Well, YouTube will officially be included in Labor’s social media ban for under 16, reversing a previous commitment to exempt the video sharing platform. Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is Green’s Leader Larissa Waters and Shadow Immigration Minister Paul Scarr. Good morning to you both in Canberra, Larissa, let’s start with you. So YouTube has responded to this, and as expected, they say that they’re not a social media platform. What are your thoughts on that?
Larissa Waters
Well, as a parent, I too, am worried about the content of what kids are seeing online, but the worry that we’ve got is that kids are so tech savvy, they’re going to find a way around these bans. These bans are not going to work, so what we actually need to do is to make those platforms safer and safer, not just for kids, but for anyone who’s accessing them. And I think that’s where the responsibility should be on the big tech companies they’re getting off scot free right now.
Sarah Abo
And that’s the issue, isn’t it, Larissa, because you’re kind of relying then on those big tech platforms, in this case, YouTube, to play ball with the government instead of fighting with them, right? I mean, Paul, as Larissa points out, kids are smart. They are bound to get around this, and the government still has to figure out how to even enforce age restrictions?
Senator Scarr
Absolutely, Sarah. And as Larissa rightly says, we have to consider the online safety of our children. And there is a lot of harmful content out there. But the fact of the matter is the legislation when it was first passed by the parliament specifically excluded YouTube, and now the government appears ready to change their position in that respect. And that’s a broken promise, in essence, when this legislation was introduced, it specifically excluded YouTube. So there’s a whole range of matters which need to be considered here.
Sarah Abo
So you reckon YouTube should not be exempt?
Senator Scarr
I think we need to carefully have a look at the regulations, and we need to consider getting the balance right in terms ofprotecting our kids online, but also making sure that we get the balance right in terms of freedom of speech and privacy, etc. And the concerns Larissa raised are quite legitimate as well.
Sarah Abo
I mean, the kids will still be able to use YouTube kids through their parents’ accounts. So a lot of the artists will also be on parents, which will make it tricky. But let’s move on. Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs on Australia could double the US. President, just, you know, casually announcing a new baseline duty of up to 20% which would apply to nations who have failed to negotiate a special deal, which kind of includes Australia. Larissa, the plan at this stage is to just assume that we are still at that 10% tariff Levy and hope that Trump doesn’t notice. Is that a safe plan?
Larissa Waters
Look, we’re at the mercy of this guy who’s a massive bully and creating global chaos. And what Australia is doing is giving him free money for nuclear submarines that actually it’s pretty unlikely we will ever get and he’s still treating us like dirt. So it’s pretty clear that we need an independent foreign affairs stance, and that we should be, in fact, not getting closer and closer to the US by giving them a whole lot of dough for nuclear submarines that may never eventuate, but that we need a strong and independent foreign policy that puts Australia’s interests first, including in that trade space.
Sarah Abo
Yeah. But the tariffs, Larissa, as you can appreciate, are a totally different matter here, and that could affect Australian industry, which is not great for the economy and also for Australian lives and livelihoods. Paul, the PM, he’s unlikely to meet with the president until later this year, and so far, obviously ministers nor the ambassador, Kevin Rudd, have been able to negotiate a better deal for our country.
Senator Scarr
And, Sarah, you’re right. The tariff issue is totally separated from, or should be from, matters of Foreign Policy and Strategic Alliance. Japan went through an extensive negotiation with the Trump administration, and they achieved a 15% baseline tariff. So it’s really concerning that the Japanese prime minister met with President Trump all the way back in February. Our Prime Minister hasn’t had the opportunity to meet with President Trump. The Japanese got a 15% baseline tariff, and there’s a real concern that we might be facing 15% or even something higher.
Sarah Abo
Yeah, well, even that 20%. I mean, it’s one of those things, just hold your breath in hope, right? But a lot of people could suffer if that is imposed. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Appreciate it.
Senator Scarr
Thanks very much.
