Australian government releases draft legislation on digital duty of care
( September 8, 2026, 04:24 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: The Australian government has announced the release of its draft legislation for the digital duty of care on Tuesday for targeted consultation. In a joint statement, Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese and communications minister Anika Wells said that the new law will put the onus on digital service providers to provide a safe online environment, setting minimum standards for the features and tools they use. The statement said the new law would require social-media platforms to give users a choice to opt in to algorithmically recommended personalized content or opt out and instead see posts from accounts they choose to follow. The statement said that compliance failure with the duty-of-care law could attract penalties of up to A$109.2 million ($78.6 million), with the eSafety Commissioner responsible for compliance and enforcement.Statement follows. Draft legislation is attached....
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