The Senate has passed an urgency motion introduced by Senator Ralph Babet on Tuesday, challenging the Albanese Government’s new online safety rules for internet search engines. The motion calls for amendments to the Internet Search Engine Services Online Safety Code, specifically targeting age assurance requirements that critics argue pose serious privacy risks.
Senator Babet argued the current code represents an unnecessary layer of digital surveillance under the guise of child protection. “This is not about protecting children. It is about building a surveillance infrastructure under the cover of safety,” Babet said during his remarks to the chamber.
The code, which mandates age assurance for users logged into search engines such as Google and Microsoft, includes verification methods that may involve government ID checks, biometric scanning, and data collection. Babet warned this could lead to a society where online privacy is no longer permitted.
The motion stated that the age verification requirements must be amended as they “raise many privacy issues” and “represent another layer of digital surveillance, dressed up as child protection.”
In a rare moment of cross-party alignment, the Coalition and the Greens supported the motion, which passed with 38 votes in favour and 25 against. Labor opposed the measure.
The vote reflects growing resistance to government-imposed digital identity measures and a welcome rise in awareness of the privacy risks they pose, as Caldron Pool has long warned.
