TRANSCRIPT: WITH 7 NEWS RIVERINA (JACINTA COUNIHAN), 29 NOVEMBER 2024

Subjects: Social media ban

E&OE 

STARTS: 10:00am

ENDS: 10:08am

JACINTA COUNIHAN:

Okay, So can we just start by asking about your reaction to the social media ban?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

Well, I think it's a good thing and if anybody does not think it's a good thing, they only have to ask the parents of Charlotte O'Brien, just 12 years old, or Dolly Everett, 14 years old. Those little girls took their own lives because of cyberbullying.

And whilst the legislation isn't perfect and whilst it probably will have its teething problems, it doesn't come in until 2026. But for the sake of children who need to be children, who need their childhood, who aren't getting it at the moment because they're being bullied at school. When I went to school, the bullying stopped at the school gates, you went home and it was a safe space. But these days, kids with devices, can't escape the bullying. They can't escape the predatory behaviour of some people. And they are just constantly being bombarded and I think the legislation, while it's not perfect, I do agree with the age of 16. I do think that it's going to protect and save, in some cases, children's lives. And that's going to be seen as a good thing.

JACINTA COUNIHAN:

Now, people are concerned. It is something they have to be enforced. What are your thoughts on that?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

Children will always find their way around things, but it's like seatbelt wearing, I know when seatbelt wearing came into vogue, not everybody wanted to wear a seatbelt because the Government was telling them they had to. And some people still ridiculously these days go drive around without a seatbelt on. And, you know, some of them go around and they don't get detected. They will now because there are cameras in place. But, you know, it's there for the overall protection of society and the Government doesn't want to parent but all too often these days

parents can't be there either and they can't be supervising the Tech companies, if they can with their algorithms, monitor everything you do and make sure that you get foistered and bombarded with commercial information and products for sale. They can also adapt their ways and their technologies. They're earning billions upon billions of dollars from doing what they do. They can put measures in place that do identify children, that ensure that our children are safer online.

It's up to them and it's up to all of us to make sure that our kids are protected because our kids are our most valuable resource. Also so the legislation isn't entirely perfect, it isn't coming in until 2026, it's a very, very good start. And I get there are civil libertarians have contacted me and I am amazed at some of the dreadful e-mails and messages that I've been sent. And that's the very behaviour that we want to protect our kids from. It's some of the things that have been written to me just in recent days because I supported the legislation, just the reasons why this legislation has been put into place. Adults should know better.

JACINTA COUNIHAN:

What about people's concerns that teenagers use this to communicate with others and at work and all that? Do you have anything you want to say about that?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

Well, I get that kids can work, too, from a young age. So I understand all those things. But I think children need to be children. I think they need to have their childhood protected and this is what it's doing. I mean, there'll always be people who come up with very good and valid reasons as to why legislation shouldn't be put into place.

But for the sake of the likes of Dolly Everett, Charlotte O'Brien and so many others, I think it's too important not to do the legislation. It's been passed now. Yes, there was lots of toing and froing in the Senate –  I was disappointed, I have to say that no or very few Labor members spoke on the Bill.

I think if it was that important, I think they should have got up and spoken on it. I did notice this –  that just about the second speaker for the Opposition to talk about the bill because I knew it was a matter of great importance to the people of the Riverina. And I'll always speak on legislation because it does affect my electorate, it does affect the people who send me to Canberra to be their voice.

And whilst I appreciate that not everybody will agree with the decision I've taken and that the Parliament has taken, I do think it will save children's lives and I think it's too important therefore not to support.

JACINTA COUNIHAN:

It's been a big week in Canberra. What other Bills have been passed that affect Riverina residents?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

Oh there are so many Bills being passed and there are bills there for farmers, there are Bills there for racism, many of the Bills were put in, were rushed through.

There was more guillotining of Bills just in this week alone and certainly over the past two-and-a-half years then sort of rushed through the Parliament and 9 years of government. And what worries me is that the Greens have caved in on so many of the bills. And then we had the Greens’ leader Adam Bandt out saying that they're going to try to take the Government more to the left in the next term because they want a Government-sharing position, they want to be in Government. The Greens with Labor after the next election and that would be very dangerous to Australians.

I don't think that there's been too much if anything that's going to affect people's cost-of-living pressures that's been passed by the Federal Parliament this week. Labor will tell you that there is, but people are struggling to pay grocery bills, their rent, their mortgages, and their petrol, everything is going up and up and up. What happened this week in the Federal Parliament is not going to reduce people's cost of living pressures and that is unfortunate.

Emma Sullivan