March 14, 2024
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to urgently act on banning Chinese-owned TikTok after the US passed a bill barring the social meet site from operating in America in the House of Representatives.
The bill, which passed the house last night and will now head to the Senate, will require TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the company or stop operating in the US.
“The Prime Minister needs to show leadership here at a time where we are being advised that young people who are using TikTok are having their personal details collected, their images, most intimate discussions, when that is being collected by a country or a third party, the Prime Minister has to act,” he said.
“At a time like this the Prime Minister doesn’t need to be weak, he needs to be strong to show the leadership needed to keep Australian children safe online.
“If he has got advice from the agencies, which I believe he has, that the information is being hoovered up and young people don’t have a safe presence online, it’s up to the Prime Minister of our country to respond in the appropriate way.”
It comes as a majority of this masthead’s readers agreed with the stance to ban the social media giant in Australia.
A poll with more than 1500 responders showed 84 per cent in favour of banning the app.
On Wednesday, before the US ban was voted in, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said she would closely watch the outcome of the bill which called on TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese owners or risk being banned from operating in the US.
“We are monitoring the progress of the bill in the US and will take additional action if and when relevant agencies advise it is appropriate to do so,” a spokesman for Ms O’Neil said on Wednesday.
“The Albanese government has taken strong action in line with advice from our agencies to restrict access to TikTok on devices used to handle sensitive information.”
The legislation still has to pass the Senate but US President Joe Biden has said he is prepared to sign a bill into law if both houses of Congress give it the green light.
Beijing has already warned the US that any ban on TikTok would amount to “bullying” and would “come back to bite the United States itself”.
Opposition national security spokesman James Paterson said prior to the American bill vote that Australia “cannot afford to be left behind” on the issue of national security, and we should have the same protection as our American allies.
“The Albanese government should be preparing legislation today which will give Australians that same protection so that we can swiftly legislate it in concert with our American allies,” he said.
“A failure to do so means allowing the Chinese government to directly influence the major source of news and information about the world for young Australians and unparalleled opportunity for foreign interference in a dangerous world.”
Cybersecurity expert Susan McLean also said before the vote that if the bill progresses in the US, Australia should follow suit.
“These decisions and the people that are presenting to Congress and the Pentagon are whizzbang cybersecurity experts. If the American government believes that TikTok is of national security concern then we as a friend of America should realise if it is a risk.
“If it’s a risk in one western country, then it’s a risk in another country.”
Ms McLean also said Australia would have to be mindful of its diplomatic relations with China but national security must remain the priority.
“We are geographically closer to China and we have to be mindful of maintaining diplomatic relations but if push comes to shove, if the company is acting in a way that risks national security, then that should be the priority,” she said.
