VIDEO: Government pushing to pass social media ban legislation

LUCY THOMAS, FOUNDER OF PROJECT ROCKIT:  Booting them off social media isn't going to wind back the clock so that they can live the childhoods that we did. 

It's going to invariably nudge them into darker, less safe corners of the internet.

SUNITA BOSE, DIGITAL INDUSTRY GROUP:  We're concerned that the bill lacks that fundamental detail about the technical implementation, on age assurance expectations, and therefore the parliament doesn't have the necessary detail.

LAURA TINGLE, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT:  For three hours yesterday, bureaucrats, academics, representatives of big tech and mental health professionals were quizzed by senators about the proposed social media ban for people under 16 in what may have been one of the fastest Senate inquiries in history.

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG, GREENS SENATOR:  Making those platforms responsible for creating safer places for everybody, but particularly for young people, surely is the aim here. So just a blanket ban doesn't do that. 

MALCOLM ROBERTS, PAULINE HANSON’S ONE NATION SENATOR:  It's not about stopping real world interaction. It's about balancing social media with real world interaction. 

SARAH HENDERSON, LIBERAL SENATOR:  If you are focused on online safety for children, why are you trying to stop this bill coming into law?

SUNITA BOSE:  Because my concern is that this could compromise the safety of young people. My focus at DIGI and in previous...

SARAH HENDERSON: That's an outright, that's an outrageous, an outrageous statement. You're trying to protect the big tech giants. You're trying to protect them. Isn't that the case?

LAURA TINGLE:  The Government’s proposed social media ban is a particularly strange political creature: legislation that both sides of politics agree will, or even should, pass.

But it’s also legislation which many in the parliament think is deeply flawed, or at the very least contains or raises a lot of questions for which the Government doesn’t have answers.

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG:  The hard work is cracking down on those dangerous algorithms of putting in place a duty of care and ensuring that the guard rails are there so those platforms, wherever young people may find themselves.

LAURA TINGLE:  The unseemly rush to pass the bill before the end of the year comes amid an acknowledged sense of crisis among many parents about the impact of social media on their children. 

When a rapid-fire Senate inquiry was announced last Thursday, it was swamped with an astounding 15,000 submissions in the space of 24 hours, partly driven by X proprietor Elon Musk weighing in.

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG: We don't have much time to work out where this bill needs to be improved, if it can be improved, and I don't think, frankly, there's much political will from either of the major parties to change it. 

LAURA TINGLE:  It’s an issue that sometimes stirs deep emotions, as it did when the bill was debated in the House of Representatives today, even before the Senate committee report was tabled. 

DAVID COLEMAN, SHADOW COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER:  The protection of children from social media is one of the defining issues of our era, every parent worries about this. 

LAURA TINGLE:  A lot of the media focus has been on misgivings by some individual MPs and senators on the legislation, including LNP Senator Matt Canavan. 

MATT CANAVAN, LNP SENATOR: We’ve basically had as much time between the last supper and the resurrection to evaluate a world leading piece of regulation which has huge ramifications for all Australians. 

LAURA TINGLE:  But there is also a broader policy concern about this issue.

The proposed social media ban is just one of a range of policy responses already in train. That includes a government-led parliamentary committee which reported back last week - but which did not recommend an age ban, and a duty of care framework to prevent online harm and hold platforms accountable. 

JACQUI LAMBIE, JACQUI LAMBIE NETWORK SENATOR: Why don't you just get them to change our algorithms, so they actually look like they're caring about our kids? 

SUNITA BOSE:  We need to see continued investment in algorithms and ensuring that they do a better job at addressing harmful content, but I can assure you that algorithms are in place and being deployed constantly in order to address this harmful content.

LAURA TINGLE:  If things weren’t already moving at confusing speed, the Government has been making amendments as it goes, including ones which explicitly says platforms cannot compel users to produce digital ID or government-issued identity documents.

MATT CANAVAN:  What's stopping me just setting up an account and imitating an American or a Canadian and then, and then just using that account, you'll never have to check my age, right?

DR JENNIFER DUXBURY, DIGITAL INDUSTRY GROUP: Well, this is one of the reasons why we think it's really important that the trial that's only recently commenced, is completed, so that some of those questions can be, you know, thoroughly interrogated before we go ahead.

LAURA TINGLE:  Social media dominated the regular meeting of the Coalition party room this morning. Nineteen speakers were in favour of the legislation. Three were opposed. 

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has made it clear the Coalition will be supporting the legislation.

There is also some disquiet within Labor ranks. The Greens will move an amendment to the bill - which they fully expect will fail. 

Late sittings will be needed to get through as much outstanding business as possible. 

The government’s legislative priorities for these last few days of parliament, pending various negotiations, are best reflected in the Senate order of business.

They include changes to the student debt scheme, school funding reforms, and multinational tax laws.

The Government is still negotiating with the Greens over the shape of the Environmental Protection Agency which would oversee environment laws. 

Legislation to establish the proposed food and grocery code - to crack down on dodgy supermarket practices - is still outstanding.

No wonder that there is speculation among MPs that at least the House of Representatives will sit for an extra day on Friday.