Australia's digital duty-of-care bill clears lower house, heads to Senate
By Sean Maguire ( October 28, 2026, 06:01 GMT | Insight) -- The Australian House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the government’s digital duty-of-care bill, which would require online platforms to identify and reduce risks on their services, give users over 16 the option to opt in to algorithmically curated feeds and strengthen the powers of the country's online-safety watchdog. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation is needed because tech companies have failed to address harms, while rejecting opposition claims that the reforms amount to censorship. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its passage would likely depend on support from the Greens, who are seeking tougher penalties and stronger compensation rights for people harmed online.The Australian House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday aimed at strengthening the country’s online safety laws by placing the onus on digital platforms to proactively reduce harm....
Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today
MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and clients, now and in the longer term.
Know what others in the room don’t, with features including:
- Daily newsletters for Antitrust, M&A, Trade, Data Privacy & Security, Technology, AI and more
- Custom alerts on specific filters including geographies, industries, topics and companies to suit your practice needs
- Predictive analysis from expert journalists across North America, the UK and Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific
- Curated case files bringing together news, analysis and source documents in a single timeline
Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial.