United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet has condemned the Australian Greens for siding with the Labor Government to block a proposed Senate inquiry into the sweeping powers of the eSafety Commissioner.
The motion, moved by Senator Babet, sought to refer the Internet Search Engine Services Online Safety Code to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report.
The Code, due to come into effect later this year, would require all logged-in users of search engines like Google and Bing to undergo intrusive age assurance measures—including potentially handing over government-issued ID, biometric scans, or facial recognition data.
“If this motion had passed, Big Tech and the eSafety Commissioner would have been forced to explain themselves in full view of the public,” Senator Babet said. “Instead, Labor and the Greens have voted to shield them from scrutiny.”
Senator Babet said he was deeply disappointed that the Greens—who often claim to stand for civil liberties and transparency—chose to protect an unelected bureaucrat with unchecked censorship powers.
“No one voted for this Commissioner. Yet she can now demand ID to log in to Google, suppress content she doesn’t like, and do so without sufficient Parliamentary oversight. That should alarm every Australian,” he said.
Senator Babet warned that this is part of a wider trend towards a digital surveillance state under the guise of protecting children online.
“The UK has already shown us what comes next: suppression of journalism, censorship of dissent, and a chilling effect on public discourse. That’s the direction Labor and the Greens are steering Australia toward.
“Today’s vote may have failed, but this fight is far from over. I will continue to push back against this growing regime of unaccountable censorship and stand up for the rights of everyday Australians,” Senator Babet said.
