Australia urges Parliament to pass chatbot safety duties and undercover checks

Australia’s government urged Parliament to pass its Digital Duty of Care Bill in a speech published October 27, 2026, arguing that technology companies have repeatedly failed to make their products safe. The speech outlined mandatory safeguards for AI chatbots, games and social media, plus powers for the eSafety Commissioner to go undercover to check compliance.

The bill was introduced on October 20; the safety duties remain proposed legislation. Services that fail to comply could face penalties of up to A$109.2 million. The government’s argument is that responsibility for safe services belongs with providers, not children or parents.

Safety duties would reach product design

Companies would have to assess risks in their services and put systems in place to address harmful features. The speech compares this with safety standards for cars, food and children’s toys. For under-18s, the proposed protections include safeguards against:

• Content encouraging eating disorders or promoting hostility toward women and gender equality.
• Pornography and material glorifying crime or dangerous stunts.
• Content causing serious distress, including abuse and bullying.

The bill would also protect minors from addictive features that keep them awake and cause lost sleep. The speech calls stories of people identifying a chatbot as their best friend a warning to Parliament.

This is not about preventing mean comments or political debate. It is about preventing serious harm.

Australian government speech published on pm.gov.au, October 27, 2026

Feed choice alongside mandatory protections

Social media services would also have to let users choose between algorithm-recommended feeds and content from people and pages they follow. Consultation on that rule, called My Feed, My Way, was open when the bill was introduced. Broader protections would cover all Australians against material promoting child sexual abuse, grooming, sexual violence, extreme violence and terrorism, alongside seriously harmful threats and harassment.

Faster complaints and a single framework

Providers’ response window for cyberbullying complaints would fall from 48 hours to 24 hours. The reforms would also allow eSafety to issue removal notices for apps and websites designed or predominantly used to generate fake nude material of people.

The government also wants to consolidate 17 existing industry-made codes into one legislative framework. The speech argues that the codes’ complexity and contradictions have made them difficult to enforce and easy for companies to evade.