Financial Review that President Donald Trump had “unequivocally warned trading partners against imposing digital services taxes, fines, and other forms of extortion on America’s leading technology sector.”

Wells told media that no U.S. representative had raised the issue with her directly.

“I wouldn’t say that I have had that piece of feedback communicated to me,” she told News24.

“Just like the prime minister said, we’re a sovereign nation. We have the right to defend Australian parents and kids and we’ll do that.”

The proposed legislation represents the next phase of the Albanese government’s online safety agenda following its world-first social media age ban. It forces digital platforms, online games, apps, and AI chatbots to adhere to a statutory duty of care.

Key Measures in the Bill

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisted the reforms were about user empowerment rather than state overreach.

“This is not about giving government control, it is about giving people control,” Albanese said.

“Australia is leading the world with our social media age ban and online safety approach.”

Wells said the changes applied the same principle as safety standards for cars, toys, or food to online products.

“The duty of care goes beyond social media to ensure children are protected from harmful content and features, including on chatbots and gaming platforms, apps, and messaging platforms,” she said.

Pauline Hanson Raises CCP Concerns

The legislation has also triggered domestic pushback. The federal opposition and One Nation have both raised objections to the Bill on free speech grounds.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson accused the Labor government of adopting tactics used by the Chinese Communist Party to pressure platforms into censoring content.

“China learned long ago that you don’t need to censor every citizen, you just need to create a culture of fear and make the platforms do it for you,” she said.

“These tactics have been used by authoritarian regimes across the world to gag their political opponents time and time again,” she said on X.

“The powers will make sure social media companies feel the only option is to over-censor. The Minister and e-Safety Commissioner get open-ended power to classify anything as harmful.”